Author Topic: New Comp Help! (Read 597 times)

mtndog · « **on:** February 27, 2007, 06:57:29 PM »

Hello,
Thanks for stopping by. I'm looking to grab a new comp for gaming. ive done a little reading and it can get confusing .(for me at least)

So, the question is; If you had $2500 to spend on a rig, what hardware would you get, and where would you get it built?
Ive had good luck with dells in the past, but looking at their site you need to spend $4500 bucks for a gaming rig.I can only think the performance is marginaly better for considerably more money.

A couple more notes ; No monitor, no mouse, no keyboard required.
an HDtv hookup on video card would be nice(have a 32" Sony Bravia as monitor now).......(just read in another thread about a DVI to HDMI cable, so unless it would improve picture quality hdtv hookup not necessary).

Also would all my periphrels( Cougar Hotas, G25 wheel )work?

Thanks in Advance for any and all help.

mtndog

332nd outlaw · « **Reply #1 on:** February 27, 2007, 09:00:13 PM »

theres more technical people out there that will give you better advice on exact hardware to buy. but i can tell ya that for $2500 you could build yourself a very top end gaming rig. that will last you for some time.

putting one togther isn't real hard as long as you get compattable hardware. so the trick is to read research and read more. or find a person that knows this stuff alrdy

good hunting

edit: btw stay away from any and all of the big name computer builders they load them up with a bunch of junk you don't need.

DAVENRINO · « **Reply #2 on:** February 27, 2007, 09:24:14 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by 332nd outlaw
theres more technical people out there that will give you better advice on exact hardware to buy. but i can tell ya that for $2500 you could build yourself a very top end gaming rig. that will last you for some time.

putting one togther isn't real hard as long as you get compattable hardware. so the trick is to read research and read more. or find a person that knows this stuff alrdy

good hunting

edit: btw stay away from any and all of the big name computer builders they load them up with a bunch of junk you don't need.

AGREED!! This was my list from Newegg last November with shipping to Hawaii. I got an Antec 900 Gamers case locally on sale for $80 because shipping was $75.

ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail    $249.99

ASUS EAX1900 CrossFire /2DH/512M Radeon X1900 CrossFire Edition GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail    $309.99

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ - Retail   $299.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3160812A 160GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM $56.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail     $312.99

2 BELKIN 2 ft. Clear SATA Cable Model F2N1191-02-CLR - Retail $8.78

3 Scythe Minebea NMB Silent IC Series 4710KL-04W-B19-VB2 120mm Case Fan - Retail $41.97

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply - Retail $159.99

SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBN - OEM $31.99

2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM     $189.98

Scythe SCNJ-1100P 120mm CPU Cooling Fan - Retail    $53.99

Subtotal:   $1,742.22
Tax:   $0.00
Shipping:   $98.77
Amount Paid:    $1,840.99

mtndog · « **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2007, 07:06:39 AM »

Thanks for the reply guys!

i guess i should have mentioned i do not wish to build my own, just dont have the desire or time.

Daverino, your specs look alot like the January High end machine listed at
sharkey extreme...nice. Did you build it yourself?

mtndog

Bruv119 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2007, 07:36:45 AM »

mtndog,

I too built my own with similar specs to the above e6600, 2 gig ddr2 ram, asus P5B, 640mb 8800gts, 250 gb HD, antec gamer case. 620 watt enermax PSU. 22" asus widescreen tft.

I play AH on 1600x 1000 with everything cranked and Hi res pack. Smooth as.

Took me around 2 hours to get everything inside the case and booted up.

I'm not a computer guru I built my last machine and its been 3 years since then with everything working fine. Putting in the processor is always fun!

At least I know if something breaks its probably my fault.

Bruv
~S~

DAVENRINO · « **Reply #5 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:30:07 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by mtndog
Thanks for the reply guys!

i guess i should have mentioned i do not wish to build my own, just dont have the desire or time.

Daverino, your specs look alot like the January High end machine listed at
sharkey extreme...nice. Did you build it yourself?

mtndog

I haven't bought an OEM desktop in years because I don't have the "desire or time"

to remove all the crap they put in it. As everyone else here states, assembling the parts is easy and you can be up n running in one afternoon if you chose compatible parts. You also get better Tech support here and other hardware forums than an OEM's support. I did buy a new Conroe-based laptop from HP and finally got most of the useless crap removed.

You might want to assemble a current parts/price list from Newegg if you really insist on having someone else build it, and see if a reputable local puter shop can come close to the price on parts. Just don't let them sell you a bunch of old outdated parts they have in stock. They usually don't charge that much to assemble it since it is so easy. They may even assemble the parts that you bring in if they can't make any profit on them. You probably won't get a total machine warranty but all the parts are warrantied by the manufacturers.

Sincraft · « **Reply #6 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:42:10 AM »

A little advice. Don't listen to computer gaming guru's unless you have money to burn.

You can get ALOT for about $600-700 bucks.

Decent up to date processor, mobo and zippy ram. Be SURE to research the specific ram you are going to get FIRST , then research the mobo and processor to go with it. Fast ram can make ALL the difference on a computer. Fast reliable ram can be had for cheap if you get the right stuff.

Goto NEWEGG.com and look at the ram on there and their timings.

Goto TomsHardWare.com and click on forums, hardware - and READ READ READ for like 3 evenings all the stuff on there and you WILL be up to date (and more confused I might add) with what's what.

Here is what I picked up last year, which at the time was a pretty nice system for about $600!

Asus Mobo 939 socket and a Venice core 3rd gen chip 3200+ that overclocks like a demon.
2 gigs of ram with great timing and a rebate.
7600 gt with 16 pixel pipes with a rebate.
2- sata 3 drives that run in raid config for SPEED (I load games the quickest)
Nice case w/ POWERFUL power supply.

I'd say good RAM and a GREAT power supply are the MOST important aspects to a good computer build when all other things are equal (cpu, mobo etc etc).

My system runs everything. My CPU is holding me back a bit but I purchased the CPU pretty cheap with plans to upgrade to the threshold of my mobo this summer, putting me good for another 2 years with this system until I REALLY want to play something else my system won't run at all.

Usually I can play every game on Med-High settings or, Highest Highest without an issue. I am a Glitch o phobe. In which I HATE glitches or jitters. I would rather have toned down graf(x) over jitters...so those settings are 'true' settings.

I would be interested in picking up a Core 2 Duo system with 4 megs of cache , but with the new quad core coming out - I would probably wait and see a bit what's gonna happen to the prices when these things mainstream. But you could always be 'watching and waiting' if you let it get to you.

Personally I would stay away from AMD for awhile. I did AMD and personally, I still think Intel is far superior over AMD for several reasons that I won't explain here. The Stats pigs out there will debate this, but I'm telling you I notice a difference that I am not totally happy with. AMD reminds me of a Ford with all the right modifications put into it to make it zippy and neat looking - but for some reason, it still feels and acts like a Ford! (sorry ford owners ehhe)

Sincraft · « **Reply #7 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:46:46 AM »

btw as someone else posted here. OEM computers are WAY overpriced for what you get. Dells used to put some pretty good stuff in them, but if you compare apples to apples you are going to pay 50% MORE THAN you should!

Then you have to uninstall all the garbage they put in those machines, not to mention many are preloaded with Vista - and I would recommend you stay away from that for awhile until they get support out there.

If you are talking gaming, and are talking about buying a system - you're going to pay a MINT to have it done. Heck , even if you do the research and buy all the right stuff - you could take it all to the local computer shop boxes and all, GET A RECEIPT for the items and have them put it all together for you for $100-$200 bucks and still save a thousand bucks over an OEM computer AND have much better components!

OEM computers put whatever ram and power supply they want to with not much research into them. Those two are the most important aspects I think, of a good gaming rig.

GL

DAVENRINO · « **Reply #8 on:** February 28, 2007, 01:03:53 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Sincraft
A little advice. Don't listen to computer gaming guru's unless you have money to burn.

You can get ALOT for about $600-700 bucks.

He did originally ask what gaming rig he could get for $2500 or less. I don't like to throw away money on PCs either. Note I didn't get the most expensive CPU or vid card. I do like my major upgrades to last at least a couple years before I take them to my condo in Guam. I also like to have an upgrade path. IE. I can buy a quad core for this rig later as prices settle and add another vid card in Crossfire.

Quote

Originally posted by Sincraft
I would be interested in picking up a Core 2 Duo system with 4 megs of cache , but with the new quad core coming out - I would probably wait and see a bit what's gonna happen to the prices when these things mainstream. But you could always be 'watching and waiting' if you let it get to you.

Actually, the quad core has been out since November and Newegg's current price for a 6600 is $1.01 more than I paid in November. However, my motherboard which is currently being used by quad core owners has dropped $40 since then. My RAM has also dropped by $50.

332nd outlaw · « **Reply #9 on:** February 28, 2007, 06:27:38 PM »

don't want to take the time to build your own or know someone you would trust to do it then go here and give these guys a call.

http://www.falcon-nw.com/

if your going to pay someon for a prebuilt then these guys would be who i would go with..

edit: BTW stay away from vista they have xp pro option here..

DAVENRINO · « **Reply #10 on:** February 28, 2007, 07:45:35 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by 332nd outlaw
don't want to take the time to build your own or know someone you would trust to do it then go here and give these guys a call.

http://www.falcon-nw.com/

if your going to pay someon for a prebuilt then these guys would be who i would go with..

edit: BTW stay away from vista they have xp pro option here..

Falcon is good. I just configured one there similar to mine and it was $2,879.99. So you pay $1000 more for them to build it with one year warranty. At least they don't add all the usual OEM garbage and there aren't any proprietory parts so it is possible to upgrade it.

eagl · « **Reply #11 on:** March 01, 2007, 01:33:24 AM »

If you're even remotely considering buying a built system from a company, go to http://www.hardocp.com and look at their consumer computer reviews. They review both the computer and the company "behind the computer". They've found a company or two that offer good added-value service beyond the mere price of the components.

http://consumer.hardocp.com/reviews.html?cat=MjUsRGVza3RvcCBDb21wdXRlcnMsaGNvbnN1bWVy

Some of their reviews... those companies suck. But a couple stand out with good quality and good customer service. Don't get tied up over the exact components in the reviewed system. Pay attention to the rest of the review for items like build quality, support, RMA policies, etc.

mtndog · « **Reply #12 on:** March 01, 2007, 05:12:28 PM »

Thanks for all the replies!

i'm familiar with falcon . Pricey, but should be bulletproof.

I realize i can save considerable cash if i was to build it . I dont mind paying a little extra to have it built, just dont want to be a sucker either.

Again, thanks for the input everyone!

mtndog

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #13 on:** March 01, 2007, 10:19:21 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by DAVENRINO
You also get better Tech support here and other hardware forums than an OEM's support.

wholeheartedly agree with this statement.
Particularly "here"

You might want to assemble a current parts/price list from Newegg if you really insist on having someone else build it, and see if a reputable local puter shop can come close to the price on parts. Just don't let them sell you a bunch of old outdated parts they have in stock. They usually don't charge that much to assemble it since it is so easy. They may even assemble the parts that you bring in if they can't make any profit on them. You probably won't get a total machine warranty but all the parts are warrantied by the manufacturers. [/QUOTE]

Look for the mom & pop shops rather then the chain stores.
I've found that I can often get parts from them at damn near the same price as I can get them online.
Sometimes but not always less then it would cost online after S&H

FireOf59 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 03, 2007, 09:21:41 PM »

If you happen to be around the Chicago area, I can recommend a few really great PC folks that helped me pick out the pieces for mine and would be happy to recommend a few places I found that build them while looking....

If you'd like the help, feel free to email me at "fireof59_325th@wideopenwest.com"