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Needs suggestions for a new computer
- Thread starter Guest1987
- Start date
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=4837463
This seems to suggest that quality destops are cheap nowaday..can anyone enlighten me these specs and what they generally represent for computer? Would I be paying all that extra $$$ for simple effects and such..I'm looking for like for a 2006 computer (up to date, but not like a hot rod or anything...like a 2006 honda) to last me for a while. Reliability is very impt too.
This seems to suggest that quality destops are cheap nowaday..can anyone enlighten me these specs and what they generally represent for computer? Would I be paying all that extra $$$ for simple effects and such..I'm looking for like for a 2006 computer (up to date, but not like a hot rod or anything...like a 2006 honda) to last me for a while. Reliability is very impt too.
NuAlphaMan
Senior member
hurtstotalktoyou
Platinum Member
I assume you don't want to build one yourself, right? A lot of people will probably tell you to get a Dell, but personally I think you'd be better off finding a local PC vendor to build you a custom whitebox system. Not only might you save a good bit in the initial purpose, but you'll also save money in the long run by...
1) yielding higher resale value for components you sell down the line. Big name companies like Dell and Gateway use proprietary parts which, if they can be used at all in other systems, generally sell for much less when you're ready to move on. You definitely won't be able to resell Windows, which will probably garner at least $50 even after Vista is released. With whitebox vendors, everything is reusable and resellable for competetive prices.
2) upgrading instead of replacing. With big-name companies you can't upgrade your motherboard without buying a new copy of Windows. Proprietary cases could limit simple upgrades like new PCI cards. About the only reasonable thing to upgrade is your RAM, which will only take you so far.
3) easing the part replacement process. If your motherboard goes bad, for example, you'll often have to spend ridiculous amounts to find the exact same model to replace it.
That's my advice.
1) yielding higher resale value for components you sell down the line. Big name companies like Dell and Gateway use proprietary parts which, if they can be used at all in other systems, generally sell for much less when you're ready to move on. You definitely won't be able to resell Windows, which will probably garner at least $50 even after Vista is released. With whitebox vendors, everything is reusable and resellable for competetive prices.
2) upgrading instead of replacing. With big-name companies you can't upgrade your motherboard without buying a new copy of Windows. Proprietary cases could limit simple upgrades like new PCI cards. About the only reasonable thing to upgrade is your RAM, which will only take you so far.
3) easing the part replacement process. If your motherboard goes bad, for example, you'll often have to spend ridiculous amounts to find the exact same model to replace it.
That's my advice.
This Dell business is a joke, no? Because their systems can't be upgraded? If its not a joke, can you complely customize dells?
I'm comfortable with buying over the counter if that means I can find one to fill the requiments.
I wnat a gaming computer that will last me into the next two years as far as being able to comfortably play a majority games go. Of course I don't want it to be locked out where I can't mess with it if I get into that stuff. I'm worried about paying too much for too little, because there's a lot people who say that higher end stuuf only proved MIMINAL gains. Most of all, I want all the compents of the computer to work well together and run all the sofrware with relative ease. Anyone have recommed PCS specs based off this? Upgradbility would be nice.
Advice? I need suggestions in the areas. Suggestions for fully complet systems would be good too.
Processor-a solid processor at this time, how many pins should it have if I'm looking two into the future with it, not neccessarily to of the line, 64 is essentail it seems
Mother Board-for the motherboard, some faqs says I should get nvidia chip set--tell me more..keeping in mind a stable robust computer is the goal--What's chipset when they talk about mother boards? Is this the vid card too??--What do chip sets effets and hwt's recommeded based on my creiteria?
for memory...what should I get, again a solid comp for at least two years, able to paly a makority of games,..and is dual channel memory a good deal
For vid support...PCI is too much for now? how much do The cards run...but I should certainly opt for hight rated slots FTM right?
What device interface..SATA, IDE..or even SCSI? Info on procesc and vaibility?
Have I confused these slots in the motherboard for the actaul items anywhere here?
HD--with programs becoming more taxing..how much do should I get. I want to play a majority of games..Not necessrily top of the line..but a smooth everything is paramount...do you need to plan for slots with HD. What is ggod transfer speed in the current condition..The FAQ I read claims that the motherboard and HD will nned the same capabilites on order to take advantage of such things..is this a referene to IDE and SATA interfaces..if so, does being same imply correct interface + drive..or does it go deeper? 8m seek time os recommeed..how do I check for things like that?? Bearings..imp?..bS? Are theya nice cheap feature? Expensive, simply nice feature?
Memory-memory seens like a kicker...Whats a good one to ahve for games and such during these times? Whats agood FSB for the motherboard? I GB of memoery seems safe..is this so? It says ecnomical latentcy spped is 3.0..but higher grade is 2.5...is it really that much of a differnce?
Powe supply..what is this?..if I had it build..does I need to specify anything?
CD/DVD..recoomed a good one that will read/write to both?
Vid cards..whats out now..should I get something a form like a year ago? how much? many games run without them, and I could get away with what comes standard, right? but its a waste of rescouces to go without a video card..Right??
case..i should get a big caes right? for space..how many fans do I nned based on your estimations of what I'm shooting for?
"Most retail box CPU's will come with a CPU cooler, but you may want to upgrade it. If the CPU overheats, the computer crashes. A CPU will last nearly twice as long if you keep it just 10*C cooler, so it is a reasonable investment. Also, some people like to put lights or windows in their case to make it showy."
what does this mean? based on what I have..should I worry about crashes..whats a cooler..is it in the case?
The poster who talked about white box systems..doe you know any sites? Is it a situation where I hand them specs and they can do the job..and is Dell really vaible based on what I want.
I'm comfortable with buying over the counter if that means I can find one to fill the requiments.
I wnat a gaming computer that will last me into the next two years as far as being able to comfortably play a majority games go. Of course I don't want it to be locked out where I can't mess with it if I get into that stuff. I'm worried about paying too much for too little, because there's a lot people who say that higher end stuuf only proved MIMINAL gains. Most of all, I want all the compents of the computer to work well together and run all the sofrware with relative ease. Anyone have recommed PCS specs based off this? Upgradbility would be nice.
Advice? I need suggestions in the areas. Suggestions for fully complet systems would be good too.
Processor-a solid processor at this time, how many pins should it have if I'm looking two into the future with it, not neccessarily to of the line, 64 is essentail it seems
Mother Board-for the motherboard, some faqs says I should get nvidia chip set--tell me more..keeping in mind a stable robust computer is the goal--What's chipset when they talk about mother boards? Is this the vid card too??--What do chip sets effets and hwt's recommeded based on my creiteria?
for memory...what should I get, again a solid comp for at least two years, able to paly a makority of games,..and is dual channel memory a good deal
For vid support...PCI is too much for now? how much do The cards run...but I should certainly opt for hight rated slots FTM right?
What device interface..SATA, IDE..or even SCSI? Info on procesc and vaibility?
Have I confused these slots in the motherboard for the actaul items anywhere here?
HD--with programs becoming more taxing..how much do should I get. I want to play a majority of games..Not necessrily top of the line..but a smooth everything is paramount...do you need to plan for slots with HD. What is ggod transfer speed in the current condition..The FAQ I read claims that the motherboard and HD will nned the same capabilites on order to take advantage of such things..is this a referene to IDE and SATA interfaces..if so, does being same imply correct interface + drive..or does it go deeper? 8m seek time os recommeed..how do I check for things like that?? Bearings..imp?..bS? Are theya nice cheap feature? Expensive, simply nice feature?
Memory-memory seens like a kicker...Whats a good one to ahve for games and such during these times? Whats agood FSB for the motherboard? I GB of memoery seems safe..is this so? It says ecnomical latentcy spped is 3.0..but higher grade is 2.5...is it really that much of a differnce?
Powe supply..what is this?..if I had it build..does I need to specify anything?
CD/DVD..recoomed a good one that will read/write to both?
Vid cards..whats out now..should I get something a form like a year ago? how much? many games run without them, and I could get away with what comes standard, right? but its a waste of rescouces to go without a video card..Right??
case..i should get a big caes right? for space..how many fans do I nned based on your estimations of what I'm shooting for?
"Most retail box CPU's will come with a CPU cooler, but you may want to upgrade it. If the CPU overheats, the computer crashes. A CPU will last nearly twice as long if you keep it just 10*C cooler, so it is a reasonable investment. Also, some people like to put lights or windows in their case to make it showy."
what does this mean? based on what I have..should I worry about crashes..whats a cooler..is it in the case?
The poster who talked about white box systems..doe you know any sites? Is it a situation where I hand them specs and they can do the job..and is Dell really vaible based on what I want.
Just so you know, the most important part of a gaming PC is the video card. If you want to play new games on decently high settings, integrated just won't cut it. (Integrated will only let you play like 3 year old games on minimum settings). Just get something decently new like the nVidia 7600gt or 7900 series and you'll be fine (should spend at least $150 on the video card).
The main reason for not getting a Dell is that many of the components are nonstandard and you can only get replacements from Dell, plus they don't offer much in the way of graphics card options.
As for your other questions:
For CPU: you want either an AMD Athlon 64 (Socket AM2) or Intel Core 2 Duo (Socket 775)
For the RAM: 1 gigabyte is good but get 2 gigabytes if you can afford it.
For the hard drive: get at least 200 gigabytes, preferably more.
Really, you probably shouldn't be building your own system, though. (Unless you spend a lot of time reading and get someone to help you with it). Look at Monarch Computer, Enpower, PC Club, and Polywell, they all offer prebuilt computers at decent prices. Mess around with their configurators for a while and then see what the AT'ers think of what you pick. Also, I'm sure you can probably find more than one forum member in your location who'll be happy to help you with building your own if you desire.
The main reason for not getting a Dell is that many of the components are nonstandard and you can only get replacements from Dell, plus they don't offer much in the way of graphics card options.
As for your other questions:
For CPU: you want either an AMD Athlon 64 (Socket AM2) or Intel Core 2 Duo (Socket 775)
For the RAM: 1 gigabyte is good but get 2 gigabytes if you can afford it.
For the hard drive: get at least 200 gigabytes, preferably more.
Really, you probably shouldn't be building your own system, though. (Unless you spend a lot of time reading and get someone to help you with it). Look at Monarch Computer, Enpower, PC Club, and Polywell, they all offer prebuilt computers at decent prices. Mess around with their configurators for a while and then see what the AT'ers think of what you pick. Also, I'm sure you can probably find more than one forum member in your location who'll be happy to help you with building your own if you desire.
Guest, I would suggest clicking on the Guides tab on the top of this page and looking at the system building guides for entry level and intermediate systems. You can build one easily and it's fun, and the result will be more upgradeable than a Dell. If you really want a prebuilt system, www.abs.com has them made out of good quality non-proprietary parts, albeit at a higher price than Dell.
In my opinion, Dell is the way to go if you're truly not interested in spending much time on it and would rather throw away your computer every few years and replace it with a new one than save money upgrading the parts as needed. Dells are initially cheaper, too, especially if you take advantage of one of their many sales. These days they also are quiet and have a clean look.
In my opinion, Dell is the way to go if you're truly not interested in spending much time on it and would rather throw away your computer every few years and replace it with a new one than save money upgrading the parts as needed. Dells are initially cheaper, too, especially if you take advantage of one of their many sales. These days they also are quiet and have a clean look.
AMD ATHLON-64 X2 3800+ 2.00GHz 512KBx2 SOCKET-AM2 PROCESSOR
2048MB DDR2-667 PC2-5300 DUAL-CHANNEL MEMORY (2 x 1024MB) [$200.00]
320GB 7200RPM 8MB SATA HARD DISK [$79.99]
2 x NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600GS 256MB PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD (SLI) [$119.99]
350W POWER SUPPLY UNIT (INCLUDED WITH *DEFAULT CASE) ---Is this power supply enough? I mean, is that in an safe range?
Does this look good?
A few questions...
1) Vista is coming out soon. Until then, I thinking of booting with the boot disk I have for Sony VAIO. Would that work? Would Linix be easy enough to use until then? What about the beta test versions of Vista--Would you huys recommend using it until Vista is released?
2) What's a modem? Is it a dail-up device or for Broadband? How do I tell what determines internet rediness?
3)LITEON 16x16 DUAL-LAYER DVD+/-RW DRIVE - WHITE/BLACK --Can this device play CDs. It isn't listed, but this device looks more advanced than the ones that do list CD as an option
4) I'm see a lot of combos as far as RAM, CPU, and HD are concerned? What's most important?
5) Any compatbility issues that between the various brands of processors and graphics cards that I should keep in mind?
2048MB DDR2-667 PC2-5300 DUAL-CHANNEL MEMORY (2 x 1024MB) [$200.00]
320GB 7200RPM 8MB SATA HARD DISK [$79.99]
2 x NVIDIA GEFORCE 7600GS 256MB PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD (SLI) [$119.99]
350W POWER SUPPLY UNIT (INCLUDED WITH *DEFAULT CASE) ---Is this power supply enough? I mean, is that in an safe range?
Does this look good?
A few questions...
1) Vista is coming out soon. Until then, I thinking of booting with the boot disk I have for Sony VAIO. Would that work? Would Linix be easy enough to use until then? What about the beta test versions of Vista--Would you huys recommend using it until Vista is released?
2) What's a modem? Is it a dail-up device or for Broadband? How do I tell what determines internet rediness?
3)LITEON 16x16 DUAL-LAYER DVD+/-RW DRIVE - WHITE/BLACK --Can this device play CDs. It isn't listed, but this device looks more advanced than the ones that do list CD as an option
4) I'm see a lot of combos as far as RAM, CPU, and HD are concerned? What's most important?
5) Any compatbility issues that between the various brands of processors and graphics cards that I should keep in mind?
What are the ATI equlvalents?
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