Computer shopping, any suggestions?

[Ceewan]

It looks like I will very soon be (temporarily at least) out of the deep financial hole I have been in the last few years and have a little money to spend on myself. So I am going to upgrade my desktop (before it completely fails).

Personally I am looking for something under $1000 US dollars and a windows operating system (sigh, need it, no realistic way around it). I considered switching to a MAC (pcmag just loves them) but I like to game from time to time and the best games still run on windows.

PC mag suggests:

Gateway DX4885-UR2D Price $599

I am personally leaning towards the:

Dell XPS 8700 Price $699 (much better graphics card)

with any luck (not that I have much) I should be getting or ordering one in about a week to ten days. So I thought any input might help me make up my mind or help others searching through "the endless sea of choices" available nowadays.

 

[CoolKevin]

I am running a dell right now, and this is my 3rd one,and since my first, they have got progressively worse, I will never buy another dell

you do not have to run windows on its own, you can run more than one O/S (duel boot), if you go that route, windows has to be installed first, the MBR (master boot record) destroys other O/S

 

[CodeGeek]

My last PC I bought maybe 3 or 4 years ago. And I selected the parts my myself instead of buying a read-for-use one.
But the company a friend of mine is working at only buys Dell. And they are really happy with them.
The only thing from Dell I own is my screen. I had a Dell 2209WA and have now 2x Dell U2412M. And I'm also happy: Nice picture quality, nice design.

 

[Drizew]

If you have the time to do a bit of research I HIGHLY suggest you build one yourself. You will probably get a system that's much more capable. Take a look at the $662 range on this site
http://www.logicalincrements.com/ That will be a much better computer for gaming, and really for anything. Of course, with anything, make sure to weigh all of your options. This will not include a monitor (neither will the dell), or OS. You will also need to keep in mind that they use Amazon for their prices and will not always be the cheapest. Check out pcpartpicker.com as well to get an idea of what prices are at different e-tailers. If you need help, or have questions shoot me a PM.

 

[EzikialRage]

Before you buy a computer I suggest reading the customer reviews.Check out more than one website and be wary of reviews by paid shills. My last computer was a Gateway and it had a problem with overheating anytime a millimeter of dust was on the CPU cooling fan blades. Luckily I had a air compressor and dusted it every two to three weeks.

This is my current computer.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-envy...=3516286&st=categoryid$abcat0501000&cp=1&lp=2

 

[Ceewan]

yep, good advice. I read a decent review on a Gateway top-of-the-line computer but they were even critical about the powersupply.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2465079,00.asp

So at the moment I am going Dell, although as usual, my plans seems to have been delayed a few days. The HP ENVY series looks pretty good and I admit I have been dying to try a Hewlett Packard since they have become competitive but it is a few hundred more than I wanted to spend. It is basically in the same league as the Dell XPS series although I think in choosing the i5 processor over the slightly more powerful i7 processor saves me a quite a few dollars. I would prefer the Core i7, of course.

Thx so much for the input! I well take a harder look at the HP ENVY line.


The computer I am using now is seriously on its' last legs. Blue Screen of Death twice today plus a couple of reboots and the screen sometimes flickers (although it never flickers when playing a show with VLC, go figure). So if you don't see me around for a bit you know what happenned.

 

[Drizew]

Sure the i5 and i7s are nice, we all know that. But I gotta say the i3 4130 I am using works really well. Although it's only dual core, it has hyper threading. (each core acts as 2) So applications that use multiple cores will still get a boost.
I have to stress it, buying one prebuilt will be easier to "assemble" and turn on, but there are many advantages to building your own.
You already mentioned the power supply. These prebuilt computers come with a power supply that is JUST big enough to run what's inside. Over time power supplies supply less and less power from wearing down. If that fails, so does your whole computer.
They boast about the processor, but the GPU is always under-powered. I don't know what you plan on doing with the computer, but if there's any gaming involved you will be disappointed.

I found this combo and it's a pretty good deal. Of course this has no OS, so add another ~100 dollars. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1808688
But that CPU should perform just as well as the i5 and the GPU is better. Of course you can use your old hard drives, or buy a 1TB drive. But the SSD will blow your mind (if you have never used one)

And if you REALLY need one (I finally got rid of mine), you could get a cheap optical drive (or reuse your old one). I just load all my stuff on a USB drive now. SO much more portable, and the speeds are MUCH faster. CDs suck.

Anyway, if you are set on buying one put together, I will take a look around to see if I find any good deals.

 

[Ceewan]

That is actually a nice set-up but I don't trust myself to put it all together myself. I am really not up to date on all this tech stuff, showing my age no doubt. I don't really need an optical drive, (took me a bit to figure out what the fuck that even was, nobody calls them discdrives anymore?), and I have four of them though none of them work anymore. I don't really need anything too special but it would be nice to play the new games once in awhile (FarCry 4 for instance) without any problems and no lags because of lack of processing power or inferior graphics capability.

The Dell XPS 8700 comes at a reasonable price and although it is not as game friendly as Dells' Alienware brands it is a few hundred dollars cheaper (Alienware has some killer stuff and recognized as Gaming PCs'). I would actually probably be okay with an Inspiron (which start at $300), it would still be a huge upgrade on what I have now but I will settle for something inbetween.

I have been looking at other computer deals and as long as I get a decent deal on the Dell it still looks good. Here are some stats on it:

2TB hard-drive ( I would be okay with 1TB but we will see)
16GB RAM (from what I have been able to gather this is pretty good)
six USB 3.0 ports
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (I wouldn't mind upgrading this but it gets expensive real quick*)
460W power supply ( decent but I will see if they offer better)
Intel i7-4770 Quad-Core (is what they are offering but the i5 looks to shave hundred or more off the price)

*Dell does offer a GeForce GT 720 graphics card but I am not sure how much it will cost me.

Still, I could do with less. I would rather get a prebuilt system from soneone I feel I can trust (Dell builds to order and I like that) but price, longevity and reliablity are all important.

Thanks so much for the input! (put me back on the computer for an hour or so looking around and reading reviews)

 

[Drizew]

I took a look at the XPS 8700 from Dell and I think that's pretty decent. I would like to see a bit better of a graphics card, but of course that's the last thing they upgrade on these computers.

Building a computer is really simple IMO. The hardest part is trusting yourself. There are of course a few things that could throw you off, but for the most part it's straight forward. Off the top of my head, everything only fits 1 direction, with the exception of the CPU cooler. (it rotates 4 ways, so choose which benefits power cable routing the best)

There are a ton of guides and videos floating around if you take a look. I wish I could build it for ya and mail it. You can get much better components (and control what goes in) when you build.

Anyway, like I said earlier, I think that Dell is a pretty good option. Don't bother with anything more than 8GB of RAM unless you are doing heavy encoding, or some sort of workstation work. And of course the i5 CPU is plenty.

Let me know what you think. If you have questions let me know.

 

[Ceewan]

The more I look into it, building your own PC seems to be the rage these days. But self-builds come without a warranty so if you screw up you pay for it....literally.

I will take your reccomendations to heart. I have also been looking at other good prebuilt computers (Lenovo K450e,iBUYPOWER NE713i, etc.,) but while they boast a inexpensive basic price it is only for the basic design which is somewhat underpowered. The price goes up quickly when you start upgrading the system and they all so far end up over my budget. The more one reads about all the new stuff available the more one wants so that is a trap I need to watch out for and just focus on what I need.

I should have two or three days left to look things over further (if my computer holds up....I have no idea what is holding it together), thanks again for all your help.

 

[Drizew]

Messing up a part of the computer is pretty difficult. You either have to shock it (static electricity), or drop/bend/snap it. They have spent lots of time standardizing most things. Trust me, if you have any experience building ANYTHING, it's simple.

I took a look at cyberpowerpc, ibuypower, alienware, falcon, etc. and you are right they price all goes to around 800 compared to the 650 or so for building it yourself.

Edit: In all fairness that price is with no OS... but that should be reused if you already have a copy.

 

[Ceewan]

I am seriously tempted. I suppose I could always get a gator clip grounder and give it a go. It would be nice if I could just get all the parts I need locally though instead of ordering them. One very important thing to remember about a prebuilt system, and it is a major selling point, is convenience. It is hard to beat one-stop shopping where all you have to do is tell somebody what you want and they do it for you. Now there are a few computer repair places locally that might actually have the parts for me to build one (one is just up the street from me) and I will check that out tomorrow and see what they have in stock. As far as OS I am in a mess. I am actually using XP atm. I have a copy of Vista but I seem to have lost the effing sleeve with the serial number on it, ( my life is one fuck up after another somedays). Not to mention that the disc itself is still in one of my nonworking "optical drives". (isn't it great to anonymously share ones screwed tidbits of life on the internet?)

Seriously though, I am a little pissed that Dell does not offer a solid state drive for the XPS 8700 (that is what I have heard, haven't confirmed it), so that and picking up a solid 600-800 watt power supply are my initial temptations to just build one myself. I have a pair of "boxes" already, I wonder if I can use them instead of buying a new case? The motherboards are pretty old though, so maybe not because of new configurations. (do you have to buy the buslines seperately? or do they come with the parts?) It might be a good time to buy stuff too. All the back-to-school computer sales are over and I might just get a good deal on some overstock items (or maybe I am just screwed...again, lol).

 

[Drizew]

If you were to build one, I suggest you buy a new case. It will have USB 3.0 ports at the front, nicer internals (for cable routing), and ofc it's new and shiny. You will only really be set back $50 for a decent case anyway. Of course if you wanted to save that $50 and put it toward upgrading this or that, you could most likely use an older case. You would just have to make sure it accepts ATX, or micro ATX motherboards. (2 of the most common sizes/bolt patterns)

I know how nice it is to just have something delivered. There's no denying that. I didn't even think of what you said earlier. You might be able to get a place around you to build it for you. I know of a computer shop or 2 around here that would do it.

 

[WillEater]

So, you do know that i5 and i7 processors can be only core 2, right?
Do your homework and do not buy the crap they try to sell you..
Seriously, check it out..

 

[WillEater]

Just to be clear: Core 2 with Hyper threading shows up as 4 processors. (It's not)
What you want is Quad core that shows up as 8 processors.
The top i7 processor has 16 cores and is $3000.00, so chose wisely..

 

[Ceewan]

The Dell XPS 8700 comes standard with a i7-4790 Processor which is a 4 core (so I used the term Quad Core). But I seriously appreciate the input. If I am misunderstanding the technical jargon please forgive me, I am just your Average Joe.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-8700/pd?~ck=mn&~srd=true&sk=xps 8700 desktop&scat=prod&ref=ac
http://ark.intel.com/products/80806/Intel-Core-i7-4790-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_00-GHz


eewww WillEater no ya got me looking at tech pages! If I am not careful I might learn something, I guess...

http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/386100/what_difference_between_an_intel_core_i3_i5_i7_/

 

[CodeGeek]

AMD is not an option? I have an Phenom II X4 970 3500 MHz (I bought it 3 or 4 years ago). And I'm really happy with it. But most PC manufacturers like Dell don't offer them. At least it is not part of the models they make advertisement for.

 

[Drizew]

I never recommend AMD (for builders). They are fine if you buy a computer with 1 in it... I just hate the socket so much, that I will never buy/recommend one. (until they change it) They lack a lock down mechanism and I have actually had a processor get pulled out when trying to remove a heatsink. That's unacceptable. The processors are fine though. They perform fine for most people, especially those who will not have a GPU fast enough to bottleneck the CPU.

If you decide to go with a Dell, PLEASE do not pay the extra money for the i7. You won't notice a difference unless you are encoding or something. For everyday use, any of the newer processors are fast enough. Take that $150 and buy a SSD. That will be a MUCH larger speed increase.

 

[CodeGeek]

I have to say that I have AMD processor since a 486 DX 133. And so far I never had problems also all of these were systems build by myself. But that doesn't mean that I agree with the socket of AMD. I also think they change the socket very often.

I also recommend the SSD (for the system). Also I can't say much about the difference between a i7 and a i5.

 

[Ceewan]

Well....thanks for all the input!

I did come across a pretty affordable build that inlcudes an AMD processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo...et-_-MaximumPC_BluePrint-_-NA&nm_mc=ExtBanner

Still, looking around but I keep spending about $1000 (before rebates) myself. So maybe I will fork out another 100 or two to get what I want (dammit! now I am into this whole "build your own" thing). If I want my computer to stay current with newer software and games I should at least pick up an Intel Core i5-4670K processor. I like Intel and it was just suggested more than the AMD series. I do like the reviews on the AMD Radeon R9 270X GPU though and it is prices less than the GeForce GTX 760 which it compares very nicely to. Here is what I am looking at so far (priced at newegg and Amazon....so much for one stop shopping)

Intel Core i5-4690K                   $225.59
ASRock Z97 Pro3                          $99.99 ($10 rebate)
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB            $94.98 (that includes shipping)
Radeon R9 270X                         $204.99 ($20.00 rebate)
SanDisk Extreme II                      $86.98  (including shipping)
SeaSonic S12II 620w                    $85.98  (including shipping)
WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM            $ 61.98 (including shipping)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus       $38.98 (including shipping)
________________________
total                                        $896.97

Still iffy on what case and optical drive (need an additional cable for that) plus there is the OS (sigh, lol). Time to hit some stores and see what they are offering. Thx again guys, this is getting kinda fun.


( I will post my final build)