buying a new comp

Jab

Join Date 01/2004

buying a new comp

Just spent a crappy few hours at best buy trying to buy a computer, but they didn't have their top of the line. So now I'm looking at buying a good computer. I'm looking at spending no more then 3k, what are some excellent retailers to buy computers from ? Also does gateway really make great gaming machines?

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How about this..? Give me the 3K and I'll use my resources such as:

www.tigerdirect.com

and

www.xoxide.com

and I'll build you something 10x better than "Aliencrap" or other supposedly "top notch" manufacturers.

Don't buy overpriced systems. Yeah their awesome, but yeah.. their overpriced. Of course, what isn't.

I made my bro a "top notch" system for less than $1,700 using those 2 websites. He had about $4k he was just "dying" to spend. Save it while you can and build yourself something more custom to fit what look, feel and speed YOU want. Not what "they" tell you, you want.

I agree, I build about 25 computers a year for friends and family instead of them buying from HP, Dell etc. They save a ton of money and get a way better system.

Also I would throw in Newegg.com

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A couple of differences I noticed. Here are links to both boards. Check out the differences.

The A8N-SLI Premium Link

Chipset: NVIDIA nForce4 SLI

Expansion Slots: 2 x PCI-E x16 - SLI mode x8, x8

The A8N32-SLI Deluxe Link

Chipset: NVIDIA nForce4 SLI x16 - SLI mode Full x16, x16
SLI supports 2 identical SLI-ready graphics card (both x16 mode)

Storage: In addition to the A8N-SLI Premium this motherboard also has: 2 Serial ATA disk support, 1 internal, 1 external.

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Here's the parts I recently purchased when upgrading my system from a 2.53GHz P4. Also, if interested check out http://www.sharkeyextreme.com for CPU comparisons. You'll find a good one there comparing the AMD dual-cores to the Pentium D series. It's interesting that the Pentium's just can't come close to the AMD X2's in performance. But, if you are looking for nothing more than screaming game performance your best bet is to get a higher clocked Athlon 64 because they annihilate everything, and if you want the best performance out there, go with the AMD FX series, cause they apparently smoke even the Intel Extreme Edition. Anyway, on to the good stuff:

ABIT AN8-ULTRA Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4600BVBOX
Leadtek WinFast PX7800GTX Geforce 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
2 X OCZ Platinum Series 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model OCZ4001024ELPE
2 X Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

This combined with my existing optical drives and P4 power supply makes for a computer that just rips any game I throw at it to bits AND it compiles my work project in HALF the time my 3.2 GHz P4 with Hyper-Threading. I must say, SATA hard drives make a HUUUUUUUGE difference in every day use. Make sure you get the SATA II with max throughput of 3.0 Gb/s and you'll be amazed at just how fast everything loads. I'm sure the RAM doesn't hurt load times either but I can really tell a difference with these new hard drives..

Good luck in your search, I'm sure you'll end up with an awesome machine!

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Zoomba

Join Date 11/2002

+114

Something that is VERY important to consider is support and warranty. Most here are suggesting you have your friend custom build you a machine, but I would caution you against that unless your friend agrees to support the machine for a 1-2 year period.

When you buy a computer part-by-part, you usually get individual (and short, 90-dayish) warranties on the part itself, and no guarantee it will work with other parts. So, if something breaks, you yourself have to find the root piece of hardware that's dead and send just that part back to where you bought it (keep all your receipts and original packing material). This becomes very time consuming since most companies have a fairly slow turn-around time on part replacement (they already have your money) and chances are the hardware will die outside of that first 90 day period. You can quickly be stranded with a dead PC that you have to pay for new parts on if you have it built by a friend.

For gamers or power users who know what they're doing, it's hard to beat the value of building your own machine. You save a good bit of cash, and you have complete and utter control over what's going into your system. However, if you just want your computer to run, and aren't interested in swapping out parts or bugging your friend on the phone to come over when the machine starts to billow out smoke, going with a company-built machine is probably the way to go. The extra cost is going towards a warranty where you can just ship the thing back to them to get it fixed. The frustration saved is worth it alone because you can just say "Screw it!" and toss it back to the manufacturer.

Custom built rigs aren't the right choice for everyone, I would sit down with your friend and discuss support on the PC after it's completed before you buy a single part. Make sure he's going to provide a level of support you're comfortable with. Remember, you're not saving much money if you spend the next 2-3 years going to BestBuy and having the Geek Squad come over every few months when something breaks or goes funny.

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I think I'm going to take the parts over to a place like comp usa, have them build it, and get their warrenty on computers.

Now I'm figuring that the video card will probably be a geforce 7800. Would ether of the asus cards support that? Also I have my 100 gig drive, I don't know how to check on it's speed, but it was installed in my comp back in 2002 I think. Anyone have a link to the seta drives?

Now I guess that leaves the memory, I've read good things about coursir, but not sure what memory is best.

I think my goal is to get a machine that can pretty much run anything out now at high speeds, and can last at least 3to 4 years, and can at least run things at that point at reasonable speed.

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