New Machine

M

mynd

New Member
Hello Everyone,

I am new to the forums, but have about 23 years in the industry. I know what I would get if I wanted to buy some really great stuff, but I have a budget to work on for someone else and they basically have a PC they are replacing.

The old PC has a beautiful L90D+ Hyundai flat panel with a 6ms refresh time or 8 not sure. Very nice They have a keyboard and mouse and they have the dvd reader and a nice liteon 52 speed cdr. They pretty much have everything they need with the exception of a decent mobo, video card and proc. They don't want to spend too much on state of the art hardware, but want to be able to run vista when it comes out and play DDO online.

What I am asking of all of you to do is just check out what I suggested from a retail outlet and let me know what you would change and if you can suggest something better for less or the same price in parts then go right ahead and do it.

Here is the suggested parts

SYSTEM COMPONENTS

XPS 400 Qty 1
Pentium® D Processor 930 with Dual Core Technology (3GHz, 800FSB), Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 Unit Price $970.00
No Interest for 18 months on XPS systems when using Dell Preferred Account!
Limited Time Offer! View Details

Catalog Number: 29 DXPS400F1
Module Description Show Details
XPS 400 Pentium® D Processor 930 with Dual Core Technology (3GHz, 800FSB)
Operating System Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
Memory 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs
Keyboard No Keyboard
Monitors No Monitor
Video Cards 256MB nVidia GeForce 7900 GS
Hard Drives 250GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/ 8MB cache
Floppy Drive and Media Reader No Floppy Drive Included
Mouse No Mouse
Network Interface Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Modem 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
Adobe Software Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
CD or DVD Drive Single Drive: 16x DVD+/-RW with double layer write capability
Sound Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Speakers No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Office Software (not included in Windows XP) No Productivity Suite - Corel WordPerfect® word processor only
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) McAfee SecurityCenter with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 15-months
Hardware Warranty 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr HW Warranty Support
Internet Access Service 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support
Future Operating Systems Windows Vista™ Capable
Dell Digital Entertainment Starter Entertainment Pack -Basic digital Music, Photo, and Casual Gaming
TOTAL:$970.00

Additional Discounts and Coupons
FREE GROUND SHIPPING!

Limited Time Offer! View Details




Total Price
Sub-total $970.00


Now I know this is retail and as much as I hate doing this it is easier for him. But I do want your suggestions and advice on what you would do for that price knowing what you see above.

Any help would be appreciated. I am very into hardware and I do know about conroe and the new procs coming out, even quantum computers. However, I really need a group effort on this to come to a decision. So please let me hear your rants and advice. I need a comparision.

Kind regards,
Mynd
 
That looks great too

Well thanks for the fast reply..

I basically did what I did.. Here is my list.. Anything you would add or change or something I did that is " do you realize?" that I missed?

Case ( Standard ATX Mid-Tower Case w/350W Power Supply [no side window] Beige )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( Standard Case Power Supply )
Processor ( [Socket-775] Intel® Pentium-D Processor 930 [3.0GHz, Dual-Core, 2x2MB Cache, 800MHz FSB, 64-Bit] )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game --- World of Warcraft with purchase of any INTEL based systems or Mobile notebook )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Motherboard ( ** iBUYPOWER Recommended ** [DDR2] ECS 945P-A i945P Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, USB 2.0 PCI-E MB )
Memory ( [Req.DDR2 MainBoard] 1024MB (512MB x2) DDR2-667 PC5300 Memory Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( Nvidia Geforce 7900GT 256MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Physics Processing Unit ( None )
Hard Drive ( 160 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Raid Configuration ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] 16X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Beige )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Fax Modem ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( Mitsumi 1.44 MB Internal Floppy Drive Beige )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( None )
Mouse ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Operation System ( MS Windows XP Home Edition w/Service Pack-2 )
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner ( None )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Printer ( None )
Printer Cable ( None )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $874.00

Let me know.. and thanks for your help.. I just want to make sure I did not miss anything.. those lists are pretty long.. lol

Thanks again.. Good link!!!

Kind regards,
Mynd
 
I updated it a little

Hello Again,

I figured since I located a coupon and was going to spend 930 on it already that I upgraded to the new video card and a better case and PS along with the 3 year warranty and all the trimmings including the OS I really wanted for him and a floppy, etc...

Case ( Raidmax Ninja-918 ATX Mid-tower Case w/450W Power Supply Silver )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( Standard Case Power Supply )
Processor ( [Socket-775] Intel® Pentium-D Processor 940 [3.2GHz, Dual-Core, 2x2MB Cache, 800MHz FSB, 64-Bit] )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game --- World of Warcraft with purchase of any INTEL based systems or Mobile notebook )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Motherboard ( ** iBUYPOWER Recommended ** [DDR2] ECS 945P-A i945P Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, USB 2.0 PCI-E MB )
Memory ( [Req.DDR2 MainBoard] 1024MB (512MB x2) DDR2-667 PC5300 Memory Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( ==[New !!!]== Nvidia Geforce 7900GT 512MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Physics Processing Unit ( None )
Hard Drive ( 160 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Raid Configuration ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] 16X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Beige )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Fax Modem ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( Mitsumi 1.44 MB Internal Floppy Drive Beige )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( None )
Mouse ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Operation System ( MS Windows XP Home Edition w/Service Pack-2 )
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner ( None )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Printer ( None )
Printer Cable ( None )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $1,041.00
Current Coupon: 5% Instant Rebate (min. purchase $999 per system)
Qualified Coupon Total Savings
5% OFF Instant Rebate for Intel Pentium D Dual-Core Configurator -52.05

Please select your country: USCanada
Ship To:


Shipping Method: $85.00
(Optional) Coupon Code: Total: USD $1,073.95

I think that about does it.. Why not right? its only about 200 more and I actually get him much better stuff..

Suggestions? Considerations? Do I really need that video card or was the other one just as good for the time being?

Let me know..

Thanks again.

Kind regards,
Mynd
 
The other one is just is good. Only difference is the size of memory, but memory doesn't mean that much when it comes to graphics cards.
 
Final Decision

Hello Again,

Well here is the final decision. Thanks again for your suggestions. I am not sure what to make of the final post you offered. Memory does not mean alot? I am not sure why you would say that. However, your suggestions were great.

Final Purchase
--------------------------------------------------------

Item Unit Price Total Price
Intel Pentium D Dual-Core Configurator $1,036.00
$1,036.00
Case ( Standard ATX Mid-Tower Case w/350W Power Supply [no side window] Beige )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( Standard Case Power Supply )
Processor ( [Socket-775] Intel® Pentium-D Processor 930 [3.0GHz, Dual-Core, 2x2MB Cache, 800MHz FSB, 64-Bit] )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game --- World of Warcraft with purchase of any INTEL based systems or Mobile notebook )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Motherboard ( [DDR2] Asus P5LD2-Deluxe i945P Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 PCI-E MB )
Memory ( [Req.DDR2 MainBoard] 1024MB (512MB x2) DDR2-667 PC5300 Memory Corsair XMS2 Xtreme w/Heat Spreader )
Video Card ( ==[New !!!]== Nvidia Geforce 7900GT 512MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Physics Processing Unit ( None )
Hard Drive ( 160 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Raid Configuration ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] 16X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Beige )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Fax Modem ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( Mitsumi 1.44 MB Internal Floppy Drive Beige )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( None )
Mouse ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Operation System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner ( None )
Case Round Cable ( Rounded Cables for Floppy/HDD/CD/DVD/CD-RW/DVD-RW Drives )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Printer ( None )
Printer Cable ( None )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $1,036.00
Current Coupon: 5% Instant Rebate (min. purchase $999 per system)
Qualified Coupon Total Savings
5% OFF Instant Rebate for Intel Pentium D Dual-Core Configurator -51.8

Please select your country: USCanada
Ship To:


Shipping Method: $85.00
(Optional) Coupon Code: Total: USD $1,069.20
| Continue Shopping |


----------------------------

Thanks again,

Kind regards,
Mynd

http://www.myndpollution.com
 
mynd said:
Hello Again,

Well here is the final decision. Thanks again for your suggestions. I am not sure what to make of the final post you offered. Memory does not mean alot? I am not sure why you would say that. However, your suggestions were great.

Final Purchase
--------------------------------------------------------

Item Unit Price Total Price
Intel Pentium D Dual-Core Configurator $1,036.00
$1,036.00
Case ( Standard ATX Mid-Tower Case w/350W Power Supply [no side window] Beige )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( Standard Case Power Supply )
Processor ( [Socket-775] Intel® Pentium-D Processor 930 [3.0GHz, Dual-Core, 2x2MB Cache, 800MHz FSB, 64-Bit] )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game --- World of Warcraft with purchase of any INTEL based systems or Mobile notebook )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Motherboard ( [DDR2] Asus P5LD2-Deluxe i945P Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 PCI-E MB )
Memory ( [Req.DDR2 MainBoard] 1024MB (512MB x2) DDR2-667 PC5300 Memory Corsair XMS2 Xtreme w/Heat Spreader )
Video Card ( ==[New !!!]== Nvidia Geforce 7900GT 512MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Physics Processing Unit ( None )
Hard Drive ( 160 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Raid Configuration ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] 16X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Beige )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Fax Modem ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( Mitsumi 1.44 MB Internal Floppy Drive Beige )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( None )
Mouse ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Operation System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner ( None )
Case Round Cable ( Rounded Cables for Floppy/HDD/CD/DVD/CD-RW/DVD-RW Drives )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Printer ( None )
Printer Cable ( None )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $1,036.00
Current Coupon: 5% Instant Rebate (min. purchase $999 per system)
Qualified Coupon Total Savings
5% OFF Instant Rebate for Intel Pentium D Dual-Core Configurator -51.8

Please select your country: USCanada
Ship To:


Shipping Method: $85.00
(Optional) Coupon Code: Total: USD $1,069.20
| Continue Shopping |


----------------------------

Thanks again,

Kind regards,
Mynd

http://www.myndpollution.com
Click to expand...

Nice, but I've just realised you've run into a bottleneck with the Power Supply and the Video Card. Go for one that's at least 500W. What I meant about the memory thing is that speed is more important than memory.
 
Another Update

Hello There,

Based on what we saw I made a change.. I decided to do this piece by piece and get some better items for the same price ( actually lower ) but thanks for your help.

Here is what I decided on:

Title: completed.list
Date: 07/11/06

Item No. Description Qty Unit Price
101208-11 Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB Serial ATA II 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer ***Free Shipping*** 1 $65.90
110403 Mitsumi MTM43W 1.44MB 3.5in Floppy Disk Drive ***Free Shipping*** 1 $12.99
172513 NEC ND-3550A 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Bare Drive (Beige) OEM ***Free Shipping*** 1 $40.99
247004 Asus P5LD2 Deluxe 945P P4/Pentium D/Celeron 1066FSB LGA775 DDR2 ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $153.99
273503 Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 500W Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $67.99
315006-1 ZipZoomFly ATA66/100/133 IDE 24in Round Cable w/Blue PVC Pipe 3 Connectors Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $10.99
315290 Coolermaster TEC-F24-EB 24in EL Light Floppy Round Cable (Blue) Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $9.99
321057 XFX PV-T71G-UDE7 GeForce 7900 GT 256MB PCI Express DDR3 Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $289.99
80852 Intel® Pentium® D Processor 940 3.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 775, 2x2MB Cache, Dual Core Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $216.20
85016-16 Corsair TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB DDR2-675 XMS2-5400 Xtreme Performance Memory w/Black Heat Spreader Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $167.00
Subtotal $1036.03

Thanks again for your help.. I am happy now, the stuff is on the way..

Kind regards,
Mynd

http://www.myndpollution.com
 
mynd said:
Hello There,

Based on what we saw I made a change.. I decided to do this piece by piece and get some better items for the same price ( actually lower ) but thanks for your help.

Here is what I decided on:

Title: completed.list
Date: 07/11/06

Item No. Description Qty Unit Price
101208-11 Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB Serial ATA II 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer ***Free Shipping*** 1 $65.90
110403 Mitsumi MTM43W 1.44MB 3.5in Floppy Disk Drive ***Free Shipping*** 1 $12.99
172513 NEC ND-3550A 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Bare Drive (Beige) OEM ***Free Shipping*** 1 $40.99
247004 Asus P5LD2 Deluxe 945P P4/Pentium D/Celeron 1066FSB LGA775 DDR2 ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $153.99
273503 Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 500W Power Supply Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $67.99
315006-1 ZipZoomFly ATA66/100/133 IDE 24in Round Cable w/Blue PVC Pipe 3 Connectors Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $10.99
315290 Coolermaster TEC-F24-EB 24in EL Light Floppy Round Cable (Blue) Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $9.99
321057 XFX PV-T71G-UDE7 GeForce 7900 GT 256MB PCI Express DDR3 Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $289.99
80852 Intel® Pentium® D Processor 940 3.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 775, 2x2MB Cache, Dual Core Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $216.20
85016-16 Corsair TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB DDR2-675 XMS2-5400 Xtreme Performance Memory w/Black Heat Spreader Retail ***Free Shipping*** 1 $167.00
Subtotal $1036.03

Thanks again for your help.. I am happy now, the stuff is on the way..

Kind regards,
Mynd

http://www.myndpollution.com
Click to expand...

I was glad to help you out. Also glad to see your building it yourself;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top