need a new box

[mtbrehm]

I'm trying to figure out how to approach getting a new desktop. I've had the same box since 1998 (with a few significant upgrades, including a new motherboard/cpu a few years ago), and my wife has a hand-me-down little Gateway from her dad ... Both our machines are getting more fussy than we'd like, so I want to get a new machine for both of us, keeping my monitor and at least one of my hard drives. I've begun to look at "barebones" systems and I'll probably call Dell/Gateway one of these days, but I'd like to get a little feedback from this forum first. I'm not really interested in building my own system, and I'm not afraid to start with something basic and add to it ... but right now, I'd like this process to be as easy as possible -- I want a machine that's relatively worry-free right now, and one that I'll be able to maintain as needed for a few years to come. Is a "barebones" system the way to go? Or will a call to Gateway/Dell do the trick?

1. Budget ... could probably go as high as 1000 bucks, would prefer to keep it under 750.

2. Purpose ...
- this will be the family computer, so there will be basic word processing, bills, etc.
- I plan to set it up for at least two users (wife & me) so we don't have to share our email client, etc.
- prefer Windows OS, familiar with 98, 2000, NT ... open to suggestions regarding ME, etc. ... but the box should come loaded with an OS and some office software
- we'll use it for all manner of internet activity (currently set up for DSL and would like to keep this connection as a minimum)
- I do a fair amount of photo- and music-editing (PhotoShop and CoolEdit, respectively) ... with music I'm often dealing with acoustic live shows, and raw wave files, which can get very chunky
- I also do a fair amount of architectural design work (AutoCAD, SketchUp, VectorWorks, etc.), with associated 3d modeling/rendering and composition/layout (PageMaker, InDesign, etc.)
- we don't do any gaming at all.

3. Have ...
- I currently have a Viewsonic GS790 that I'd like to keep (though my video card has been flaky, which might be more a factor of the connection slot on the motherboard)
- also have a 40g hard drive that I'd like to transfer to the new machine (I've only really used this drive for storage)
- have a couple different digital cameras, but they use USB connections, so I don't need one of those new multiple-media port thingies
- have an old HP CD/RW that still works well, but would probably upgrade to a DVR or something like that

4. Want ...
- speed and reliability, first and foremost
- a box that will keep us rolling for at least a couple years, hopefully more
- something I can add to and upgrade (perhaps a new soundcard now and then, for example)

So that's about it ... again, my main question would probably be what source would you recommend for this type of purchase? NewEgg or ZipZoomFly (for something "barebones"), or Gateway/Dell (do those guys do worthwhile custom jobs)?

Thanks for any and all advice.

mtbrehm

 

[lynx6200]

Hi there. My own computer, listed below, I built as a barebone from tigerdirect.com, and cost under $1000, and wouldnt turn to anything else. If your not computer savvy, Id suggest getting a comp. from a manufacturer, because than they will support it and of course have it put together and working with an operating system before you even touch it. And now a days, you can get a pretty decent computer from people like dell and compaq for $500 or so, i dont like gateway.

As far as what to look for, I would say Intel Pentium or AMD athlon processor, at least 512mb of ram. If you get a computer from the manufacturer it comes with everything you need, so you wont need your hard drive, but could hook it up as and extra one, and use your monitor. If you go barebone, you would need to install an OS on your hard drive, or a new one, and I would suggest a new graphics card (you can still use your monitor with any graphics card).

 

[mtbrehm]

just out of curiosity ... why don't you like gateway? ... I haven't dealt with dell, gateway, or compaq before, so I'd appreciate any tips positive or negative about these guys. thanks!

 

[Praetor]

So that's about it ... again, my main question would probably be what source would you recommend for this type of purchase? NewEgg or ZipZoomFly (for something "barebones"), or Gateway/Dell (do those guys do worthwhile custom jobs)?

OEMs will do custom jobs but only to a point. If you're looking to build your own, something like:
- ASUS P5GD1 (i915P) ... ~100USD
- Pentium 4 530 ... ~225USD
- Some cheapo basic PC3200 memory 2x512 .... ~2x55USD
- WD 200GB 8MB SATA drive ... ~110USD
- NEC 3520A .... ~55USD
- Basic 6200/X300 PCIe video card .... ~65USD
Total = ~665USD

 

[Cromewell]

Pentium 4 530 ... ~225USD

Are you sure about this price, I'm sure I got mine for $240CDN, in fact at Canada Computers it is $232CDN

 

[Praetor]

Thats cuz i forgot to do currency exchange.

 

[Lax]

Yeah what prae said up above is a pretty good setup for just general surfing and stuff like you described. (Even good for light gaming) As for a case you can just buy a cheapo generic case cause you're most likely not going for style or flashy colors. And if you really wanted to save money you could downgrade almost everything to slightly "crapier" version. Get something like an older Socket 478 motherboard and chip and get like an Nvidia 5700LE or FX5200. Those video cards would strictly not be for gaming. Power supplies are also relatively cheap (40-50$) and since you're not running some high end system you don't need some 600W monster of a PSU. Sites like ZZF and Newegg are good places to start to look for prices and comparisons. www.pricewatch.com is a good site if you're REALLY budget conscious and need the absolute cheapest parts. Putting it together is also relatively easy, everything usually only fits in one way so you can't really force it. Only thing you would want to go slowly and carefully on is putting in the CPU, Heatsink, and RAM.

 

[mtbrehm]

thanks for all the input so far ...

Does super-intense modeling and rendering require the same sort of mobo/cpu that gaming requires? Seems to me that they're closely related in terms of graphics and that you might want the same kind of processing muscle for each, but I could be wrong ... I just want to be sure that my most demanding tasks won't become a problem over time. I work with extremely large files -- editing large format, high-res, scanned watercolors in PhotoShop, for instance, and very large 3D architectural models with loads of raytracing -- do I just need lots of memory, or do I need to look into AMD processors -- or both? And if I get all set up for the graphics work I do, will that pretty much cover the music editing I do as well? (I work with enormous files in that area, too, and do lots of on-the-fly mixing and editing)

thanks again for the info ... this is a solid forum.

 

[heinzbitte]

Usally they say use Intel for photoshop and things. Also there are certain Video cards for graphics things and certain ones for gaming.
You can keep your current hard drive and purchase a new one along with it. 1 gig of ram helps you if you are doing what you mentioned with photoshop and cad.