How do I get a cheap factory PC?

[IHateMyJob2004]

I need a cheap factory PC. I don't want used. I want new, refurb or off-lease. I don't need much. Jsut 2 GHz processor and directX9 or better hardware support. I also went to spend as little as possible. Windows XP is fine.

It's end use is going to be a MAME gaming cabinet.

So, does anyone know what my best option is? So far I foudn the dell outlet (refurbs) to be a good place but hte 3D cards are not that great. I can't even figure out if directX9 is supported in many cases.

Thanks.

 

[Blain]

Dell Outlet or Dell & Lenovo refurbs on Ebay.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

thanks

I actually realised that I have sn XP license I can use so I might go get a dell refurb with Ubuntu on it. They tend to be $100 less than normal.

 

[Blain]

You can find pretty nice refurbs on ebay from good, solid sellers for less than $100 shipped.

I stick with Dell or Lenovo refurbs, preferably units that use DDR2 memory.
One of my main criteria is a seller that has thousands of transactions and a rating of 99% or higher.
"Price" becomes less of an issue if a seller screws you over in some way.

 

[RebateMonger]

I don't know what MAMAE is, and my search engines aren't working at the moment. But the Acer Revo, for $200, is pretty amazing. VGA, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, eSATA, and an XP Home license. It doesn't meet your 2 GHz CPU criteria, though. It's a 1.6 GHz Atom. There's also a $330 Win7 H.P. version with more memory installed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-228-_-Product

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm pretty sure the OP meant M.A.M.E, the arcade emulator. As such, I'm pretty certain that the Atom is way too slow.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Yes, the arcade emulation is what is needed. (MAME)

More power means more game support. The atom won't cut it. I really want/need a P4 or better. An Atom processor just isn't worth the risk of being underpowered performance wise.

Multiple cores don't matter as much as processing speed. There are other emulators that I want ot support which relaly make the minimum 1.6 GHz. Since anything new these days is over 2 GHz, that is more than enough power. So, I simply want that.

The other thing is DX9 support. That is bascially any video card that has been made in the past several years anyways. Thus making an off lease PC a possiblity.

I basically want new/newer hardware that is inexpensive as possible.

 

[RebateMonger]

Well, if you already have an OS license, you could build something. But you said, "Factory PC". Just as an index, though, it'd cost about $300 to build a new PC meeting your requirements.

Micro-ATX motherboard with built in Intel GPU (meets DX9) - $65
Intel Dual-Core Processor around 2.7 GHz - $70
Small ATX case with PS - $60
2 GB DDR2-800 - $50
320 GB hard drive - $50
DVD-RW drive (can probably be removed later for a fixed-purpose PC) - $25