Can someone help me with buying a pc?

[Crazyknight]

I need advice on a new PC , I really want to buy a new one but I'm a bit lost as to which one I should buy.

I want it to run smooth for gaming and do other stuff for college while at the same time be completly upgradable without going broke .

I have seen so good pc but I want it to last a few years.Also which video card should I aim for as the ''best'' one? ATI, Nvidia, etc.?

My price range could be as cheap as 550 to 1000 or a little more if I see it is worth it, I really don't want to over pay for something I won't use it full capacity and something I can buy parts later on and upgrade it .

Also should I buy a laptop or a PC for gaming? PC for gaming would be awesome but the laptop for college really is good also , I just don't know.

Was checking Dell, HP and newegg but I just can't decide , also peole told me Dell's video cards suck.

 

[mehdiking]

I will help you to decide....Don`t worry!

 

[konsole]

First you need to decide between a laptop or a desktop before people can make suggestions. Laptop is going to be more expensive then its desktop comparison. Desktop provides more and cheaper options for upgrades, plus its less likely to get stolen at school. If something breaks on a desktop its much more likely to be easy and cheap to fix as compared to the laptop. Desktops provide better cooling options for running higher end components. For me portability doesnt matter so thats why laptops never appealed to me. In terms of video card for ATI go with atleast the 4850 or higher or their Nvidia equivalent. For $1,000 you can build yourself a really nice system, or a pretty system for $700. Theres a tutorial on here somewhere of how to build your own system. Also check the "for sale" section of the forums for components you can use in building the system.

As far as I know Dell doesnt make their own video cards, they just buy components from several places and make a computer and slap their name on it. They buy a hard drive from maybe Seagate, then a motherboard from Asus and memory from Kingston or whatever. The video card in any Dell can be as good or as bad as you want it to be. When you buy a computer from Dell or HP or whoever all your doing is paying to have someone else buy seperate components and build a computer out of it. None of these major computer companies manufacture all of the components in their systems. These companies just buy in bulk so they can get a decent deal on the stuff they get and then "supposedly" transfer some of that savings down to you.

 

[wardhanster]

if you want a gaming pc then stay away from a laptop and stick to a desktop pc,
cauz the components of laptop can not be upgraded mostly, and for desktop u can upgrade the components with the need and with the trend, plus laptop generates heat which possibly will cauze sweating while gaming, in other words if you want to be future prof in the sense of gaming stay with desktop, as the game developers are regularly deploying new technologies and higher standard of system, so as their product games will too.

 

[Crazyknight]

Ty for the answers , I'm going with a pc and will try and find the tutorial that one of you recommended.


Also as far as specs goes what should I aim for also?


like processor 2.5 , 3.0, ect?

Ram,hhd all that I think I have a general idea but I would like suggestions also ty for any help and sorry to bother you guys .

 

[mx344]

^ it depends hat you are going to use the computer for.

EDIT: ill build some specs for yah, i had it but my computer lost everything i postd for some reason, there goes, 30 minutes :/

 

[wizle]

Here is the link to tutorial

http://www.computerforum.com/104641-how-build-computer-step-step-photos.html

 

[Crazyknight]

^ it depends hat you are going to use the computer for.

EDIT: ill build some specs for yah, i had it but my computer lost everything i postd for some reason, there goes, 30 minutes :/

I hate when that happens .


Also I want it mainly for gaming which is what is going to require the ''power'' of the parts everything else I will do with it I can do it with a machine build for games.

 

[daisymtc]

Are you going to build one yourself or buy one from store?

At this moment in time, I suggest you going for min. AMD Phenom II 720BE with 4GB DDR3 RAM and min. 4850/ 4770/ GTS 250. It should cost around $750.

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128392

MSI R4850-2D512-OC Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127414

G.SKILL Trident 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBTD - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231259

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136283

Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model AD-7241S-0B LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118032

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116677


However, you can change the CPU to 955BE with GTX275/ 4890. It should still under $1000. It depends on how much you want to spend. If you are going to get the machine in Sept, it would be worth to consider intel Core i5 when they release.

 

[tlarkin]

upgrading is almost a moot point these days. I just built a whole new system and I wanted to upgrade my processor, which means I got to get a new motherboard, which means I got to get new RAM because the old RAM is too slow, which means I also need a new powersupply because I need more power for the quad core and the new video card I got.

Upgrading is moot, unless you are the type of person that likes to swap out a major component every couple of months, then I guess upgrading is great because you never have to rebuild the whole thing until you upgrade something major.

 

[Jamin43]

Upgrading is moot, unless you are the type of person that likes to swap out a major component every couple of months, then I guess upgrading is great because you never have to rebuild the whole thing until you upgrade something major.

I can see upgrading my Video card in a year or two - but beyond that - you're probably right. Time will tell though. My last PC lasted me 7 years ( multi-tasking = 2 computers for 2 applications )

 

[tlarkin]

I can see upgrading my Video card in a year or two - but beyond that - you're probably right. Time will tell though. My last PC lasted me 7 years ( multi-tasking = 2 computers for 2 applications )

I typically build a new PC every 3 to 4 years and retire my current one to my main file server/media box and load Linux on it. Then my current file/server media box gets scrapped for parts and either given away or sold really cheap to someone I know.

When you upgrade the processor you almost always have to upgrade everything else, so I just build new.