What sort of computer would you all recommend getting?

[Gayowulf]

What sort of computer would you all recommend getting?

I'm currently on a Celeron 333 with 128mb ram and a 4 GB hdd. I need some more power.

I have ~ $1400 CDN to spend and im not sure what would be the best to get.

The main thing my computer is used for is the Internet and photoshop and Mp3s.

I dont know where to go to get the computer and i dont know what brands are best. i need assistance :)

[is0lized]

this is my pc and i never complain

PC3 - Tower
HP 9695c
HD1: 40GB (win2k)
HD2: 20GB (win2k, but linux - soon)
AMD 850Mhz
256Ram
64MB Geforce3 Ti200
Sound Blaster Live 5.1
Two 10/100 eithernet cards
Win2k
16x DVD-Rom
CD-RW (no idea)
19'' Moniter

I've upgraded the sound / video cards, added a hard drive - added 128Ram added another eithernet card and a new dvd (it came with a dvd tho)


and that was $800USD in X-Mas2K

[dawizman]

check out the following:
Dell (http://www.dell.ca)
Alien Ware (http://www.alienware.com)
or
Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

[el crapo]

ya do any gaming?

[guitarnerd]

Well you could easily get by with a basic computer try building one here
http://pcusa.com or you could go with a gateway, dell, or even alienware, nothing beats the support.

[trenzterra]

www.acer.com contains some cheap computers.

[Gayowulf]

I do almost no gaming. That is mainly because no games that i like will run on my computer.

I think the main things im having trouble with is to go with AMD or Pentium, DDR ram SDRAM or RDRAM stuff like that.

I want a cost effective computer.

[Bruce]

- Enlight 7237 Mid-Tower ATX Computer Cases w/ 300W PS - $53
- Gigabyte GA-7DXR+ Socket A Motherboards w XP 1700+ - $205
- 512MB DDR PC2100 266MHz - $79
- Maxtor 61.5GB 7200RPM HDD - $105
- Lite-ON LTD163 16X Internal DVD - $56
- ATI RADEON 8500 LE 64MB DDR AGP Video Card w/ TV Out & DVI - $122
- Creative Lab SoundBlaster LIVE! 5.1 - $34

Total - ~$650 USD

Of course I dont know exactly what you need (speakers, monitor keyboard, mouse, burner, etc.), but that should give you an idea of what you can get for that price.

Since my budget is gonna be quite a bit less than what I was planning, I'll probably be building a similar system soon for myself.

[niv]

If you don't plan on doing any gaming at all, or anything graphic intensive [i.e. emulation], then I don't see anything reason for having more than my good ol' 16 MB nVidia TNT1 [1998].

As for mobos and stuff...if you're looking to be cost effective, just go for an AMD w/ DDR RAM.

If you don't feel like building a machine, just don't go with Dell. A lot of the people that do customer support are jokes, you can't really rely on many of them. Their parts also suck major balls.

[Gayowulf]

That looks good, Bruce. :) Unfortunately i'm not able to build my own system. I wont need a fancy graphics card; im currently on a 4mb one and i dont mind at all.

I do use photoshop a lot though, and a decent monitor is really good to have, as would be a good burner.


I am confident that I can get all i need for my price range, but the problem is i dont know enough about computers to know what to get. you guys are helping :)

I'm sure i can find someone to make it for me.

[Gayowulf]

How much of a price difference is there between AMD chips and Pentium Chips?

[niv]

P4s can cost more twice as much as AMD chips of the same speed (those numbers don't mean anything when you're comparing different architectures). The only things they're good for are:

1. Watching them fry in summer heat
2. Making MPEG Videos

[Bruce]

- Enlight 7237 Mid-Tower ATX Computer Cases w/ 300W PS - $53
- Gigabyte GA-7DXR+ Socket A Motherboards w XP 1700+ - $205
- 512MB DDR PC2100 266MHz - $79
- Maxtor 61.5GB 7200RPM HDD - $105
- Lite-ON LTD163 16X Internal DVD - $56
- ATI Radeon 32MB DDR - $27
- Creative Lab SoundBlaster LIVE! 5.1 - $34
- Lite On 40X12X48 - $70
- HITACHI CRT 19 Inch V900 - $200

Total ~$830


Now about P4 chips... as surprising as this may sound, they're actually a bit cheaper than Athlon XP's!!! :eek:

P4 1.6a = $154
XP1900 = $159

[Giancarlo]

Sorry Bruce, these antics shouldn't drive somebody from buying a more trusty AMD.

And a XP 1900+ is much better than a P4 1.6Ghz, and according to newegg the 1900 is about $20 cheaper than the P4. (USD)

[Bruce]

I'm still not saying P4s are any better... or any worse.

I'll agree that an Athlon XP 1900+ (1.6GHz) will out perform a P4 1.6a, but the 1.6a can easily overclock to 2.2 or even 2.4 with proper cooling.

If you're not someone who's gonna be overclocking, then sure, go with the Athlon XP, but if you will be overclocking, go the P4 1.6a route.

[Giancarlo]

Well... you may be right on that... but overclocking and making porn mpgs is about the only good a P4 is for.

Also the prices on the motherboards should be of some concern. I don't know if this is still true but P4 Motherboards are more expensive than those for AMD.

[niv]

Everything however, must be taken into consideration. Just Win98SE can handle all of Gayowulf's needs, and so even an old Athlon/P3 would do, as long as the parts are good. Considering that he's only going to be doing three main things, those being surfing, listening to music, and using image software, a ~1.1 Ghz P3/~900 Mhz Athlon processor is more than good enough with 9x.

For example:
My video card [nVidia GeForce2 MX400 32 MB AGP] is only worth about 50$ now.

Because you can get very good parts for cheap, processor speed won't really make much of a difference. You can have a 2.2 Ghz P4, but if you buy an MPEG card to go along with an aging P3, you'll probably get the same (if not better) performance encoding and editing [not necessarily pr0n, anyway].

[Gayowulf]

As much as I would enjoy making porn mpegs, i doubt that i will be using my computer for such a task

semi is right if im getting by fine on my trusty celeron 333, then a 1.1 should be fine.

problem is... I want some bragging rights, and a system that wont get outdated in a hurry. I've got some contacts pricing things out. I'll let you all know what i decide on :)

[Gayowulf]

ATHON 1700+ XP RETAIL BOXED (3 YEAR MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY)
ECS K7S5A MOTHERBOARD (2 YEAR MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY)
256 MEGS PC-2100 DDR MEMORY
NVIDIA GEOFORCE 2 32 MEGS AGP4X
LG 32X10X40 CD WRITER
MAXTOR 60 GIG 7200 RPM ATA 133
56.6 FAX MODEM
10/100 ETHERNET
AC 97' CODEC SOUND
ATX 400 WATT MID TOWER WITH 2 EXTRA COOLING FANS
WINDOWS KEYBOARD
MITSUMI PS/2 SCROLL MOUSE
17" FUTURE POWER MONITOR (5 YEAR WARRANTY-3 YEAR HOT SWAP)
PM 2500 3PC SUB WOOFER SPEAKERS

I got quoted 1400 CDN for that (~915 USD)

What do you think?

[guitarnerd]

Originally posted by Gayowulf
ATHON 1700+ XP RETAIL BOXED (3 YEAR MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY)
ECS K7S5A MOTHERBOARD (2 YEAR MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY)
256 MEGS PC-2100 DDR MEMORY
NVIDIA GEOFORCE 2 32 MEGS AGP4X
LG 32X10X40 CD WRITER
MAXTOR 60 GIG 7200 RPM ATA 133
56.6 FAX MODEM
10/100 ETHERNET
AC 97' CODEC SOUND
ATX 400 WATT MID TOWER WITH 2 EXTRA COOLING FANS
WINDOWS KEYBOARD
MITSUMI PS/2 SCROLL MOUSE
17" FUTURE POWER MONITOR (5 YEAR WARRANTY-3 YEAR HOT SWAP)
PM 2500 3PC SUB WOOFER SPEAKERS

I got quoted 1400 CDN for that (~915 USD)

What do you think?
Great deal on a great computer, my cousin bought almost exactly the same thing with a 40gig HDD and a 16x burner with a Geforce4 mmx400, and a wireless mouse and keyboard. THat is the only difference and I'd say you got the better deal he spent $1000USD exactly

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Gayowulf
ATHON 1700+ XP RETAIL BOXED (3 YEAR MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY)
ECS K7S5A MOTHERBOARD (2 YEAR MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY)
256 MEGS PC-2100 DDR MEMORY
NVIDIA GEOFORCE 2 32 MEGS AGP4X
LG 32X10X40 CD WRITER
MAXTOR 60 GIG 7200 RPM ATA 133
56.6 FAX MODEM
10/100 ETHERNET
AC 97' CODEC SOUND
ATX 400 WATT MID TOWER WITH 2 EXTRA COOLING FANS
WINDOWS KEYBOARD
MITSUMI PS/2 SCROLL MOUSE
17" FUTURE POWER MONITOR (5 YEAR WARRANTY-3 YEAR HOT SWAP)
PM 2500 3PC SUB WOOFER SPEAKERS

I got quoted 1400 CDN for that (~915 USD)

What do you think?

Relatively good deal... but ECS isn't that good of a motherboard manufacturer, and that monitor looks a bit fishy. Make sure you get a CRT that has a flat screen. It may cost you a few extra bucks but it would be better in the end.

BTW, Newegg sells a Pine Technology Geforce2 TI 64MB Video Card for US $62... you might want to look at that brand if they sell there in Canada...

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=48&manufactory=1669&DEPA=1

[Giancarlo]

I perfectly understand that. Just read the reviews before you buy anything... I try to buy the lowest cost things too... because I really don't need anything super top quality. But I know especially with monitors I can buy crappy things when going with the lowest price...

Look at KDS (Monitor company) for cost effective options.

[Bruce]

Originally posted by Gayowulf

What do you think? I don't know how much more expensive things are up there, but I could build that system for around ~$550.

[Gayowulf]

Originally posted by Bruce
I don't know how much more expensive things are up there, but I could build that system for around ~$550.

that sounds good. would you be able to quote me the prices on the parts and where they are from? It could save me some $$$:)

thanks

[guitarnerd]

Originally posted by Bruce
I don't know how much more expensive things are up there, but I could build that system for around ~$550.
Yeah I want to know too

[Bruce]

ATHON 1700+ XP RETAIL BOXED (3 YEAR MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY) - $78
ECS K7S5A MOTHERBOARD (2 YEAR MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY) - $47
256 MEGS PC-2100 DDR MEMORY - $30
NVIDIA GEOFORCE 2 32 MEGS AGP4X - $38
LG 32X10X40 CD WRITER - $54
MAXTOR 60 GIG 7200 RPM ATA 133 - $83
56.6 FAX MODEM - $10
10/100 ETHERNET - $10
AC 97' CODEC SOUND - FREE (included with mobo)
ATX 400 WATT MID TOWER WITH 2 EXTRA COOLING FANS - $58
WINDOWS KEYBOARD - $8
MITSUMI PS/2 SCROLL MOUSE - $4
17" FUTURE POWER MONITOR (5 YEAR WARRANTY-3 YEAR HOT SWAP) - $100
PM 2500 3PC SUB WOOFER SPEAKERS - $30

Total - $550
Damn, sometimes I really amaze myself at how close my estimates can be.

All the prices are from pricewatch and do not inlcude any taxes or shipping.

[guitarnerd]

ahh but on pricewatch you are lucky if you can get it for the advertised price

[Mandrake]

I bought my system about a year and a half ago from Fry's Electronics. They have some of the best prices I've seen on systems. If there's not a store near you, you can browse and order through their website:

www.outpost.com

[JALman]

All of these parts cost around $600 or so:

Shuttle AK31 mobo - $67
Duron 1.3Ghz retail - $70
Radeon 7000 VE 32MB DDR - $40
256 MB PC2100 DDR Crucial - $49
Evercase E4252 (beige) 10 exp. bays w/300W power supply - $57
Lite-On 32X12X40 CD-RW Retail - $67
Seagate 40MB 7200RPM OEM (no cable) - $73
Microsoft OS OEM full - around $100

Parts and prices come from newegg.com and most prices include shipping.

Modem and floppy could be found for around $20-$30.

[Gayowulf]

I got another couple systems priced out for cheaper. Now I have a real dilemma. I dont know whether to get a sweet case and a decent computer or a sweet computer and a decent case.

->Sweet Case 1 (http://www.so-trickcomputers.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=AMS4)
->Sweet Case 2 (http://www.viahardware.com/ss50preview.shtm)

In the first sweet case i got quoted ~950 for an P4 1.6 256mb ddr sdram 80gb hdd 17" monitor sub speakers cdrw and a few other goodies

in the second sweet case i got quoted ~800 for the same but with an XP 1800.

I know if i went with a cheaper case i could get a better computer. what do you all think?

[guitarnerd]

NOOOOOO!!!!!!! Don't get those mini cases. Especially with a fast processor. I know 3 people that have them and their processors have both fried withen DAYS. They are non upgradable because there are only like 1 or 2 pci's And I believe there are no AGP slots on most of them the video is built in. THere is nothing good about those cases get a full size computer

[Giancarlo]

Yeah, many of those minicases have inadequate power supplies...

[guitarnerd]

I saw those at Fry's awhile and they said they could only go up to Celeron 1.1ghz but 900mhz was reccomened because of heat

[Gayowulf]

I was under the impression that these particular cases were built for usage with faster processors.

I will most likely go with a regular case to get the most computer for my $$

[trenzterra]

Originally posted by Gayowulf
I was under the impression that these particular cases were built for usage with faster processors.

I will most likely go with a regular case to get the most computer for my $$ yeah. A case is not that important if you have the space.