The periodic "I need a new computer" thread.

[Gregness]

So, one of these threads shows up every once in a while; it's been a while since the last one though and given the pace of technology, I thought a new one was in order.

My current desktop is a computer my brother put together for the family back when I still lived at home which mom gave me when I moved away for college. I've got:

• AMD Athlon XP2200 (1.8GHz)
• 512 MB of RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 4000
• Realtek AC'97 Audio for VIA audio controller
• 40GB hard drive
• XP Professional

Which doesn't let me do anything much more demanding than playing Warcraft III (and even then, a lot of the newer custom maps bog down after a while).

Thankfully though, I'm pretty sure I'm in the "everything is an upgrade" position which removes a lot of hassle. I've been poking around Dell and HP's websites to see what's out there but I'm trying to strike a sweet spot between getting a low price, and getting a huge pain in my ass. I considered simply ordering parts and assembling the computer myself which I would imagine would be cheapest, but that would be kind of a hassle. I could also just buy a premade from dell or whatever, but then there'd be potential pricing issues.

One thing I noticed is that it's sort of tough to compare graphics cards. Like, I don't know which is better between the nVidia GeForce GT 220 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770. They both have 1GB of onboard RAM, but I can't seem to find any other stats.

My price range is around $1000, but I might go as high as 1500 if the performance gains were significant enough to warrant it. Primary uses are gaming and schoolwork (computer engineering major)

So, do you guys have any recommendations for parts/PC's I should consider?

[Nikose Tyris]

Real quick question- Are you comfortable with building your own, or is 'having a warranty' a nice thing in your eyes?

I do my own builds, but WARMAGE here is a store-bought PC with a 3 year warranty that's come through for me twice now.

Edit: If you wanted a low budget prebuilt that should last you the rest of college, I'd look at this one:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...425&CatId=5138

That's a canadian price, so it's slightly lower for you, I assume.


Edit again:

Or if you wanted a laptop, I just bought this for my grandmother- it was exactly what she was looking for:
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ...a26772c49cen02

It would also make a good College/Uni machine.

(Both under $500)

--Deleted First post to add and bump this--

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...3&sku=B69-0201

This is a fun little machine for a cheap price. Not top of the line but not a shabby build either- a good starter for a low budget.

[McTahr]

I'm horribly biased against pre-builds when the person knows what they're doing. You can usually eek out about 2/3's of the price of a prebuild with the same hardware (i.e. get a $1500 computer built for $1000) with some decent bargain shopping. On my current rig, the motherboard and one of the video cards was free, and I was able to throw together a setup of:
3.0Ghz Quad Core Phenom
Dual ATI Sapphires (HD 4800)
6G Corsair Trident RAM
1TBx2 hard drives
Optical drives, high end PSU, cooling, and acrylic case.
For...like $700. And that was at least a year and a half ago.

So, in short:
If you're comfortable changing RAM sticks or maybe swapping out a CD drive and want to learn, there's tons of resources out there, and as long as you actually take the time to read up before you go nuts, you're not at a huge risk for breaking anything. (Really, ESD wrist strap, "Don't use too much force when seating anything", and "Be goddamn careful with your processor" are all you need to know.)
It's also nice to know your computer in and out so that when something breaks down the line, you aren't paying out the ass for some jerk to tell you to buy X part so he can put it in for the low low price of $200.

[Nikose Tyris]

@McTahr

I agree with you on principal, but when my $1400 PC breaks and I have $0 in the bank, I like getting my shit up and running immediately rather then 'when I have money'.

Besides, it's not like buying prebuilt stops you from knowing your computer inside and out- you can look up each part on your own and tell the Geek Squad Guy where to shove it when he bullshits you.

((In case I wasn't as clear as possible, the ONLY reason I support Prebuilt is extended warranties. And NEVER from Best Buy. FutureShop only for me!))

[Pip Boy]

I don't actually need a new computer since mine is kinda awesome, at least for my needs, but I AM posting just to bitch that my roomate got a computer that bends mine over a chair.

I don't know all the specifics, but I do know its got a 6-core processor, 8 gigabytes of RAM, at least 1 gig of dedicated video memory, and a terrabyte of harddrive space. QQ.

[Flay Crimsonwind]

I'm thinking that since I tend to get laggy on some sites and am usually last to load on battlenet (yes, warcraft III can still be fun bitches), I need a new computer. Not that I don't love my Desktop HP Pavillion from 2005, but it's a bit old in computer years, and while in college I think I need a laptop.

For those who missed, the link goes to the product specifics. I know little to nothing about computer hardware; I know what RAM is, but not what level it should be at. Basically, while I can scan through products right now, I've no idea which is a worthwhile investment.

Mainly, I'd like to know if there's a way to get a laptop or netbook (smaller is nicer for me) that is as powerful or moreso than that for a price ticket that doesn't make another piece of my poor-ass soul die inside? Any suggestions? I probably will game a bit on it, but mainly I'll use my desktop for heavy gaming (might upgrade it, if I can get the money). But note, I have a 1tb external hard drive, so I wont have to have all that much stored on my system as-is. For those who care, it's a WD My Book Essential, and unless I'm mistaken, I CAN run programs/open pdf's while it's plugged in, and not just use it as a place to store backup files, correct?