Need help with 1st computer purchase in 4 years

[iluvjo]

Hello, I'm new to these forums and I apologize if you've seen this question 1000 times. But, after reading through the forums, you guys are obviously very knowledgeable about such things.

I want to buy a new computer. I have a Dell I purchased in May of 2000 that was top-of-the-line then but now.... Putting together a new computer myself is not really an option, so I thought you guys could give me some help. The main thing I want this computer to do is play games and play them very well.(my reasoning is that it will do everything else I need it to do superbly) I want to play Half life 2, Doom3, and World of Warcraft and the highest or near the highest settings. I have been looking at Dell, Alienware, and ABS computers. I really don't want another Dell, mostly because I think I want an AMD processor and other things. I know Alienware is probably a huge markup but this is why I'm coming to you guys, another option.

I will purchase this computer probably in Jan/ Feb of next year, and as a teacher, I have a limited budget. Is this a good time? I can probably spend at most $3000 and need it to last a good while with good upgrade potential. Is there anything I should look out for? Will I be able to get PCI-E with AMD by that time? What is this new technology in video cards(I think its SLS or something) that I read about and is it feasible in that time frame? Is a 10000 rpm HD really that much better than 7200?

Also, is LCD or CRT better for gaming? NVIDIA or ATI? How much RAM should I get? Is Alienware really that big of a waste of money if I can't put it together myself and I want a quality gaming rig with a name brand behind it?

I really apprecitate anyone taking the time to read this and repsonding. Thanks!

 

[JSmile]

Good idea to wait ost holiday. Yes, get a PCI-E mobo and a X800XT PE, or the equivalent. 1gig RAM is fine, dvd burner, probably an AMD 64 4000+, or whatever is the top at that point. A high quality LCD is great for gaming, and this should run you about $3000 with a very nice LCD. Good idea, just start saving, wait for prices to drop, and new products to come out!

 

[Regs]

If you want a AMD rig, no better time to learn how to build a computer. Fairly easy now a day.

I find it funny that your budget is "only" 3000 dollars, as I built mine for around 1800-2000 and I can play Doom 3 @ 1600x1200 Max Quality.

PCI-E is on the back burner right now for this year. It's slowly making it's presence into the market and when it does, it still wont be put to much use as everyone states. It would take at least a few months if not a year for it come of any use.

SLS is another one of those technologies mostly made for the hardcore hardware enthusiasts. As of right now, the usefulness of SLS is not practical on a gaming application but maybe could be put to good use on a workstation set up for people who work a lot with media encoding and design. And lets Not forget how highly expensive it is to buy one video card these days let alone two. Just like PCI-E, I wouldn't wait for SLS to become a big new technology anytime soon.

Is a 10k RPM hard drive better than a 7200 RPM Hard drive? If you mean the Western Digital Raptor, yeah. Any other hard drive I wouldn't waste my money on. 10K HDD's run louder and hotter, and in most cases the performance difference is minimal. If you take a look at storagereview.com, you will see some 7200K drives sweeping the floor to their SCSI counterparts.

CRT is much better for gaming. Clearer picture, more viewable angels. Not to mention you have to spend a lot of money to get a good enough LCD to play games on.

Nvidia or ATI? Can go wrong with the newer generation. I prefer the 6800 GT however since the X800XT is no where to be found.

How much RAM? 1024 MBs.

Alienware is really that big waste of money. If you build the computer on your own, you will of saved yourself well over 1,000 dollars. Now think of the accomplishment of that.

 

[Snoop]

If you dont want to build a rig, than you would be better off using someone like ABS PC than buying something from alienware. ABS is owned by Newegg, and is top quality in support and service.

 

[fuzzynavel]

What is this new technology in video cards(I think its SLS or something) that I read about and is it feasible in that time frame?

This "SLS" that you speak of is actually SLI and is a way of making 2 video cards work together to produce an image on the screen thereby increasing your overall performance graphically.
There are two ways of doing this...either by rendering half a screen each as with the Nvidia and Alienware methods, or by rendering every second line with each graphics card. I think 3dfx used to work this way.

Very expensive to implement as only the bleeding edge cards are going to be available to perform this at the start. The cards will also have to be PCi express cards and you will need a MOBO which supports 2 PCI express graphics lanes. I believe that SLI will make an appearance over the coming months but as I said will be requiring 2 x $350-$400 graphics cards.

The one drawback is that one of the graphics cards will be running at about half capacity due to the fact that not both PCI express graphics lanes will be equal. I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that one lane will run at full 16x speeds while the other will run at x4 speeds....

Don't go with Dell because although they make quality machines for business....they are not gaming machines....

Also leave alienware alone as although they make excellent cutting edge gaming rigs I think they tend to be overpriced.

hope this helps....'m sure the good people here at anandtech will correct my mistakes!

 

[FreshFish]

Not to bug you about this...but why isn't building an option? It will save you soooooooo much money on a performance rig like this. Totally worth the effort to learn.

 

[gotensan01]

Originally posted by: FreshFish
Not to bug you about this...but why isn't building an option? It will save you soooooooo much money on a performance rig like this. Totally worth the effort to learn.

Also, even if you run into problems the answers will either be on these forums or if you ask, you will find an answer. I've had many problems with my new comp build but every single on of them was solved through forums :thumbsup:

 

[fuzzynavel]

just remember that if working in a carpeted environment to grab a radiator or something to discharge static to ground before u start.....or wear a wristband.....

never had any problems with static myself and have never bothered grounding myself either but better give good advice to newbies

 

[txxxx]

Just after xmas is the best time. If its a general purpose PC, you might want to consider Dell.

 

[fuzzynavel]

TXXXX...the original poster said this!!

The main thing I want this computer to do is play games and play them very well.(my reasoning is that it will do everything else I need it to do superbly) I want to play Half life 2, Doom3, and World of Warcraft and the highest or near the highest settings.

he wants a gaming rig that can double as a work machine!

Anything that will play games well will eat office productivity crap for breakfast!! so a dell is out of the question!

 

[11427]

Well,... if you don't mind spending money look at Falcon Northwest, Vodoo, Alienware etc....you'll get a good machine, but you'll spend alot more than you need to.

I'm with the other guys,... build it yourself. They are very simple to put together.

If that is really out of the question my next suggestion would be to find a small local computer shop. Tell 'em what you want (look/ask for suggestions on this board for Motherboards, cases, mem, etc.) and have them assemble it for you. Shouldn't be more than $100 - $200 over the cost of parts. You'll get a good machine for a good value, and likely a warranty.

 

[mechBgon]

iluvjo, I made a step-by-step photo guide for first-time computer builders, and if you know that computers are an assembly of parts, which it looks like you do, then you can easily build your own custom rig. I won't claim it's the best approach for everyone, but it's fun

I'm going to try to re-work the Resources page somehow, since it's crowded and wordy. Anyway, think it over.

 

[iluvjo]

Well, I had a real bad experience a few years back putting a computer together and I don't want to go through the time or stress or whatever. Bad excuse, I guess.

Ok so it looks like the most cost-effective solution would be to go to a computer hardware store, perhaps give them a list from maybe the high-level buyers guide here on the site and have them build it for me? Does anyone know a good place for that in the Miami area? Thanks for all your replies.

 

[Fern]

Think about using someone ABS linked above. You can tell them what components you want and they will put it together and ship to you. Most of these type places offer support and a three warranty.

I've used these guys LINK and have had good luck. Others haven't though. They offer (or did) a three year warranty with onsite service for one year free.

People here can help you pick components, if needed.

Fern

 

[iluvjo]

Wow Cyberpower looks really good. I put in nearly identical specs for their computer and Alienware and Alienware was more than $1000 more expensive. Has anyone else has experience with Cyberpower?

 

[ed21x]

yup-- I've had several friends, and myself at one point use cyberpower pc's. They are a fantastic company, doing everything they're suppose to do. The only downside to that is, they literally make PC's by hand as the orders come in, so you have to wait 2 weeks from the time of order to when the system arrives. Even though that sounds like so little to sacrifice, it'll feel like an eternity =P

 

[SimsFreak]

Have you looked at go-l.com? Would be cheaper just to build your own. But like others have said I would wait for the holiday season. Possibly get an A64 w/ nforce4 (or whatever one comes with PCI-express), and get the Dual 6800 GT from Nvidia when it comes out. Get maybe a GIG, of ram, or 2 if you want to go all out. But I think a gig with dual channel will work very well for you.

My personal experience is CRT is better because of the more refreash rates but the LCD flat panels are easyier to manage, small, and eas to move around.

I would suggest alienware as a last resort, they have nice gaming PC's but can 9/10 you can get what they have for half the price for build it yourself people. AMD has GREAT videos at there site on how to setup a computer. That's how I got my AMD working. They tell you the do's and don'ts of setting up each series. I am an AMD and nvidia guy so I would suggest talking to an Intel guy if you want the other side

 

[iluvjo]

Thanks for all your replies. After more research, it looks like cyberpower is the way to go for me. They were consistently $1000 cheaper than most, such as Alienware and ABS. How can they be so cheap? Has anyone heard anything negative about them? Also, does anyone know when AMD is going to be compatable with PCI-E? Thanks.