Gentlemen, Is This Worth It?

[lowZX14]

Here's a deal I saw today, is it worth the money?  If so, I'll call my wife or mom and tell them to pick it up.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8700293&type=product&id=1199494970806

[BaldEagl]

Of course everyone here is going to say it's cheaper to build it yourself, which it is.  But if you're not into that then this isn't a bad value.  The only thing I'd be hesitant on is the 256 Mb memory on the video card which is a little slim for gaming.

[lowZX14]

What if I got it for that price and just swapped out video cards?

[1701E]

The only thing I'd be hesitant on is the 256 Mb memory on the video card which is a little slim for gaming.

True 256mb in not the greatest, but it does fine most times.  My GeForce 7900GS with 256 runs all the games I have with acceptable frame rates.

AH: Max: 50+FR
Crysis: Med/Low: 20FR
Medal of Honor Airborne: Med/High: 35FR

So I agree 256mb is not much, but it certainly holds its own.

[Kuhn]

What if I got it for that price and just swapped out video cards?

For that price Low its worth it. As long as it's capable of new components. Some things from best buy you just don't know until you dig.

[BaldEagl]

What if I got it for that price and just swapped out video cards?

I'd see if they'd be willing to swap it for a 512 card at the store for a discount (ahh... I'd really like to buy it but that video card...).

If they won't then buy it, see how it runs and upgrade it if you're not satisfied.  You could probably sell that card on e-bay to re-coup some of the cost.

[TilDeath]

Build it yourself for about 750~800 or with the vid card you want for the mid 900s  Waste of monies in my opinion. but your money

[AirFlyer]

Not bad, nice looking case for Best Buy. Spec. wise it will do AH just fine, for higher games like Crysis Warhead and such you might want to swap the videocard out for something better. The biggest problems with this is they don't tell you the motherboard or the power supply unit, which is always nice to know if you plan to upgrade. Besides for that it seems like a solid deal if your not up for building it yourself, of course that would be cheaper if you opt for it.

P.S. Prepare to swap out Vista for some sort of version of XP to avoid many headaches.

[TilDeath]

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 188.00
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit 74.00
LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS422-08 30.00
SAPPHIRE 100249L Radeon HD 3850 1GB 256-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported  95.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s   58.00
Antec Basiq BP500UB 500W ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply (The one in named system is 300W) 30.00
ASUS P5QL PRO LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard 87.00
LIAN LI PC-7B plus II Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 70.00

Total 633.00

Warranty on subject system 1 year parts and labor.

Warranty on parts above
Processor 1 year
Memory Lifetime
Liteon 2 years
Saphire 3 years
WD 3 years
Antec 2 years
Asus 3 years
Lian Li case NA

65% of the cost of the store machine, dbl or triple the warranty, much better parts.... I used mid level memory with good timings, a 500w PSU over the 300 in subject box, Asus motherboard, Lin Li case.  Need I say more about the system at the store.

[DREDIOCK]

Of course everyone here is going to say it's cheaper to build it yourself, which it is.  But if you're not into that then this isn't a bad value.  The only thing I'd be hesitant on is the 256 Mb memory on the video card which is a little slim for gaming.

Having recently built a  system for a similar price.
I concur.

[DREDIOCK]

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 188.00
CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit 74.00
LITE-ON 22X DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS422-08 30.00
SAPPHIRE 100249L Radeon HD 3850 1GB 256-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported  95.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s   58.00
Antec Basiq BP500UB 500W ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply (The one in named system is 300W) 30.00
ASUS P5QL PRO LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard 87.00
LIAN LI PC-7B plus II Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 70.00

Total 633.00

Warranty on subject system 1 year parts and labor.

Warranty on parts above
Processor 1 year
Memory Lifetime
Liteon 2 years
Saphire 3 years
WD 3 years
Antec 2 years
Asus 3 years
Lian Li case NA

65% of the cost of the store machine, dbl or triple the warranty, much better parts.... I used mid level memory with good timings, a 500w PSU over the 300 in subject box, Asus motherboard, Lin Li case.  Need I say more about the system at the store.

Dont forget the Operating system $139 (unless you know where to get it for free. If so PM me LOL)
And sales tax. if applicable  7% here in NJ

total $827.99

Plus shipping costs. Probobly brings it up to around the $900 mark

Not intended as a flame.
As I just pointed out in another thread.
Most price list builds listed here forget to mention the OS costs.

Part for part and dollar for dollar spent yours I admit is the better system though.

[humble]

If your comfortable building your own then this is a bad value since you can get better parts and also use XP pro. However if your not comfortable building out a box I'd jump all over this one.

[Getback]

Not bad, nice looking case for Best Buy. Spec. wise it will do AH just fine, for higher games like Crysis Warhead and such you might want to swap the videocard out for something better. The biggest problems with this is they don't tell you the motherboard or the power supply unit, which is always nice to know if you plan to upgrade. Besides for that it seems like a solid deal if your not up for building it yourself, of course that would be cheaper if you opt for it.

P.S. Prepare to swap out Vista for some sort of version of XP to avoid many headaches.

Ditto on all accounts. What I noticed was that the mb only went up to 4 gig of ram. Now I know that most OS can only use 3 gigs but it tells me they cut back here.

[drdeathx]

Good deal just get new vid card!!! About $100 u can get a real good card this season  Nvidea 9800 or ATI 4650!

[Getback]

Good deal just get new vid card!!! About $100 u can get a real good card this season  Nvidea 9800 or ATI 4650!

Butttttt if you open that case you will probably void the warranty.