In The Market...

[twitchy]

I'm getting ready to start shopping for a new computer, will have a budget of around 700 bucks or so. I built my own system several years back but after shopping around on the internet, I'm beginning to realize that I am completely outdated here. What the hell is PCIe, USB2, etc. Any advice for a decent AH running system in that price range would be greatly appreciated!
-Twitchy

[SunBat]

You look pretty happy with your current setup. Why change?

(this does explain why your are so insistent on that squad name)

[crazierthanu]

Oh you in the market? I have a few squaddies that are single, if you want them. Some of them smell kind of weird though. 

[Max]

I'm getting ready to start shopping for a new computer, will have a budget of around 700 bucks or so. I built my own system several years back but after shopping around on the internet, I'm beginning to realize that I am completely outdated here. What the hell is PCIe, USB2, etc. Any advice for a decent AH running system in that price range would be greatly appreciated!
-Twitchy

Twitchy, moving this post over to Hardware/Software will get you more answers. Skuzzy will probably do that for you anyway  

Given the fact you've built a system before, that's still the way to go and you'll save a few hundred bucks, and get a custom tailored system. Start with NewEgg for prices and then shop around. $700 is a bit restrictive but doable. As for PCIe and USB2...Google is your buddy  

[TW9]

go to newegg.com i got everything i needed for 530 usd with shipping. they've been around awhile. I bought my last 3 pc's from them. 1 built and 2 prebuilt. And I would definitely go back to them for my next box. 

[cattb]

I would look for a ddr3 motherboard,USB3 is fairly new on some motherboards, could be something your interested in. The 260 nvidia or the ati 5770 would be 2 cards  I would look at. New PSU with amperage to cover your needs. If your going Intel make sure the processor and motherboard match. (socket) If you go AMD I would suggest the 555 dual core unlocked 3.2. Tom's hardware on the web has reviews. good luck

[Ghastly]

Twitchy, the first question that would need to be addressed is whether you would be comfortable with building it yourself, or if you want to buy an already built system.  Your budget is no problem in the first case (even including the possibility of needing to buy an OS) - especially if you have a few parts to take from an existing system) and is a bit more of a stretch if you are hoping to buy a prebuilt, but you'd still be able to get a very capable AH machine for in that ballpark.

But folks are going to need to know - you OK with build or need to buy?

<S>

[TW9]

Twitchy, the first question that would need to be addressed is whether you would be comfortable with building it yourself, or if you want to buy an already built system.  Your budget is no problem in the first case (even including the possibility of needing to buy an OS) - especially if you have a few parts to take from an existing system) and is a bit more of a stretch if you are hoping to buy a prebuilt, but you'd still be able to get a very capable AH machine for in that ballpark.

But folks are going to need to know - you OK with build or need to buy?

<S>

u can get a prebuilt gaming system very cheap now a days. its not like 2 or 3years ago. i dont think his budget is an issue at all. i paid 519 shipped for my ibuypower which i havent had any issues with. it didnt come with a monitor so i traded my old busted laptop on craigslist for a 22' lcd.. im tellin u whether u wanna build it yourself or not goto newegg

[CRYPTIC]

Make sure you check the MB closely I see they have a lot of Micro-ATX out know. You put the VID card in and it covers up the PCI slot so you can't put a sound card or any other kind of PCI card in.RESEARCH. I'v found that Tiger Direct has good pics if your not sure and want to take a close look at what you are going to buy. Sometimes pics are better than words for some things.

[Ghastly]

u can get a prebuilt gaming system very cheap now a days. its not like 2 or 3years ago. i dont think his budget is an issue at all. i paid 519 shipped for my ibuypower which i havent had any issues with. it didnt come with a monitor so i traded my old busted laptop on craigslist for a 22' lcd.. im tellin u whether u wanna build it yourself or not goto newegg

I didn't mean to imply that you can't get a prebuilt system that will fly AH (nicely even) on his budget - merely that he will very likely have to settle for a bit less computer for the same money over DIY. 

Regardless, folks still need to know which way he's leaning to be able to give pertinent advice.

<S>

[1701E]

Make sure you check the MB closely I see they have a lot of Micro-ATX out know. You put the VID card in and it covers up the PCI slot so you can't put a sound card or any other kind of PCI card in.RESEARCH. I'v found that Tiger Direct has good pics if your not sure and want to take a close look at what you are going to buy. Sometimes pics are better than words for some things.

That's true to a point, but most Micro-ATX boards will have 2 PCI slots under the PCI-E x16 slot, leaving one PCI slot open.  And most will have a PCI-E x1 above the PCI-e x16 (I say most because some, like mine, have no PCI-e x1).  As you mentioned, just have to look at pictures and do research to see what fits your needs.

[TequilaChaser]

Twitchy, Sir!

which do you prefer?
INTEL or AMD?
Nvidia or ATI?
are you wanting to buy prebuilt or build yourself?
are you wanting all new components? or will you be re-usng any components from your existing PC? (PSU, CASE, keyboard & Mouse, etc any of these you going to reuse? )

what game play features can you live with? we all know that we want to be able to max everything out with no-loss frame rates.........

what screen resolution do you normaly use, and what type of monitor do you currently use, or are you wanting to buy a monitor also

answer these.....and then others can start throwing(piecing ) together something for you to evaluate and compare.......

least, I will be willing to pick you out a decent parts list to help you in "building your own"........

TC ( Johnny )

[Dragon]

Twitchy,


In the market:
























 

[skopro]

http://bensbargains.net/computer_builder.php

this is one of many "deal" sites that post whats going on in terms of bargains.. I would build it yourself and not go for the package deals as some ppl have said. Depending on where you live i would also consider microcenter.com, i bought my q9400 for 170$ over a year ago when newegg was having them for 230$.. great place and they have sales all the time,this of course if you have one by you. Other than that will 700$ you should be more than ok, i would reuse your OS on your new rig unless you want to upgrade, or if you have other means    i posted a response to a similar thread a day ago  which is below  ..I would say intel has and has hard the upper hand for a while now with their cpus, but on the other hand you can get a quad core from amd for 67$ http://bensbargains.net/deal/130879/  although not as powerful its still pretty good if you want to save money..

I would stay away from packaged deals like this.. although this is actually one of the better i have seen of late.
 I build my own pc's as well as those of friends. The thing i look at is what my budget is, how long between builds its going to be, the current/future technology, and look into chips that can be easily overclocked to give better performance. e.g. i have a q9400 2.66,but overclocked it to 3.6 and very stable, so i saved myself about a 100$ just by doing that. Also what are your future plans, is it just for gaming? what new games that are coming out that your interested in playing? will your rig have enough power? etc. If i'm on a budget i usually buy the low end of a new technology because it will allow me to reuse some components in future builds.. Think through some of those things and if you need some help send me a PM.

[Spikes]

A small budget like that will put you with DDR2...not the newest but it still works great. I'm at the airport right now so I can't spec you out a system...too many people online in the Continental Presidents Club and it's very slow.