Looking at a new computer

[Braindead6]

I am curious about what kind of computer you would buy.
I'm talking about a high end gaming system.
Would you have one custom built locally or would you buy one from a manufacturer.
If you buy from a manfacturer who would you recommend.
I've looked at about 15 different websites and while I found some real good systems, some of the better known computer manufacturers are getting bashed by the Better Business Bureau.
I was just wondering what would you buy.

Jim

[thegrindre]

I bought a pretty nice gaming rig through Office Max. HP is the maker and Compaq is the brand. I am very happy with it. It was customizable and I could pick what I wanted. The CPU cost 2200 which was about half price of similar high end systems out there of what I wanted.

I recommend Hewlett Packard, been using HP for many years and never had a problem.

Go to Office Max and ask for a customizable gaming PC and they'll spend some time with you as you put it together.

[Knave]

The family has purchaced three computers from HP. Every purchace has made the user very happy. HP has choices that allow a good level of customization. And when they age they upgrade well. HP builds with the core 2 duo as a choice which is proving to be a good processer in my wifes computer. They also ship with Vista loaded. Which for straight up gaming may not be good for gamers just yet. I can't tell you about Hp's tech service as we have never had to call.
Good luck. Computers are like women, spending alot isn't necessarily gonna get you a good one. Bob

[Hawk]

Personally I would steer clear of a shelf unit.
I had mine built to specs and I didn't get all the proprietary crap that comes with a shelf unit.
One thing I've read a few times on the internet is that shelf units generally use components that are a cut below the equivalent component you would buy on your own. They do this to cut down on the cost of manufacturing, and-in a lot of cases, makes it difficult to upgrade because of the proprietary specs, plus you get one of their 'stupendous' restore cd's (I use the word 'stupendous' somewhat sarcastically. )
But you know what they say--Opinions are like butt holes. Everybody has one and they all stink.

[milo]

I build mine... but then again I have a degree in the stuff. Really, it just boils down to planning the cooling and power requirements adequately, buying good components, hooking all the wires up, and knowing how to tell which piece the smoke is coming from. Hardest step in the whole process is applying the thermal goop to the processor correctly before clamping the heatsink on.

Agreed with Hawk on all points - in particular, mass-market PCs are likely to skimp on the quality of the power supply and the case. First has a huge effect on machine life, stability, and noise; second affects cooling and noise; and yet both tend to be ignored completely.

Falcon Northwest is one of the most expensive of the system-builders, but the box they built for a friend of mine used top-quality components.

[AZ Rail Rat]

If you have the TIME, MONEY (it WILL cost more), the PATIENCE, a little bit of mechanical/electrical expertise (does NOT take a degree), and a LOT OF GUTS, you can't beat the SATISFACTION of building your own.

I built MACzean: http://www.users.qwest.net/%7Egreames/MACzeane
two years ago and would do it again in a heartbeat. There are PROs, CONs and PITFALLs to doing that:

PROs:

You get what you wanted (or at least could afford).
As said, you avoid the proprietary crap.
You avoid substandard parts (unless you pick the wrong one). For MACzeane, I did not even “package” the case. Bought empty case, installed different fans and purchased power supply separate.
SATISFACTION of bringing something to life.

CONs:

:x NO OVERALL WARRANTY. Sure, individual parts are, but NEVER tell them "you built it yourself" if you have to return something.
:x No testing, unless you plug some things (drives, memory, video card, etc.) into a working system.
:x NO "Professional" HELP - For the most part, you're out there on your own. However, I found the Internet and friends are much more valuable than any computer builder.

PITFALLS:

WORST thing that happens is ANALYSIS PARALYSIS!!! If you think trying to pick an already built system causes angst, try mulling over EVERY SINGLE individual component. It took me THREE months to develop my materials list, one week to buy it and ONE NIGHT to put it together. I could write a book on this subject alone.
Going WAY over budget. Pick an off-the-shelf system, DOUBLE that price and go from there. You WILL come in UNDER and not look back. If you try to MEET or BEAT a shelf or custom machine, you will cry all the way FROM the bank. Don’t even go there, just let money be the LAST issue.
Getting MORE than you need. I did NOT get a sound card (surprise-surprise). The muthaboard sound works just fine, thank you. Did not buy $300 speakers either. When you got $50 ears, you buy $50 speakers.

So, if you can’t or just don’t want to, going Hawk’s route is the next best thing. LAST resort is to go to your local Best Buy and fill up the cart.

[davion76]

I build my own too. Its really not that difficult. It usually takes me 3-4 hours to get everything working the way I want and I get a systems that is usually much cheaper and WAY more upgradable.

[milo]

WORST thing that happens is ANALYSIS PARALYSIS!!! If you think trying to pick an already built system causes angst, try mulling over EVERY SINGLE individual component. It took me THREE months to develop my materials list, one week to buy it and ONE NIGHT to put it together. I could write a book on this subject alone.

Seconded. Over two years for my current rig. Don't go there.

Going WAY over budget. Pick an off-the-shelf system, DOUBLE that price and go from there. You WILL come in UNDER and not look back. If you try to MEET or BEAT a shelf or custom machine, you will cry all the way FROM the bank. Don’t even go there, just let money be the LAST issue.

Really? I can usually beat everyone but Dell and Gateway, and that's with spending $120+ on a good Seasonic PSU. Of course, once you factor in how much time I spend installing and then tinkering...

NewEgg is a good place to get components. Their prices aren't great, but they have excellent variety, and I haven't found anyone with a better shipping policy.

[davion76]

The real cost savings in building your own are in the reusable things. I have only had 3 power supplies in 8 computers, 2 cases in 8 computers, 2 keyboards, 3 mice, 2 sets of speakers, 1 ethernet card for the first 3 computers (now on the mobo), 3 monitors, 5 hard drives, 2 CDroms, 1 DVDrom, 1 DVDr, 2 floppies, 1 zip..... And I'm sire there is more.

Oh and don't forget not having to pay for multiple copies of windows....

Reusing all this stuff every 1-2 years can save some serious cash.

[Eb Zane]

The family has purchaced three computers from HP. Every purchace has made the user very happy. HP has choices that allow a good level of customization. And when they age they upgrade well. HP builds with the core 2 duo as a choice which is proving to be a good processer in my wifes computer. They also ship with Vista loaded. Which for straight up gaming may not be good for gamers just yet. I can't tell you about Hp's tech service as we have never had to call.
Good luck. Computers are like women, spending alot isn't necessarily gonna get you a good one. Bob

I'm on my second HP. For those familiar with the US Military I bought my through the PX/BX or Post exchange. They give you support for about 45m days then it's all up to the buyer. On both of the machines I had trouble with them crashing? Called the special for the military Tech Help. IT's in INDIA :( Sent the one back to CA twice!! New mother board new hard drive and.............it still crashed shortly after start up. I replace the CPU and havn't had any problems since.

When it comes to a new machine, the idea of building a new one is not an opition for me. No time, all thumbs and don't care to put that much $ into one that I doubt that I'll really use. Having said that I did see a new one today at the PX. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. The prices is right.

HP a1710n

AMD Atherlon 64 x 2 Dual Core

1024 Memory

329 GB hard drive

Nvida Ge Force 6150 LE

Is this something for gameing????

oh, the prices is $600 even

only thing that brothers me is VISTA :(

Thanks

EZ

[AZ Rail Rat]

Not sure why MACzeane cost more than systems I priced. I was not wanting to spend more than $1,800. Stopped counting at $2,100, but don't think I topped $2,300. XP Home was only $114, so having it bundled in an off-the-shelf system did not account for the entire overrun.

Places where OTS or "bundled" systems suffer and cause the most problems are the power supply and drives. Then again, the first one I picked (Ultra) only lasted eight months. The Spire (which was 600W vs 500W) is still kicking after twice as long - for the SAME price.

I also seem to be getting brand preferred. I have had no trouble with Seagate hard drives and Plextor DVD/CD drives. Asus will be my muthaboard of choice (with a couple of early modifications - replace chipset fan with passive heatsink) and I don't think you could give me an Intel processor after going with AMD Athlon 64. The Hyundai monitor is still badpixelLESS. Just as good and bright as it was two years ago.

Because of all the early problems RRT3 had with nVidia cards, I went with an ATI. Same with the muthaboard chipset - no nVidia in my case (that I know of). LOTS of people here disagree about nVidia, but if I don't know any better . . .

If anyone wants to tackle designing and building their own, looks like you can get PLENTY of help right here. All you need to do is start a blog and we can help you snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! :P :P :P :P . . . and it won't cost you any more than trying to figure out which one of us idiots to believe.

Go ahead - HAVE SOME GUTS - - - Will give us something to do while we are waiting for the new train sims and Sid to get off his butt and put out a REAL RAILROAD GAME!

[Knave]

Eb, as much as I would like to give a big thumbs up to the Hp at the PX. I can't. I believe the 6150 is an integrated unit. Not a card. One gig of memory is no longer enough for games.IMHO. Google is your friiend. Google every componenet in that build to see what other users say. It takes little time and what you can learn will astound you. Search the product reviews at newegg. I did when doing research for The Wifes upgrade. It does not matter if you buy off a shelf. Have a local shop build one. Or build it your self. Research what you want. What you want it to do.

[Eb Zane]

Knave, thanks for fast reply. I'll take your advice and do some research. Like I said, building one is more or less out of the question. Note my address. German softwear, no thank ya sir, and the Euro to $ exchange does big thinks with the cost. Might have to look at Dell.

Thank for your input

EZ

[Knave]

I followed my own advice and did some research. I went to the forums of two games I play. Dungeons and Dragons online and Civ 4. The 6150 does real well with civ 4. The users at the ddo site seemed say that it worked. However the settings were down to medium. When you say games, what kind of games? For fear or some of those I am to old to play the 6150 may not carry the load like machines kids with no responsbilities own. It may keep up with stuff you play. Do the research. You are the man with boots on the ground. Good luck.

[thegrindre]

I'm sorry to say that a $600 PC won't run games as you want it to. You gotta spend some money for a 'gaming' machine. You might get by with a $1500 rig set up the right way now-a-days but $600, no way, sorry.

As mentioned above, my rig is all aluminum and weighs in at 65 lbs. and is fully expandable. It's got lots of slots for extras. I was very impressed with Office Max and HP.

Quick specs;
AMD 64 3800+, 2.4Ghz processor
ATI Radeon 9800 graphics card
SB Audigy 2 ZS Audio 9000 Pro
2 Gigs Ram expandable to 4 gigs
360 gig RAID 0 hard drive
Windows XP Pro OS

I might suggest buying Win XP Pro if you're stuck with Vista and install Pro after purchase. (BTW, will this work??? Will the new machines take a reformat and install with XP Pro??? It's my plan when I buy a new PC.)

Here's a pic of my machine, http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prod ... 88&lang=en&

[Wolverine@MSU]

You might want to look into "barebones" systems, which come with a case, motherboard (and perhaps a processor), and a power supply. All you have to do is add the peripherals of your choice. You don't get as much flexibility as with a completly "scratch-built" system, but you don't have to have as much mechanical expertise to put it together.

[Eb Zane]

You might want to look into "barebones" systems, which come with a case, motherboard (and perhaps a processor), and a power supply. All you have to do is add the peripherals of your choice. You don't get as much flexibility as with a completly "scratch-built" system, but you don't have to have as much mechanical expertise to put it together.

Thank ya kindly. Guess I'll have the month of March book with things to do.

EZ

[Braindead6]

Sorry about being so late in responding. Truck driving keeps me away from the computer somtimes.
I won't buy off the shelf. While there is no way to keep ahead of the technology curve, I had rather spec mine out myself.
I looked at some gaming computer websites, and while the specs were fantastic, the overall feedback was not.
I am defniitely going to get XP Pro. I have it on the one I use now and although I'm not totally pleased, I don't want to even think about Vista. That's one of the reasons I'm thinking about a computer now.
I have been looking at Vigor Computers
http://www.vigorgaming.com/index.html
However the problems I have encountered with them as well as other gaming computer companies is that, although the warranty is good and they offer lifetime tech support, is that the tech support is only "9 to 5".
That is sometimes hard on me as my schedule os so off the wall.
I've talked to a few friends that have some computer background and they all tell me, unless you know what you're doing have a computer company custom build one for you.
While I'm not the sharpest spoon in the knife drawer :? , I know enough not to try to undertake this myself.
I thank all of you for your input and wouldn't mind reading some more, particularlly when it comes to motherboards, video card choice, power supply, hard drives.
I figure I'll never know if I don't ask.

Jim


[/quote]

[thegrindre]

[quote=

I've talked to a few friends that have some computer background and they all tell me, unless you know what you're doing have a computer company custom build one for you.
Jim

[/quote][/quote]


I've never heard of Vigor Computers and Hewlett Packard has been around for many many many years with 24/7 support. There is very little to no proprietary issues with HP. This is why I suggested you go to Office Max and have a custom gaming PC built to your liking. It is also the reason I went there myself.
:D