Okay heres the skinny.
I came into some money to purchase myself a new computer...
I want a good one pretty much to just run some things like EQ and maybe a new MMORPG thats more demanding...
Now...ive been looking at alienwares.I know they are wayyyy over priced but i want a computer that would rock games.However,id rather not spend 1500+ on a computer...i would like to max at 1000.
Now my question is..would a standard dell or HP or something straight from the box be good...ive done this before and they never seem to be what im looking for..
So if some one with computer knowledge could lay out some gaming computer specs that i can put together through dell.com or something it would help me out a lot seeing how im semi computer illiterate.
Thanks!
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can you, or do you know someone who could build a computer if you bought the parts?
and do you also need to buy the Operating System? Why im asking is because i know at my school i get a free copy of Windows XP Pro for free
This info would help
and do you also need to buy the Operating System? Why im asking is because i know at my school i get a free copy of Windows XP Pro for free
This info would help
You aren't going to get a gaming system straight out of the box for $1000.
Agreed with Lukistke that putting one together would be the best bet for low budget.
Agreed with Lukistke that putting one together would be the best bet for low budget.
Aviod big name brands when trying to save money on gaming computers. HP, Dell, Compaq, IBM, etc all charge way way way too much money for their "gaming" systems when compared to other smaller places. All your paying for is their multimillion dollar add campaigns and the bloated red tape that goes along with their corporate style of doing things.
Things to look for when building gaming systems:
Get at least 1 gig of system ram.
If you can afford it, get a PCI-Express video card over AGP.
Minimum 128 megs of video ram, 256 megs is better.
Bare minimum 80 gigs of hard drive.
A dvd drive is very nice to have, a dvd/cdrw combo is nice but a tad more expensive.
As mentioned above, if you know somebody that can build a system for you do it. Places to look for good cheap components are:
http://www.newegg.com/
http://www.pricewatch.com/
Locally I use http://www.hdnw.com/ and http://www.computerstop.com/ . Both places build pretty decent systems. There are cheaper places out there but going local is nice when it comes to problems with systems.
Things to look for when building gaming systems:
Get at least 1 gig of system ram.
If you can afford it, get a PCI-Express video card over AGP.
Minimum 128 megs of video ram, 256 megs is better.
Bare minimum 80 gigs of hard drive.
A dvd drive is very nice to have, a dvd/cdrw combo is nice but a tad more expensive.
As mentioned above, if you know somebody that can build a system for you do it. Places to look for good cheap components are:
http://www.newegg.com/
http://www.pricewatch.com/
Locally I use http://www.hdnw.com/ and http://www.computerstop.com/ . Both places build pretty decent systems. There are cheaper places out there but going local is nice when it comes to problems with systems.
If you're on a budget, look for
a socket A system with an nForce2 400 Ultra motherboard (that's the last and best of the socket A chipsets, and I have found ASUS boards to be more reliable than ABIT's),
an AMD Sempron 2800 processor (doesn't matter if you go up or down a little, just don't go below, say, 2200),
a GeForce 6600GT/128 Mb RAM video card (you can run the game just fine with an ATI 9800PRO/64 MB - on video cards, more RAM usually = slower RAM, so do not waste money on 256 Mb of video memory unless you go for a 6800GS or better GPU)
1 Gb of dual channel DDR 400 RAM (basically means get 2 identical sticks of 512 Mb. DDR 400 can be thought of as the speed, and is the astest you can go on an nForce2 motherboard)
and last but not least, get a good case, you won't regret it. Antec would be the place to start for you I think, not least because their power supplies are very good, so look for something with a 350W (or higher) PSU. Make sure the case you buy has audio in/out and USB ports on the front if you use a headset and a digital camera from time to time.
Edit: forgot a hard drive; Western Digital's Caviar series would be my advice - anything over 40Gb should suffice, but frankly I'd say go for 120 or even more, simply because the price diference is so small. And if you can afford it, get a small external USB hard drive as well, for backup purposes - you'll sleep better at night.
Good luck
Edited, Mon Jan 2 03:59:14 2006 by Whitman
a socket A system with an nForce2 400 Ultra motherboard (that's the last and best of the socket A chipsets, and I have found ASUS boards to be more reliable than ABIT's),
an AMD Sempron 2800 processor (doesn't matter if you go up or down a little, just don't go below, say, 2200),
a GeForce 6600GT/128 Mb RAM video card (you can run the game just fine with an ATI 9800PRO/64 MB - on video cards, more RAM usually = slower RAM, so do not waste money on 256 Mb of video memory unless you go for a 6800GS or better GPU)
1 Gb of dual channel DDR 400 RAM (basically means get 2 identical sticks of 512 Mb. DDR 400 can be thought of as the speed, and is the astest you can go on an nForce2 motherboard)
and last but not least, get a good case, you won't regret it. Antec would be the place to start for you I think, not least because their power supplies are very good, so look for something with a 350W (or higher) PSU. Make sure the case you buy has audio in/out and USB ports on the front if you use a headset and a digital camera from time to time.
Edit: forgot a hard drive; Western Digital's Caviar series would be my advice - anything over 40Gb should suffice, but frankly I'd say go for 120 or even more, simply because the price diference is so small. And if you can afford it, get a small external USB hard drive as well, for backup purposes - you'll sleep better at night.
Good luck
Edited, Mon Jan 2 03:59:14 2006 by Whitman
How about something like this...
http://alienware.com/product_detail_pages/Aurora/aurora_specs.aspx?SysCode=PC-AURORA-5500-R2&SubCode=SKU-DEFAULT
With the extra id be adding to it,it came out to something like 1700...would that be too much?
With the extra id be adding to it,it came out to something like 1700...would that be too much?
I bought a Dell refurbished computer. All computers work but before they were able to sell it they had to test it. If it doesnt work the first time, they fix the problem and call it refurbished. I love mine and i love the fact that i got if at a much cheaper price because of the refurbished part. I never had any problems (that werent due to me). This might help you a bit.
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/topics/global.aspx/arb/online/en/InventorySearch?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&lob=DIM
Good luck
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/topics/global.aspx/arb/online/en/InventorySearch?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&lob=DIM
Good luck
Alienware is very nice, but also spendy. Although I've never had one myself, a few people I know really enjoy their systems.
To a point, you're paying for the Alienware name but not as much as say a Dell or HP.
You mentioned spending $1700 for the computer but didn't post any specs about what's inside it. Without knowing what goodies are running the system we can't tell you if it's a good deal or not.
To a point, you're paying for the Alienware name but not as much as say a Dell or HP.
You mentioned spending $1700 for the computer but didn't post any specs about what's inside it. Without knowing what goodies are running the system we can't tell you if it's a good deal or not.
I recently bought a refurb from Dell, and it was a pretty good deal. I did a bit of customizing myself, but if you are worried about having the skill to do that, might I suggest you try going to Dell Small Business rather than the home section. In the SB section, you get mainly hardware, but little software which is usually where the price jumps occur. It is also a bit easier to customize hardware there, and depending on when you go on, you can get some pretty good discounts. Assuming you will not be getting a monitor, I think you should be able to get a rather good system and graphics card for under $1300, eliminating the software junk that is typically installed on home PC configs.
When it came time to upgrade my hardware I built it myself. Off the shelf systems never gave me enough performance at a price I was willing to pay. This was my first computer build and it was easier than I thought.
CPU: AMD Athlon XP64 3400, fast and runs cooler than Intel's
MB: Biostar, full featured and inexpensive
Memory: 1Gig (2x512)
Graphics: EVGA Nvidia 6600GT
HDD: Western Digital 2x 80Gig SATA
PSU: 500watt
CDRW/DVD combo drive
3.5 Floppy (why I'll never know)
Copper heatsink w/fan for video card
Round cables for drives
Antec Super Lanboy case (awesome case)
Samsung 17" LCD monitor
Cheap keyboard
Win XP home (retail pkg with hardware)
All cost me $1100.00 including shipping from Newegg.
I put it together with no problems. I did this about a year ago and priced out a comparable Dell for close to 2k. I resused a Logitec wireless mouse and use the onboard audio.
CPU: AMD Athlon XP64 3400, fast and runs cooler than Intel's
MB: Biostar, full featured and inexpensive
Memory: 1Gig (2x512)
Graphics: EVGA Nvidia 6600GT
HDD: Western Digital 2x 80Gig SATA
PSU: 500watt
CDRW/DVD combo drive
3.5 Floppy (why I'll never know)
Copper heatsink w/fan for video card
Round cables for drives
Antec Super Lanboy case (awesome case)
Samsung 17" LCD monitor
Cheap keyboard
Win XP home (retail pkg with hardware)
All cost me $1100.00 including shipping from Newegg.
I put it together with no problems. I did this about a year ago and priced out a comparable Dell for close to 2k. I resused a Logitec wireless mouse and use the onboard audio.
Quote:
3.5 Floppy (why I'll never know)
Not needed so much now, but old computer habits die hard ><.
(I did the same thing on my laptop...could have gotten a second HD there and that would have been FAR FAR better, next time I'll learn...)
BUILD YOR SYSTEM Its really easier than it sounds
If you have any geek friend that can bail you out if you get in a sticky situation.
I just built a screaming sys for $1100 you could do for less and have room to upgrade later.
my sys is
AMD 3700+
SLI PCE motherboard
2x MCI 6800 128mb viedo
2gig ddr400 ram
7600 rpm hd
cdr dvd drive
Coolmaster case
550W pwr supply
all this for $1100 and that includes shipping and tax
this sys is over kill for EQ I am sure it will sever me into the next generation of games
I used key board, mouse and 17" LCD from old comp
Edited, Mon Jan 16 14:01:14 2006 by Trablin
Edited, Mon Jan 16 14:33:06 2006 by Trablin
If you have any geek friend that can bail you out if you get in a sticky situation.
I just built a screaming sys for $1100 you could do for less and have room to upgrade later.
my sys is
AMD 3700+
SLI PCE motherboard
2x MCI 6800 128mb viedo
2gig ddr400 ram
7600 rpm hd
cdr dvd drive
Coolmaster case
550W pwr supply
all this for $1100 and that includes shipping and tax
this sys is over kill for EQ I am sure it will sever me into the next generation of games
I used key board, mouse and 17" LCD from old comp
Edited, Mon Jan 16 14:01:14 2006 by Trablin
Edited, Mon Jan 16 14:33:06 2006 by Trablin
Dell 2.53 Processor speed P4
256 mb DDR ram
80 gig hard drive
CD burner
Integrated graphics card 64 bit
all the bells and whistles as far as software....XP, Office and such.
Speakers, mouse Keyboard...No Monitor
....
Paid $185 brand new out of box off ebay (Not refurbished).
Purchased 2x 512MB DDR ram for $30 each plus shipping off ebay
Purchased Gforce 6600 xt for $120 off ebay.
Total invested in system = $185
1 gig of DDR ram = $60
Graphics card = $120
Total paid in shipping = $95
Grand total for pretty decent system = $460 !!
Now I have a 2.53 MGZ P4 with an 80gig hard drive, 1 gig of DDR
ram, a 256mb Gforce 6600xt graphics card with every program I
will use for a grand total of $460. Not too shabby I might
say! Best of all, almost zero lag now in PoK lol. It is not the
best system by any means...but when on a budget like myself...
ebay can be your friend.
256 mb DDR ram
80 gig hard drive
CD burner
Integrated graphics card 64 bit
all the bells and whistles as far as software....XP, Office and such.
Speakers, mouse Keyboard...No Monitor
....
Paid $185 brand new out of box off ebay (Not refurbished).
Purchased 2x 512MB DDR ram for $30 each plus shipping off ebay
Purchased Gforce 6600 xt for $120 off ebay.
Total invested in system = $185
1 gig of DDR ram = $60
Graphics card = $120
Total paid in shipping = $95
Grand total for pretty decent system = $460 !!
Now I have a 2.53 MGZ P4 with an 80gig hard drive, 1 gig of DDR
ram, a 256mb Gforce 6600xt graphics card with every program I
will use for a grand total of $460. Not too shabby I might
say! Best of all, almost zero lag now in PoK lol. It is not the
best system by any means...but when on a budget like myself...
ebay can be your friend.
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