Buying a new PC

[m4rvman]

I have a emachines and I'm ready to get a new pc.
I heard that custom built pcs are the best.
Where can i get a good deal on a custom pc?

[highnoon]

Try either....

www.voodoopc.com

www.alienware.com

www.falconnorthwest.com

Good luck!

[/sarcasm]

[samureye]

What type of user are you? Are you a decent enough computer user that you can make perform simple troubleshooting, or do you need tech support? That's the main thing, I think. Chances if you're here are that you can handle a custom made PC, don't need to build it yourself but it is an option. Overall, a custom PC will give you more bang for the money.

[ryudo]

Well if going the OEM route ..naturally think of your budget what you plan to use the PC for and leave open a few options for the future when buying the new PC...heavy in gaming then yeah guess Alienware or falcon or Voodoo is the way to go...I have an OEM Dell XPS 400 and it's been great but I don't game on a PC..I do lots of multimedia stuff personally.

I like Dell for an OEM but if you want to build yourself ... you can go to http://www.newegg.com/

and check for parts there or http://www.pricewatch.com/ and a few other sites similar. :)

[hegemony]

Yeah, you'll get much more for your money if you build it yourself. It will even be about 20% cheaper than if you get it from a custom retailer. Which is cheaper than the big computer manufacturers.

[synack]

Sup,
If you can get a copy, try atomic magazine. Used to be tech, now they review gaming hardware mainly. Had a good cover story a few months ago about quad SLi.

http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/

peace,

synack

[JAPPO]

I like Dell, personally.

[m4rvman]

I'm not really a gamer the only game i play is Counter-Strike.

[synack]

I'm not really a gamer the only game i play is Counter-Strike.

Counter Strike? Dude, it's time to let go.

synack

[bman]

I have a emachines and I'm ready to get a new pc.
I heard that custom built pcs are the best.
Where can i get a good deal on a custom pc?

Originally, custom built meant you build it.

[f0xh0und]

hmmm... custom built pcs, huh? well, alienware and falcon northwest are extremely overpriced in my, and a lot of others, opinions. so, i'd say, go with dell.

you could just buy another cheap emachines and upgrade that. that's what i did with my compaq a couple years ago (it gets over 5000 3dmark05 points (which is about as much as you're going to get out of an amd k7 system with pc 2700 ddr sdram, a pata100 hdd, and an agp slot); but that was a couple years ago. today, there's a lot more to worry about, because we're in a technological grey area. we're kinda in between new (future) technology and old technology. everything's changed in the last half-decade--processors, memory, hard drives... even video cards are about to get an upgrade from dx9 to dx10.

however, if you want to go with something a little bit "more current" (dual-core, ddr2, sata300 (often referred to as sata ii), then you could build your own system. when buying parts, there are several things you need to remember about several key parts.

motherboard: intel or amd? 64-bit support, dual-core support, ddr2 support, dual-channel memory support, at least 2x pci-express x16 slots, pata, sata 1.5gb/s and sata 3.0gb/s, the more raid options, the better (0 and 1 are a must), and a good southbridge chipset is important (controls audio, lan, raid, etc.)
processor: 64-bit, dual-core, ddr2 support, the higher the fsb, the better, at least 1mb l2 cache (2mb for dual-core processors), sse2 and sse3 support,
memory: there really isn't much to say about memory. ddr2, dual-channel, at least 1gb, at least pc2 4200, and the lower the timing ,the better.
hard drive: once again, there really isn't much to say about this. sata 3.0gb/s, at least 7200 rpm, and at least an 8mb cache.
video card: pci-express, directx 9, opengl 2.0, at least 256mb gddr3 sdram, at least 256-bit memory interface, vista-ready (meaning it has hdcp support throughout the board (not just on the graphics processor), dual-link dvi (for those extra large monitors).
power supply: some might say it's the cornerstone of a great pc. it can make or break--literally break--your system. i use this one (nice, cheap, and from a name i can trust (it has the highest average review on newegg.com): http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817153023.

[f0xh0und]

Counter Strike? Dude, it's time to let go.

synack

that's why we did, and why we now have counter-strike: source! :D

[adamzx]

newegg.com all the way
building your own PC isn't as hard as you think. I was skeptical about doing it when I got a new PC a few years ago... I figured I'd be putting it together and half way through I would screw something up, but if you research all of your parts and everything - rather than just going out and randomly buying everything it is a lot easier. The motherboard most of the time will come with a booklet or a manual that tells you how to setup the computer and where to plug all the different wires, etc. Definitely build your own if you are thinking of a new desktop pc. If you want a laptop, like I wish I had now.. you have to buy it from a company.
I don't know of anywhere that you can buy laptop cases.. which sucks.. I want a laptop but I don't want to get ripped off by buying it from a company like dell or any of the others..

After spending like $1,200 on the parts for my desktop gaming PC and seeing how kickass it really was... I realized how much I can save building my own stuff.. it is kind of mind boggling - you can save somewhere close to $500+ dollars doing it all yourself
I just wish someone would make laptop cases :(
I want a dang laptop

[popltree2]

hmmm... custom built pcs, huh? well, alienware and falcon northwest are extremely overpriced in my, and a lot of others, opinions. so, i'd say, go with dell.

I got my Alienware for just over 1G about a year ago. 3 GHz P4HT, gig of RAM, Radeon x800. Only downside was the HDD (60 GB), but I had enough laying around to just throw in and bring it up close to 300 GB.

[murphy71984]

but I had enough laying around to just throw in and bring it up close to 300 GB.

That's it?

I'm running with a little over half a terabyte. (530 GB)

[bman]

That's it?

I'm running with a little over half a terabyte. (530 GB)

Yea same here too, need more space lmao

[senshi]

The only computer I have is a laptop. 80 GB hard drive, with 250 GB external hard drive. I need more space. I'm looking to buy a cheap desktop and a cheap laptop.

Anyway, one thing I've realized is that if you want an entry level PC then go with a large company like Dell. You can get PC's super cheap. If you want a mid-range PC then get a slightly better PC and upgrade parts of it, like hard drive or RAM. Or shop around for all the parts. If you want a gaming machine, then build it yourself.

The first choice will give you a cheap PC for very little money. The second, if you get a good deal, or spend enought time looking for parts will give you the best bang for your buck. The last choice will give you a really good gaming machine without shelling out twice as much as you would with Alienware, or Voodoo.

Check out Extreme Tech (hthttp://www.extremetech.com/). Every once in a while they have a "Build it yourself" article where they show you what you need for "Best Bang for Your Buck" PC, an "$800 Gaming" PC, and "Ultimate Gaming" machine.

[hegemony]

That's it?

I'm running with a little over half a terabyte. (530 GB)

Is that formatted or unformatted? I have a 500GB and an 80GB. Formatted that's about 539GB.

[m4rvman]

I'm looking for parts and the total to be around 500 bucks nothing to expensive.

[spin]

Step one, Newegg.com
Step two, read up on the latest and gratest
Step three, Buy hardware
Step four, Put together
Step five, Play

[spin]

Yea same here too, need more space lmao

Space is good <1

[murphy71984]

Is that formatted or unformatted? I have a 500GB and an 80GB. Formatted that's about 539GB.

Ok Ok, you win =)

[hegemony]

Ok Ok, you win =)

Indeed, winning is good. The way things are going I'll be getting another 500GB. They're so damn cheap now.

[murphy71984]

I remember I used to tell myself, I will never use all of this hard drive space....but now I'm like, how could I have lived without it.

Damn you Bittorrent!

[adamzx]

Step one, Newegg.com
Step two, read up on the latest and gratest
Step three, Buy hardware
Step four, Put together
Step five, Play

Step two point five, after the gratest - you should definitely check out the greatest.

[moltentri]

Step one, Newegg.com
Step two, read up on the latest and gratest
Step three, Buy hardware
Step four, Put together
Step five, Play

hey i have about 400-£630 which s around 720-$1100
i cannot put together a computer so i would like to build 1 online
i would like 320gb hdd~4gb ram~and a load of other gd stuff
where should i buy, i tryed ibuypower.com-gd value but only delivery
to u.s or canada, i tryed vadim but my total came to about £900
exl vat .
where should i buy?:eek: :rolleyes:

[moltentri]

that includes a monitor thougth doesnt have to come from same place oh
and it needs to be sent to england coz if you drove flew there itd probabely cost more than the actual pc,lol.

[ArmpitOfDeath]

Depends on whether you want to futz or whether you want 'a package', and of course how much you want to spend. I have enough to do without fiddling around with PC hardware these days, although it's something I don't particularly mind doing if I have a spare hour or two... but it's not exactly my idea of monster fun. I still have some machines I or other people built, but now I'm not really into that whole process.

So I stick to prebuilt computers with 3-year warranties these days. For gaming and 'entertainment' and also for use as a power portable, my choices currently come from the Dell XPS range. The tweakers / budgeteers who have never owned a premium prebuilt might say these are overpriced but the fact remains that these are engineered as a package towards more reliable performance overall, and are fully supported. Dell has some good XPS deals in refurb sometimes, so they're worth a look. The Dimensions are always pretty decent value, and you can buy a fairly bare-bones machine for an excellent price and stick in a better display adapter / more memory later.

One of the major benefits of a decent prebuilt is that they always have less noise than something that you build yourself to a budget as a beginner/intermediate builder. To me, there's nothing worse than a 'screaming gaming rig' which... well, screams all the time.

[moltentri]

I'd like a decent gaming pc that is persoalised to my liking.
I would rather not get a prebuilt and upgrade it coz something might go wrong.As I am not very experienced with computing yet. Thougth i'l have a look at some of the prebuilt ones.I can also claim the V.A.T back. thanks,
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: oh wots futz anyways?

[ArmpitOfDeath]

I was replying to the original poster actually, and you certainly ain't getting 'extreme' anything for £750 inc VAT (a properly 'extreme' processor alone would be almost your entire budget) but:

- Asus P5N32 SLI Premium/WiFi-AP NF590 SLI
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
- 1Gb (2X512Mb) Corsair TwinX XMS2 667Mhz (Buy more / faster when it's cheaper)
- 2 x 200 Gb Samsung SP2004C SpinPoint P120 in RAID0
- 256MB XFX 7900GT Extreme (Well, I had to let you have one 'Extreme' part, right? ;) )
- Antec NSK6500 uATX/ATX Super Mid Tower + 430W ATX12v v2.0 PSU (you should be able to get away with this PSU - although it makes sense to upgrade to a more powerful one soon)
- £10 on IDE cables

~£630 ex VAT. Price it up on Scan.co.uk to check then hunt for deals. And of course 'when something does go wrong' it's you who has to laboriously troubleshoot, uninstall, send off, wait to get back and reinstall the part - as opposed to a prebuilt where that's done for you on-site.

And you did so well on your first post but seemed to have lost the use of the . and , keys for the subsequent posts. Perhaps it's worthwhile trying to get them to work again?

[moltentri]

mayb i ned a nw kebrd

[moltentri]

you were jking about the Corsair TwinX XMS2 667Mhz, right,
if not were can i buy~cheaply?

[moltentri]

bump
ump
mp
p

[moltentri]

I have a emachines and I'm ready to get a new pc.
I heard that custom built pcs are the best.
Where can i get a good deal on a custom pc?

get a great deal at ibuypower