My gaming rig is dead

[dmw16]

easiest thing would be a good deal of Dell Outlet and then pick up a 4850 or similar card (or better if budget allows) and put that in your Dell.

 

[aclim]

yea, just get a nice PSU and Mobo now, and you can always upgrade a CPU and vid card down the line if you cant get what you want now.

If you go AMD you will save money.

 

[Jules]

Originally posted by: Sheik Yerbouti

Originally posted by: Jules
500-750 is a tight budget? hehe.

to build a gaming system? yea, it is.

Funny stuff.



I'm interested in this thread. Is it the right time to build another rig?

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Originally posted by: Jules

Originally posted by: Sheik Yerbouti

Originally posted by: Jules
500-750 is a tight budget? hehe.

to build a gaming system? yea, it is.

Funny stuff.



I'm interested in this thread. Is it the right time to build another rig?

I would actually wait until Nehalem comes out later this month - it should lower the prices of the already cheap CPUs, as well as the better, more expensive ones.

$500 is pretty much the minimum for a decent gaming rig, but you can go lower than that if you just want to be able to browse the internet and type documents. I'd say you can build a computer that's plenty fast for that stuff at $350-400.

 

[fallenangel99]

thanks for the links. i too am looking to build my PC (about 3 yrs old). not looking for anything top of the line. i have a decent gfx card (9600 and ill keep it for a while). i just need a new mobo and maybe a new bigger case (keeping the sata hdd, 22" asus, 4 gb ram, xp pro, )

 

[Jules]

sorry op.

 

[derdrache]

Even though newegg has my thumbs up, i have ordered a machine or two off of this site just to save time. They weren't for personal use but the people I got them for haven't been happier. (I just didnt feel like building something for a friend) http://ibuypower.com/ prices seem nice, i would not buy a GPU or many upgrades through them, get your base system (comes already put together) and then get your GPU from newegg. A lot of their parts have no options so you dont have to buy a "full" machine.

edit: oh and just make sure everything is connected before you power it on. my floppy and card reader we're not and i think one of the sata power cables had come loose. no biggy though. They do nice cable management if you want to pay extra.

 

[adlep]

For 500 Bucks you will be able to get quite a nice system through Newegg.com

Here are few rules that you have to remember about:

• 
  Newegg.com significantly fluctuates prices. A component that was $55.00 few hours ago can go up but also down in price.

• Look for items that feature free shipping. Often times a component that is $5.00 more but comes with free shipping will actually save up to $10.00 in shipping costs.

• Look for items with Mail-in-Rebates. You may have to spend a bit more upfront, but few of these $10.00+ rebates will really add up at the end.

• Look for "combo" deals. Sometimes, Newegg.com will give you a significant discount if you'll buy two PC parts made by the same company. Take a look at the attached screenshot for example.

• In general look for "specials". In our build, we selected the Antec 300 case specifically because it was offered with a free shipping "special". That made it very affordable.

• Take your time and don't pull the trigger right away. Assemble your "draft" build in Newegg's shopping cart first and then reference to it. Take few hours to go thought components already in the cart to make sure all of them come with lowest possible price, free shipping, and Mail-in-Rebates.
  Last but not least, be open minded and try to stick to your budget - don't give the goal up right away.

Two weeks ago me and my buddy Chuck were able to assemble a basic gaming system for about $360.00 After Rebates.
Having additional $140.00 in funds will definitely help.

Take a look at our article

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: Jules

Originally posted by: Sheik Yerbouti

Originally posted by: Jules
500-750 is a tight budget? hehe.

to build a gaming system? yea, it is.

Funny stuff.



I'm interested in this thread. Is it the right time to build another rig?

Relative to the system in your sig? I would say no, I'm not sure an increase worth the time/money you'd spend. I'd wait a few more months. I've got an EVGA 750i FTW, Q6600, 8800GT, Corsair 620HX, and 4GB RAM. I've been somewhat tempted to upgrade (at least the graphics card) lately, but I just can't justify the money I'd spend for the marginal increase in performance. However, with the trend in gaming computers the way it is, it seems like a relatively good idea just to drop around 1k every 2 years or so and you'll be set.

 

[OverVolt]

Building a gaming machine worked out better for me, because the graphics card is the most expensive thing in my system.

The Big manufacturers aren't very competitive in gaming machines. In order to get a good card, it comes bundled with overkill-everything else.

E7200
P45 Mobo
HD4850
2x2Gb G.Skill
500GB HDD
DVD Burner
Rosewill case
Vista
550watt PSU

~$700 in september

Runs smooth IMO. The E7200 is at 3.18Ghz, stable, decent voltage.

 

[imported_Imp]

I might be upgrading in the next few months since someone in the house wants his own system now (just learning); ok, I just won't let him use mine. Plan is to give him mine after I rip out the video card (7600gt), sound card (X-fi) and DVD writer. Everything else is non-upgradable since it's an AMD socket 939 with DDR1 Ram. Luckily, I have extra parts for everything I'm taking.

I am not looking forward to relearn all the computer stuff after being out of it for over 2 years. Hoping my old VC will last another year-sh to save a couple hundred. A pre-lim estimate for a new system is roughly $700 CAN minus windows. I could probably save another $100 if I didn't want a 'real' case this time around; I'm looking at the P182 or clearance P180.

Only major issue I'm confused about is power supply. Has power consumption gone up or stayed roughly the same in the past few years? The standard looks like a 550W now, but I haven't spec'd my stuff well enough to run it through a PSU calculator.

 

[BladeVenom]

Originally posted by: Imp
Only major issue I'm confused about is power supply. Has power consumption gone up or stayed roughly the same in the past few years? The standard looks like a 550W now, but I haven't spec'd my stuff well enough to run it through a PSU calculator.

Look at the Anandtech articles on video cards. They almost always show power usage.