Questions about getting a new computer for $2000

S

SLR2009

New Member
Hi, I plan on purchasing a new computer very soon but I would first like advice from you experts before I make my purchase.

I would like to spend less than $2000 but would pay more if it's worth it as I also plan to purchase the HP 2710m 27-Inch to go with it. The computer will replace my 2.66 ghz Quad Core Mac Pro (which will go in another room).

I would like the computer to be very fast and responsive for everything that I do on it. I would like it to be as fast as my Mac.

I don't plan on using it for Photoshop, maya or no professional work like that.

I plan on doing some light gaming, internet browsing, watching 1080p Movies, listening to music, burning cds, viewing and editing my 1000's of photos, etc.

I was thinking of going a step up and getting a 6 Core System but would it be necessary for what I will be using it for?

Is there a big difference between a 4 Core and a 6 Core System?

Would it basically make a difference in terms of heavy multi tasking and applications that take advantage of 6 cores?

I don't plan on building my own computer. I will customize a computer to my liking.

I would like the computer to have either 12 gb or 16 gb of memory

Why would someone need 16 gbs of memory vs 8 or 12gb?

I would like the computer to have a reasonably powerful video card but nothing extreme as I will not be doing any heavy gaming.

I would like it to have at least 4 free hard drive slots. I plan on adding atleast two 2 TB Internal Hard drives for storage but would like the ability to add more in the future if I needed to.

Should I get 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM Hard Drives?

Is Hewlett Packard a good brand to customize a computer from? If not, then what would be the best computer brands to customize a computer from?

I would also like the computer to support USB 3.0

Thanks guys and I will be looking forward to your responses
 
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Are you talking about the Intel or AMD 6 core processors? The Intel 6 core is way to expensive.

For what you are doing with it, you do not need 12gb's of ram, 6 would be plenty.

For the hard drives and the budget you have, you might be able to get an SSD.

IMO, I would look into building it yourself. Even if you have no idea what to do, there is plenty of help out there including here. You could get a lot better system than buying a prebuilt.
 
I'd wait a bit till spring and see what Sandy Bridge brings before you decide to order. It's literally less than a month away now.

Supposedly, their $216 i5 chip will compete directly with the current ~$300 i7 chip in performance, and the $316 i7 will be..well...badass. That is, of course, referring to the two "K" models, the only Sandy Bridge chips that are able to overclock.
 
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1) Hi, I plan on purchasing a new computer very soon but I would first like advice from you experts before I make my purchase.
Building it yourself is by all means, the way to go. It's very easy and can be done in 2-3 hrs or less for omeone that hasn't done it. All the parts basically fit in one place and in one way, in the case. The plugs and cable wires are pretty much the same in that reguard. Simple stuff.
Look here http://www.computerforum.com/104641-how-build-computer-step-step-photos.html
1) I would like to spend less than $2000 but would pay more if it's worth it as I also plan to purchase the HP 2710m 27-Inch to go with it. The computer will replace my 2.66 ghz Quad Core Mac Pro (which will go in another room).
Are you getting that monitor because of the HP question in # 15)? There may be LED and built in tv for the 350ish.
3) I would like the computer to be very fast and responsive for everything that I do on it. I would like it to be as fast as my Mac.
With under 2k faster.
4) I don't plan on using it for Photoshop, maya or no professional work like that.
But it could! In case you do. No need to underbuild for that.
5) I plan on doing some light gaming, internet browsing, watching 1080p Movies, listening to music, burning cds, viewing and editing my 1000's of photos, etc.
Might as well allow it to play something a little more, in case for you or someone else. And besides, with the deals there may be a budget freindly way to do that.
6) I was thinking of going a step up and getting a 6 Core System but would it be necessary for what I will be using it for?
If you have several things going at once it may be handy to have those other 2.
7) Is there a big difference between a 4 Core and a 6 Core System?
Mainly the core # and the cost diff. of the cpu's. Also if the system is triple channel then the memory will be 3 sticks at a time, and dual is x 2's. Normally is 2x2gb=4gb for dual and 2x3gb=6gb for triple.
8) Would it basically make a difference in terms of heavy multi tasking and applications that take advantage of 6 cores?
Yes. Depending on the tasks and applications, games, etc.
9) I don't plan on building my own computer. I will customize a computer to my liking.
You should. Its far and away the best way. Hard to custominze from a maunfacturers parts list. And very costly for what you get.
10) I would like the computer to have either 12 gb or 16 gb of memory.
That's a lot. Norm is 4 or 6. 8 or 6 should be plenty.
11) Why would someone need 16 gbs of memory vs 8 or 12gb?
For the use you describe 16 is overkill.
12) I would like the computer to have a reasonably powerful video card but nothing extreme as I will not be doing any heavy gaming.
NP.
13) I would like it to have at least 4 free hard drive slots. I plan on adding atleast two 2 TB Internal Hard drives for storage but would like the ability to add more in the future if I needed to.
Cases are whats aesthetically pleasing to the user, as long as they have the features and functions needed for the system. Lots of peeps here know cases very well and can help you with feedback on your taste.
14) Should I get 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM Hard Drives?
SSD for "boot' drive for your os and main startup programs. And 7200rpm hdd's for your storage and os folders that are moved from the ssd to a hdd to conserve space on the ssd for things that don't benifit from it's speed.
15) Is Hewlett Packard a good brand to customize a computer from? If not, then what would be the best computer brands to customize a computer from?
No. The amount of needless 'bloatware' that come on them is unreal. Needless crapola taking up space and resources on your pc. Recently someone wanted to update their MB so they could upgrade their processor.The manuf. had the update, but since the MB was branded for HP and HP didn't release the update, it didn't happen.You have to buy their proprietary parts for big $ or buy another pc. If a part needs to be replaced down the road, you will probably have to go to them. To name a couple parts I'm sure are on there is, the memory is probly 'value' rated, no heatspreaders, and proprietary to the model. The power supply unit will surely be poor quality. And the psu is the heart of the system.
http://www.computerforum.com/186629-power-supply-psu-tech-guide.html
Best Brands? The best brands are based on the brands of the individal parts themselves, then assymbled. Assymbly is so easy there is no need to pay someone to do it.
16) I would also like the computer to support USB 3.0
Swertnley! SATA 6.0mb/s too!
 
Thanks for the help guys. I'm now considering building my own computer. How much cheaper is it to build my own computer vs a prebuilt one? I don't know what parts to get, if you guys could help me I'd greatly appreciate it.
 
The dual 2core computer is the best according to your usage,this is really nice and the latest computer ,in this you will get 80Gb HDD,1GB ram which can run your pc faster,you will get speaker set with it ,AMD process,windo xp.This will cost you around $200.
 
SLR2009 said:
Thanks for the help guys. I'm now considering building my own computer. How much cheaper is it to build my own computer vs a prebuilt one? I don't know what parts to get, if you guys could help me I'd greatly appreciate it.
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It CAN be cheaper. The most rewarding is knowing you have high end-high perf parts. It's custom to you from some of the best makers of the components, and the satisfaction. Something to do would be to post whether you have anything right now that can be utilized,,,monitor/keyboard/os,,,if there's something you want like a certain monitor, get some feedback on it and/or back it out of the budget.
What you have/want?
Where you are(country)so the supplier will be known?
A $ amount not to go over?
Is it ok to go over budget till any rebates come back?
When do you want to purchase?
You'll get all the help needed.

^Post those answers and the ball will start rolling.
 
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Basically, the difference when you build it yourself is that, while you DO usually get better performance for the price, the bigger advantage is that you're able to use good quality parts instead of the crappy ones that companies like Dell and HP use.
 
Hey guys, I'm going to post what I would like in my new computer by answering this questionnaire that I got from another website. Feel free to post you suggestions and ideas.

Note: I like to purchase a new computer every 2-3 years

I will be using Windows 7 64 bit Operating System

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Light Gaming, Web Browsing, Bittorent, Watching 1080p Movies, basic editing of my photos, listening to Music and Burning CD's.

I always tend to have several programs open at the same time so I would like the Computer to not slow down when multitasking.

I want it to be able to handle everything that I throw it without slowing down

I don't plan on using Photoshop or any professional applications

2) What's your budget?

I would like to spend $2000 (more or less) including the HP 27" Display I plan on getting. I don't mind spending as much as $2500 including the 27" Display if I'll get a much better system. If I could get a powerful system for $1600 including the monitor then that would be good too.

3) Where do you live?

Long Island, New York

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?

I would like at least a Quad Core System (as powerful or more powerful than my 2.66 ghz Quad Core Mac Pro)

Would it be worth it to go for 6 Cores?

I would like 12 gigs of memory.

I would like to start with three 2 TB Internal Hard Drives.

5) What Parts do you already own that you will be using?

Keyboard and Mouse


6) Will you be overclocking?

No

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

I plan on purchasing the HP 2710m 27-Inch Display

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

A soon as possible/When I feel that I have the right parts (Maybe 2 weeks, a month)?

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.

I would like to have at least 4 free Hard Drive slots.

I would like the computer to have a firewire port, I would like a USB 3.0 Port. What is SATA 6GB/s and is it worth it?

How many fans will I need for my computer?

Can I get a liquid cooling system? are those difficult to install?

Any help is greatly appreciated
 
Alright, that helps a lot.

I this case, I would definitely wait a bit for Sandy Bridge to come out, if you're waiting a up to a month to buy it anyway. I can recommend everything but the mobo to you at this point, because the mobo and CPU haven't been released yet.

Most of those requests are no problem, however if you're using dual-channel memory, it'd be better to go with either 8 or 16 gigs of memory.

4 free hard drive slots after the four you'll be starting with, correct? Should be do-able.

Firewire, USB3.0, and Sata6GB/s will all be there, and yes the faster SATA is worth it for a solid state drive.

At this price range, whatever case you get should have all of its fans installed already, or at least a sufficient amount...no worries there.

At this point, 6 cores are not worth it. An AMD 6-core is roughly equivalent to an Intel i7 quad core, and the i7 6-core is $1000 by itself...not worth it at all.

Liquid cooling systems are more or less useless if you aren't overclocking. And yes, they are difficult to install.


Question: What sort of case do you want? Full/mid tower? Flashy/sleek/professional?
 
Drenlin said:
Alright, that helps a lot.

I this case, I would definitely wait a bit for Sandy Bridge to come out, if you're waiting a up to a month to buy it anyway. I can recommend everything but the mobo to you at this point, because the mobo and CPU haven't been released yet.

Most of those requests are no problem, however if you're using dual-channel memory, it'd be better to go with either 8 or 16 gigs of memory.

4 free hard drive slots after the four you'll be starting with, correct? Should be do-able.

Firewire, USB3.0, and Sata6GB/s will all be there, and yes the faster SATA is worth it for a solid state drive.

At this price range, whatever case you get should have all of its fans installed already, or at least a sufficient amount...no worries there.

At this point, 6 cores are not worth it. An AMD 6-core is roughly equivalent to an Intel i7 quad core, and the i7 6-core is $1000 by itself...not worth it at all.

Liquid cooling systems are more or less useless if you aren't overclocking. And yes, they are difficult to install.


Question: What sort of case do you want? Full/mid tower? Flashy/sleek/professional?
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Everyone wants the Fractal Design Define XL.
 
^ No, people who like water cooling and live in europe want those...

It's unavailable here, and is a horrible performer in air cooling compared to other cases in its price range. (around $200, converted and allowing for taxes)

Definitely looks cool, though.
 
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Thanks for the help guys. I don't mind waiting a month for the Sandy Bridge to be released. When is the release date?

I apologize, I meant 5-6 hard drive slots in total.I would like to purchase three 2 TB Internal drives right away and I would like the option to add 2-3 more drives in the future.
 
Shouldn't be a problem :)

Sandy Bridge's release date should be within the first week and a half of January. Wiki shows the 9th right now.
 
What's the difference between a mid town and a full tower? is it basically the size?

So I should definitely go with Three 2 TB Sata 6gb/s Drives?

I would like atleast a 128GB Solid State Drive for my OS

Could you guys post the computer parts that I would need to purchase. I would greatly appreciate it.

I have a Microcenter close to where I live. Is it best to buy the parts there?
 
Full towers are bigger than mid towers. I would get a full tower case.

For the hard drives, it just depends on how much storage you need. If you need 6 TB's of storage, then buy them.

That is good you have a Microcenter close. You can usually get some good deals there that you can't get online.
 
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