New computer...

Ok, so my parents are throwing around the idea of a new computer.

They were talking around $1500-$2000.

Everything I've thrown together on newegg is loads better than my current spec.

Right now:
Gateway 500SE from a few years ago. Like 3.
P4 1.8Ghz processor
512MB RAM at DDR266
Integrated sound and graphics.
XP Home


My parents were considering a laptop... but we don't NEED the mobile options. I might take it with me on long trips, but even then, I doubt it.
So I told them we'd better go with a desktop. Get much better stuff for the money. I'm hoping this will be my computer. Dunno..

I know you can build a decent PC for around that price... but I know with 64bit catching on, I dunno if we should wait. I'll visit this often and I'm open to all suggestions... just throwing the idea around is all.
 
well from my EXPERIENCES with computers..

lap tops = 20x more reliable...
e
my laptop has had like 3092849832904890328 virus's and still runs without a hitch..

my old gateway..got one and was hammered....

the laptop isn't top of the line..but ran games like call of duty, world of warcraft, warcraft III, and dawn of war...

but then again modability is lame on laptops..which is why i got another PC......

but so far this PC is AWESOME....but has problems too..
newhardware = new problems..

laptop's are usually tride and true tested old gen comp hardware made mini
 
I see... I would still prefer a desktop unless we found a nice laptop with a good parts spec and a nice screen. My current monitor is some old 15" viewable CRT.

Actually, laptops sound kinda nice now I think about it...

Any suggestions?


EDIT: Is this a nice laptop? Big screen is kinda big for me, so either 15" or 17".

I'd like dedicated graphics.

This laptop here is way better than our desktop.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16834147228
 
I honestly don't know Laptop jargon....I don't know they're representations in terms of full size equivilents...from what i've "heard" centrino's are great...but that's the extent of my knowledge...
my Laptop haeas a AMD XP-M, it's a HP with a 17" viewable.....This things been through hell and back..but then again PC stuff..if you look you can get a hell of a deal..even at big chains..

I got a "Insignia" 19" CRT from best buy for 70 dollars..and this thing is beautiful...It may not be like some 2000 dollar plasma flat..blah blah..

but I really can't tell the difference between the two if they both are sharp and clear...
 
For the money your will to dish out, you can build a beast. You want this computer to be a gamming or work computer? For that money, you can build one good for both.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ $460
Motherboard $130
CD Drive $30
DVD Drive $40
2gb Ram $200
ATi Radeon X1900XTX 512MB $600
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum 7.1 $200

Grand Total $1660

I know i left some stuff out, but i wont go into detail. I rounded these prices up, some even $20 or so, because i wasnt sure if you want no name products. With this setup, you should be set for a long time. BTW, i left $400 space for the little things that will add up :)
 
Like..A Power supply..

and a Operating system...

And cooling.....and a Monitor..

and a Keyboard..

And a Mouse...

And Speakers for his new "top of the line sound card" which is unecessary..

so yeah I say you just broke his budget by leavin out the "little things"
 
Hot damn... how about tone down the soundcard a bit and get some nice speakers...

I want a nicer monitor if I get a killer graphics card.

To be honest, this is a computer for Internet and stuff with lots of apps running... but I guess the reason I don't game is because I don't have near enough computer to do it.

Oh, and no name **** is a no go... I'm no fanboy but my dad wouldn't go for it.
 
Seriously unless you either have really really good ears..

or REALLY get anal about exactly how many watts are coming from speaker A as compared to Speaker B..An onboard sound card is more than enough dude..

I was planning on getting a new sound card..Then I hooked up my speakers to my onboard unit....and viola!!!...great quality sound

and not wanting no-name stuff is fine..
all the big names make their "cheap stuff"

and it's not anything to run a govn't comp off of but should be more than enough for everday use..
RAM for instance....

or a HD, you don't have to go out and get a couple of raptor drives...if all you'd like is space...
 
Driftster
Like..A Power supply..

and a Operating system...

And cooling.....and a Monitor..

and a Keyboard..

And a Mouse...

And Speakers for his new "top of the line sound card" which is unecessary..

so yeah I say you just broke his budget by leavin out the "little things"

I thought he will be using his old moniter, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. My bad i guess.
 
Well, mine is a black with grey keys...

But this is a WHOLE new computer. So we'll have 2 comps. If it ends up being mine, it'll be a gaming machine. If it's my mom's, a workstation.

Come ON guys, I know there's more than you 2 guys who know WTF they are doing. Throw some good builds together based on your knowledge. Thanks.
 
standard235
Well, mine is a black with grey keys...

But this is a WHOLE new computer. So we'll have 2 comps. If it ends up being mine, it'll be a gaming machine. If it's my mom's, a workstation.

Come ON guys, I know there's more than you 2 guys who know WTF they are doing. Throw some good builds together based on your knowledge. Thanks.

Are you building these computers from scratch? Or are you going through Alienware, or some company like that?
 
The 1900 is a good bet, but it's also overkill. Get an AMD for sure if you're gaming too. Get an Nvidia 7800GTX imo. And, i'd get something like an Abit AN8 SLI or DFI Lanparty SLI for more upgradeability down the road. Tone down that sound card, and get a nice case to cool down all that stuff. I'd wait for a bit longer for some sort of holiday for some massive rebates. I saved on my PC by buying all the stuff during Christmas. $2000 will get you quite far, gaming or workstation.
 
Raghavan
The 1900 is a good bet, but it's also overkill. Get an AMD for sure if you're gaming too. Get an Nvidia 7800GTX imo. And, i'd get something like an Abit AN8 SLI or DFI Lanparty SLI for more upgradeability down the road. Tone down that sound card, and get a nice case to cool down all that stuff. I'd wait for a bit longer for some sort of holiday for some massive rebates. I saved on my PC by buying all the stuff during Christmas. $2000 will get you quite far, gaming or workstation.

Can you explain why a 1900 would be a overkill? With todays games, nothing is a overkill. The 1900 will give you some breathing space for time to come ;)
 
1G of ram is all you really need...
A8N Sli Deluxe
7800GTX 256 will serve you absolutely fine...
a DVDR
one DVD CDR
honestly a AMD 4000+ or the X2 4400 if ya want to multiprocess.......
 
If you want to be able to run many programs at once you'll need more than 1GB, trust me. :)
 
RobcioPL
Can you explain why a 1900 would be a overkill? With todays games, nothing is a overkill. The 1900 will give you some breathing space for time to come ;)
But with that, he's going over the budget you suggested, and he want's 2GB of ram. He's going to be cutting back on that sound card you suggested, but if he's going to get a nice case, and a good PSU, which he needs, he'll have to cut baack more.
Besides, even my X850XT plays all of todays games.
 
Driftster
lap tops = 20x more reliable...
Is this actually true? I've never heard that laptops were that more reliable than desktops.

my laptop has had like 3092849832904890328 virus's and still runs without a hitch..
If your computer has had a lot of viruses and still runs fine, what's that got to do with whether or not it's a laptop?

If viruses (virii?) are a problem, then I don't think it makes a bit of difference whether or not you're using a desktop or laptop. Just get some decent anti-virus software and keep it up to date.

I'm also a bit skeptical of your claim that you've had multiple viruses and your computer ran fine. What kind of virus doesn't actually affect how your PC operates?

I wouldn't recommend a laptop unless you need a mobile computer. What's the point in either getting lessers specs for the same price or spending more for the same specs as the equivalent desktop if you don't need a mobile PC, especially when it means putting up with a smaller monitor and those ****ty laptop keyboards.


KM.
 
KieranMurphy
Is this actually true? I've never heard that laptops were that more reliable than desktops.


Want me to tell you the # of times I dropped my laptop Vs the # of times I dropped my old Gateway.....one of the 2 still works....

Want me to tell you how many times I touched something under the plastic and ZAAAP Static discharge on my laptop..
and the mobo that crapped out on me after one shock?

No i'm sure it's not 20x as reliable...That's called exaggeration...I know you've heard of it because you've used plenty of sarcasm and they go hand in hand.

If viruses (virii?) are a problem, then I don't think it makes a bit of difference whether or not you're using a desktop or laptop. Just get some decent anti-virus software and keep it up to date.
My Gateway was updated regularly, because I paid for software (Norton)

My laptop has the crap version of expired Norton it came with in 01....
I'm also a bit skeptical of your claim that you've had multiple viruses and your computer ran fine. What kind of virus doesn't actually affect how your PC operates?

My computer didn't run fine..
my Laptop did....My laptops still got a slew of "viruses/Virii" on it..and i'm using it every day for the net...Why? My NEW PC(BRand new)....Won't get to the ethernet..Why? I don't know..Either the onboard ethernet card crapped out or something..BTW I porchased another NIC..and it still didn't work...
Low and behold..lap top works every time i snap the cord into the back
I wouldn't recommend a laptop unless you need a mobile computer. What's the point in either getting lessers specs for the same price or spending more for the same specs as the equivalent desktop if you don't need a mobile PC, especially when it means putting up with a smaller monitor and those ****ty laptop keyboards.

I think that's been established that he's not getting a laptop by number of times he said something along the lines of "I want to built a gaming pc not a laptop"

As for the keyboard comment..

it takes about a week of use to get used to a keyboard, if that....So that's completely irrel..
 
Laptops are not at all more reliable than desktops. They break at least as often, and they often have lots of software problems. I've had a lot of trouble with laptops.

With desktops, on the otherhand, if something goes wrong you can fix it.
 
If you going to buy a new PC for that price, you might aswell wait for the AMD 64 AM2 CPU's and Motherboards to come out. Aswell as the DX10 Graphic cards mate.
 
Driftster
Want me to tell you the # of times I dropped my laptop Vs the # of times I dropped my old Gateway.....one of the 2 still works....
You're comparing a single desktop with a single laptop. That doesn't give you any idea of how overall desktops in general are with regards to laptops. Maybe it was just a crap desktop.

Also, laptops are generally more rugged because they're designed to be mobile and carried around, whereas desktops just sit there, so they don't have to withstand high G-forces, a lot of movement or whatever.

Want me to tell you how many times I touched something under the plastic and ZAAAP Static discharge on my laptop..
and the mobo that crapped out on me after one shock?
You've had "ZAAP Static discharges" while working on your laptop? Do you connect yourself to a Van de Graaf generator before handling electronics? I've built close to maybe a couple of thousand PCs (I used to work on a PC assembly line and hardly ever wore my static discharge wristband, none of us ever did) and I've never actually felt a static discharge when touching something. I've probably fried a few mobos and sticks of RAM without even realising it. I currently test and repair PCs and I handle RAM, CPUs, mobos, graphics cards etc. all day long and I've felt or noticed any sort of electrical zap while handling them.

Power supplies, on the other hand, have a tendency to fail in spectacular fashion. Every so often, cheapo ones blow when being plugged in, and there's an audible ZAP, smoke and a smell of melting plastic from the back of the PC.

No i'm sure it's not 20x as reliable...That's called exaggeration...I know you've heard of it because you've used plenty of sarcasm and they go hand in hand.
I wasn't taking you literally, I was just surprised that someone would claim that laptops were in general far more reliable than desktops, because that's the opposite of what I've heard. I've had bugger all experience with laptops so I can't really weigh in myself.

My Gateway was updated regularly, because I paid for software (Norton) My laptop has the crap version of expired Norton it came with in 01....
My point was that virus susceptibility has nothing to do with your hardware, it's to do with the operating system and software you use and what kind of virus protection you have. I don't see how one of your computers was better at dealing at viruses, simply because it was a laptop. How would that work? Did the laptop have a more secure and stable version of Windows like 2000 versus something like 98 or ME on the desktop?

my computer didn't run fine..
I was referring to the laptop computer you said was running fine with lots of viruses.

my Laptop did....My laptops still got a slew of "viruses/Virii" on it..
Maybe you oughta run a virus scan and remove them then... If you've got a lot of viruses on your computer, then they are affecting the performance. They're at least using up RAM and CPU time, and generally the whole point behind a virus is to do negative things to your computer. I'm curious about these viruses that have invaded your laptop but don't seem to do anything when they're there, simply because it's a laptop.

and i'm using it every day for the net...Why? My NEW PC(BRand new)....Won't get to the ethernet..Why? I don't know..Either the onboard ethernet card crapped out or something..BTW I porchased another NIC..and it still didn't work...
Low and behold..lap top works every time i snap the cord into the back
Again, maybe it's just a crap PC. Lots of computers are crap, lots are great quality. You can't really make much of a generalisation on desktops vs. laptops basaed on a single example of each. If it's a brand new PC then it sounds like you've been sold a dud and you should phone them to arrange to have it replaced. People can get unlucky and buy a PC that's DOA or has DOA components.

I've only ever owned a single laptop and it had to be sent back to the manufacturer because it kept overheating and crashing. Turned out to be a problem with the fans. But I haven't had any hardware problems with my last 3 PC at all.

Is it okay for me to say that laptops are rubbish just because I had problems with a crappy cheap one I owned that gave me problems compared with a couple of desktops I owned?

As for the keyboard comment.. it takes about a week of use to get used to a keyboard, if that....So that's completely irrel..
I've got a small keyboard at work on one of my PCs that's basically the same size and type as a typical laptop keyboard. Even though I'm "used" to it, it's still rubbish and I can't type near as fast or efficiently as I can on a good quality keyboard. Thankfully I don't have to type much on it.


KM.
 
I've got a small keyboard at work on one of my PCs that's basically the same size and type as a typical laptop keyboard. Even though I'm "used" to it, it's still rubbish and I can't type near as fast or efficiently as I can on a good quality keyboard. Thankfully I don't have to type much on it.

..Kinda answered your own question didn't ya..And i'll reply to the rest later, i'm too tired to type right now..ON my low quality POS Keyboard that is impossible to get used to especially becuase I have a "quality keyboard" next to me.
 
Driftster
..Kinda answered your own question didn't ya..
Did I? I'm just pointing out that laptop keyboards are inferior to a half-decent regular keyboard, regardless of whether or not you get "used" to it. You can type faster and with less mistakes (I can at least) on even a cheap $10 keyboard as opposed to the cramped confines of a laptop keyboard.


KM.
 
Yeah..Like I said..

A 7800GTX/Radeon X###X 256MB will do ya fine..

Ya don't need a 512, honestly...

Get a dul core proc..cause their prices are getting alot more friendly...

A Asus a8n-sli Delux mobo..

A good 500-700 watt power supply

A Sony DVD-R CD-RW drive..
a Sony DVD/ CD-RW Drive

2 gig in ram....and a decent set of 7.1 Speakers....

Get a nice clean monitor from like best buy/circuit city/fry's......

And do some lookin around for a case/cooling..
 
I wouldn't bother with 2 separate CD drives unless you need direct disc to disc copying. The price of DVD burners is pretty low these days - I think my 16x Philips one was €60 and it'll do everything but burn dual layer DVDs.

And is a power supply up to 700W really necessary? That sounds like overkill to me. It's more important to get a decent quality PSU than to get one with that much wattage. 450-500 should be plenty of power.


KM.
 

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