Buying first computer since 2003

J

Josh Rider

New Member
Hey. My main computer that I had since late 2003 (actually ran decently) broke for good about 6 months ago and I've finally saved enough money to buy a new one. I'm looking for something in the range of 1000-1500$ that will manage to run well over the next 3-4 years. I use my computer for internet browsing, photoshop, flash, occasional gaming (RTS, MMORPG, some FPS), heavy downloading, etc. Upon doing some basic researching of the prices of pre-made systems, I went to a custom-made computer store (reputable) and so far have negotiated to have this system built for me:


Intel i7-2600 processor with TurboBoost
16 GB 1333 mhz DDR3 RAM
1.5 TB Hard Drive
24" HD Screen
Blu Ray Player/DVD Burner
Speakers with 60W subwoofer
Radeon 6770 GPU
Keyboard + Mouse
500W Power Supply
All parts from reputatble companies

for 1200$ + Canadian/Provincial Sales tax = 1350$ Canadian Dollars = about 1350$ American

Is this a reasonable price and if not, where can I find better? Will this computer run reasonably fast and be able to handle normal usage for a few years to come?

EDIT: The guy gave me the option to upgrade to i7-2600K, increase the RAM to 1600mhz DDR3, and get a better GPU, but the price would easily go above the range I can afford...
 
If you can change any of this to change the price at all then I would do this:

Cut the RAM in half. For no reason do you need 16.
Find out what power supplies he uses.
I imagine he is charging so much because of labor. Is that right?
I really don't think that's worth $1350.
I could be wrong. Depends on the monitor and speakers. I think you should find those 2 things yourself along with the keyboard and mouse. I would considering upgrading the GPU (do you know your options?) If you don't want to have to upgrade again for 3 or 4 years, it would do good to go ahead and buy a better one now.
 
you should check out the thread on the top of this section about building your own computer, it will be much cheaper, is easy to do, and if nothing else we can tell you what your best setup would be and all and then you can take that to him and negotiate a price for him to build it for you (which i doubt would be worth the price since you could do it by yourself in an hour or 2.)
 
jonnyp11 said:
you should check out the thread on the top of this section about building your own computer, it will be much cheaper, is easy to do, and if nothing else we can tell you what your best setup would be and all and then you can take that to him and negotiate a price for him to build it for you (which i doubt would be worth the price since you could do it by yourself in an hour or 2.)
Click to expand...

I'm likely not going to be building a computer at this point. I will attempt to do so at some point however....just not right now.

I'm leaning between a custom-made with the store I'm with now or buying a Dell (reasonable company for desktops). XPS 8300 with similar components to above is 1199.99$ +tax, which is the same as this guy is charging me but is building the computer for me and giving me all the boxes/dvds that come with each component (AKA not just stock parts).

On another issue, I'm thinking of getting a 500-600$ laptop. What should I be looking for there?
 
Honestly unless you build it yourself you're getting ripped off. It's a trivial task to build one. Gaming laptops are alright I guess, but to get anything decent you'd need to spend most of your budget.
 
dell is ok, but other than alienware which is overpriced i'd say not to get them, but yes for an oem they are one of the better ones behind like asus. really for what you want i'd say to look at ibuypower, cyberpowerpc, and alienwares and just configure those,gives you a better view of options and all and guarenteed compatibility and all.
 
yeah your probably going to want to build one, to get the custom one built they are probably charging a 15 - 20% markup on all marts plus labour, which means your getting really ripped off, you could build a much better system then what they are giving you ad you could get it for hundreds cheaper
 
No

1.) You can drop to i5 2500K to save money
2.) You won't need 16GB RAM at the moment
3.) 6770 is not good enough
4.) 500W PSU with unknown brand. Not good.
5.) With $1200, you can do better than that.

If you are not overclocking and don't bother about psu. This $843 machine will be perform as good as your $1200
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...deId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20&Page=2

What exact component availiabe in the store? You didn't mention about the brand and we couldn't tell if they are good
 
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why would he drop the 2500k, the 6770 is a powerfull gpu, but yes, it isn't the best and isn't going as far on newer games. the psu part is agreed, but if it's from an alienware it shouldn't be like a rosewill or anything
 
parrish203 said:
Did you even bother to read his post?

For what you're doing to with the link that daisymtc posted.
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was saying the 6770 is a great card, but as of late it isn't as good as it was, and not sure what you are saying about the link, but this would prob be the best under 1k, the next gamer listed for around the original budget of ~1200 is the same with a different case and a 2600k, so it isn't worth the extra money

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229262

if you don't get it built then your best bet would be to go to ibuypower or cyberpowerpc's websites and customize one
 
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daisymtc said:
No

1.) You can drop to i5 2500K to save money
2.) You won't need 16GB RAM at the moment
3.) 6770 is not good enough
4.) 500W PSU with unknown brand. Not good.
5.) With $1200, you can do better than that.

If you are not overclocking and don't bother about psu. This $843 machine will be perform as good as your $1200
Click to expand...

With a good 24" monitor (say 175$), that's already 1025$, and I don't get the blu ray drive, double the RAM (and it's still 1333mhz), and the i7-2600k.
 
I'm still debating whether or not I will be building or buying. The ibuypower deals end up being fairly expensive with the shipping so I won't go with that option. The build you just gave me seems pretty good and would do most of what I need, but I'm just afraid of ordering 1000$ worth of parts and then having a lot of trouble putting it all together. From tutorials I've seen, it doesn't seem so difficult, but I'm still hesitant. I already know how to upgrade GPUs, sound cards, and memory (I know it's a menial task), but I have not ever installed any other parts. Another reason I'm hesitant is that my parents are paying for half the computer I get (yes, I'm still kind of a child at 20 years old) and they'd probably be skeptical if I used their money to buy parts. Thanks for the help.
 
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jonnyp11 said:
for like the 3rd time, this is a decent deal

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...E16883229262&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13140289672484

also check canadacomputers.com, think they're supposed to be good, idk any other sites thow, see if you have any fry's electronics or microcenters around there or in canada at all, they are decent, and i believe tigerdirect may also ship there or have stores.
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Damn i wish we had Microcenter up here!! Memory Express is pretty good though. That's where i am buying all my hardware for my new build. It ends up being cheaper than Newegg.ca .

Not too sure why you don't like Jonny's builds Josh. He has picked some pretty good stuff. As for actually putting the parts together to build your own PC, pretty damn simple :) we have faith in you. But if your hard struck on having one prebuilt, I went to a local computer store and picked out my parts and the guy built it for me. Assembly only cost me 68$.
 
well he did say his parents are paying for like half so that would be sort of weird to take their money to buy parts i guess.
 
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