I'm looking into getting a new computer, and feeling pretty overwhelmed. I have a $2000 budget. My current computer is a Dell, which of course made it very easy to buy and set up, but I'm hoping to do better this time. Actually, it's served me pretty well, but I keep hearing disturbing things about Dell's increasingly negative reputation.
I'm mainly interested in MMO's and games like Oblivion and Neverwinter Nights.
I'm pretty satisfied with my current Dell monitor: flat panel, 19", dual voltage,
E193FPP.
I'm concerned whether this monitor would work properly with an 8800 graphics card, or whether I'd need an adapter for it, or what. I’m definitely interested in DX10.
Just for reference, I currently use the monitor with this card: 128MB X800, HMGA10 (that last part may just be Dell's internal part number for the card).
Although I might overclock at some point, I know so little about computers I don't want to plan my choices around it. What I mean is, if you think I should keep the option open, that's fine, but I don't want to spend too much money and time thinking about it at this point.
If I end up buying my computer as a disassembled bunch of parts from newegg, I'll definitely hire some professional help to assemble it. I spoke to a local guy (found him in the yellow pages) who said he could put it together in under an hour, with an hourly rate of $65. This assumes no special options like water cooling.
If I do go that route, I'll want to know what parts and tools I should have on hand to ensure he can put it together quickly and cheaply. For example, if I buy OEM parts, maybe I'll need to purchase a SATA cable separately; installing disk drives may go faster if I have a magnetic screwdriver, etc. Anyway, once I've settled on what parts I want, I'll need help with working out details like that.
Just to get things started, I priced the following rig at Envision Computers:
Western Digital Raptor, 150 GB, Serial ATA 150, 10,000 RPM, 16 MB Cache $275.00
Asus P5N32-SLI Premium / WiFi-AP Audio-DualGB.LAN-Firewire (Core 2 Duo Ready) $250.00
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case with Antec TP-Trio 550 Watt PS - Black $250.00
Plextor PX-760A [DVD± 18/8x6x16x - CDRW 48x24x48x] UltraATA - Black or Beige $140.00
Corsair XMS2 Twin2X 1GB PC6400 DDR2-800, Heat Spreaders, Matched Pair $250.00
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6700, 2.66GHz, 4MB Cache,1066MHz FSB, Socket 775 $545.00
nVidia GeForce 8800GTS, 640 MB, Dual DVI, TV-Out, PCIx $485.00
Windows Vista: Home Premium Edition - DVD (OEM) $139.00
Total: $2,334.00
That’s definitely a bit more than I plan to spend. Also, I might want dual SLI graphics cards (but with my monitor you might say that’s overkill), and the power supply seems marginal for SLI. I could probably go downgrade the CPU and DVD burner from what’s shown (I love having burning capability, but I rarely use it).
Anyway, thanks for any tips you send my way. I’m not sure how soon I’ll be making the purchase, so I may be lurking around here for quite a while working on it.
I'm mainly interested in MMO's and games like Oblivion and Neverwinter Nights.
I'm pretty satisfied with my current Dell monitor: flat panel, 19", dual voltage,
E193FPP.
I'm concerned whether this monitor would work properly with an 8800 graphics card, or whether I'd need an adapter for it, or what. I’m definitely interested in DX10.
Just for reference, I currently use the monitor with this card: 128MB X800, HMGA10 (that last part may just be Dell's internal part number for the card).
Although I might overclock at some point, I know so little about computers I don't want to plan my choices around it. What I mean is, if you think I should keep the option open, that's fine, but I don't want to spend too much money and time thinking about it at this point.
If I end up buying my computer as a disassembled bunch of parts from newegg, I'll definitely hire some professional help to assemble it. I spoke to a local guy (found him in the yellow pages) who said he could put it together in under an hour, with an hourly rate of $65. This assumes no special options like water cooling.
If I do go that route, I'll want to know what parts and tools I should have on hand to ensure he can put it together quickly and cheaply. For example, if I buy OEM parts, maybe I'll need to purchase a SATA cable separately; installing disk drives may go faster if I have a magnetic screwdriver, etc. Anyway, once I've settled on what parts I want, I'll need help with working out details like that.
Just to get things started, I priced the following rig at Envision Computers:
Western Digital Raptor, 150 GB, Serial ATA 150, 10,000 RPM, 16 MB Cache $275.00
Asus P5N32-SLI Premium / WiFi-AP Audio-DualGB.LAN-Firewire (Core 2 Duo Ready) $250.00
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case with Antec TP-Trio 550 Watt PS - Black $250.00
Plextor PX-760A [DVD± 18/8x6x16x - CDRW 48x24x48x] UltraATA - Black or Beige $140.00
Corsair XMS2 Twin2X 1GB PC6400 DDR2-800, Heat Spreaders, Matched Pair $250.00
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6700, 2.66GHz, 4MB Cache,1066MHz FSB, Socket 775 $545.00
nVidia GeForce 8800GTS, 640 MB, Dual DVI, TV-Out, PCIx $485.00
Windows Vista: Home Premium Edition - DVD (OEM) $139.00
Total: $2,334.00
That’s definitely a bit more than I plan to spend. Also, I might want dual SLI graphics cards (but with my monitor you might say that’s overkill), and the power supply seems marginal for SLI. I could probably go downgrade the CPU and DVD burner from what’s shown (I love having burning capability, but I rarely use it).
Anyway, thanks for any tips you send my way. I’m not sure how soon I’ll be making the purchase, so I may be lurking around here for quite a while working on it.
With your budget I would NOT go below a Core 2 Duo X6700 and an 8800GTX with DDR2 800.
