mjdgoldeneye Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 A month or two back, I posted saying I wanted to upgrade my horrid computer and came to the conclusion that it wasn't the best idea. Some things went better than expected lately and I should be able to afford a brand new system. I want a system that that's ahead of the average, but I'm not looking for an Alienware or anything like that. I just want something that can run your average game without having to plod along on the low settings. My target price is $750 to $800. I don't think I'll need to go any higher and the closer to the low end price the better. My requirements aren't especially grand. I want at least 4GB of at least DDR2 memory, but DDR3 would be great. I can probably go up to 8GB DDR3 without a problem. As far as processor goes, quad-core is nice, dual-core at least is a must. After some quick glances, 3.2GHz seems to be the standard for my price. My 182GB HDD still has 62GB of space left after a few years of use (and I've got a lot of stuff on here), so a TB isn't really necessary. It's not exactly expensive, but if the downside to a system is disk space, it probably isn't a problem for me. For video card, I can always get one separately for pretty cheap. Mid-level HD cards aren't too expensive these days. As I said before, being able to handle games is a big deal, so a good graphics card is a benefit. I'm not looking to run Crysis, but seeing as I have complete garbage now, anything would be nice. I currently have XP, but my comp didn't come with any CD's or installation discs. I do have a Windows 7 upgrade disc, but it requires a previous Windows OS to install. A new comp would preferably come with some Windows operating system. I prefer XP, but everything comes with/requires 7 anymore or soon will. I have the upgrade discs regardless. As far as monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, and so on go, I've got all of that covered. I just need the tower. For the record, I'm not getting a laptop. I don't want to pay more and I don't want to sacrifice performance for portability that I don't need. I also don't like the feel of a laptop or the idea of having to charge it and so on. So, no laptop suggestions, just desktops. So far, I've found this. I'm not really a fan of Dell, but if anyone who knows better doesn't see an inherent problem, that system fits right into my range and seems to have everything I need. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, I'm looking to hear them. I've never been one to even buy up to the average (I've always been a year or two behind at purchase time), so I don't need anything extravagant. Still, if you see something and can push it up a notch without it breaking the $750 point, that's cool. I'm hoping to spend more than $620 and less than $800 (ideally $750). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remianen Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=3829929 $715, base. Buy a prefab at your own peril. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i effin rule Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I say just build one yourself. You will likely get more for your money doing so. I built my current computer about 4 years ago and the only thing I've upgraded so far is swapping my dual core for a quad core. I only spent $900 back then and can still play new PC games quite easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remianen Posted July 18, 2010 Share Posted July 18, 2010 I say just build one yourself. You are guaranteed to get more for your money doing so. Fixed. On top of the value proposition, you'll know your computer a lot better than with a prefab (so you don't need tech support. You ARE tech support) so you can do like mentioned above and swap parts to keep the computer relatively current. This computer was built in October of 2008 and the only thing I changed about it was swapping out watercooling for an aggressive air cooling system and replacing the mobo (which was destroyed by overheating). Oh yeah and my RAID0 was blown up by a technician at a computer store who had NFI how to work on a GAMING rig. Learned a valuable lesson right dere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjdgoldeneye Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 The motherboard listed is out of stock. However this one seems to be pretty much the same, but perhaps a newer model (the only difference is it's "G45" instead of "C45"). The price is the same. I never put a computer together myself. Google would probably be a lot of help, but any idea what kind of cables or buses I'll need to hook everything together? Can I just harvest from the computer I'm currently using, or are these sorts of things not universal? Also, what kind of work is mounting a processor to a motherboard? Speaking of processors, that might be the only thing I'll upgrade from what you have listed right now. This page is all the AM3 processors. First of all, the one you listed is 65W. What is this a measure of and does it matter much? Is it wattage? Also, does the raw processing frequency matter more than the number of cores? For example, is a 2.9GHz Dual-Core faster than a 2.6 Triple-Core? If processor speed is significantly more important, there's this. If more cores is better, then this quad-core might be better. This one is the same 2.9Ghz, but with an extra core. Finally, there's this one. If I go from a $60ish processor up to a $90ish one, it'll put me right at my range. I can easily get another 2 or 4 GB of RAM down the road and that graphics card should last me ages (considering how long the one I have now is lasting me and it's from, like, 03 or 04 and wasn't even high level then). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjdgoldeneye Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 Just another bump before I go off on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabataged Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 http://www.pricewatch.com is a good place to start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjdgoldeneye Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11281314 I used Remi's build as a base. I upped the wattage on the power supply, switched out the motherboard (the one in his build is no longer stocked), and upped the processor to a Quad-Core. Is everything still compatible? I think so... I was going to upgrade the RAM to 1600 speed from 1333 speed, but on the motherboard specifications, there's an "(OC)" tag after 1600. Does that mean "overclock"? I'm sure 1333 is fine, but should I get the 1600 and if I do, does overclock simply mean I'm using components over the specifications or do I have to modify stuff for it to work? I think going up to 1600 from the same manufacturer is about $7, so there's no price issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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