Hey guys, I'm going to ask a big favor from all of you who know your stuff. I'm in need of a new computer and if someone who fits the bill could throw out the parts I'd need to order to get one going I'd take a bullet for them =).
I really want to play this game, but alas my current paperweight crashes even when I mention everquest2 around it. Just so you know I have a limit of $2,000 and all help is greatly welcomed. /bows
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- General Discussion
- Calling all computer buffs =)
Calling all computer buffs =)Follow
For $2000 you could build yourself a nice PC and have plenty of money left over. My suggestion is to build one from scratch (its really easy even if you have never done it before). Between your local circuit city/best buy, ebay, and newegg.com you can get all you need at some fairly cheap prices. Here is how I would do it:
Computer case: This depends how fancy you want it to look. Its usually cheaper to just go to a local PC shop for these due to shipping. But they usually range from $50 to $150 depending on how fancy they are.
Video card: Geforce FX 5600 There is a guy on ebay sells these all day long for $96 shipped. My friend and myself both bought from him, he is very reliable and its a excellent card for the price.
Motherboard: There is a guy on ebay selling Gigabyte Nforce 3 motherboards bundled with a AMD Athlon 64 3000+ processor (includes heatsink and fan) for $260ish dollars shipped. I upgraded my Nforce 2 motherboard to this. I have used alot of motherboards in my time and I have found these to be good as far as performance and stabilty goes.
Memory: Circuit City and Best Buy are constantly advertiseing pc3200 memory in 512 meg strips for around $50 after rebates. Id recommend 1 512 meg strips, however you will need a alternate address to get 2 rebates (it works I just got my 2 rebates back from kingston). Have a grandmother, parent (if your moved out of the house) or a trust worthy friend get the other rebate. But this is by far the cheapest way I have found to buy memory
Hard Disk: Same as memory. Right now you can get a 160 gig maxtor HD for $50 or $60 after rebates.
Cd-rw/dvd-rw: Same as memory and HD, they are cheap after rebates all the time.
Diskette drive: Anymore you can just about get away without one of these, but you can find them dirt cheap at local PC shops, or even on ebay. I ordered 5 of these on ebay once for $15 shipped, all of them was tested to work.
Modem/Ethernet card: If you plan to use broadband internet (IE DSL, cable modem, etc) then the above motherboard all ready has your network card. If you want 56k you can get modems 0 to 10 bucks after rebate if you watch the sunday papers.
Sound Card: The sound card built into the above motherboard is just as high of quality as my friends Sound Blaster Audigy. So you don't really need one
Anyways that is my long winded suggestion. Didn't take the time to add it up, but that should cost you less then $1000 and it would be a mean gaming machine.
Computer case: This depends how fancy you want it to look. Its usually cheaper to just go to a local PC shop for these due to shipping. But they usually range from $50 to $150 depending on how fancy they are.
Video card: Geforce FX 5600 There is a guy on ebay sells these all day long for $96 shipped. My friend and myself both bought from him, he is very reliable and its a excellent card for the price.
Motherboard: There is a guy on ebay selling Gigabyte Nforce 3 motherboards bundled with a AMD Athlon 64 3000+ processor (includes heatsink and fan) for $260ish dollars shipped. I upgraded my Nforce 2 motherboard to this. I have used alot of motherboards in my time and I have found these to be good as far as performance and stabilty goes.
Memory: Circuit City and Best Buy are constantly advertiseing pc3200 memory in 512 meg strips for around $50 after rebates. Id recommend 1 512 meg strips, however you will need a alternate address to get 2 rebates (it works I just got my 2 rebates back from kingston). Have a grandmother, parent (if your moved out of the house) or a trust worthy friend get the other rebate. But this is by far the cheapest way I have found to buy memory
Hard Disk: Same as memory. Right now you can get a 160 gig maxtor HD for $50 or $60 after rebates.
Cd-rw/dvd-rw: Same as memory and HD, they are cheap after rebates all the time.
Diskette drive: Anymore you can just about get away without one of these, but you can find them dirt cheap at local PC shops, or even on ebay. I ordered 5 of these on ebay once for $15 shipped, all of them was tested to work.
Modem/Ethernet card: If you plan to use broadband internet (IE DSL, cable modem, etc) then the above motherboard all ready has your network card. If you want 56k you can get modems 0 to 10 bucks after rebate if you watch the sunday papers.
Sound Card: The sound card built into the above motherboard is just as high of quality as my friends Sound Blaster Audigy. So you don't really need one
Anyways that is my long winded suggestion. Didn't take the time to add it up, but that should cost you less then $1000 and it would be a mean gaming machine.
Hi
Scholar
30 posts
I wouldn't try to build a computer if I were you. Building a computer is easy only if you know exactly what you want and are savy enough to recognize real value to maximize the bang for your buck. Chances are if you don't have much experience you'll end up actually paying more in the long run and you could also end up with a huge headache on your hands.
For 2000 dollars you can drive down the street to your local Best Buy, Office Depot, etc and get an awesome computer that will run EQ 2 with ease and that will also come with a terrific warranty on everything inluded that will save you a lot of headaches on down the road and if you don't like it you can always just take it back.
A couple of things you need to keep in mind though. Most computers that you buy will not come with 1 gig of RAM and this is an absolute must for EQ 2. So you'll probably have to invest in another stick of Ram for your new machine which should run you but another 50 to 100 bucks.
Also, the video card will probably need to be upgraded (unless you simply buy a gaming machine). I recommend a AGP 6600 GT. This card runs EQ 2 better than almost any video card you can buy unless you want to pay 400 to 500 bucks on a card. You order one for about 230 bucks or you can probably get one at Best Buy. Last time I was there they had them in stock but it was made by Pine I believe.
Last think you'll need of course it the monitor of course. Here is really where you can come away with some steals on the internet. I bought a 17 inch LCD for 180 bucks after the rebate witha 2 year warranty. Trust me, you are gonna want to buy the best monitor you can get. Believe when I say in order maximize your gaming experience you want to get the best monitor possible. Don't waste money on a bulky CRT when you can find deals on the net for LCD's that are just awesome.
When I first decided to play EQ 2 I built a XP 2900+. I have built many PC's but these people (company shall remain nameless but trust me they are a major parts wholesaler)wanted to make my life a hard as possible. Trust me it was a headache. I ordered a bundle kit and they sent me a crappy 10 dollar power supply that blew out the first time I powered it up, cpu cooling fan that came with 2900 was a worthless piece of junk that was so loud I had to replace the damn thing, the video card pins holding the heat sink were broken off on arrival so I had to send that thing back, and the case was so cheap plastic piece crap that ended up having to place it as well. Keep in mind this was not a cheap bundle but a 450 buck deal.
I was so pissed, I simply went to office Depot and bought a brand new AMD 64 3400 + for 650 dollars with a three year warranty,put some Ram and the 6600 GT in it, and ended up selling the one I built on ebay.
Don't waste your time building a computer. Computers are too inexpensive and the warranties are too good and plus they have tons of software bundled with them that you will not get if you build your own. Just buy a computer, get some ram and a nice video card and sink a considerable chunk of your investment into the best LCD monitor you can find.
Edited, Tue Apr 12 17:42:40 2005 by Datheenker
Edited, Tue Apr 12 17:44:04 2005 by Datheenker
For 2000 dollars you can drive down the street to your local Best Buy, Office Depot, etc and get an awesome computer that will run EQ 2 with ease and that will also come with a terrific warranty on everything inluded that will save you a lot of headaches on down the road and if you don't like it you can always just take it back.
A couple of things you need to keep in mind though. Most computers that you buy will not come with 1 gig of RAM and this is an absolute must for EQ 2. So you'll probably have to invest in another stick of Ram for your new machine which should run you but another 50 to 100 bucks.
Also, the video card will probably need to be upgraded (unless you simply buy a gaming machine). I recommend a AGP 6600 GT. This card runs EQ 2 better than almost any video card you can buy unless you want to pay 400 to 500 bucks on a card. You order one for about 230 bucks or you can probably get one at Best Buy. Last time I was there they had them in stock but it was made by Pine I believe.
Last think you'll need of course it the monitor of course. Here is really where you can come away with some steals on the internet. I bought a 17 inch LCD for 180 bucks after the rebate witha 2 year warranty. Trust me, you are gonna want to buy the best monitor you can get. Believe when I say in order maximize your gaming experience you want to get the best monitor possible. Don't waste money on a bulky CRT when you can find deals on the net for LCD's that are just awesome.
When I first decided to play EQ 2 I built a XP 2900+. I have built many PC's but these people (company shall remain nameless but trust me they are a major parts wholesaler)wanted to make my life a hard as possible. Trust me it was a headache. I ordered a bundle kit and they sent me a crappy 10 dollar power supply that blew out the first time I powered it up, cpu cooling fan that came with 2900 was a worthless piece of junk that was so loud I had to replace the damn thing, the video card pins holding the heat sink were broken off on arrival so I had to send that thing back, and the case was so cheap plastic piece crap that ended up having to place it as well. Keep in mind this was not a cheap bundle but a 450 buck deal.
I was so pissed, I simply went to office Depot and bought a brand new AMD 64 3400 + for 650 dollars with a three year warranty,put some Ram and the 6600 GT in it, and ended up selling the one I built on ebay.
Don't waste your time building a computer. Computers are too inexpensive and the warranties are too good and plus they have tons of software bundled with them that you will not get if you build your own. Just buy a computer, get some ram and a nice video card and sink a considerable chunk of your investment into the best LCD monitor you can find.
Edited, Tue Apr 12 17:42:40 2005 by Datheenker
Edited, Tue Apr 12 17:44:04 2005 by Datheenker
Thanks for all the info/help =). Anyone else have anything to add, preferably about good motherboards?
well 2000$ is a pretty decent budget for a computer, built or bought..
if you have the savvy to "roll your own" it's definitely the way to go, since you'll typically get the best gear and have a machine MUCH stronger than a store bought of equal price..
it's far easier than it used to be, but building a box isn't exactly a cake walk just yet..
------------
as far as motherboards go.. Asus, Abit.. tend to dominate the top spots.. followed by Soyo, Gigabyte, MSI, and a few others in the mid-tier and budget models..
poke around www.sharkyextreme.com and read up on their buyers guides and such if you're interested in truly getting the most for your money out of a build box.
if you just want to run in someplace and buy something, since your budget is decently sized you could score a mid-tier Alienware for around 2k (I think) and it'll be a decent performer.
if you have the savvy to "roll your own" it's definitely the way to go, since you'll typically get the best gear and have a machine MUCH stronger than a store bought of equal price..
it's far easier than it used to be, but building a box isn't exactly a cake walk just yet..
------------
as far as motherboards go.. Asus, Abit.. tend to dominate the top spots.. followed by Soyo, Gigabyte, MSI, and a few others in the mid-tier and budget models..
poke around www.sharkyextreme.com and read up on their buyers guides and such if you're interested in truly getting the most for your money out of a build box.
if you just want to run in someplace and buy something, since your budget is decently sized you could score a mid-tier Alienware for around 2k (I think) and it'll be a decent performer.
While I am a fully qualified A+ Certified Technician and MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), I don't build my own...
Too many hassles... Too many minor issues to drive you up the freaking walls...
I prefer [link=www.Tigerdirect.com]www.Tigerdirect.com[/link] for my computer components... They're one of the cheapest I have ever seen.
Also, please remember to NOT scrimp on RAM... you'll never live it down. Put AT LEAST 1GB of RAM in the box preferably 2GB...
(I failed to read all the earlier posts, so please forgive me if this is a duplicate).
Too many hassles... Too many minor issues to drive you up the freaking walls...
I prefer [link=www.Tigerdirect.com]www.Tigerdirect.com[/link] for my computer components... They're one of the cheapest I have ever seen.
Also, please remember to NOT scrimp on RAM... you'll never live it down. Put AT LEAST 1GB of RAM in the box preferably 2GB...
(I failed to read all the earlier posts, so please forgive me if this is a duplicate).
Hey all help is welcome. Is there some way I could order the parts on-line (As they seem much, much cheaper) and have someone at say best buy or comp usa build it for me? Pardons if this is a dumb question and you guys don't want to help the generic '#23432 Help! Computers!' topic.
Again, thanks in advance from a, hopefully, future EQ2 addict.
Again, thanks in advance from a, hopefully, future EQ2 addict.
You may even be able to take it to your local "Bob's Computer Store" and have them do it for you. Going to a larger company may cost more, but may come with a warranty.
Also remember you need to buy an OS. You can get XP at newegg.com for $88.
You should be able to get all other software and drivers for free or nearly free.
Also remember you need to buy an OS. You can get XP at newegg.com for $88.
You should be able to get all other software and drivers for free or nearly free.
8 posts
www.newegg.com is way better then TigerDirect. Free shipping, and their customer service doesn't SUCK like tigerdirect ;)
Here's my suggestion:
There's 2 really solid online companies besides TigerDirect - mwave.com and newegg.com I've personally never used TigerDirect but have used the other two with great satisfaction.
What I would do is a compromise, don't buy the parts and don't buy an assembled system. Instead, go to one of those sites, buy a barebones system. A little more expensive than just buying parts but well worth the extra cost. They will, for a minimal fee (maybe $75) assemble the motherboard, heatsink, fan, ram. Other than that, the cost is basically the same as buying the parts. The selection is slightly more limited than just buying parts, but not significantly so.
Then when you get it, you install a hard drive, graphics card, sound card, CD Rom, DVD, floppy, or whatever other stuff like that you need. Even if you've never done it before these are easy to do.
Then you install the OS, EQ2 and go to town :)
Basically they take care of the hard parts. While installing a motherboard etc isn't hard, its very intimidating if you've never done it before. The only thing I've ever struggled with building a system is the heat sink. Those clips just suck!!! But I really recommend the barebones approach, takes almost all the hassles out.
If you choose to buy parts, I urge you to read not just the "quick assembly" manual but the actual manual before installing the motherboard. You can short it if you don't install the risers properly (trust me, I know!!)
Check out http://www.sharkyextreme.com
their value buying guide and their extreme gaming machine guide. Between the two you should get some real good ideas on some good components. They usually have an article on a system for under $1000, which I've used a lot.
They focus particularly on gaming machines, so even if you were to build the value system you would still be able to game well with it.
I would always go with more ram than recommended.
Read some of the articles on how to build a system as well, if you go that route. This site is a tremendous resource.
This approach would allow you to buy a kicking monitor, and a really nice graphics card, two things that can make a huge difference!!
There's 2 really solid online companies besides TigerDirect - mwave.com and newegg.com I've personally never used TigerDirect but have used the other two with great satisfaction.
What I would do is a compromise, don't buy the parts and don't buy an assembled system. Instead, go to one of those sites, buy a barebones system. A little more expensive than just buying parts but well worth the extra cost. They will, for a minimal fee (maybe $75) assemble the motherboard, heatsink, fan, ram. Other than that, the cost is basically the same as buying the parts. The selection is slightly more limited than just buying parts, but not significantly so.
Then when you get it, you install a hard drive, graphics card, sound card, CD Rom, DVD, floppy, or whatever other stuff like that you need. Even if you've never done it before these are easy to do.
Then you install the OS, EQ2 and go to town :)
Basically they take care of the hard parts. While installing a motherboard etc isn't hard, its very intimidating if you've never done it before. The only thing I've ever struggled with building a system is the heat sink. Those clips just suck!!! But I really recommend the barebones approach, takes almost all the hassles out.
If you choose to buy parts, I urge you to read not just the "quick assembly" manual but the actual manual before installing the motherboard. You can short it if you don't install the risers properly (trust me, I know!!)
Check out http://www.sharkyextreme.com
their value buying guide and their extreme gaming machine guide. Between the two you should get some real good ideas on some good components. They usually have an article on a system for under $1000, which I've used a lot.
They focus particularly on gaming machines, so even if you were to build the value system you would still be able to game well with it.
I would always go with more ram than recommended.
Read some of the articles on how to build a system as well, if you go that route. This site is a tremendous resource.
This approach would allow you to buy a kicking monitor, and a really nice graphics card, two things that can make a huge difference!!
Newegg.com is the best. I built a computer on there, AMD Athlon 64 3400+ processor, 256mb ATI Radeon x800 pro, 2gb RAM, 200gb hard drive, cd burner, dvd burner, 7.1 surround sound, 19 inch monitor, awesome case, everything you could need. It was $1600. The only thing that stopped me from buying it is the fact that about 2 months ago (like 2 weeks before I decided to play EQ2) I bought a new system from Dell. Great computer, same price as that one, just runs like crap on EQ2. Friend of mine has the computer I described above, and he runs on very high quality with no lag. I, on the otherhand, run on high PERFORMANCE, and I still lag quite a bit. Huge difference considering they are the same price.
Well for me building my own comp, it was good for me but if you are somewhat nervous about building a comp or not exactally sure what you are looking ta 2 sujestions. There is all kinds of walkthroughs on the net about building a pc or for 2k you could just go to alienware and get one of theres. Personally when i built my fankinstien here i bought 2 componets at a time for 3 months. And now I have a monster system but if you got the wad now go for it man good luck
If you want a good gaming PC that you don't have to build, go to Alienware. They are all about Gaming PC's. If you don't want that I owuld suggest Dell. They have several good gaming machines and Dell for the most part has good customer service.
If you want to build one or have a friend that knows how to build and you want to buy parts and let him/her build it I would suggest pricewatch.com. They have a good database of competitors. And don't just by the cheapest thing. I'll list my personal machine as a reference. I'm the purchasing manager at a local computer place here so my prices might be lower then say pricewatch since I deal with the people that people on pricewatch buy from. =P
Motherboard - MSI RS480M2-IL MSI part# MS7093
Athlon 64 Socket 939 3000+ This board can support higher.
1 Gig PC3200 2X512M Sticks It can support up to 4 Gigs and is dual channel so you'd want to get at least 2 sticks of the same kind. I wouls suggest minimum of 512M. If you wanted to youe could buy 4 sticks of 512 for 2 Gigs of ram. /drool =P
2 Hitachi 80G SATA HDD's I have these in a raid array that this board has. It has 4 SATA ports on it so you could do more drives if you wanted. However The bigger you go the longer it will take to format! For me 160G is more then enough.
Pioneer DVR108 DVD-RW There's newer dual layer drives out there I wouls suggest those. This one suits my needs though.
Liteon 52X32X52 CDRW DVD-ROM You can never have too many burners. =P I would suggest getting at least another DVD ROM for copying DVD's if not go ahead and get a CDRW DVD ROM Combo. They aren't too expensive any more.
1.44M Floppy Drive Long live the FLOPPY!! =P
300W Power supply Hehe other computer guys are probably like what the... only 300W?!!? Yes only 300 W. It came with the case and runs everything I need just fine. I don't overclock and the cooling on it cools better then my old Athlon 1.4Ghz Thunderbird! So I don't need watercooling or 50 million case fans sucking power. I would suggest a higher wattage Power supply if you get anything more then what I have. There are severeal good ones out there. tomshardware.com is a good place to go to do some research on this stuff if you want. He does reviews and benchmarking on an incredible amount of stuff.
Inwin S564T We use In-win at work so I get good pricing from them and I'd rather spend my money on better hardware then a pretty case with LED's and the works.
I think that pretty much wraps it up. Oh I'm running Windows 2000 with SP4. Not a big fan of XP. Yes XP lovers can hate me. =P I got my machine for right around 800 dollars with a Windows License! One thing I would suggest is investing in a good video card. The onboard on this machine is the best onboard out there(that I know of) however due to driver issues I am currently trying to buy a better card. This board has PCI express on it so make sure to get that type. I'm personally going for the Radeon X700 Pro with 128M. (Hey I'm on a budget ok! =P) If you can afford it I would go with a Radeon X800 or X850 in the Pro versions. To me the extra price for the platinum series just isn't worth it. And 256M is a good one to go with as well. I wish I could get the 256M version of the X700 but as stated above, I'm on a budget.
So there's my essay! =P
If you want to build one or have a friend that knows how to build and you want to buy parts and let him/her build it I would suggest pricewatch.com. They have a good database of competitors. And don't just by the cheapest thing. I'll list my personal machine as a reference. I'm the purchasing manager at a local computer place here so my prices might be lower then say pricewatch since I deal with the people that people on pricewatch buy from. =P
Motherboard - MSI RS480M2-IL MSI part# MS7093
Athlon 64 Socket 939 3000+ This board can support higher.
1 Gig PC3200 2X512M Sticks It can support up to 4 Gigs and is dual channel so you'd want to get at least 2 sticks of the same kind. I wouls suggest minimum of 512M. If you wanted to youe could buy 4 sticks of 512 for 2 Gigs of ram. /drool =P
2 Hitachi 80G SATA HDD's I have these in a raid array that this board has. It has 4 SATA ports on it so you could do more drives if you wanted. However The bigger you go the longer it will take to format! For me 160G is more then enough.
Pioneer DVR108 DVD-RW There's newer dual layer drives out there I wouls suggest those. This one suits my needs though.
Liteon 52X32X52 CDRW DVD-ROM You can never have too many burners. =P I would suggest getting at least another DVD ROM for copying DVD's if not go ahead and get a CDRW DVD ROM Combo. They aren't too expensive any more.
1.44M Floppy Drive Long live the FLOPPY!! =P
300W Power supply Hehe other computer guys are probably like what the... only 300W?!!? Yes only 300 W. It came with the case and runs everything I need just fine. I don't overclock and the cooling on it cools better then my old Athlon 1.4Ghz Thunderbird! So I don't need watercooling or 50 million case fans sucking power. I would suggest a higher wattage Power supply if you get anything more then what I have. There are severeal good ones out there. tomshardware.com is a good place to go to do some research on this stuff if you want. He does reviews and benchmarking on an incredible amount of stuff.
Inwin S564T We use In-win at work so I get good pricing from them and I'd rather spend my money on better hardware then a pretty case with LED's and the works.
I think that pretty much wraps it up. Oh I'm running Windows 2000 with SP4. Not a big fan of XP. Yes XP lovers can hate me. =P I got my machine for right around 800 dollars with a Windows License! One thing I would suggest is investing in a good video card. The onboard on this machine is the best onboard out there(that I know of) however due to driver issues I am currently trying to buy a better card. This board has PCI express on it so make sure to get that type. I'm personally going for the Radeon X700 Pro with 128M. (Hey I'm on a budget ok! =P) If you can afford it I would go with a Radeon X800 or X850 in the Pro versions. To me the extra price for the platinum series just isn't worth it. And 256M is a good one to go with as well. I wish I could get the 256M version of the X700 but as stated above, I'm on a budget.
So there's my essay! =P
I have used tigerdirect.com for allmost all of my home builts. I did ues newegg for the graphic card though.
I would suggest checking out the local college computer department. Ask if they can recommend a student who wants to make a little cash on the side. Students are allways hungry. You can also check out the local small computer shops. Some of them will be happy to let you bring your own parts and put together a system for you. If I am not mistaken they will also provide some warranty in the deal.
I would also highly recommend that you don't buy the cheapest RAM. Corsair or Muskin are both excellent. You will pay double of more than what you would for the cheap stuff but you will be happier in the long run. You definely want to go with at least a gig.
I am an advisor to our school's gaming club. We have LAN parties once a month as our main fundraiser. The kids that come in with home built computers are up and playing while the kids with the boxed systems sit and fiddle with their systems. I have not seen a good performance from the Dell's and the Gateways.
I just built a system for my son that puts my last Shuttle to shame.
MSI K8TNEO2-F Via Socket 939 MotherBoard with AMD Athlon 64 3000 and 1024MB (2x512MB) DDR Memory
$329 from Tiger and it includes the board, RAM, and the processor.
It's not the RAM I would have gone with but it runs well.
Don't be swayed by the awesome looking pelixglass systems. They have problems with not grounding properlly. I have also heard that they get mighty hot.
Put a nVidia GeForce 6600 graphic card in it for $169
Don't skimp on the power supply. You want at least a 400 watt
The rest are details better left up to your builder. Check with the schools. Check with local builders also.
I would suggest checking out the local college computer department. Ask if they can recommend a student who wants to make a little cash on the side. Students are allways hungry. You can also check out the local small computer shops. Some of them will be happy to let you bring your own parts and put together a system for you. If I am not mistaken they will also provide some warranty in the deal.
I would also highly recommend that you don't buy the cheapest RAM. Corsair or Muskin are both excellent. You will pay double of more than what you would for the cheap stuff but you will be happier in the long run. You definely want to go with at least a gig.
I am an advisor to our school's gaming club. We have LAN parties once a month as our main fundraiser. The kids that come in with home built computers are up and playing while the kids with the boxed systems sit and fiddle with their systems. I have not seen a good performance from the Dell's and the Gateways.
I just built a system for my son that puts my last Shuttle to shame.
MSI K8TNEO2-F Via Socket 939 MotherBoard with AMD Athlon 64 3000 and 1024MB (2x512MB) DDR Memory
$329 from Tiger and it includes the board, RAM, and the processor.
It's not the RAM I would have gone with but it runs well.
Don't be swayed by the awesome looking pelixglass systems. They have problems with not grounding properlly. I have also heard that they get mighty hot.
Put a nVidia GeForce 6600 graphic card in it for $169
Don't skimp on the power supply. You want at least a 400 watt
The rest are details better left up to your builder. Check with the schools. Check with local builders also.
Scholar
30 posts
Quote:
I am an advisor to our school's gaming club. We have LAN parties once a month as our main fundraiser. The kids that come in with home built computers are up and playing while the kids with the boxed systems sit and fiddle with their systems. I have not seen a good performance from the Dell's and the Gateways.
I've noticed a big difference in the opposite way. Most of the guys I know who built their computers have cheaper systems because they all go in for cheezy barebone deals while all my friends who have prebuilt computers have top the line stuff generally. I dunno.. maybe they just have more money. But for 2000 dollars you can buy a gaming machine from Alienware that'll put almost anything that you can build to shame and you'll get a warranty, support, free software. You know the deal.
I've just become convinced that building computer's is more or less fool's gold. There are just no real demonstarble advantages in performance these days to building your own PC unless you just wnat to give it a try. I came to this conclusion after I had practically collected a garage full of hard drives, sticks of ram, cases, power supplies, etc and also owned my shared PC's from various manufacturers.
Its up to your tastes I suppose but I really get the urge to mack out my store bought computer, I'll just buy a new motherboard and chip and I'll be good as new. Seeing that my CPU is alreayd good enough for my needs, it'll probably be some time before I upgrade.
I build my own computers and have been for about 18 years. I am not going to tell you specifics, rather some general guidelines I would follow.
1. Get the fastest processor you can afford. This and the video card are the 2 most expensive pieces.
2. Make sure the computer video slot is PCI-E and not AGP. PCI-E is what all the manufacturers are making their new vid cards with.
3. Get at least 1 gig of PC3200 memory.
4. Serial ATA over ATA100. Its just plan a whole lot faster
5. Get the baddest Vid card on the market. You should also make sure that the card has 256mb. Don't be afraid to spend the $400+ for it. It will be well worth it. ( I was in Best Buy today and they have the ATI x800 XL 256mb card selling for $354.00)
6. Power Supply, make sure you have at least a 420 watt PS.
Well I hope these suggestions help.
1. Get the fastest processor you can afford. This and the video card are the 2 most expensive pieces.
2. Make sure the computer video slot is PCI-E and not AGP. PCI-E is what all the manufacturers are making their new vid cards with.
3. Get at least 1 gig of PC3200 memory.
4. Serial ATA over ATA100. Its just plan a whole lot faster
5. Get the baddest Vid card on the market. You should also make sure that the card has 256mb. Don't be afraid to spend the $400+ for it. It will be well worth it. ( I was in Best Buy today and they have the ATI x800 XL 256mb card selling for $354.00)
6. Power Supply, make sure you have at least a 420 watt PS.
Well I hope these suggestions help.
Voelfgar Fireforge
105 Beserker
Mangler
105 Beserker
Mangler
There are a lot of good opinions in this thread and I have little to add myself except for some blaring mistatments.
1. For a gaming computer, don't go with the lighter and sleeker looking LCD monitors, go with the bulky CRTs. While LCD technology has improved over the years, LCDs still cannot compare to an old fashioned CRT monitor. This claim is not unsubstantiated, Maximum PC still says this, Tomshardware says it, Anandtech, and other reputable hardware sites. Worse, is that a cheap LCD will often have "ghosting" effects during fast moving games. I paid $200 for a bulky 55 pound 19" CRT Viewsonic Flatscreen monitor from Newegg and it performs beautifully.
2. If the motherboard you like comes with PCI Express, great, otherwise stick with AGP. CURRENTLY, PCI Express video cards do not have any significant performance increase over their AGP counterparts. This was also reviewed and tested recently in Maximum PC (Feb 2005 issue.. I think). Most people who don't have money flowing out of their pockets have not rushed off to upgrade to PCI Express motherboards and vidoe cards. AGP will be here for a long while yet. By the time you NEED to upgrade from AGP to PCI Express, you'll be building a whole new computer anyways.
Opinion = an NForce3 socket 939 motherboard is a great board to have, with room for 2GB of RAM and the potential to put an X800XT PE into the AGP slot, no one can reasonably say you will HAVE to upgrade your system anytime within the next 2 years. I currently have a AMD64 3500+, 2GB RAM, and a 128MB ATI Radeon Pro in mine and I play most games at Max Settings. EQII, as mentioned in another post, I play at default High Performance with several settings tweaked up and in the three months I have been playing, I have experienced ZERO lag.
I also spent $1200 on my computer, significantly less than $2000 or anything Alienware was/is selling. If you can find an Alienware system (new) for less than $2000 that can match my system in performance, please post it here and let me know.
Building is cheaper.
Opinion = I have had bad experiences with Dell in the past, before I decided to build my own and I thought their Customer Service was horrible. I would often be on hold for 20 min or more BEFORE talking to a human. One time as long as 45min. My little brother bought a Dell for college and several months later, he is now having problems with it. Other people I have met who purchased Dells, had less than favorable things to say. I have met a couple people in the past who had good experiences with them.
Most people I know that build computers, have less problems overall, and tend to be more empowered to fix them when they do occur. So far, ZERO problems with my home built system and only 1 piece of spyware that slipped through my firewall, but was quickly caught and quarantined.
Take the time to research various sites, read every computer magazine you can get your hands on, and talk to knowledgable people for their opinions. Cross refrence claims with other sources to see if they hold up. Most reputable sources will agree with each other. The internet is a wonderful tool, but take things with a grain of salt.
I am not A+ Certified or MCSE Certified and I have had ZERO formal training. I unashamedly admit that everything I know I learned from reputable internet sites, every PC magazine I could get my hands on, and other people. Don't take ANYONE's word on something at face value, PLEASE do the research yourself and CROSSREFRENCE YOUR SOURCES!!!
1. For a gaming computer, don't go with the lighter and sleeker looking LCD monitors, go with the bulky CRTs. While LCD technology has improved over the years, LCDs still cannot compare to an old fashioned CRT monitor. This claim is not unsubstantiated, Maximum PC still says this, Tomshardware says it, Anandtech, and other reputable hardware sites. Worse, is that a cheap LCD will often have "ghosting" effects during fast moving games. I paid $200 for a bulky 55 pound 19" CRT Viewsonic Flatscreen monitor from Newegg and it performs beautifully.
2. If the motherboard you like comes with PCI Express, great, otherwise stick with AGP. CURRENTLY, PCI Express video cards do not have any significant performance increase over their AGP counterparts. This was also reviewed and tested recently in Maximum PC (Feb 2005 issue.. I think). Most people who don't have money flowing out of their pockets have not rushed off to upgrade to PCI Express motherboards and vidoe cards. AGP will be here for a long while yet. By the time you NEED to upgrade from AGP to PCI Express, you'll be building a whole new computer anyways.
Opinion = an NForce3 socket 939 motherboard is a great board to have, with room for 2GB of RAM and the potential to put an X800XT PE into the AGP slot, no one can reasonably say you will HAVE to upgrade your system anytime within the next 2 years. I currently have a AMD64 3500+, 2GB RAM, and a 128MB ATI Radeon Pro in mine and I play most games at Max Settings. EQII, as mentioned in another post, I play at default High Performance with several settings tweaked up and in the three months I have been playing, I have experienced ZERO lag.
I also spent $1200 on my computer, significantly less than $2000 or anything Alienware was/is selling. If you can find an Alienware system (new) for less than $2000 that can match my system in performance, please post it here and let me know.
Building is cheaper.
Opinion = I have had bad experiences with Dell in the past, before I decided to build my own and I thought their Customer Service was horrible. I would often be on hold for 20 min or more BEFORE talking to a human. One time as long as 45min. My little brother bought a Dell for college and several months later, he is now having problems with it. Other people I have met who purchased Dells, had less than favorable things to say. I have met a couple people in the past who had good experiences with them.
Most people I know that build computers, have less problems overall, and tend to be more empowered to fix them when they do occur. So far, ZERO problems with my home built system and only 1 piece of spyware that slipped through my firewall, but was quickly caught and quarantined.
Take the time to research various sites, read every computer magazine you can get your hands on, and talk to knowledgable people for their opinions. Cross refrence claims with other sources to see if they hold up. Most reputable sources will agree with each other. The internet is a wonderful tool, but take things with a grain of salt.
I am not A+ Certified or MCSE Certified and I have had ZERO formal training. I unashamedly admit that everything I know I learned from reputable internet sites, every PC magazine I could get my hands on, and other people. Don't take ANYONE's word on something at face value, PLEASE do the research yourself and CROSSREFRENCE YOUR SOURCES!!!
Scholar
30 posts
Quote:
1. For a gaming computer, don't go with the lighter and sleeker looking LCD monitors, go with the bulky CRTs. While LCD technology has improved over the years, LCDs still cannot compare to an old fashioned CRT monitor. This claim is not unsubstantiated, Maximum PC still says this, Tomshardware says it, Anandtech, and other reputable hardware sites. Worse, is that a cheap LCD will often have "ghosting" effects during fast moving games. I paid $200 for a bulky 55 pound 19" CRT Viewsonic Flatscreen monitor from Newegg and it performs beautifully.
This is a matter of taste and economy. CRT's are cheaper, can screen burn, use up a ton of power, and can heat a room like an electric heater neverind that they are bulky and can make a lot of noise.
The chief issues you are talking such a ghosting and fading will only happen on a very cheap or older LCD with a very high reponse time. In other words, on a piece of crap. Most new LCD have response times to satisfy any gamer. Mine has a 16 response time and I have never noticed any ghosting at all and never will since this only happens on machines 20 or higher. But if the thought scares ya, you can just by one with 12 just to be sure. Anything 16 or lower will be fine. Besides I get no glare on a LCD which was a big factor cause when I play, I tend to play for a long time and my old eyes just can't take it no more.
I'd say the days of CRT supremacy in gaming are either over or alomst over even though a lot of people still think CRT's are superior. Also one big thing that you didn't mention is that if you happen to attend the occasional LAN Party (which I do), the LCD is a hell of a lot easier pack up and carry around and to set up. My old 55 pound 21 inch beast was bad on me back.
Quote:
I also spent $1200 on my computer, significantly less than $2000 or anything Alienware was/is selling. If you can find an Alienware system (new) for less than $2000 that can match my system in performance, please post it here and let me know.
Well, most Alienware products come with a 20 inch LCD to begin with (which kind of blows that LCD are bad for gamers thing out of the water since Alienware produces the best gaming machines in the industry) so I don't know if you are including that in final price tag of 1200 dollars or if that includes software, etc. I went to their site and they have a comparable deal for about 1700 dollars. Also, with that you get the free software (Windows XP Professional that about 200 bucks right there) and the warranty, 24-7 free support including on-site maitenance and part replacement. Plus you get their audio system which is pretty bad @ss. None of these things do you get if you build your own.Dunno, sounds pretty good but its a matter of taste I suppose. But now that we've been talking about this I'm getting the urge to build a kick @ss system myself.
Edited, Mon Apr 18 00:35:46 2005 by Datheenker
You bring up some good points on the advantages of an LCD. Depending on what priorities a person has, a "good" LCD can definitely win out. I know plenty of hardcore gamers who use LCDs, of course they usually spend $700-800 for theirs. I'm not sure how the quality compares at $200, I haven't really looked too hard.
I'm sticking with CRT for now. Heck, I picked up a Sony Trinitron 17" monitor that was $1700 new, in 1996, for $50 at pawn shop and the thing still performs beautifully. My roommate is currently using it with her computer, playing Diablo II mostly. I expect the technology to only improve for LCDs and within a few years, who know?
From what I hear, Alienware makes some really good computers. Your statement that they are the best in the industry is unqualified though. Reports that I have read show the competition is pretty tight and Micro Velocity and Falcon Northwest leapfroging each other and Alienware. Maximum PC does periodic comparisons as do other PC mags. The computers they compare are usually price from $3000 to $7000 though.
My computer
AMD64 3500+
Epox NForce3 939
2GB Corsair PC3200 (dual channel)
128MB Sapphire ATI Radeon PRO
Sound Blaster Audigy2
120GB 7200RPM HD
DVD/CD-RW
Floppy
Cooler Master 450W PSU
Kingwin KT-424 (windowless) case
Approx. $1200 at time of purchase
Not including shipping or California %7.5 sales tax
The following items were purchased seperately.
19" Viewsonic $200 (I could have used my old Sony)
Windows XP $200 retail (I could have used an older OS or saved more with the OEM version)
2.1 Creative Labs Speaker system from prior system, was about $80 2 years ago and works beautifully, no complaints.
The computer itself was about $1200, all the other OPTIONS I purchased or already owned pushed the total price to about $1800.
From Alienware website
Aurora 7500
AMD64 3500+
Windows XP
2GB Dual Channel PC3200
80GB 7200RPM HD (only 80Gb?)
256MB 6800GT (nice, about a $150 difference)
Creative Labs Audigy2 ZS (also nice, about $50 dif)
PC Power & Cooling 510W Power Express (nice little over $100 dif)
DVD/CD-RW
Floppy
Alienware case
Not sure about the mobo
added a 15" Viewsonic for $133
Free T-shirt
Shipping $132.92
Subtotal $3068.92 (after $400 "instant savings")
...before CA 7.5% sales tax
Final Price $3299.09
So even if I'm really generous and tack on an extra $500 to my final price to compensate for the "upgrades," I still save approx. $1000. How much is tech support and a warranty worth to you?
I guess it all depends on your priorities and how much cash you have, but building a excellent gaming system for under $2000 is one of mine and one that compares with an Alienware that is $1000 dollars more, is even better.
1 hour of my time was all it took to gather the info and post it here. Please don't take my word on it, I highly encourage everyone reading this post to do the research themselves.
I'm sticking with CRT for now. Heck, I picked up a Sony Trinitron 17" monitor that was $1700 new, in 1996, for $50 at pawn shop and the thing still performs beautifully. My roommate is currently using it with her computer, playing Diablo II mostly. I expect the technology to only improve for LCDs and within a few years, who know?
From what I hear, Alienware makes some really good computers. Your statement that they are the best in the industry is unqualified though. Reports that I have read show the competition is pretty tight and Micro Velocity and Falcon Northwest leapfroging each other and Alienware. Maximum PC does periodic comparisons as do other PC mags. The computers they compare are usually price from $3000 to $7000 though.
My computer
AMD64 3500+
Epox NForce3 939
2GB Corsair PC3200 (dual channel)
128MB Sapphire ATI Radeon PRO
Sound Blaster Audigy2
120GB 7200RPM HD
DVD/CD-RW
Floppy
Cooler Master 450W PSU
Kingwin KT-424 (windowless) case
Approx. $1200 at time of purchase
Not including shipping or California %7.5 sales tax
The following items were purchased seperately.
19" Viewsonic $200 (I could have used my old Sony)
Windows XP $200 retail (I could have used an older OS or saved more with the OEM version)
2.1 Creative Labs Speaker system from prior system, was about $80 2 years ago and works beautifully, no complaints.
The computer itself was about $1200, all the other OPTIONS I purchased or already owned pushed the total price to about $1800.
From Alienware website
Aurora 7500
AMD64 3500+
Windows XP
2GB Dual Channel PC3200
80GB 7200RPM HD (only 80Gb?)
256MB 6800GT (nice, about a $150 difference)
Creative Labs Audigy2 ZS (also nice, about $50 dif)
PC Power & Cooling 510W Power Express (nice little over $100 dif)
DVD/CD-RW
Floppy
Alienware case
Not sure about the mobo
added a 15" Viewsonic for $133
Free T-shirt
Shipping $132.92
Subtotal $3068.92 (after $400 "instant savings")
...before CA 7.5% sales tax
Final Price $3299.09
So even if I'm really generous and tack on an extra $500 to my final price to compensate for the "upgrades," I still save approx. $1000. How much is tech support and a warranty worth to you?
I guess it all depends on your priorities and how much cash you have, but building a excellent gaming system for under $2000 is one of mine and one that compares with an Alienware that is $1000 dollars more, is even better.
1 hour of my time was all it took to gather the info and post it here. Please don't take my word on it, I highly encourage everyone reading this post to do the research themselves.
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