Possible PC, choose

[rEdaSbLood 1]

Dell:

XPS 720 Red---------------Intel® Core™2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)

Operating System---------Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium

Memory --------------------4GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz OC'd to 1066MHz-4 DIMMs

Monitors--------------------24 inch E248WFP Entry Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor

Video Cards----------------nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB

Hard Drive-----------------500GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache

Optical Drive--------------Dual Drives: Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) and 16x DVD+/-RW

Sound Card---------------Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer (D) Sound Card

Speakers------------------Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer

Accident Protection--------CompleteCare Accidental Damage Protection, 3 Year

TV Tuners-----------------ATI Theater 650 PRO Combo Analog/Digital TV Tuner with Remote Control

OS------------------------Windows Vista™ Premium

Keyboard and mouse----Dell Bluetooth Wireless Media Hub + Keyboard/Mouse

TOTAL:$3,923.65

 

OR

 

Gateway:

Processor---------Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme Processor QX6850 (3.00GHz, 1333MHz, 8MB L2 Cache)

Memory ----------4096MB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM (4-1024MB module)

Hard Drive--------1000GB 7200rpm Serial ATA II/300 hard drive w/ 16MB cache & Raid 0 (2-500GB hard drives)

Monitor------------Gateway HD2400 24" Widescreen High Definition Performance Display

Optical Drive -----16X Super MFDVDRW/DVD-RAM+/-R Double Layer

Optical Drive -----Hybrid Blu-Ray/HD DVD Player and SuperMulti Format DVD-RW DL Drive

Video--------------NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB with Dual DVI, VGA adapter and TV Out (Factory Overclocked)

Sound-------------Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer PCI Sound Card

Media Reader------9-in-1 Memory Card Reader

Speakers----------Logitech® X-240 2.1 Speakers

Accidental---------Three years accidental damage plan [$49.99]

Chassis-----------Gateway® 7-bay BTX tower case

Expansion Slots---(1) PCI Expansion Slots, (1) PCI-E x1 Expansion Slot, (1) PCI-E x4 Expansion Slot, (2) PCI-E x16

External Ports----(7) USB 2.0 (3 front, 4 rear), (3) IEEE 1394 firewire (2 front, 1 rear), (2) RJ45 connector, Audio ports, and (2) PS/2

Motherboard--------Systemboard with NVIDIA® nForce® 680i LT Chipset

Network-------------(2) Integrated Gigabit (1000) Ethernet Connections

Power Supply---------700 Watt Power Supply

Warranty -------------3 Year Basic (Tech Support - Parts - Factory Labor) [$69.99]

TOTAL:$3,668.96

 

 

WHICH ONE!?

[Overcow 0]

Build one yourself! It's fun and you will learn someting new!

[Luk3us 63]

And it will generally be cheaper and better than buying one.

 

Also, I dislike those video cards, I'd go for something in the 9000 series.

[Doctor Destiny 40]

You're wasting your money. Build one and spend less.

[Inferno 22]

I'd go for the Dell.

Edited March 12, 2008 by Inferno

[rEdaSbLood 1]

well i know nothing about building one. would i have to hire someone or?

 

ps-whats wrong with the graphics cards aren't those top-of-the-line?

 

and yes i'm practically a PC nub, practically

Edited March 12, 2008 by rEdaSbLood

[Doctor Destiny 40]

It's not that hard to do. Get a barebones with the mobo pre-mounted and stick the parts in. They only go in one way so if it doesn't fit, you're doing it wrong!

[rEdaSbLood 1]

where would i get barebones with a mobo already mounted and how much does that cost and what exactly else must i get...and is there any programing involved...ie installing and setting up the OS

 

ps- i mean i duno which parts are the best but i assume i could search for reviews?

 

i would need processor, hd, mem, sound and graph card, bb modem(?)..i mean i duno where the usb hubs r included or anything like that

 

and so i would need help....hm

Edited March 13, 2008 by rEdaSbLood

[Overcow 0]

ps-whats wrong with the graphics cards aren't those top-of-the-line?

 

Cuz they sux... And if you buy a half-bad one you have to get a new one next year. And all (exept for real gaming stuffs like Alienware, Voodoo and Commendo) pre-build PC have the bad habbit of having **** cards. That's why we build our own mahcines.

 

[Doctor Destiny 40]

where would i get barebones with a mobo already mounted and how much does that cost

It depends on how fancy your case is and what mobo you have in it. I got mine for $115, but it had a slightly older mobo but it runs everything just fine. And the case itself is practical, in that it works perfect. It fits my parts and has front USB ports and a front 3.5mm connection for headsets/headphones.

 

and what exactly else must i get

RAM, a processor core and heatsink, a video card, a hard drive (internal recommended but you can use external), an optical drive (aka DVD), and an operating system.

 

 

...and is there any programing involved...ie installing and setting up the OS

That's easy.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

i gotta say you guys are starting to win me over...i think im gonna look into it

 

how much money could i save? i mean if i build a more-than-decent machine, how much are we talking in total?

[Doctor Destiny 40]

From those machines, you'd save about $1200 to $1500 easy. If not more.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

niiicce...now all i have to do is handle the money situation. may have to take out a loan.

 

until then i think thats all the questions i have except:

 

what is a good sight for finding parts at a reasonable price? and how do i tell what is the best in its class and not (ie graph cards)?

[Doctor Destiny 40]

I use NewEgg for all of my computer parts and accesories purchases. They have a big selection and good markups for specs and the like. I find customer reviews to be handy indicators for purchases as well.

 

And here's the good thing concerning your money situation - you can order a few parts at a time. It may take longer but you will save a ****load of money in the long run.

 

Also, best in class is a misnomer. Don't worry about "the best" and save some more money by getting decent parts, like a dual core instead of a quad core.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

ok so duel core for processor, what about RAID for ram what is that...i know i at least need dual-channel, what kind of motherboards are good, what is a good graphics card, and all the rest of the components

 

is there a place that would give me these answers or could i just take your word?

[Doctor Destiny 40]

RAID is a hard drive array but you need at least 2 hard drives to make one. That's entirely up to you, I do not have a RAID array, nor will I ever but make that decision yourself.

 

i know i at least need dual-channel

Incorrect. You do not need it but it is very handy. Simply read the specs for the RAM you want and determine if it's dual channel or not, and make sure your motherboard supports it. I have dual channel RAM but not a dual channel supporting mobo. However, my machine runs great.

 

what kind of motherboards are good

what is a good graphics card

and all the rest of the components

This is all entirely subjective, and based on the user's preferences and past experience.

 

I particularly like Asus motherboards as they are good for their price and have plenty of features for varying types of computers you can build.

 

And I particularly like my nVidia geForce 7900, and have also had good experiences with my brother's old Radeon 9200. Again, this is all up to you. And I plan on getting a geForce 9600GT after my tax refund comes in.

 

And I'm an Intel man over AMD. It's just a quirk but I like Intels quite a bit more as I have had better experiences overall with them. Not to say AMD is bad but I haven't been entirely happy with them.

 

Hard drives are mixed. I absolutely love my Western Digitals. I have 160GB and 200GB internals and a 500GB external, and they've worked fantastic so far and I'd highly recommend those as opposed to Seagate, with which I have had nothing but problems.

 

And I really don't know much about opticals. I have an Asus DVD/CD burner/reader combo and it does what I need, and it was $30. Can't argue with function like that for so little.

 

You'll have to ask everyone else about PSUs. I have yet to upgrade mine so I can't tell you what's good and what isn't.

[TheBlackOut 6]

I had some guy help me with my first build, honestly I could of done myself just be reading the instructions and using common sense. Took 30 minutes (and this included the guy explaining, etc) to build, the longest and most anxious part it is installing Windows. But luckily my mom had a laptop, so I just browsed YTMND while I waited.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

i recently heard that buying from dell or gateway is actually cheaper than building a pc yourself, simply because the company gets the parts at wholesale price and therefore all-inclusively cheaper...i mean the systems i have shown here include EVERYTHING even monitor, which could cost a lot more if i were to build my own system.plus less complications such as compatability...and you also get a warranty

[Inferno 22]

Well the being cheaper is only true for mass productions computers (aka the cheap, low-end ones).

[TheBlackOut 6]

Well the being cheaper is only true for mass productions computers (aka the cheap, low-end ones).

 

This man is right. Gateway and Dell's "gaming" line of PCs (Surprised Dell still offers XPS with them owning Alienware) use more quality parts and expensive, which aren't on wholesale much. So you pay for that, plus whatever they feel it should cost, then for them building it, doing weird things to it, and their... "good" looking case, which I find ugly. [the XPS]

[JahSpoR 0]

XPS all the way!

Have on myself,. haven't had a SINGLE bluescreen ever. It's really the best pc I ever had.

[Overcow 0]

Hey man, get an Alienware, couz now you can get x4 crossfire!

[Hans5849 0]

Yea, build it yourself. You have a computer right now, open it up and see what's inside. I know its scary at first, but so is working on your car.

 

XPS=Alienware > Gateway

I'm not a big fan of gateway. And they do get the parts wholesale, but they are cheap parts.

 

CPU- Intel E8000 line of CPU's If you want reviews look here http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/

Mobo- ASUS or ABIT mobo Nvidia 780i or Intel X48 chipset. Just make sure it is compatible with the CPU you choose

RAM- Corsair, I've stuck with them for years and their XMS series is great. The problem lately is deciding between DDR3 and DDR2. DDR3 officially supports the FSB that will match your processor, but some DDR2 modules unofficially match it and preform better than DDR3. http://www.anandtech.com/memory/

 

Hard drive- Seagate/Maxtor or Western Digital. Get the size that you will use most people (not me) don't really need more than 250GB, me I have over 2TB at 50% usage. Make sure that you get a 7200 RPM with a 16MB Cache, don't get the WD green power for your main hard drive. What I recommend doing is formatting 100GB for your OS and applications, and then the rest for your music and what not. That way if you have to format you don't loose your precious music/itunes crap. http://www.anandtech.com/storage/

Raid- As a noob you will not see any performance increase and it will just confuse you even more.

 

Video Cards- Nvidia 9600. its a sub $200 card and nvidia is much friendlier with their drivers. I highly doubt you will take advantage of Crossfire/SLI. http://www.anandtech.com/video/ http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3235&p=4

Audio- Stick with onboard

 

Case- get what ever looks good to you. If a case comes with a PSU, don't keep it.

PSU- You can not skimp out on your PSU, if you do it will kill the rest of your computer. Seasonic/Corsair S12/HX series you won't need more than 550 watts at the most. http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/

 

http://www.newegg.com/ get crackin! oh and I would save up the $ first before starting to but ****. Also if you wait a bit Anandtech should be posting a high end buyers guide soon. http://www.anandtech.com/guides/ you can just go off of that.

Edited March 15, 2008 by Hans5849

[rEdaSbLood 1]

yea, i may have to wait at least a month or two longer. but, its good to start considering my options. you guys have been a big help.

 

last question:

 

are there benefits to buying from DELL or gateway? what are they?

[mormreed 0]

Tech support is really the only thing you get from companies you can't get yourself, and don't forget to discharge any static electricity before touching anything it'll save you form having to buy it again