Help, I need a Desktop Computer

[TyGuy]

That's what I've never been good at, getting shit at a reasonable price.. Pr26, if you can get deals like those, you could build an ideal PC for under $1000..

You just have to be diligent about checking every so often, especially if you are in the market for new hardware. I think pr26 should check out anandtech and register on the forum. They have a hot deals section where members will post deals they find. That is where i found the videocard and frys combo deal. They also have great articles and a benchmarks graph to get you an idea about performance when comparing products.

Not to mention you can also find killer deals on pc games. I picked up dishonored for 20 dollars, thq has this humble bundle going on where you name your own price. Steam has sales every so often. Pc gaming completely leaves consoles in the dust in my opinion.

 

[gourimoko]

Agreed.. I avoid console gaming whenever possible.

 

[pr26]

Thanks Gouri and Ty, you guys have given me a lot to think about.

Again, I'm probably not going to build a PC. I do realize that I can save a ton of money if I did, but I'll spend the extra money for the convenience. I'm really dumb when it comes to this stuff, and I don't have time to find someone to build it for me because I was hoping to set up this office asap (Probably gonna buy something Monday or Tuesday online). I know a few people who could do it, but their unreliable and I don't wanna wait a month.

I know now, after your guys help, than I really do want to buy something that is i7 Quad core, and non-intergrated graphics so I can upgrade later. Again, gaming would be a perk, not a need on this machine.

Also, I'm gonna keep my eye on techbargains and slick deals to see if I can find a steal early next week. For example they had a new Dell XPS 8500 with a quad core i7 and 10gb of ram with a 24" LED 1080p screen for $850. That deal expired now, but an example of something I could nab if I keep my eye out.

 

[Otsego Mar]

When gourimoko types, your eyes must read and your brain must understand. DO IT!

 

[pr26]

Gouri, what's your professional opinion on buying refurbs from reputable sites such as new egg, tiger direct, or amazon?

 

[gourimoko]

Gouri, what's your professional opinion on buying refurbs from reputable sites such as new egg, tiger direct, or amazon?

I actually prefer certain items if they're refurbished if they come with an extended warranty that would otherwise cost extra. The things you don't buy refurbished are single ICs like CPUs, RAM, SSDs, and HDDs. Reason being is that finding an error in the CPU, or sometimes in RAM, can be a pain in the ass and might go somewhat unnoticed for awhile, not have easily reproducible errors, and may not be covered by any warranty. SSDs and HDDs are different beasts, they are more complex and can be adequately refurbished (HDDs in particular), however, unless you're in RAID-0(1)/5 then you're basically okay with losing data. Even on my Usenet-only 4-tera array, I don't want to lose anything. I had a 2TB RAID-0 array die on me not even 4 months ago and I lost a ton of shit... Fuck Seagate (the parts were brand new and under warranty, but data loss is permanent).

Devices I don't mind getting refurbished are:
Graphics Cards (because ATI cards are broken out of the box anyway, and are my preferred card - might as well get a free warranty!),
Monitors (if in new condition, with extended warranty), cases (c'mon),
Mobos (all refurb processing is basically find-and-replace burnt out IC, which is a pretty good fix for most problems - again warranty)
Speakers, easy repair,
Modems and Routers, again, easy repair and often there's nothing physicall wrong with the component - usually a bricked DD-WRT flash!
Cameras, free extended warranty is worth the trouble.

Buying complete systems refurbished is a great idea if you can find a good deal. Usually something ridiculously simple was broken. Wifi radio, bad CMOS flash, hard drive platter cracked while shipping, hell even a bad sector on the disk causing Windows to not boot can result in a PC getting sent back for refurbishing..

I might avoid a refurbed PSU just because I'd hate to meet St. Peter at the Gates on some "dude, I saved $20"

 

[The Oi]

For the record...

I initially had zero idea (ZERO) how to build a computer, and with RCF's help I built mine late last year. It's been everything I'd ever need for a computer, quick as hell and very reliable.

It was fun.

 

[pr26]

For the record...

I initially had zero idea (ZERO) how to build a computer, and with RCF's help I built mine late last year. It's been everything I'd ever need for a computer, quick as hell and very reliable.

It was fun.

If I had more time (I really need a workstation soon), I'd consider it more heavily. I haven't ruled it out but I'm really hoping to have my office set up by next week. I have no doubt I COULD do it, and still MAY do it, but ya know *insert self deprecating comment here*

Gouri, I've seen some really good deals on powerful desktop pc refurbs, so I'll revisit those and ponder it. Probably gonna purchase something by Tuesday Or Wednesday. Thanks everyone for their input, I honestly would have bought something stupid all of your help.

 

[Ren]

Don't have anything to add to this thread that hasn't already been touched upon, so... viva la pc gamers!

 

[Jack Brickman]

Which is why if you start off with a case like this.......

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133198

upgrading is easy as 1-2-3 when that time comes.

[video=youtube;quPTqVmH140]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=quPTqVmH140#![/video]

Hey that's my tower! Except mine is white.

If you have the know-how, I recommend building your own computer. You can make a super-powerful PC for a much lower cost than having it built for you. The only downside is your tech support is basically just yourself and the internet, so if something breaks it can be annoying. And something almost always breaks.