Looking for a reasonable good computer

sogone2day

sogone2day

Well-known member
Just looking for some help on this. I'm not a computer geek and don't really understand all the lingo.

I want a computer to do some gaming like battlefield. I also will use it for internet and such. So I guess the video card is important to play these new games.

I don't really want to spend a lot since i'm still is college but if i have to I want one that would last for awhile or atleast can be upgraded with new components.

Any opinnions would be great. I was just looking at dells website.
 
FHM always boasts about Alienware buts outrageously priced... check online.. i know theres a place (cant remember the name) that sells refurbed computers.. sure u could find something there... or goto Comp USA and have em build u one
 
Hmm... Where to start.

Ok you are correct that if you want to get into PC gaming than then, within reason, the video card is the component that you want to prioritize. IMO if you want current titles to run with the details set at a decent level you are looking at a video card in around the CAD$300 price point. You could get by with a sub-$200 card in the short term but it would probably be obsolete by the end of the year.

Upgradability of a computer is somewhat of a gimmick. By the time you get around to needing to upgrade most of the technology has changed (new CPU's, RAM, video card slots, etc) and parts for your vintage of computer have been discontinued. IMO buy a system with no weak links now and plan to replace it in a couple or so years when it can no longer run the latest and greatest.

When it comes to gaming computers I still think you get the best bang for the buck if you get a custom one. Companies like Dell do allow for some customization but often the better parts are limited to models with a higher starting price point. Unfortunately I would need several hours of typing to cover the details for doing it yourself. My suggestion is to find some discount computer stores in your area and ask about getting something built to your needs and budget. Just make sure that you ask them to stick to quality parts in the 'sweet spot' price range.

I have to do a quote for a friend so Ill throw an example up for ya when I'm done.

Fire away with any specific questions you have and we'll see what we can come up with.
 
Here's something I threw together from Invalid Link Removed from Vancouver.

mainboard: Asus M2N-E $112.95
cpu: Athlon 64 X2 3800+ EE $179.95
video: ATI X1950 Pro $235.95
RAM: G.Skill F2-6400CL5D 2x512MB$149.95
OS: Windows XP home oem $94.95
hard disk: Seagate 320GB SATA $109.95
case: Antec Sonata II $113.95
DVD: LG GSA-H22N $36.95
LCD: BenQ FP93GX 19" $249.95
KB+mouse: Logitech Deluxe 250 combo $19.95

Total: CAD$1304.50 before tax/shipping

To get a system with comparable video from Dell you need to start with a Dimension 9200 and add an nVidia 7900GS coming out to $1789 - dunno if that includes tax and shipping.
 
Check out Invalid Link Removed ; I've had two computers threw them, pretty good product for the price and you can custom build it yourself or go with one of their configured machines already.
 
I don't sell computers, just fix 'em and networking and such, but I've had good luck with Newegg.com

Their customer service has been great, and I've never had a problem with something I've bought from them. The time UPS lost a box, they sent me replacement parts by overnight shipping. When the lost box did show up 2 weeks later (UPS lost it) They told me to keep it.
 
i know its not a pc, but i just bought a macbook pro and i love it. the thing is really fast and everything seems very intuitive. only downfall is that there isn't as many games and such for macs.
 
You are a college student...therein lies your answer.

Go down to the school's computer science department. If it is a relatively reputable school, they probably replace their computers every couple years. See if you can learn from the computer science "geeks" and possibly get a free, recently-obsolete system. My friend's schools around here (QCC and Assumption Colleges in Worcester, MA) give out all the free computers you want to students at the end of each year when they plan to replace them. You just have to be first in line or get to know a computer person there in order to get the best stuff for free. There are ALWAYS plenty of "not too bad" computers left over to be had for free, but the best ones and the laptops will go to those who are first in line.
 
Just want to ditto what Nitrox and redwolf commented on. I have built my last 4 computers and all parts came from newegg. I believe they also sell some systems of their own. Truthfully, the system performance is all going to come down to how much money you are willing to spend. I would plan on the $1000-1200 dollar range for a decent gaming computer. Games require good video cards, lots of fast ram, and good processor speed. This usually means a decent motherboard to handle the components. Just everything important in the computer :)
 
Besides building one yourself, a "boutique" company is your best bet...although some seem to be fairly expensive... This one has gotten good reviews and the price seems right

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HardOCP reviewed them recently and they look pretty promising...good prices, good customer support, and pretty good gaming ability.

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I just bought an open box item from best buy. An HP a1642x and with a nice widescreen monitor, which came to $800. The guy who sold it to me was pretty knowledgable and I had already researched a lot so he wasn't going to pull one over on me.
He said that with this computer I could play most of the computer games they sell at a moderate setting and if I were to add a $100 i think he said PCI video card to what I have then I would have a pretty decent gaming computer.
 
tattoopierced1 said:
Besides building one yourself, a "boutique" company is your best bet...although some seem to be fairly expensive... This one has gotten good reviews and the price seems right

Invalid Link Removed

HardOCP reviewed them recently and they look pretty promising...good prices, good customer support, and pretty good gaming ability.

Invalid Link Removed
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Those first ones seem good for that price.
 
sogone2day said:
Just looking for some help on this. I'm not a computer geek and don't really understand all the lingo.

I want a computer to do some gaming like battlefield. I also will use it for internet and such. So I guess the video card is important to play these new games.

I don't really want to spend a lot since i'm still is college but if i have to I want one that would last for awhile or atleast can be upgraded with new components.

Any opinnions would be great. I was just looking at dells website.
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I don't think you should get a pc for any type of gaming if your wanting to save money. If you really want to play games get a console system like PS3 or Wii. If you want a pc just for surfing the web and your school work, get a nice ThinkPad from IBM/Lenovo. They have the best laptops, but thats just my opinion and I think since your in College a laptop would be best for you. This might be more expensive right off, but in the long run I believe it is a better idea. The best video cards these days will cost more than $500 each, and if you really want good performance equal to a console machine you will need two!. Plus the cost of everything elese. So if you want to play games wait till you can get your hands on a PS3 or Wii, those will last are more popular these days for gaming than pcs. XBox360 is also a good choice. Yes this might be more expensive at first, but in the long run a "gaming pc" will be obsolete far faster than a new console. You can get a nice laptop that will last you through college and you'll have the cosole that you won't have to replace till the next generation of consoles comes out....This just makes the most sense to me in a financial standpoint...
 
most of my buddies play online battlefield that the reason. I had an xbox360 but i didn't find it to be anything special.
 
http://www.ecollegepc.com/

Have these guys build one for you. I've had one for about 15 months and it's been great. I did a little upgrading though, but not much.

Invalid Link Removed
 
sogone2day said:
What about these ones Invalid Link Removed . With a desktop purchase you also get a xbox360 free.
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Most of those either come with an entry level ATI video card or on-board Intel graphics. Neither of which is going to be very good for gaming. This one would be good :Invalid Link Removed

Nothing comes for free...
 
sogone,

If you're the kind of person that likes to learn new things, then assembling and building your own PC will save you some cash - and its not that hard at all.

There's tons of resources on the web - you can build a machine that will compare to anything from Alienware for much, much less if you do it yourself.

I don't think you should get a pc for any type of gaming if your wanting to save money. If you really want to play games get a console system like PS3 or Wii. If you want a pc just for surfing the web and your school work, get a nice ThinkPad from IBM/Lenovo. They have the best laptops, but thats just my opinion and I think since your in College a laptop would be best for you. This might be more expensive right off, but in the long run I believe it is a better idea. The best video cards these days will cost more than $500 each, and if you really want good performance equal to a console machine you will need two!. Plus the cost of everything elese. So if you want to play games wait till you can get your hands on a PS3 or Wii, those will last are more popular these days for gaming than pcs. XBox360 is also a good choice. Yes this might be more expensive at first, but in the long run a "gaming pc" will be obsolete far faster than a new console. You can get a nice laptop that will last you through college and you'll have the cosole that you won't have to replace till the next generation of consoles comes out....This just makes the most sense to me in a financial standpoint...
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T-Bone has a point here, if you wanna play games and save money, consoles have got to the point where they are a great choice. Ive played a PS3 and Xbox360, and while they're fantastic machines and well worth the price - the PC I recently built smokes them in terms of graphical detail, sound quality, etc. Of course it cost a good $2k too - T-bone's idea of an inexpensive laptop and a PS3 or XBox360 for your gaming is much more practical.

However, if you want to play a game like Battlefield and arent worried about maxing out every little detail setting - you can definitely build a gaming PC for under $1000 that will perform great.

If you're going to go with a single core chip, the AMD 64 line is an excellent value, and a ~$150 - $200 video card will be more than capable of playing Battlefield without a problem.

I'm sure you build an entire system, with Widescreen LCD monitor and everything, for ~$800.

BV
 
I would build myself one. It's fool proof, and very easy. Where are you located? Canada? If so, let me know. I know a supplier who can get you the best prices on parts, or barebones. I would say that gaming PC's have no limit in price. What is your budget taxes in?
 
Well with 1500 taxes incl. you could get an amazing gaming machine.. Where are you located?
 
I have often built and bought custom pcs myself. I will say however that it truly is hard to beat Dell anymore IF you shop wisely with them. There are always a host of discount codes available on the net to reduce the cost of pcs to a level that would is virtually impossible to match by building yoru own anymore. I used to shy away from them but they also offer very nice quality vid cards , sound cards etc.

I think their fiscal year ends next month as well. Usually right around then they offer codes of between 30 and 40% off to drive top line sales dollars for year end. If you are patient and play around with their site you might be amazed the deals you can get. Also dont forget their refurb site.
 
jcam222 said:
I have often built and bought custom pcs myself. I will say however that it truly is hard to beat Dell anymore IF you shop wisely with them. There are always a host of discount codes available on the net to reduce the cost of pcs to a level that would is virtually impossible to match by building yoru own anymore. I used to shy away from them but they also offer very nice quality vid cards , sound cards etc.

I think their fiscal year ends next month as well. Usually right around then they offer codes of between 30 and 40% off to drive top line sales dollars for year end. If you are patient and play around with their site you might be amazed the deals you can get. Also dont forget their refurb site.
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Yes I agree. I don't really like the pre-built pcs because of the propritary(sp) parts...The thing is though, it is much much cheaper to purchase a pre-built from a major manufacturer than to build one yourself. Trust me these big huge manufacturers such as Dell, Hp, IBM can get cheaper parts than anyone who wants to build it for you!. Thats why its pushed so much if you go into a private computer business that builds custom pcs...They will try to convince you to have them build it for you...Yes there are advantages, but you will difinitely pay a higher price for a less powerful pc. The big companies just get a better price for parts, and the little guys just don't make that much money on building you a pc. A lot of them are hanging on by a thread...They have to sell a lot of custom pcs to make a LITTLE profit.
 
T-Bone said:
Yes I agree. I don't really like the pre-built pcs because of the propritary(sp) parts...The thing is though, it is much much cheaper to purchase a pre-built from a major manufacturer than to build one yourself. Trust me these big huge manufacturers such as Dell, Hp, IBM can get cheaper parts than anyone who wants to build it for you!. Thats why its pushed so much if you go into a private computer business that builds custom pcs...They will try to convince you to have them build it for you...Yes there are advantages, but you will difinitely pay a higher price for a less powerful pc. The big companies just get a better price for parts, and the little guys just don't make that much money on building you a pc. A lot of them are hanging on by a thread...They have to sell a lot of custom pcs to make a LITTLE profit.
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I would say that depends on your application and what price range you are shopping in. There is no question that entry-level computers from the big companies like Dell are significantly cheaper than anything you can put together yourself.

At mid-range the line gets blurry and you have to make sure that you are comparing apples to apples. Most people don't know what a motherboard, RAM speed, or RAM channels are nor what impact they have on system performance. Companies like Dell use this to their advantage cut costs while still advertising the specs that the average person looks at.

Ultimately it is the performance and quality for your application that matters and the 'usual specs' don't tell the whole story.

Price change on computer parts is usually in the downward direction and do so, I would say on average, monthly. Dell can use its resources to buy up tens of thousands of parts at a discount but if they have to move them over several months, they lose the advantage over the smaller discount store that buys them in smaller quantities as the prices drop.

Yes a well designed custom computer for gaming will cost more than a Dell with similar advertised 'specs' but it will hardly be less powerful. Performance per dollar will be much better with the custom.
 
sogone2day said:
not sure 1000-1500 maybe
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You could build something great man--let us walk you through it, it'd be easy actually (you'll be surprised).

When you're ready to start pricing parts, we've gotta get to NewEgg.com ;)

They have a 22" Widescreen LCD w/ 5ms Refresh and 720p ready for $295 + free shipping that'll just make your gaming system look THAT much more impressive.

Hell, for $1500 you can put something DX10 ready together, dual core--THE WORKS. And, if you want to see what DX10 is going to give us, take a look at "Crysis". Invalid Link Removed

Oh, BTW, before you boys get all excited thinking Mrs. Gimpy! is a computer geek, its not true unfortunately (she plays sims :rasp: --this is kwyckemynd00 :D

And yes, buying a proprietary computer is "likely" going to be cheaper--so you can go that route, but for any given price you're going to recieve ****tier parts and only a 1yr warranty unless you buy more. Then if something breaks, quite a few of the parts are from some unheard of company and they can't be RMA'd.

The only people who put together quality computers that most people are familiar with is AlienWare--and in that instance, I'd just go price the parts at newegg because you'll save 50-70% building it over buying it.
 
KRuth22 said:
I just bought an open box item from best buy. An HP a1642x and with a nice widescreen monitor, which came to $800. The guy who sold it to me was pretty knowledgable and I had already researched a lot so he wasn't going to pull one over on me.
He said that with this computer I could play most of the computer games they sell at a moderate setting and if I were to add a $100 i think he said PCI video card to what I have then I would have a pretty decent gaming computer.
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A good PCI-Express video card will run you more than $100, probably closer to $200-250 for something reasonable.

Then the other problem is all of the reasonably price ones are not Direct X 10 Compatible, which is the new standard soon and its a huge deal :D

-kwyckemynd00 (under gimpy's sn)
 
I dont have a ton of time to spend looking today but here are a couple quick examples of extremely adequate machines for gaming from Dell. You can surely build higher end systems but these are damn nice for the money.

$900 buys

Pentium® D Processor 915 with Dual Core Technology (2.8GHz, 800FSB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM FREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows® Vista™ Home Premium w/1GB memory edit
MEMORY 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs edit
HARD DRIVE 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 48X CD-RW/ DVD Combo Drive edit
MONITOR 20 inch E207WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel edit
VIDEO CARD 256MB ATI Radeon X1300 Pro edit
SOUND Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

For about two hundred more you can get 2gb ram, nvidia card and faster system bus (1038 I think)

If I get a chance I will look around for some higher discount codes.
 
Mrs. Gimpy! said:
When you're ready to start pricing parts, we've gotta get to NewEgg.com ;)

And yes, buying a proprietary computer is "likely" going to be cheaper--so you can go that route, but for any given price you're going to recieve ****tier parts and only a 1yr warranty unless you buy more. Then if something breaks, quite a few of the parts are from some unheard of company and they can't be RMA'd.
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Word. Or they gouge you on the price because they know they have you over a barrel.

As for NewEgg, they don't ship to Canada. Gonna have to stick to an outfit like Invalid Link Removed or Invalid Link Removed
 
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