best place to buy a computer

[presence06]

Its been a while, and I'm looking for some help on buying a new computer. I'm simply sick of this one. I can scrounge the vidcard and memory and the hardrive and fan that's about it, oh and the drives. but im looking for a new machine.

where is the best place to get one. i've been looking around but nothing to spectacular.any suggestions.


also the computer will be used for, games-music-interenet.burning cds/media.

[_Switch_]

have you considered building your own?

I kno it's a stupid question, but I can guarantee you that you'll yourself a lot of money rather then buying one from a retailer.

Plus you're only just needing like half a system, since you have most of what you need.

[presence06]

otay. so thne where would be the best place to buy, the case, mobo, psu, network card, and whatever else i need...

and another thing..aren't like, amd and intel processors extremly pricey?

and for windows xp...i have a disk yet from this computer with xphome sp1a on it..if i do get a new computer, cna i just take that disk and load windows to it?

[pheonix_789]

try Tigerdirect.ca it has alot of custom pc mods and hardware. it much cheaper to custom build your own computer and you can customize any which way you want oh yes xiode.com has some really cool hardware!

[pheonix_789]

yes you can install windows xp on any new system and make sure you update everything for it!

[presence06]

okah. So I've been looking at new egg...this is what i got so far:


mobo=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128285
proc=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116171
heatsink=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106061
hd=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148034

idk what i all need yet, i know i need a case..but idk what kind to get.
any other suggestions, what i need and if im even doing this right lol.
thanks.

[brandon184]

http://www.dell.com/

[Tazzin]

Things you need to build a computer:

1 - Case
2 - PSU
3 - Mobo
4 - Processor
5 - HSF
6 - RAM
7 - Video Card
8 - HDD(s)
9 - Optical Drive(s)

Some of the components are interconnected.. like the Mobo/Proc will dertermine what of the other you have to buy. Since you are using pieces from the current pc .. make sure they will work in the new one or else you will have to upgrade those parts.

Maybe a Barebones system would work..
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...c.asp?CatId=31

[presence06]

what kind of psu.. a high watt like 500 or what?

the mobo i put above supports the ram i have now in this machine..so i am good with that.
the vidcard works too with it.

[SoloCamo]

also the computer will be used for, games-music-interenet.burning cds/media.

http://www.dell.com/

I sense a problem in the force.

What are you current system specs, and how much can you spend?

[presence06]

umm money wise..at least up to 1,000
i hate dell btw lol.

my specs for this one

asus p4p800s
pen 4/ht
80gig barracuda 7200
ati extasy 9600 256mb agp
1 gig pc 3200 ram
win xp home sp2

[DarkStar02]

For some people, games is Solitaire.

[bombledmonk]

If you want to cannibalize your old computer you can get quite a bit for $1000.

By far the best place for parts tends to be www.newegg.com . It's not the only place, but in general it has the best price and the best service and selection of the parts you'll want.

What kind of gaming will you be doing? By today's standards your current video card is pretty much completely out of date for new games.
FSP Group (Fortron Source) FSP550-60PLN EPS12V 550W Power Supply - Retail $103
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104973

Case of your choice
http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/Su...?SubCategory=7

Motherboard of your choice depending on features
DFI nF4 Ultra-Infinity Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136163

GIGABYTE GV-R80L256V Radeon X800XL 256MB GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Retail $255
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103539

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail $267
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125186

No, it's not the best configuration you can probably get, but I just listed the stuff so you can get an idea.

[presence06]

Well thank you=]

the psu sounds good for me lol. ugh. the vidcard..okay so im not that big of a gamer i mostly just play like bf42, and other such games but not like doom3 and bf2 quite yet. i can always update it later on i guess. the mobo, im not really into the amd, it is a nice board tho

but i'll keep looking and when I find a set up, i'll post it and see what you guys think

=]

[EXreaction]

Well, if you plan on doing anything but mobile work, AMD will beat Intel at it...especially gaming!

For $1000...I would get
DFI Mobo
AMD X2 3800+
7800 GT
keep your old hdd, and optical drives...
mabey a new case if you want
a fsp 450w psu, or the OCZ modstream psu...

depending on what you want to play for games, you could drop the 7800 GT, and go with something slower, mabey a X800XL, or a X800GT.

[JPMiller]

Save youself some money...
You wont need over a 450 Watt Fortron...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104954

[mjolnir1134]

You can buy your parts at newegg, or you can go to www.ibuypower.com to specify what you want in your computer

I remember seeing TIMO forumers wanting to build gaming cafe computers, that are really good, and these prices in there are WOW! ARE THEY REALLY THAT CHEAP!?

I honestly never bought from that place before, because I've been stuck here upgrading the living poop out of my emachines, and doing a good job at it.

Retailers are overpriced, you're mostly paying for the logo IMO. Alienware is a good example... they are ultra-overpriced

[EXreaction]

Ya...Alienware...ultra overpriced piece of china plastic...

[presence06]

heres what i got so far::::


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136163
processor
psu
hdd
hsf

[bombledmonk]

You've got a great start there.

As far as Heatsinks go, there are better choices(at least IMO) out there in the same and higher price brackets.
The best air cooling you can get. (as good as some water solutions but at a price) I'd only suggest this if you want to do a good amount of overclocking.
http://svc.com/fan-9500cu-99.html

my main suggestion would be pairing this heatsink with the 90mm fan of your choice.
http://svc.com/xp-90-21.html

If your going to want to use your old video card you will not be able to buy that motherboard as it does not have an AGP slot. This is kind of where you have to make the decision if you want a new video card or not. If you don't, you'd be better off getting this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157081
It's a great chipset on a decent board which will allow you to use your current video card now and upgrade to PCIe when you are ready. Just don't expect much in the line of extra features for overclocking and such.