Where can I buy a decent computer?

Volarz · July 2006

To All,
My hard drive died and I'm thinking of replacing the computer (which is about 4 years old).
I was wondering if anyone had any advice on buying a new one. I'm looking for something that is...
1. As fast or fasther than 2 GHz
2. At least 512 MB RAM
3. Around 50 GB of storage
4. Doesn't really need any other frills (although speakers and a mic would be great).
5. Preferrably XP OS, but I'm open to suggestions.
6. Most of all quality parts!

Thanks for any comments.

V-P · July 2006

Volarz wrote:

To All,
My hard drive died and I'm thinking of replacing the computer (which is about 4 years old).
I was wondering if anyone had any advice on buying a new one. I'm looking for something that is...
1. As fast or fasther than 2 GHz
2. At least 512 MB RAM
3. Around 50 GB of storage
4. Doesn't really need any other frills (although speakers and a mic would be great).
5. Preferrably XP OS, but I'm open to suggestions.
6. Most of all quality parts!

Thanks for any comments.

What are you going to be using this PC for? For example, do you do video editing, gaming, or just check email, etc.

primesuspect · July 2006

Build your own. It's surprisingly easy, and you will get either A) much more "bang" for your buck, or B) Pronounced savings, and higher performance than anything you can buy in a store.

mirage · July 2006

Primesuspect said very well, build yourself, and here is a starter kit that I put together for you. You did not seem to need a very powerful computer, I just chose the best quality components without adding too much power that you do not need. But it is fully open for upgrading. You will need to pay some for shipping as an additional cost. I am sure that you will have other suggestions.

Motherboard: ASUS P5ND2-SLI Socket T (LGA 775) $88
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131578

CPU: Intel Celeron D 326 Prescott 533MHz FSB LGA 775 EM64T Processor $52
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819112207
(probably will overclock to 3.1 GHz very easily,
no voltage and CPU cooler adjustment necessary just set to 166 MHz FSB))

Graphics: SAPPHIRE 100141 Radeon X1300 256MB 128-bit DDR PCI Express x16 $63
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102622

RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) $79
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145526

Harddisk: Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA $43
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822135106

Optical disk: NEC Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW $31
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

Case: Antec NSK 4400 Black/Silver ATX Mini Tower Case 380W Power Supply $72
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129012

OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059

Total: $518

V-P · July 2006

mirage wrote:

Primesuspect said very well, build yourself, and here is a starter kit that I put together for you. You did not seem to need a very powerful computer, I just chose the best quality components without adding too much power that you do not need. But it is fully open for upgrading. You will need to pay some for shipping as an additional cost. I am sure that you will have other suggestions.

Motherboard: ASUS P5ND2-SLI Socket T (LGA 775) $88
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131578

CPU: Intel Celeron D 326 Prescott 533MHz FSB LGA 775 EM64T Processor $52
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819112207
(probably will overclock to 3.1 GHz very easily,
no voltage and CPU cooler adjustment necessary just set to 166 MHz FSB))

Graphics: SAPPHIRE 100141 Radeon X1300 256MB 128-bit DDR PCI Express x16 $63
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102622

RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) $79
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145526

Harddisk: Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA $43
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822135106

Optical disk: NEC Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW $31
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

Case: Antec NSK 4400 Black/Silver ATX Mini Tower Case 380W Power Supply $72
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129012

OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059

Total: $518

How about an AMD system? And why celeron?

V-P · July 2006

Sledgehammer70 · July 2006

Celeron = Evil!

Sledgehammer70 · July 2006

SCAR wrote:

Power Supply: (Never get one included with a case) $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153023

Sorry Scar but I would have to disagree with that statement. Some cases actually come with a good PSU. Now if you revised it to say do not buy a cheap case in the $35.00 range with a PSU I would agree....

and also for a few more bucks you can get a much better graphics card... just in case you want to playa few higher end games:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150152

V-P · July 2006

Sledgehammer70 wrote:

Sorry Scar but I would have to disagree with that statement. Some cases actually come with a good PSU. Now if you revised it to say do not buy a cheap case in the $35.00 range with a PSU I would agree....

and also for a few more bucks you can get a much better graphics card... just in case you want to playa few higher end games:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150152[/QUOTE]
Yea I should have said that, but I was referring to the previous post and the case he selected, so. Even so, wouldn't if just feel better to have picked your power supply. I guess if you got a good $100+ Antec or Lian-Li case it might be good, although I'm not sure if Lian-Li sells cases with PSUs.

airbornflght · July 2006

Sledgehammer70 wrote:

Celeron = Evil!

No, I liken a celeron to a expensive paperweight

Didnt amd release a processor like a 3300 or something, that was meant to be a value based athlon 64?

mirage · July 2006

SCAR wrote:

How about an AMD system?

That would be totally fine

SCAR wrote:

And why celeron?

Because I spent the time to put the list together

mirage · July 2006

I owned, built, and overclocked Celeron-D systems. Every benchmark of my 3.2 Ghz Celeron-D, see my signature (for example Super-Pi 49.984 sec) was comparable with a P4-3GHz system, which I also own. AMD processors are also fine, whatever you choose. So you think Thermaltake PSU's are better than Antec, that is fine too. Shall we go back to the first post and try to help? Oh by the way Antec PSU in the case was Active PFC, but I gues it does not matter for the sake of argument.

Sledgehammer70 · July 2006

for the most part I think the above posts do help, Scar has listed 2 systems that fall under a good price range we also have pointed out a better graphics soultion if that is what you want. I only noted Celeron's to be evil as I have worked with many of them and they have been evil towards me...

I don't know what else your looking for...

primesuspect · July 2006

well i guess we need to wait to see what the thread starter has to say

V-P · July 2006

He probably went looking for another tech site. That's what I did the first time I built my own PC. I posted in one place, and by the time I got to the next, I'd forget the other place.

Volarz · July 2006

Computer Use: Just word processing, e-mail, and programming.

Thanks! Sounds great.
I've been itching to build my own computer from scratch. The concern is whether I'll put it together properly, and how long it will be before it breaks down (probably due to something I did wrong). Then I'll have to spend time trying figure it out, instead of sending it back to the store. Has anyone ever had that experience?
Unfortunately, I live in Canada and NewEgg doesn't ship there. I'll try looking for equivalent parts here.

Thanks!

V-P · July 2006

Volarz wrote:

Computer Use: Just word processing, e-mail, and programming.

Thanks! Sounds great.
I've been itching to build my own computer from scratch. The concern is whether I'll put it together properly, and how long it will be before it breaks down (probably due to something I did wrong). Then I'll have to spend time trying figure it out, instead of sending it back to the store. Has anyone ever had that experience?
Unfortunately, I live in Canada and NewEgg doesn't ship there. I'll try looking for equivalent parts here.

Thanks!

Then go with the system I posted above without the graphics card. You won't be needing it unless you want to do some gaming. The board I picked has onboard video which should hold up for online games and other 2D and older 3D games also. That brings your total down to $507. So it'll probably be around $560 with shipping depending on where you live.

Volarz · July 2006

So I'm thinking...
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Socket AM2 Orleans 2.2GHZ $129 (Only $10 more, so why not?)
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=010224&cid=CPU.907

Gigabyte GA-M55plus-S3G Socket AM2 nVidia nForce 6100+ $104
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=010460&cid=MB.526

Corsair DDR2 512 MB PC2-5400 667MHz (Argh! couldn't find PC2-6400) $74
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=008430&cid=RAM.475

Western Digital Caviar SATA (WD800JD) 80GB $53
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=004652&cid=HD.96

NEC ND-3550 (Black) 16x DVD+/-R 8x DVD+RW 6x DVD-RW Writer 4x DVD-R/8x DVD+R Double Layer $43
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=008742&cid=CR.184

Thermaltake Silent PurePower W0014RUC $80
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?

Case $20
http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=002837&cid=CS.664

XP Home $109

Total: $703 CAD

Questions: So is NEC the way to go for DVD+/- ?
Does the CPU come with the heat sink?

V-P · July 2006

Volarz wrote:

Questions: So is NEC the way to go for DVD+/- ?
Does the CPU come with the heat sink?

Yes and yes. Although if you want some room to overclock, I'd get an aftermarket hs and fan. I doubt you'd need to or want to for your purposes, but just letting you know.
I always thought newegg shipped to Canada. Doesn't it?

Volarz · July 2006

I chatted with an online representative. "Sorry" was their answer.

Is a paste required when placing the heat sink on the CPU? Cuz when I was cleaning my comp, I peeled off the heat sink and there was some white paste.

V-P · July 2006

Volarz wrote:

I chatted with an online representative. "Sorry" was their answer.

Is a paste required when placing the heat sink on the CPU? Cuz when I was cleaning my comp, I peeled off the heat sink and there was some white paste.

It's called thermal paste, and If you want something more than a really expensive toaster, you need it. AMD cpu's come with the pad attached to the bottom of the cpu so you don't need to worry. If you buy an after market hs though, let us know and we'll tell you more.

Volarz · July 2006

Thanks a lot Scar!

I've pulled out and put back RAM and hard drives. I've never installed a motherboard into a case (or a power supply for that matter). How hard is it? What are the odds of me making a mistake?
Can I run progresive tests as I put things together to make sure things are installed correctly?

V-P · July 2006

Volarz wrote:

Thanks a lot Scar!

You're welcome. That's what I thought when I first came here!

Volarz wrote:

I've pulled out and put back RAM and hard drives. I've never installed a motherboard into a case (or a power supply for that matter). How hard is it?

Not too hard.

Volarz wrote:

What are the odds of me making a mistake?
Can I run progresive tests as I put things together to make sure things are installed correctly?

I don't know the odds of making a mistake. It seems like a pretty simple thing to do. Sort of like setting up the wires in the back of your computer. It's pretty much the same inside, just a lot more wires, and it gets a little cramped. You can put almost everything together OUTSIDE the case to make sure it works. That's what most people suggest, although that's not how I did it. Seems like a good idea though. Put together the Motherboard, RAM, and CPU first, and turn it on. If it all works, you can put in the HDD, and the rest of the stuff. Don't worry about putting the heatsink on when you first try it with the RAM and CPU only because you should only have it on for a few seconds, and it shouldn't really have to process anything (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Once you're sure everything works, take it apart, and put ti together in the case. Most cases now come with side panels that come off on both sides, and some with a slide out tray. If you can remove both sides, attaching the Motherboard should be a piece of cake. Make sure you use the spacers between the board and the mounting plate. I forgot to use it my first time, and I kept wondering why the motherboard was scratching the mounting plate. Well I think that covers it.

GrayFox · July 2006

SCAR wrote:

Yes and yes. Although if you want some room to overclock, I'd get an aftermarket hs and fan. I doubt you'd need to or want to for your purposes, but just letting you know.
I always thought newegg shipped to Canada. Doesn't it?

Nope, however we canadians have a place just as good called ncix.

Volarz I would recomend avoiding canada computers they have a record of shady business conduct.

V-P · July 2006

GrayFox wrote:

Nope, however we canadians have a place just as good called ncix.

Volarz I would recomend avoiding canada computers they have a record of shady business conduct.

Wow they even Have PhysX cards. I don't think Newegg has them yet.

GrayFox · July 2006

SCAR wrote:

Wow they even Have PhysX cards. I don't think Newegg has them yet.

Ncix almost always has everything on launch

.

Volarz · July 2006

Cool Grayfox. What kind of shady business?
As long as the cookie's wrapper hasn't been open, I'll eat the cookie.

V-P · July 2006

Volarz wrote:

Cool Grayfox. What kind of shady business?
As long as the cookie's wrapper hasn't been open, I'll eat the cookie.

Why bother with that place if he says its shady. It may be tempting if you had no other place to go to, but since he gave you an apparantly very nice alternative, why bother with Canada Computers or whatever.

GrayFox · July 2006

Volarz wrote:

Cool Grayfox. What kind of shady business?
As long as the cookie's wrapper hasn't been open, I'll eat the cookie.

Ive heard storys from a few customers. They bought stuff and found it was used and repackaged.

In one case damaged it was a 3500+ clawhammer, when he brought it home he noticed that the package had been previously opened and resealed with tape. When he opened it he found that the cpu had damaged pins. When he atempted to exchange it they gave him a hard time but eventualy exchanged it.

Volarz · July 2006

Thanks again GrayFox.
I really appreciate it. Frankly, I'm nervous with online shopping. Stories of hackers obtaining credit card information run through my mind. That's why I look to stores where I buy on the spot.

airbornflght · July 2006

To tell you the truth, it is just as easy for someone to get your info at a store with a credit card. I worked at kmart, and when our slips printed out for you to sign, all of the information was on their except for the cvn.

usually, most places will x out the number like xxxx xxxx xxxx 5485, but nope, kmart shows you the hole shabang, and if a devious employee was smart enought to take advantage of that...You really arent safe from anybody that want to rob you anywhere, I feel safer online, because at least I can say that the transaction is encrypted, and that my card protects me.

Where can I buy a decent computer?

Comments