Advice on a new desktop??

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Do you play computer games? What do you do with your machine? If you just browse the internet, write emails and listen to music that machine is too much of an overkill. Plenty of $600 machines that will last you a long time if you don't play games or do intensive things.

I am on a 6yr old desktop which I bought in 2003 for $575.

There is a point where you are just spending top dollar for the latest stuff which doesn't necessarily give you an even price/performance ratio. Your best bet is to stay a little behind on the latest and greatest and save your money.
 
6GB of memory and a terabyte HD? Get it now.
I have a Dell Dimension from Xmas 2002 and it's still going strong. Not real fast but it works just fine.
 
Originally Posted By: GMFan
Do you play computer games? What do you do with your machine? If you just browse the internet, write emails and listen to music that machine is too much of an overkill. Plenty of $600 machines that will last you a long time if you don't play games or do intensive things.

I am on a 6yr old desktop which I bought in 2003 for $575.

There is a point where you are just spending top dollar for the latest stuff which doesn't necessarily give you an even price/performance ratio. Your best bet is to stay a little behind on the latest and greatest and save your money.


I agree but I don't want to spend more money on another computer until the new one dies. I tend to go after the overkill. After all, I'm running Redline in my slow daily driver lol.

My computer is used mostly for surfing bitog and a couple other websites, e-mails, and small documents such as resumes, nothing that really counts, with a little music downloaded to it. The GF stores tons of pictures on it too. I don't play video games but it would be nice to store blueray movies on it.

Suppose I wanted something that would suit my needs, maybe a little overkill but not this much, what would you suggest?
 
OVERKILL?

http://www.alienware.com/products/area-5...ode=SKU-DEFAULT

LOL
grin2.gif
 
Get dual optical drives-as much memory as you can afford-a media card reader and built in wireless. If there is extra $ after that, get a bigger HD or dual HDs. If there is extra $ after those, get a processor upgrade.
 
Buick..

My next "desktop" will be a laptop. Give it some consideration. Even if you never leave the house with it, unlike a desktop, you have that option. And you can run a separate monitor AND your laptop screen simultaneously (if needed).

Best of all, the RAM, processor speed, and HD size can all easily equal that of a desktop.
 
Originally Posted By: dkryan

Best of all, the RAM, processor speed, and HD size can all easily equal that of a desktop.

But you will pay significantly more for a laptop that will deliver the same performance as a desktop. Typically, the laptop versions of CPUs and hard drives are noticeably slower due to either lower FSB speeds, lower HDD rpms, etc.

And typically a laptop with really good specs will be so big that you won't feel like carrying it around anyway.

Finally, the upgrade potential on a laptop is practically nonexistent. On top of that, cooling can be problematic.

Don't get me wrong, I think a laptop has its benefits. I've got a few of them myself. You just have to have a clear understanding of its limitations.
 
Originally Posted By: Mamala Bay
You could wait until after Thanksgiving Day sale.


I would but my hard drive is getting very loud right now.

I have 2 laptops that I use for work, supplied by my employer and they're pretty nice about allowing us to use them responsibly for personal use (surfing forums, no downloading). Of course there are the complete morons that get fired for looking up "other" stuff.

I just don't want to upgrade a few years down the road. I know how it works with cars, bigger is not always better and you want parts that compliment each other. I'm assuming this applies to computers too... maybe not.

The one I'm looking at has an upgrade from 1TB to 1.5TB HD and 6GB to 9GB Ram for $150. Processor is the i7. Not real sure if the standard one needs to be upgraded to a higher number or not. Keep in mind, I'm retarded when it comes to this stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: crinkles
are there still compatibility issues with 64 bit vs 32 bit?


Rarely. My wife's PC has been on Vista 64 for more than a year, she runs any game just fine assuming it wasn't made for Windows 95/98. Even some of those run under Vista 64.
 
Have you considered rolling your own?

The major builders are good for basic mainstream machines that don't cost too much, and laptops. But once you get into power/gaming desktop systems, most of them overcharge for what you get, and their components aren't the last word in durability, features or upgrade-ability. And once you start customizing, or move into the more robust business-class versions, the price usually quickly skyrockets.

For what that Dell sells for, you may do better with performance bits from Newegg.

Just an option.
 
Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Have you considered rolling your own?

The major builders are good for basic mainstream machines that don't cost too much, and laptops. But once you get into power/gaming desktop systems, most of them overcharge for what you get, and their components aren't the last word in durability, features or upgrade-ability. And once you start customizing, or move into the more robust business-class versions, the price usually quickly skyrockets.

For what that Dell sells for, you may do better with performance bits from Newegg.

Just an option.


x2.. I bet you could build a really nice system from newegg for less than $600.
 
BuickGN:

If you end up going the custom-built route, I will give you a list of parts you can purchase off Newegg so there is no guesswork.

-Chris
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
BuickGN:

If you end up going the custom-built route, I will give you a list of parts you can purchase off Newegg so there is no guesswork.

-Chris


That would be very nice! Only problem is for someone like me that knows next to nothing, I'm worried about going the custom route and not having the support if a problem should happen.

I found one locally, how out of line price wise would this be:

$710 includes 1TB HD, 8GB RAM and a dual core processor.... It's a Dell FWIW.

For $820 it would include a printer (not needed), 22" monitor (not necessary but it would be an upgrade), and a keyboard and mouse, also not needed.

Lastly, is the i7 processor that much better?

I know this is elementary to you guys so bear with me.
 
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A recommended an Asus desktop for a co-worker, he just bought it this weekend as it was on sale at Best Buy with a 20" monitor, both for $10 less than they show just for the PC this week:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9366633&type=product&id=1218092152998

Update the BIOS (super easy to to do), update Windows, then remove the few bloatware pieces, and you're all set. A VERY nice rig for the average user.

I priced out similar components and I couldn't do it for less when BB had the 20" monitor as part of the deal.
 
If you're going to be storing Blu Ray movies on your new PC, you're going to need a bigger HD. Or at least another one.

I store DVDs on my 750 GB HD and I'm always having to clear room on it to store more. Most of the DVDs I have are reencoded for 4.5 Gb. A Blu Ray is 25 GB?
 
TNS: Looks like a great system except for the integrated video. I hate on-board video.

BuickGN: What kind of support would you be looking for? Most stuff has a 3yr warranty on it through the manufacturer, and OS support from MS comes with the OS.... Which is likely the only support you'll need.

If you have questions, just ask me, I can give you my e-mail address.
 
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