PSX5Central
Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Mr. Kennedy on October 10, 2005, 08:43:29 AM
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Ok, I bought my old computer sometime in March of 2002...
I\'ll describe it as "mid-range" at the time, most of the components we\'re fairly basic with a few exceptions, the processor and graphics card we\'re upgraded.
With technology today, computers date extremely quickly, and even more so in recent years.
Almost 4 years later, and with a lot more money, I\'ve begun to ask myself if it is time to get a new computer. I\'ve had some issues in recent weeks, but nothing too bad. Most of the hardware I bought is external so that I can just transfer over to the new compy.
I use my computer for all sorts of reasons... I\'m big on gaming, watch a lot of movies/TV, work, internet, etc. so it gets used a lot, so I\'m not afraid to shell out the cash...
Ok, if you think I should get a new computer, I need a few reccomendations on who to buy from.
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newegg.com
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Or Tigerdirect.com
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Newegg.com
Thanks for stoppin\' by.
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The computer my family uses was purchased in early 2000. How\'s that for an old computer :p
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If you just browse the internets and check email order an HP or Dell. If you do anything more than that such as game or work with video build it yourself.
My folks don\'t do anything fancy with theirs other than MS Office so I ordered this for em on hp.com:
- HP Pavilion a1100e Customizable Desktop
- AMD Sempron(TM) 3200+ operating at 1.8GHz
- FREE UPGRADE from 256 to 512 MB 400MHz (2x256)
- Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition with SP2
- 40GB 7200 rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 48X Max. CD-ROM Drive
- 2 USB 2.0, 1 FireWire ports
- Integrated ATI Radeon Xpress HyperMemory
- Integrated 5.1 Capable Sound w/ front audio ports
- HP Keyboard, HP Scroller Mouse
- Microsoft(R) Works 8.0/Money/MSN Encarta Plus
- HP OfficeJet 6210 All-In-One Printer
Grand total: $624
*(2) $50 MIR rebates = $524
Did some research and that Sempron is faster than a Celeron D, which is all that Dell offers in that price range. That printer is sort of expensive so if you subtracted that then the new total would be close to $380.
I know what you\'re thinking mm, and so far no, no crashes or hang ups yet.
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Originally posted by Titan
The computer my family uses was purchased in early 2000. How\'s that for an old computer :p
My parents still own a first generation Bondi Blue iMac 233MHz. How\'s THAT for an old computer? :mad: Fortunately, their computer took a shit, so they have to buy a new one now, thank god.
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Ok, I guess new compy it is...
Next Question...
Intel Pentium Dual
or
AMD 64 X2?
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AMD 64 X2 without question... beats Intels crappy Dual Cores quite easily
nearly every benchmark in existance backs it up too
So you planning on building one yourself? It\'s definately the best route to go if you are building a powerhouse system. But if you want something nice and easy (and will still play games decently) then a Dell or equivalent will do the trick.
Places to compare prices for computer parts:
http://www.newegg.com
http://www.zipzoomfly.com
Next question should be if you are a gamer, what video card to get. ATi just came out with their new X1000 series videocards this past week, but they are a little expensive compared to equivalent Nvidia offerings. (not to mention impossible to find in stock).
I\'d recommend a 7800GT (or GTX if you got the money to spend)
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Second on AMD X2, everything I\'ve read says it\'s a powerhouse. Get a nice nVidia chipset for a motherboard and stay far away from Dell. They don\'t even sell AMDs do they?
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ok, but I\'m in a conundrum...
I wouldn\'t mind building a PC if I knew how to do it... but the fact of the matter is that I don\'t and I\'m not big on those "Building PC\'s for Dummies" books.
I don\'t want to sacrifice power, and I definitely can\'t build it.
This is one route I\'ve considered...
http://www.ibuypower.com
Case ( [New !!!] NZXT Trinity ATX Mid-Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Black )
Case Lighting ( Cold Cathode Neon Light Blue )
Power Supply ( Enermax EG565P 535 Watt Power Supply [SLI-Ready] )
Processor ( [939-pin] AMD® Athlon-64 X2 4800+ CPU w/ Hyper Transport Technology )
Free Software/Game ( [NEW !!!] Free Game --- Bet On Soldier: Blood Sport Game with purchase of AMD-64 FX, X2 based systems or Mobile Turion notebook )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game --- Half Life 2 Download Coupon with purchase of any AMD-64 based systems or Mobile Turion notebook )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Motherboard ( eVGA 133-K8-NF41 nForce-4 SLI Chipset Dual DDR w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, Dual PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 2048 MB [1024MB X2] DDR-400 PC3200 Memory Module Corsair XMS PRO w/ Heat Spreader & LED Lights )
Video Card ( 2x [PCI-Express 16x] Nvidia Geforce 7800GTX 256MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Hard Drive ( Gaming HARD DRIVES [Serial ATA-150, 10,000 RPM] WD Raptor WD740GD 74.0GB 8M Cache Hard Drive )
2nd Hard Drive ( Gaming HARD DRIVES [Serial ATA-150, 10,000 RPM] WD Raptor WD740GD 74.0GB 8M Cache Hard Drive )
Raid Controller ( Highpoint Rocket Raid Controller PCI Card -- Must select 2 same size Hard Drives )
Raid Configuration ( Raid-0 [Data Striping] With 2X Hard Drives )
CD/DVD Drive ( 56x CD-ROM Drive black )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( None )
Sound Card ( Creative Lab Sound Blaster Audigy-2 ZS Platinum 7.1 Black )
Speaker System ( None )
Fax Modem ( None )
Network Card ( 10/100 Network Onboard )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( None )
Mouse ( None )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Build-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Meter Display ( CoolerMaster Musketeer-2 System Dynamics Detector Silver )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Operation System ( [New !!!] MS Windows XP Professional X64 Edition )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Printer ( None )
Printer Cable ( None )
Wireless Network Adapter ( [Special !!!] Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps PCI Adapter )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Now you also have to take into account that I\'m only buying the tower. I have a keyboard, mouse, etc. I also have an external HD and DVD Burner and media card reader, and already have a good sound system.
That all together comes to $3450 (shipping included). Would you still reccomend me building the compy?
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Damn thats alot of money. I built a fine PC about 6 months ago for like $500.
its nothing like that, but it definatly does what I need it to, and does it well.
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spend 3500$ and you need your ass kicked
and wtf is a "Gaming HARD DRIVES"
lol
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( None )
Raid Configuration ( Raid-0 [Data Striping] With 2X Hard Drives )
owned
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Originally posted by mm
spend 3500$ and you need your ass kicked
and wtf is a "Gaming HARD DRIVES"
lol
owned
I don\'t get it...
"Gaming HARD DRIVES" is fancy for 10,000 RPM
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Originally posted by Luke
Damn thats alot of money. I built a fine PC about 6 months ago for like $500.
its nothing like that, but it definatly does what I need it to, and does it well.
Afterall, it doesn\'t take much to download and play porn.
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haha wow, I guess you mean business.
Here\'s what I got on Newegg:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Toledo - $884
eVGA 133-K8-NF41 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI mobo - $139
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR 400 (PC 3200) 3200C2PRO - $297
eVGA 256-P2-N529-AX Geforce
(2) 7800GTX 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 - $1158
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum - $176
(2) WD Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 (OEM) - $348
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - $100
Total: $3102
Didn\'t add case or RAID controller card. NEver fooled with RAID so maybe someone else can chime in with info but don\'t motherboards have onboard RAID controllers?
So doesn\'t sound like a bad deal if you go with that company. Check their ranking on http://www.resellerratings.com
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ok, so for $350 more I get a case, and I get it put together for me...
am I missing something or is building a computer supposed to be easy?
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yes, you open the boxes and plug the parts together
hell, they come with directions
I don\'t get it...
"Gaming HARD DRIVES" is fancy for 10,000 RPM
i certainly hope you won\'t believe that, complete nonsense
and wtf case are you buying for $350?
i got this lovely bridge, i\'m willing to sell....
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no, its the putting it together and shipping that that i\'m paying for.
God forbid i cross the wires and blow myself up.
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paying them almost 1.5k to put it together and ship it to you?
FFS, you\'re not even getting a DVD burner
and raid 0 is in fact doubling your chances of losing all your data.
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someone else showed getting the same parts and saving around $350... not built, and not shipped.
I have a DVD-Burner a very good one in fact, so buying another one isn\'t neccesary.
I know little about raid, so if you think Raid 0 is bad then I\'ll steer clear from it. There is the other kind though.
Input?
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mm is going to spout anti-prebuilt posts no matter what :)
I\'ll just say check out the other popular pre-built gamer sites and do some research before settling on one vendor:
http://www.abscomputer.com
http://www.monarchcomputer.com
http://www.voodoopc.com
http://www.alienware.com
Reseller Ratings gives ABS a slightly higher score, so feel free to piece together the same system there and see what you come up with.
And I agree, don\'t do RAID-0.
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do you really need a AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Toledo ?
2gb of ram?
SLI gtx\'s?
hey, it\'s your money
any form raid for a home user is pointless
and a waste
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If ya got the dough, then who cares? But that\'s a lot of moolah.
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Originally posted by mm
do you really need a AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Toledo ?
2gb of ram?
SLI gtx\'s?
hey, it\'s your money
any form raid for a home user is pointless
and a waste
Well this is why I\'m asking for help, I know very little of what I\'m doing, what I do know is that I want to maximize my gaming experience.
I\'m a very by the books person, so if your saying that having dual 7800 GTX\'s won\'t really give me the edge i\'m looking for, then by all means I will listen.
If I can get an equally powerful system (pre-built) for less money then by all means show me how. As for Alienware, my only problem with them is that I put the same exact parts as I did on the IBuyPower one and it was over 5 grand.
And what about the other form of Raid? All I know about Raid is that it makes your two HD\'s perform as one. Why is Raid bad?
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As for Alienware, my only problem with them is that I put the same exact parts as I did on the IBuyPower one and it was over 5 grand.
And that\'s why you never buy direct from them...
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why would you want to have two hard drives perform as one?
one word, redundancy (which is the R in raid)
mirroring (1) = slow
striping (0) = extra chance to lose your pr0n (not even redundant)
anything else is not a consideration for home users
if your after speed, a single 7800rpm sata II HD will suit you fine, and faster than any raid 0
hurr, honestly
forget SLI
save yourself 700$ and dont worry about 15% increase at 1600x1200 4x fsaa/16x af
but a nice 24" LCD instead
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Originally posted by mm
why would you want to have two hard drives perform as one?
one word, redundancy (which is the R in raid)
mirroring (1) = slow
striping (0) = extra chance to lose your pr0n (not even redundant)
anything else is not a consideration for home users
if your after speed, a single 7800rpm sata II HD will suit you fine, and faster than any raid 0
hurr, honestly
forget SLI
save yourself 700$ and dont worry about 15% increase at 1600x1200 4x fsaa/16x af
but a nice 24" LCD instead
That would be awesome except my crappy desk has very little space for a monitors. I have room for a 20\'\' at most.
You don\'t see SLI being the future of PC Gaming?
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no, far from it
it\'s a gimmick
it\'s a pain to configure and games have to support it, and definately not worth +15% at very high resoutions with aa/af cranked.
if you only have room for a 19" monitor, that means 1280x1024 at best for you. that makes SLI completely wothless over one card
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SLI is awesome IMO but I would never buy a SLi system just because you are spending way more money for like a 15% increase in performance. A 24" LCD isn\'t any deeper than a 19", just a few inches wider.
If you got the money then that system will spank pretty much anything out there. If you want a system that will win all the benchmarks (for about 6 months) then go with that.
If you can only play @ 1280x1024 then all that power is for nothing. Here is what I would get if I wanted the most bang for my buck.
Athlon 64 X2 3800+
ASUS PCI-e mobo
Nvidia 7800GT
oh and if you can drop $3500 on a computer, why not $120 and get a nice computer desk from Ikea.
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&langId=-1&productId=25905
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and as for room, its not so much that I don\'t think I have the Desk space for it. My desk was built for a computer, but my space for a monitor is concave, and I don\'t want it to block my view of the monitor, although I doubt it will.
For Monitors here\'s what I\'m looking at...
http://www.rasputinj.com/article6112.html
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approved
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nice, I actually got you to agree with something
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yeah those dells are pretty nice
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How\'s the response time on something like that?
edit- ok the link says 12ms. pretty neat, I hope the colors look great :]
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Agree\'d with MM.
You aren\'t going to use 2 Gigs of RAM.
Raid 0 means you have double the risk of losing your data. Not to mention you are not going to notice a performance jump and in some cases, may lose performance with a RAID 0 setup.
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Yeah I won\'t need the 2 Gigs now, but in say 2 years, I\'ll be ready, as opposed to havuing to replace 2x 512 with 2x 1024
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in two years...you\'ll be upgrading your PC anyways. hell, DDR probably will be history in 2 years
"futureproofing" is a stupid term in relation to computers. it\'s a lie
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BF2 players say there\'s a definite improvement in going from 1gig to 2gigs. :confused:
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I got a gig and a half right now. Been thinking about going up to two but I figure another 512 wont make any difference.
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Originally posted by THX
BF2 players say there\'s a definite improvement in going from 1gig to 2gigs. :confused:
this is why (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo)
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ok, the raid 0 is out, but I\'m still getting the 2 gigs of ram...
lets just agree to disagree
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Do it!
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Go RAID 0. We don\'t care. It\'s your money to waste.
;)
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I know, but I\'m trimming the fat right now.
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Just go with what JBean recommended, though if you have the spending room you can get a 4200+ X2. Easily cut your price in half and you can still enjoy games now and in the future.