Pre-Built System Help

[JDIV]

I am looking at pre-built systems from Velocity Micro, Monarch and Dell. I have a budget of $1,000 to $1,300. I need a good value system for office applications, occasional gaming (mostly Falcon 4), modest DVD creation from analog and DV. I don't anticipate opening the case to upgrade parts for at least two years. I don't have the inclination to build it myself. I can migrating an Audigy1 sound card if it is advisable.

Here are the choices:

Monarch: for $1,330 I can get Antec Sonata case with 380 watt Antec PS, Asus 915 mobo, 1 gig Corsair DDR2 "C4" RAM, 120 gig Seagate HD, XFX GeForce 6600-128 PCIE video, 16x dual layer DVD burner, onboard sound.

Velocity Micro: for $1,359 I can get generic case with 430 watt Antec PS, Asus 915 mobo, 1 gig Buffalo DDR1 RAM, 120 gig WD HD, eVGA GeForce 6600GT-128 PCIE video, 16x dual layer DVD burner, onboard sound.

Dell: for $1,217 I can get Dell case with 305 watt Dell PS, Dell 915 mobo, 1 gig Dell DDR2 RAM, 80 gig HD, GeForce 6800-128 PCIE video, 16X dual layer DVD burner, onboard sound.

Any ideas as to what I should purchase?

Is DDR1 RAM with 6600GT video going to outperform DDR2 RAM with 6600 vanilla video?

I can bring the Monarch down to $1,270 by replacing the Corsair "C4" RAM with "value" RAM. Is DDR1 RAM going to outperform DDR2 value RAM?

I can bring the Velocity in for $1048 by replacing the 430 watt Antec with a 35 watt Sparkle PS.

I am totally confused. Please help, thanks.

_JDIV

 

[Edward Lee]

why dont you save yourselft some $$ and build it yourself?
If not save yourself some time money and grief and buy a Dell

 

[JDIV]

Why Dell not the others?

 

[Kccdx2]

He meant Monarch. I am sure of it. Anyone in there right mind wouldn't choose dell over...well anything else. Trust me, I have a dell.

 

[ts3433]

I'd suggest a lower-end S754 A64 (eliminates Dell) with a good motherboard (Monarch would probably have you covered), a gig of PC3200 value RAM (DDR2 is not worth it at the moment, and fancy timings mean absolutely nothing), a 6600 GT (AGP), the 7200 RPM/8 MB hard drive(s) that suit your needs (from WD, Seagate, or Samsung, probably). For a case and PSU, a regular Antec case/PSU combo like the SLK3700AMB or Sonata should be sufficient.

I don't know if all of this is available through pre-built services you're looking at--I'm a DIY person just stating oft-recommended items for this price range OTOH. You can also check the system thread for more component advice and a link to a great guide for first-time builders, should you end up going that route instead.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: Kccdx2
He meant Monarch. I am sure of it. Anyone in there right mind wouldn't choose dell over...well anything else. Trust me, I have a dell.

I have a Dell too and it's 100% reliable.

I don't know why people knock Dell's all the time, they make solid PC's. And this whole, "Save money and build it yourself" is getting old. Not everyone can do that guys, if we all could then people like Dell and Alienware wouldn't be making a fortune.

 

[JDIV]

Thanks Malak. I have burned up enough time just researching what kind of system I want; I really don't have the time or the inclination to build it myself and it is worth the money to have the assembly and testing done for me.

 

[JDIV]

Would I be totally crazy and wasting my money to upgrade the PS from 350 sparkle to 430 Antec for $300?

 

[ts3433]

Originally posted by: JDIV
Would I be totally crazy and wasting my money to upgrade the PS from 350 sparkle to 430 Antec for $300?

:Q That should be criminal to offer that upgrade for $300! The True430 can be bought new for under $100. Regardless, I think you'll be fine with a quality 350W PSU, and Sparkles are supposed to be good on the cheap.

 

[Malak]

Do you need a monitor/keyboard/mouse as well?

 

[ssvegeta1010]

Originally posted by: malak

I have a Dell too and it's 100% reliable.

I don't know why people knock Dell's all the time, they make solid PC's. And this whole, "Save money and build it yourself" is getting old. Not everyone can do that guys, if we all could then people like Dell and Alienware wouldn't be making a fortune.

Exactly.
:thumbsup:

Out of those systems, the Dell is the best. If you want, you could add a 160 GB hard rive for only about $30 and it would have even more storage than all of the others.

 

[JDIV]

OK, I'll strike the Monarch from the list for the time being - its down to the Velocity Micro or the Dell.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Heh, for $1300 you could have one kick ass computer. I'll ship you mine for $1300.

Seriously, though, Dell has the best deals on non-gaming (or VERY little gaming) computers. That'd be your best bet.

 

[Malak]

Alienware has better deals right now actually, that's why I went alienware second time around. My rig #2 was $1800, and it's a lot more than you want. They are worth browsing now as well. I checked Dell for a comparable computer and it was a lot more expensive, which shocked me.

 

[JDIV]

Anyone have an opinion on build quality and reliability of Alienware, Velocity and Dell? Is resellerratings.com a good source - if so, Dell looks pretty poor, and I have had a Dell (a 1995 Pentium I at 350 or so) and it was OK, but that was a long time ago.

 

[JDIV]

Correction - it was a Pentium I at 133!

 

[Malak]

Well, I haven't used Velocity myself, haven't really heard much about them actually. My Dell has lasted 2 years without any trouble. No reformats, no hardware failures, no software failures, and not one call to tech/customer support. Still working fine.

Alienware supposedly has #1 customer support right now. For a while it was Dell, then they got really popular and got overloaded with customers so support went down. Emachines had best support for a while, but now apparently Alienware is #1. My contact with them has so far been very good. I got an Alienware because of friends who got them and were very happy with them, and because the price was right at the time.

 

[Edward Lee]

I checked out my rig at Alienware, Velocity, and Voodoo they're asking about $1600.00 to build a system which I spent about $1000.00 to build.

That's $600.00 difference by building it yourself.

You can buy a full Dell system right now with 17" LCD monitor for about $800.00 that'll work for whatever you need to do. Plus you get a free printer. (Pentium 4 3.0GHz 1gig RAM, graphics card (upgradable) 120Gig HD, 17" LCD etc...)

 

[JDIV]

which model dell?

 

[Edward Lee]

http://www.xpbargains.com/index.php/send_deal/29895

Dell Biz: Dimension 3000 desktop P4-2.8GHz 512MB 80GB CDRW + 17in LCD $498 shipped AR, Last Day
12/21 Exp: 12/21 Lowest Price: $449 history Send this hot deal to a friend add this deal to my favorite deal list! question, problem, or comments about this deal? deal talk(0)
Store Rating: Product Reviews: rate it

Exp 12/21. Dell Small Business has upto instant $200 off + Free LCD upgrade + free shipping on desktops. Tax for most states.

Dimension 3000 Desktop w/ P4 2.8GHz 533FSB, 17in LCD monitor[+$49], 512MB DDR, 80GB, 48x CDRW, NIC, floppy, Word Perfect, 2yr Warranty for $803 - $155 off - $150 rebate = $498 w/ free shipping.

choose the left $449 Dimension 3000 system, choose 17in LCD upgrade [+$49] and add to cart.

Recommended upgrades: P4-3GHz 800FSB +$30

It expires today. But they always have deals on this computer.

 

[Waylay00]

OK, I dn where people get this misconception of "OMG building is so hard!". It's not! Hell, if you can't build it, take the parts to your local computer shop and they'll assemble it for you for like $50 or even less!