New computer, who's best?

[kaja]

I'm going buy a new desktop computer soon, And I want to know who's the best company to buy from.

 

I have a maximum cost of $3000 U.S. Dollars.

 

Who should I buy from. I wan't a Very strong Gaming computor.

 

I'm lucky enough to have a High paying jop for ridiculously easy work

 

What are the best options to have?

What Graphics cards are better.

 

Any help would be nice.

Thanks.

[Mad78]

Here is a nice config:

1x MSI K8N Diamond motherboard (socket 939)

1x AMD Athlon 64 3500+ processor (socket 939)

2x 1Gb ram

1x Nvidia 6800GT (or 2 6600GT connected in SLI) graphic cars

1x CREATIVE Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS

1x 160 GB SATA Hard drive

1x (or 2 ) Dvd-Rom players (I suggest you invest in a burner)

1x 500W power supply

 

As for the case i suggest you go for a thermaltake one.

[Paul]

I prefer desktops to portables, have a great gaming computer which is a Dell. I have had great luck with it. But I had a computer expert who is a friend tell me what to get Kaja, so I can't tell you much more.-Grand Moff Conway

[Trejiuvanat]

I personally want to buy a new PC but have decided to build it myself it isn't that hard and it is much-much cheaper.

 

Either way: I'd advise you to wait till June or July for AMD and Intel to come out with Dual-Core processors, (SLI [Dual-Video card would be nice though it would raise the price far beyond the 3K)). Insane amounts of RAM, two or more HDDs, and a good Audio Card ar a must. And all the obvious stuff (DVD+-RW), insane amounts of USB ports, bluetooth for all the cellphne freaks.

 

If you build it yourself and already have a good monitor, and all the peripheral stuff you don't need to buy that again, which frees up more moneny for more RAM.

 

As for videocards, I'd go for a Nvidia 6800 GTU, it's a bit pricey but the best one there's right now.

 

At newegg.com you can find hardware listing and prices, even if oyu go for a company, you might want to check how it'd cost you if you built it yourself.

[kaja]

How many Hard drives can you have on a single computor. Both my 40 (37.2) Gig hardrives are full. And I want a 80 or 160 Gig, And I Don't want to transfer them. (Becuse then you have to reinstall everything anyway.)

[Mad78]

Wellbasically i would recommend you get SATA HD which is going to very soon replace the IDE HDs as a standard. The limit then is the amount of SATA ports on your Motherboard.

The board i listed earlier has a good amount of ports

[Throngrik]

Kaja,

 

In your place, I think I would maybe not get a totally top-of-line PC, seeing as if you get a slightly less new system, you could research every part of it and make sure you wouldn't have too many problems...also build it yourself, then you know what's really in it.

 

Throngrik

[Guest JediIgor]

Buy a Dell, if your computer breaks they'll come to your house next day and fix it. Can't get that from anywhere else. I am dead fucking serious...

 

My horror story:

I didn't buy a Dell desktop (I have a Dell laptop), but I custom built it..

 

First my motherboard's gigabit port didn't work so I had to replace it. Then I had to replace the motherboard again cause it turned out that model was incompatible with my CPU or something. Then had to replace my harddrive twice.Then replaced the CPU completely (no cross shipping at all for this one). Then finally replaced the memory and everything started working. So pretty much I had a total of about 1-2 months where the computer was in a completely unusable state.

 

If I had a Dell they woulda come over to my house and fixed it within the day, probably by swapping all the components (but who cares cause it costs nothing..).

 

Oh, and shipping and handling I spent like $60. Sucks. Buy a Dell.

[kaja]

Dang, that sucks.

 

I guess I'll get a dell.

[bobandrubert]

NO DON"T GET A DELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

best prieces and everyting: http://www.ibuypower.com!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Krytos]

Personally, not a fan of Dells. So far, every Dell that I've encountered has broken down in around a month or two or are just shotty quality in all regaurds. For example, our uni just upgraded an entire lab with Dells - and less than a day later two weren't working (not necassarily the comps fault, could just be people screwing around with them). All of the cases are flimsy, plasticy crap that are already falling apart and don't even fit together properlly. They're noisy - and after getting a silent case and fans or a laptop, you'd be surprised how good a computer is when they're whisper quiet - currently my computer makes less noise than the laptop I'm using

Perhaps it's just Dell Australia, though I've never heard of a good thing about Dell let alone experienced any

 

As for making your own PC, it usually works out a lot cheaper - even if you pay the joint to put it together.

My latest upgrade cost me just over $1500AU for a MSI K8T Neo, AMD 64-bit 3000+, 1 Gig of Kingmax RAM (not my choice, the place ran out of Kingston and I didn't want to pay the additional $100 more for Corsair), Antec Sonata case with 400W powersupply, Gigacube Radeon 9800 pro extreme (don't get Gigacube . . . not crap, they're just the "standard" - get Asus if there's a choice), a LG CD-RW for $40 (it was cheap ) and my dad got me some speakers and a subwoofer for around $60. They're Viewmaster . . . and yet they're really good

 

If I'd payed $50 more, they would have put it together, and installed Windows XP Pro for me as well as giving me a 1 year warrantee - though jobless at the time meant that I couldn't afford those little luxuries.

2G would have been enough for a decent HDD, a 17" CRT a mouse and keybord (as long as you're not going for some high end Logitech peice of hardware) as well as all the other stuff.

For me at least, it's great - I'll upgrade the CPU soonish just for a little more "grunt" and use the new XP 64bit pro that's been released assuming its any good.

[Trejiuvanat]

They're noisy - and after getting a silent case and fans or a laptop, you'd be surprised how good a computer is when they're whisper quiet - currently my computer makes less noise than the laptop I'm using

 

Aye my dell laptop is about the nosiest thing I have, it overheats and shuts down without an apparent reason to do so.

[Evaders99]

My old HP laptop really has a problem with overheating. Bad ventilation design, it will shut itself down when it gets too hot. It needs a bigger fan and bigger vents.

 

I have a newer Compaq laptop and my friend has a newer HP. They are much better designed, don't have the same problems of overheating and such. Of course they are also bigger widescreen models, so go figure.

[Jahled]

I will say but this: My MESH PC was purchaced in 1999, was a powerhouse of a beast then, has aged and is kinda crap now, but still works... In all the time I have owned it I have only ever had one critical crash (brought about due to heat and a Rebellion battle involving over two hundred fighters on one side). So MESH built a pretty reliable PC.

 

I have also used it virtually every day, bar a swift 'escape' from London to Scotland a while ago...

[kaja]

Currently I have A dell, it's not to loud...

 

I don't care who it's from, just not HP/Mac.

 

I just wan't a new computer. And I also don't care about how it looks, it's under my desk, only front a left visible.

 

Sound really isn't a problem becuse I turn it off every night.

 

I just want a good gaming PC. I play alot of games.

[Grand_Admiral_Thrawn]

Well, I guess I'll put my two credits in:

 

First off, don't go for a name brand. Yes, you'll get good service, but unless you buy and Alienware, you're not getting a "gaming system". That said, Alienware will suck you dry for a system you could easily have built for less. You're just paying for a nice case and a name.

 

So, I would suggest the following:

 

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 660, 3.6 GHz, 2MB L2, 800 MHz FSB, Socket LGA775, HT Technology

 

Now, normally I would suggest and AMD, but nowadays I don't. Why? Well, it's nice that you can use more than a Gig of RAM with the 64-bit processors, and it's also nice that they tend to run faster than Intels. The down side is that you have ot get Windows XP 64-bit to take advantage of them. That version of XP is seriousley bugged and not worth your time.

 

Now, despite the few drawbacks to Intels I've listed above, you get one big advantage. Sure you can't use more than a gig of RAM, but you can get faster RAM. AMDs are limited to PC-3200 RAM whereas Intels can take advantage of DDR-2 RAM, allowing you to use up to PC-5400. This would more than compensate for your limit of 1 gig.

 

Price: $795.00 CAD

 

 

Motherboard: Asus P5AD2-E Premium Intel 925XE Chipset DDR 2 w/8-Ch Audio,IEEE 1394a/b,GB Lan x2 PCI-E X1, PCI-E X16

 

This MB has the required socket for the above processor, as well as sockets that support the number of pins for DDR 2. Now, there may be some extra things on it (such as the 8-Ch Audio) that you won't want. Asus is usually a good brand, but I have known some people to get lemons. I suggest you buy a sound card in addition to the onboard sound here, not because there is anything wrong with onboard peripherals, but it is easier to do it now than worry about it later, should your onboard sound die (as it did with me).

 

I should have said this before, but most of the title is features on the item, only the first part in the item's name.

 

Price: $282.00 CAD

 

 

Memory/RAM: Corsair XMS 2 TWIN2X Matched Pairs 2x512MB Xtreme Memory DDR2 667Mhz PC5400 240-pin Unbuffered

 

I've never had any problems with Corsair memory. It's not as well known as Kingston, but my pricing source doesn't carry PC-5400 Kingston memory. The added bonus to this RAM is that it is paired. That means that they were both produced in the same batch, making it more likely they will work better together.

 

Price: $326.00 CAD

 

 

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro w/ External I/O Hub and Remote

 

YOu can't go wrong with the Sound Blaster cards, even the cheapies. This one, however, is not a cheapie, and will certainly do you well. When plugged into a great sound system, you really get into your games!

 

Price: $262.00 CAD

 

 

Video Card: BFG GeForce 6800Ultra OC 256MB DDR3 8x AGP Dual DVI

 

While NVIDIA is a good company, these BFG versions of their cards are better for th hardcore gamer. Don't ask me what it is, because I don't know, but every one prefers them to the ones pumped out by NVIDIA proper. Now, if you do a little altering with your MoBo you can probably connect two of these puppies up, but at the moment it's not really worth it. If you want to be safe for the future, adjust your MoBo so you at least have the option for two of these so that when the next generation of video cards comes out, you can pop another one of these into your system and never fall behind. There is also a model of this card that uses a Water Block, but the rest of your system must be equiped to use this as well.

 

I should also point out that your chances of finding this card anywhere are slim at the moment. Due to high demand there is a slight shortage. You could get on a waiting list though.

 

Price: $619.00 CAD

 

 

Cooling: It's Up to You

 

Ok, so in a gaming system this is very important, but it all comes down to how your organise your system. Water cooled is great, very effective, but in the end a pain in the but. Fans are much easier to install, maintain and replace, but they're not as effective. So, what to do? Well, I went for a Thermaltake case. Ultra-quiet fans (seven of them) to keep most of my system cool and a Thermaltake Volcano 11 for my CPU. This case allows me to moniter the temperature of my processor right on the front. If it goes beyon a designated temperature, it beeps at me, allowing me to crank my Volcano 11 up a notch or two. I'm not going to cover cases since it's really what you like the look of, but I find that my case - though a little large and heavy - is very good.

 

Price: Depends What You Get

 

 

Storage/ Hard Drives: Maxtor DiamondMax Plus10 EIDE 250GB ATA-133 7200RPM 16MB Buffer

 

There are probably better brands out there (I know there are), but price wise this is good. You're getting 250 GB of space at 7200 RPM. I don't think you'll need more than that any time soon.

 

Price: $162.00 CAD

 

 

CD/DVD/RW Drives: LG GSA-4163 Black DVD +/-R/RW 16x16x4x4x5 Dual layer IDE OEM and LG (CDR-8162B) 16X DVD-ROM Drive

 

You'll want two drives if you want to burn/copy DVDs (duh!), and LG is probably the best brand. Both of the above models are available in both black and white, depending on which you prefer. Ooh, nifty!

 

Price: $63.00 and $28.00 respectively

 

 

So, assuming I haven't missed anything, and that you have a functioning monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers you have a grand total of:

 

 

 

$2537.00 CAD

 

 

So, if you figure in the exchainge rate you'll be around $2200 US, giving you some room for a case and any added peripherals you want. Of course, if you double the video card you won't be able to do much else. This also does not take into account any taxes.

 

All-in-all a good system for less than what you would pay Alienware.

[Krytos]

My brother and I had heat problem with our last system - both were AMD Thunderbirds (mine was a 900, my brothers was a gig - and this was during the first run of the thunderbird CPUs)

My soloution was simple: Powerdrill

My brother did simular, though also added several fans - putting a total of 9 fans in his case. Was quiet loud indeed

 

 

As for GAT's point on Xp-64bit edition - he's correct. That OS was crap, thus I havn't bothered with it.

However, Microsith has recently released a newer version of the OS that apparently has fixed the problem that the old has.

Now, I havn't had the time to verify this myself - I'm only going on what a friend told me. So there's still a chance that it sucks

[Mad78]

Go for a Thermaltake case. Not only they look GREAT!!! but they are also terribly well cooled and silent.

[bobandrubert]

dude http://www.ibuypower.com is the BEST!

[Skynxnex]

A 3000 dollar budget nice.

 

If you want to play games etc..

 

'Dude dont get a Dell'

 

Seriously.

 

Instead, building a computer provided you have the software on disc like Windows XP or something can be very rewarding. For games I recommend an Athlon 64.

 

With a 3000 dollar budget you can easily get an Athlon 64 and a good motherboard for like 200-250. After that a good case, maybe 100, and then a good power supply..maybe 100 more. After that its up to you really. Hard drives are pretty cheap nowadays. Good soundcards might be a must. An 80 gb hard drive is running usually around 60-70 or so. A good soundcard..maybe anywhere from 100-150. MAKE SURE YOU GET A GOOD VIDEO CARD. The video card alone might be the most costliest part of this. My Geforce 6800GT I got like5 months ago...I got it for like 400 bucks and so far it can chew through any game I throw at it. However, I recommend getting a motherboard with a PCI Express graphics port thing. A good PCI Express grahpics card miught cost you like 500 or so. But with such a huge budget that you seem to have, thats not much of a problem.

 

If you want, send me a private message and tell me what it is you want your computer to do and that sort of thing and I would be happy to help you price a system out on a reputable website.

[kaja]

Thanks for you're help everybody, I am closer to getting a new computer.

 

Skynxnex, I sent you a PM.

[Mad78]

BTW, Kaja, I meant to ask. What is this job which is bringing in so much cash?

[kaja]

Building IDU flight (Ironic) Computers. about 2400 split three ways wiht my Brother and sister, So I get 800 every eight of them.

[Mad78]

Building IDU flight (Ironic) Computers.

Please clarify

[kaja]

Integrated Display Unit (IDU) 1.

 

http://www.regandesigns.com/images/pfd_w.jpg

 

Just like this only black and new buttons.

This is an older model.