PC Purchase.

[Don Wuebos]

Okay,
as of right now the computer that i own is not exactly what you would say "up to par" with the hip to the jive PC gaming world....and im looking to change that.

i've been shopping around a bit and could probably go up to 1500 if i could find a credit type site that i could do monthly payments and such. Like i mentioned i've been doing a little bit of homework, But i decided that i would ask some of you what you think about this.

I want to know if any of you have purchased a PC off a certain site and what kind of experience you had with the site. I don't want to be dooped on such a large purchase and i want to also know if you would have any recommendations.

I go to school for computer Networking....so I know about computers, I'm just curious as to some of the setups that some may be running cause im basically looking for the best bang for the buck and having a very optimized system setup.

All posts will be greatly appreciated....like i said, just want some information from you all. So feel free to give me your input.

 

[gamefreak]

If you know about computers, theres really no reason why you shouldn't assemble your own computer from parts. Even if you're not so knowledgable hardware-wise, the entire process is pretty easy (if you have a certain degree of common sense and know how to follow directions). The upside to this process is that you can often build the same system for less. In addition, you're not stuck with low quality parts (if you do your research right), you're not "locked in" to only buy upgrades from one company, and you deal away with all of the bloat of many of todays computer companies.

Some links to get you started on the process:

http://www.buildyourowncomputer.net/learntobuild.html
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

The first time you do it, things might be a bit scary (information overload to a degree). But the process is very fun and informative, you really will learn a lot! (And it is easier than you think ) If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

-GF

 

[Chacrana]

First, avoid Cyber Power. They are potentially the worst company ever.

Second, I'd really look to build your computer because it's easy and far less expensive... meaning that that $1500 can get you a ing amazing computer that will last you for years. My comp which is still teh legit is:

DFI Lanparty Ultra-D mobo
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (San Diego Core)
2GB OCZ Platinum RAM
XFX Factory OCed Geforce 7800GTX (256MB)
Seagate Barracuda 120GB HD
Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Card
Thermaltake Tsunami Case
OCZ Modstream 520W PSU

Basically, that's been more than sufficient to chew up and spit out any game that's come out in the last year (well, save for Oblivion which still ran well... but that game is horribly optimized.) If I really wanted to, I could use this PC for a long time without having any issues with outdated hardware. What I am doing (and I what I recommend that you do) is stepping up to the Geforce 8800GTX when it comes out in November. The performance increase is absolutely huge and it's a DX10 card... so you'll be set for all the pretty graphical effects and have a PC that can pump out graphics better than what you're seeing on the PS3 and 360.

As for stores... newegg.com and zipzoomfly.com = win.

 

[blackjaw]

i dont know, i just ordered a dell mainly for grad school and it has been able to run any game that i throw at it...and it was like 400 bucks

amd 64 x2 3800+
1 gig ram
160gig HDD
dvd-rw
geforce 7900 GT 256mb (only thing i upgraded from the original geforce 7600 le that came with it)
windows xp media center + free upgrade to vista

granted it took 30 minutes to uninstall all of the extra shiz they put on it

i mean, ive built a few systems a couple years back, but for 400 bucks and not having to buy each part seperate or put it together...cant beat it with a stick

 

[SOSTrooper]

If you choose to build your own computer, which I strongly recommend just like the rest of the people in this case, you should buy as many parts as you can from www.newegg.com . Solely because they have the Newegg Preferred account that lets you make no payments for 6 months (or better worded, paying off your purchases within the 6 month span w/o interest). Which should still fit your $1500 budget using that payment option.

As Chacrana said, you should look into the new line of nVidia DX10 cards, since they're just around the corner and you have the money to burn on it. The 8800GTX version will be weighing in a hefty $650 tag, but the one step down version, 8800GTS will be $450 which is very appealing. That'll give you enough headroom for a Core 2 Duo E6600 ($300), a full LGA775 motherboard (such as the Asus P5W DH Deluxe, $240), 2GB DDR2 ($200), Case w/ 550W+ power supply ($200), Serial ATA harddrive, and DVD Burner. Of course, you can scale down some of the parts to have a better fit within your budget. This is just an example of what $1500 can do for you.

nVidia 8800 series have really long card design, so you might want to get a case that have the room to accommodate the card. But this information may be irrelevant for now.