Can i make a good pc for under a grand?

[mcintosh184]

I'm looking to replace my dell 2.4ghz p4 ... mainly because I cant upgrade it (graphics card ect because of the 250 watt cap ... I called dell and they said I was sh!t out of luck basically)

Anyways, I'm looking around and I see alot of guys making there own. I'd like to know where is a good place to start researching and learning the entire process, or maybe find some checklists of people who have made there own. I will be mostly using the system for 3d modeling in max and maya as well as gaming. I'd like the 6600gt (either pc-1 or agp) and a decent amount of fast ram ... other than that, i dont know what I should/can get for the money i have to pork over ... any insight would be great.

[ScottyRolen]

1 grand is plenty.

You can research good prices at newegg.com

First decision is probably AMD or Intel...

[ScottyRolen]

If you do graphics, people are going to say intel but for 1 grand, I think you make a better overall system going socket 754 AMD... getting a a great p4 chip for graphics work will cut that budget down faster

[MessiaH289]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyRolen

1 grand is plenty.

You can research good prices at newegg.com

First decision is probably AMD or Intel...

AMD! AMD! AMD! AMD! AMD!

[HeadBand]

you should be able to use most of the parts out of your old system and get by with a new case/psu and mobo, or if you wanted to use the adapter i linked in the other thread it would be bossible to use your psu

but if you cust want a whole new one in order to have 2 I can understand that as well

edit

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyRolen

If you do graphics, people are going to say intel but for 1 grand, I think you make a better overall system going socket 754 AMD... getting a a great p4 chip for graphics work will cut that budget down faster

accually the price difference is not that big when you get into the higher end stuff

s754 3000+ $149
s939 3000+ $149+hsf
socket T 530 (3ghz) $178

s754 3200+ $190
s939 3200+ $194 + hsf
socket T 540 (3.2ghz) $178 $218

[ScottyRolen]

He did say he wanted to game too.

For me it is no question. You can build an awesome setup with a sempron3100+ or 3000+... 2800 is in between in performance and price too.

All are awesome cpu's but with a little bit of touch, the sempron can be overclocked to pass all 754 chips... and its cheaper and ranks amongst 3.2ghz P4's which are wayyy more expensive.

[mcintosh184]

all this info is unfamiliar to me ... is there any lists of parts (like a check list) that I'd can get that will make a good pc for under a grand. Regardless, any insight or suggestions are extremely helpfull ... I am not familiar with amd and I dont know the difference between that and intel to be honest. I am somewhat of a newbie


as for the power adapter thing ... Dell tech support said it was impossible, though if they are wrong, that would be awesome. the casing to my computer is small (mini tower) and they said I would have to replace the mother board to get a higher psu speed and then they said that they had no mother boards or power supply upgrades that are compatable with my pc.

[HeadBand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcintosh184

all this info is unfamiliar to me ... is there any lists of parts (like a check list) that I'd can get that will make a good pc for under a grand. Regardless, any insight or suggestions are extremely helpfull ... I am not familiar with amd and I dont know the difference between that and intel to be honest. I am somewhat of a newbie


as for the power adapter thing ... Dell tech support said it was impossible, though if they are wrong, that would be awesome. the casing to my computer is small (mini tower) and they said I would have to replace the mother board to get a higher psu speed and then they said that they had no mother boards or power supply upgrades that are compatable with my pc.

they don't have them because they want to sell you a whole new pc, the adapters that other companies sell should work just fine

if you are still uucomftorable using one of these adapters you could just get a new motherboard and case and use the rest of the parts from your old system

[ScottyRolen]

Thats what I reccomend with a new case and mobo you can just add new parts to a system at will, like people who build their own systems. Thats why I do not go with Dell, because you are forced to take this step when its automatic if ya custom built it to begin with.

[mcintosh184]

where can i learn about this stuff ... Ex. I am afraid of buying a mother board that doesnt fit in a certain case or how a certain amd model compares to the 2.4 ghz intel i have now.

I have an idea of what i want (something thats a little bit better than what i have and is upgradable) which is a start but i dont know where to go from there. I know i want a 6600gt card (pcie) which is around 200 bucks, and i know i want a gig of fast ram. I already got the keyboard and mouse (logicteck mxo duo elite wireless sealed in box) and I am getting the logictech z2300 2.1 speaker system and sub for around $100. (its somewhat of a black and grey motif going on )

I probably sound like an idiot ... its just building a pc is alittle scary, although very intersting, and i am sure it will be cheaper and better for me in the long run.

I still have to think about the motherboard, casing, pcu, dvd/cd rewritable drives, soundcards, ect ... any suggestions would help.