Solved New PC questions.

AceWolf

New Member
Messages
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I am probably going to get a gaming desktop (currently have a laptop) and I want to now what the best site to order and get one will be. I have a $1100 budget + monitor and keyboard so about $1000. I don't want to build my own and I've been looking at cyberPc and magic micro. Suggestions?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Tigerdirect.com and Newegg.com are usually reasonable. Compare anything you're interested there to any other site that may have the same package/hardware for sale.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
Hit up alienware.com. They make some amazing gaming rigs that do digital rape to games..... :shock:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Do some research, start at maximumpcmag.com They have already did the homework for you, just find the price point you want and see what is offered, both Tiger Direct, and Newegg carries those systems reviewed.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 pro Retail
I get one of those 'puters that's powered by a squirrel running around in a cage, just make sure you have plenty of nuts to feed him :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro ($39.99 upgrade)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel I5 3570K overclocked to 4.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-V LX
    Memory
    Cosrair DDR3-1600 (4 x 4gb)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GT 610 2GB
    Sound Card
    None
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 27" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x0180
    Hard Drives
    Seagate HDD 500gb (windows)
    Seagate HDD 1.5tb (media)
    Seagate HDD 1tb (media)
    Seagate HDD 1tb (media)
    PSU
    CoolMax 700watt
    Case
    Cosiar R400 Carbide series
    Cooling
    Cool Master H212
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    PowerUp 3 button mouse
    Internet Speed
    12mb down, 1mb up
    Other Info
    qty. (5) 120mm fans, four are monitored by motherboard.
    Logitech T650 Touchpad for touch screen gestures
Um, you do not want an Alienware. They're not bad machines (they're actually pretty decent), it's just that they're not the best bang for buck - I always find issue with their graphics card selection. Since you're going to be gaming, put priority in selecting CPU + graphics card, the other stuff is more flexible so you do have plenty of choice, just make sure not to skimp on those two. Let us know which bargains you're eyeing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Pro x64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built rig
    CPU
    Koa i5-2550K
    Motherboard
    N/A
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire ATI 6870 1GB DDR5
    Sound Card
    RealTek HD Audio / ATI HDMI Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung HDTV Monitor T23A350
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    - SSD (C:)
    - HDD (D:)
    - BD-ROM (E:)
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    N/A
    Keyboard
    Logitech G110
    Mouse
    N/A
    Internet Speed
    Unifi home (5mbps)
    Other Info
    N/A
Um, you do not want an Alienware. They're not bad machines (they're actually pretty decent), it's just that they're not the best bang for buck - I always find issue with their graphics card selection. Since you're going to be gaming, put priority in selecting CPU + graphics card, the other stuff is more flexible so you do have plenty of choice, just make sure not to skimp on those two. Let us know which bargains you're eyeing.

I would say this is true about alienware. One of my friends is eyeing their new slim desktop systems and he said he's going to buy the basic, low end-version and upgrade parts. I think for like six gigs of RAM, it's a 100 dollars extra. Yeah right! For that, I could get 16 gigs of DDR3 RAM and still have some money left! :eek:

If it were me though, I would consider building.....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Here's my recommendation for your budget:
Low end(Sub $500):
Core i3/AMD Phenom
Radeon 6670
4 Gigs

Mid Range ($600-900):
Core i5
Radeon 7770/6850, Geforce 460
8 Gigs

High end($1000 +)
Core i7
Radeon 7850/Geforce 560
16 Gigs

The mid range is the best bang for your buck. Alien ware's high end isn't bad either as long as you don't add on too many upgrades. Many manufacturer's don't do a good job of offering a solid mid-range, its usually low end or high end, and that's where building can really get you a good deal.
Checking other manufacterer's like Dell or HP might not be a bad idea. You can pre-select a $600 system and add a solid video card for a decent gaming experience.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Beta
Alienware high end, yeah... just, no. The high-end models go for $1.5k minimum, not to mention RAID (wtf) when you could do better with an SSD + HDD combo. 16GB RAM is overkill, 8GB is fine. The mid-tier models sport a GTX 555, meh, you can definitely top that.

cryosin's got the right idea though about checking with the manufacturers to see whether they offer graphics card upgrades to solid base machines. Check here for a ranking list of current available graphics cards (by default it only shows laptop cards, change the dropdown box to show desktop graphics cards as well then re-filter the list):

Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List - Notebookcheck.net Tech

Don't worry about all those benchmark scores, what's important is the card supports DX11 and has a decent ranking. Then you click on the card to see specific details, and they'll show you stuff like actual FPS on various games and not just benchmark theory crap.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7 Pro x64
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built rig
    CPU
    Koa i5-2550K
    Motherboard
    N/A
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire ATI 6870 1GB DDR5
    Sound Card
    RealTek HD Audio / ATI HDMI Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung HDTV Monitor T23A350
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    - SSD (C:)
    - HDD (D:)
    - BD-ROM (E:)
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    N/A
    Keyboard
    Logitech G110
    Mouse
    N/A
    Internet Speed
    Unifi home (5mbps)
    Other Info
    N/A
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