Buying New Desktop. Need Help Urgently

swashbucklord · 06-16-2008, 05:23 AM

Hi all. I'm new to these forums and I am hoping to get some help.
I've decided to get a powerful desktop PC, but I have a lot of questions. If you can answer any of them it would be of great help.
I don't know much about computers and I have had a MAC for the last two years, so please tolerate my ignorance. Here is my situation:
My price range is essentially $1000 - $2000. My priorities (as far as I can see now) are lots of space, music storage, gaming, and storing notes for college. I am not quite sure what a priority list of someone more educated in computer technology would look like (I am not sure if I even wholly understand the capacity of what computers are capable of). For this reason I also ask that you list some of you own high priorities in computers. Here are my questions:

1. What, in your opinion, is the best PC or deal I could purchase?
2. Would it be cheaper to build my own computer from seperate pieces? (I am confident that I could successfully put together a computer with detailed instructions) (ALSO I have 4 friends who are computer experts who have built their own and will help me)
3. What brand do you like most? (If you believe some brands do certain things better, then list the brands and their respective qualities)
4. If I were to build my own, what specific parts and pieces do you think I should purchase to build a quality machine within my price range?

Thank you all so much in advance. I also ask that if you have any advice or information that happens to not fit into my 4 questions, please list it.
Again, my thanks.

MBGraphics · 06-16-2008, 06:27 AM

Go for it! Build it yourself!!

It will save you a good amount of money building it yourself, AND you get to pick exactly what you want, make it look the way you want, and you get a better understanding of how the computer is built and how it works, which helps later on when you replace or upgrade some parts.

If you have the help, definatly go for it, and there are always tons of people on here willing to help you with any questions or concerns, and there are some great "How To's" on here as far as how to build it and whatnot.

Here is what I would suggest as far as parts

:

Pick your own case so it's more "your style", but post the ones you like on here and the more experienced people on here will let you know if it's good or bad as far as airflow or quality. Same goes for Keyboard/Mouse

What kind of gaming will you be doing?

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128089

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115018

CPU Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118019

GPU: (get 2 for CrossFire if your playing games like Crysis or even CoD4)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814103050

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341002

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220315

HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148288

Sound Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102006

OS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116488

Optical Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151153

thats around 1200 without a monitor, keyboard, mouse or case.

Good Luck,
Mike

cohen · 06-16-2008, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swashbucklord

Hi all. I'm new to these forums and I am hoping to get some help.
I've decided to get a powerful desktop PC, but I have a lot of questions. If you can answer any of them it would be of great help.
I don't know much about computers and I have had a MAC for the last two years, so please tolerate my ignorance. Here is my situation:
My price range is essentially $1000 - $2000. My priorities (as far as I can see now) are lots of space, music storage, gaming, and storing notes for college. I am not quite sure what a priority list of someone more educated in computer technology would look like (I am not sure if I even wholly understand the capacity of what computers are capable of). For this reason I also ask that you list some of you own high priorities in computers. Here are my questions:

1. What, in your opinion, is the best PC or deal I could purchase?
2. Would it be cheaper to build my own computer from seperate pieces? (I am confident that I could successfully put together a computer with detailed instructions) (ALSO I have 4 friends who are computer experts who have built their own and will help me)
3. What brand do you like most? (If you believe some brands do certain things better, then list the brands and their respective qualities)
4. If I were to build my own, what specific parts and pieces do you think I should purchase to build a quality machine within my price range?

Thank you all so much in advance. I also ask that if you have any advice or information that happens to not fit into my 4 questions, please list it.
Again, my thanks.

1. - Not Sure, would have to do some research
2. - Build your own!
3. - HP, Acer
4. - As below.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBGraphics

Go for it! Build it yourself!!

It will save you a good amount of money building it yourself, AND you get to pick exactly what you want, make it look the way you want, and you get a better understanding of how the computer is built and how it works, which helps later on when you replace or upgrade some parts.

If you have the help, definatly go for it, and there are always tons of people on here willing to help you with any questions or concerns, and there are some great "How To's" on here as far as how to build it and whatnot.

Here is what I would suggest as far as parts

:

Pick your own case so it's more "your style", but post the ones you like on here and the more experienced people on here will let you know if it's good or bad as far as airflow or quality. Same goes for Keyboard/Mouse

What kind of gaming will you be doing?

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128089

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115018

CPU Cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118019

GPU: (get 2 for CrossFire if your playing games like Crysis or even CoD4)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814103050

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341002

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220315

HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148288

Sound Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102006

OS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116488

Optical Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151153

thats around 1200 without a monitor, keyboard, mouse or case.

Good Luck,
Mike

Nice recommendation, good parts.

**oscaryu1** · 06-16-2008, 06:39 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115042
Q9450

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813186134
Foxconn X38

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220269
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2-800 CL4

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106228
Lite-On Black DVD Burner PATA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ntec%2b900
Antec 900 ATX Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341002
OCZ GameXStream 700W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814134037
ECS 8800GTS G92 512MB PCI-E 2.0 GFX

lonewriter · 06-16-2008, 11:44 PM

I just bought an HP AMD Athlon™ Desktop 2.80GHz, 640GB HD, 4GB MEMORY, 22" LCD.

I paid $947 from Sams. I don't game but I do 3d grahics and it works fine for my needs.

**oscaryu1** · 06-17-2008, 04:23 AM

IMO that was a rip. Don't know what type of HDD, speed of RAM, type of mobo, ect...

cohen · 06-17-2008, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oscaryu1

IMO that was a rip. Don't know what type of HDD, speed of RAM, type of mobo, ect...

yeah i agree.....

daisymtc · 06-17-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oscaryu1

IMO that was a rip. Don't know what type of HDD, speed of RAM, type of mobo, ect...

I guess HDD is WD. It is the only brand I know having 640GB version

Steelshivan · 06-17-2008, 01:17 PM

Oscary's list looks pretty good, of course the case is your choice. Only thing I would change for sure is getting a Sata 3.0 dvd burner, not an IDE one.

**oscaryu1** · 06-17-2008, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisymtc

I guess HDD is WD. It is the only brand I know having 640GB version

All the better. I love WD's

One from 1996 still runnin great.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106070

As said above, you might want to go SATA if you do heavy CD/DVD burning or lots of CD/DVD games.

06-16-2008, 05:23 AM	#1 (permalink)
swashbucklord New Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1	Buying New Desktop. Need Help Urgently Hi all. I'm new to these forums and I am hoping to get some help. I've decided to get a powerful desktop PC, but I have a lot of questions. If you can answer any of them it would be of great help. I don't know much about computers and I have had a MAC for the last two years, so please tolerate my ignorance. Here is my situation: My price range is essentially $1000 - $2000. My priorities (as far as I can see now) are lots of space, music storage, gaming, and storing notes for college. I am not quite sure what a priority list of someone more educated in computer technology would look like (I am not sure if I even wholly understand the capacity of what computers are capable of). For this reason I also ask that you list some of you own high priorities in computers. Here are my questions: 1. What, in your opinion, is the best PC or deal I could purchase? 2. Would it be cheaper to build my own computer from seperate pieces? (I am confident that I could successfully put together a computer with detailed instructions) (ALSO I have 4 friends who are computer experts who have built their own and will help me) 3. What brand do you like most? (If you believe some brands do certain things better, then list the brands and their respective qualities) 4. If I were to build my own, what specific parts and pieces do you think I should purchase to build a quality machine within my price range? Thank you all so much in advance. I also ask that if you have any advice or information that happens to not fit into my 4 questions, please list it. Again, my thanks. Last edited by swashbucklord; 06-16-2008 at 05:29 AM. Reason: forgot 1 detail

06-16-2008, 06:27 AM	#2 (permalink)
MBGraphics Platinum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Garden Grove CA Age: 17 Posts: 650	Go for it! Build it yourself!! It will save you a good amount of money building it yourself, AND you get to pick exactly what you want, make it look the way you want, and you get a better understanding of how the computer is built and how it works, which helps later on when you replace or upgrade some parts. If you have the help, definatly go for it, and there are always tons of people on here willing to help you with any questions or concerns, and there are some great "How To's" on here as far as how to build it and whatnot. Here is what I would suggest as far as parts : Pick your own case so it's more "your style", but post the ones you like on here and the more experienced people on here will let you know if it's good or bad as far as airflow or quality. Same goes for Keyboard/Mouse What kind of gaming will you be doing? Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128089 CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115018 CPU Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118019 GPU: (get 2 for CrossFire if your playing games like Crysis or even CoD4) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814103050 PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341002 RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220315 HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148288 Sound Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102006 OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116488 Optical Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151153 thats around 1200 without a monitor, keyboard, mouse or case. Good Luck, Mike __________________ Mike Case:Dell Dimention 8400 2 19" standard flat pannel monitors CPU: Pentium 4 630 (3GHz) w/HT technology and 2MB cache GPU: ATI Radeon X300SE RAM/Storage:3GB/250GB internal and 320GB External Sound Card: Sound Blaster Audigy OS: Windows XP Media Center Eddition (2005) The SIG My SmugMug Winner of Photo Tournament: Automobiles

06-16-2008, 06:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
oscaryu1 Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Houston, Texas Age: 13 Posts: 10,314	http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115042 Q9450 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813186134 Foxconn X38 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220269 Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2x 2GB) DDR2-800 CL4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106228 Lite-On Black DVD Burner PATA http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ntec%2b900 Antec 900 ATX Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341002 OCZ GameXStream 700W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814134037 ECS 8800GTS G92 512MB PCI-E 2.0 GFX __________________ Core 2 Duo E2140 1.6GHz @ 3.04GHz GA-P31-DS3L pqi Turbo CL4 DDR2-800 2GB Sapphire HD3850 256MB Sony Writemaster DVD Burner EIDE Seagate Barracuda 80GB 7200.9 8MB SATII

06-17-2008, 04:23 AM	#6 (permalink)
oscaryu1 Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Houston, Texas Age: 13 Posts: 10,314	IMO that was a rip. Don't know what type of HDD, speed of RAM, type of mobo, ect... __________________ Core 2 Duo E2140 1.6GHz @ 3.04GHz GA-P31-DS3L pqi Turbo CL4 DDR2-800 2GB Sapphire HD3850 256MB Sony Writemaster DVD Burner EIDE Seagate Barracuda 80GB 7200.9 8MB SATII

06-17-2008, 01:17 PM	#9 (permalink)
Steelshivan Gold Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 264	Oscary's list looks pretty good, of course the case is your choice. Only thing I would change for sure is getting a Sata 3.0 dvd burner, not an IDE one. __________________ CPU - Intel Q6600 Mobo - Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Memory - G.Skill 4GB CL5 Optical - Samsung DVD Burner HDD1 - Seagate 160GB 7200rpm HDD2 - Seagate 1TB 7200rpm Case - Coolermaster Centurion 590 PSU - OCZ StealthXStream 500W GPU - Evga 8800GT 512mb CPU cooler - Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

06-16-2008, 11:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
lonewriter New Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 11	I just bought an HP AMD Athlon™ Desktop 2.80GHz, 640GB HD, 4GB MEMORY, 22" LCD. I paid $947 from Sams. I don't game but I do 3d grahics and it works fine for my needs.

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