New Computer Thread...again!

Smoke_Nova · July 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">This time i'm not building it.</div> Ok. Since I realized, stupidly late, that I need my own computer for school and eMachine type computers aren't getting cheaper then 400, i'm getting a "custom" system from Dell probably. Yes, brand me a "I build my own computer" heretic.

My system from dell, as of right now, is about 900-1100$ on average.

Specs:

P4 2.40ghz 800 Mhz FSB/ HT Technology

256mb DDR SDRAM @ 400mhz (Costs 110 to upgrade to 512, gonna buy 2x 256 DDR from Crucial for 100)

40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200 RPM

No Floppy Drive

48x CD-Rom Drive

17 in (16in viewable, 27dp) E773c CRT Monitor

64MB DDR RAm GeForce4 MX w/ TV-Out & DVI

SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Digital Sound Card with Dolby Digital 5.1 capability

Altec Lansing® ADA215 Speakers

Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition¹²

Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet

Total: 944$

Beat that you people who know how to build your own computer.

And am I getting a decent deal with a 1 year Tech Support & Warranty?

Spooge · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (SmokeNova @ Jul 23 2003, 06:51 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Total: 944$

Beat that you people who know how to build your own computer.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Hmm. Add this monitor to the post I made on <a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=10&t=39208&st=0' target='_blank'>this page.</a>

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
NEC 17" CRT VGA Monitor Model FE791SB White Retail Make a bright investment in performance with the 17? (16? viewable) NEC MultiSync FE791SB, a flat-screen CRT monitor boasting superior resolution quality and unprecedented brightness.
Specifications:
Screen 17" (16.0" viewable image size )
CRT: SuperBright Diamondtron Totally-Flat Aperture Grille
Maximum Resolution 1600 X 1200 @ 76 Hz
Recommended Resolution: 1280 x 1024 @ 85 Hz
Horizontal Frequency 30 kHz to 96 kHz
Aperture grille pitch: 0.25mm
Input Connector: DB15 VGA
Dimensions: 15.6 in. (W) x 15.4 in. (H) x 16.4 in. (D)
Manufacturer Limited Warranty: 3 Years CRT, Parts and Labor more info>

Standard Warranty only N82E16824002045 $185.00
$185.00

</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

Approx $900. All you'd need is a case and my machine would be a bit faster <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

Smoke_Nova · July 2003

And a case would probably run, about what, 50-60$? With Dell, you get unlimited Tech Support, the disc full of drivers, Windows XP included, Microsoft Works Suite and keyboard/mouse. Which would put your computer over the 1000 dollar mark.

Rawr

eediot · July 2003

its not "i built my own computer", dell did. it doesnt count like that, haha, you have to get the parts individually and assemble them yourself. unless i read what you said the wrong way.

also, i assume the total price is in american... i could build myself a mad computer for around 1000 australian... [$500 american] hehe

ah well

not much point to my post, sorry =|

CForrester · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (SmokeNova @ Jul 24 2003, 01:47 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> And a case would probably run, about what, 50-60$? With Dell, you get unlimited Tech Support, the disc full of drivers, Windows XP included, Microsoft Works Suite and keyboard/mouse. Which would put your computer over the 1000 dollar mark.

Rawr  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Unlimited tech support that sucks, to be honest. If anything breaks, you'd have to send it to them to replace, which averages double what it costs to order your own part and put it in. Dell is very sneaky, indeed. It's cheaper, in the end, just to build your own.

OttoDestruct · July 2003

Even if it isn't cheaper, dell has a way of sneaking crap into their included version of windows, and adding crap after its installed. Making a system yourself ensures your system is totally clean, not to mention you know exactly what parts went in, from what company, so it can actually save you time troubleshooting for yourself.

Bogglesteinsky · July 2003

and you dont have to pay for labor

Smoke_Nova · July 2003

Have you guys actually read the Tech Support stuff?

They send a Technician to your house, with the part. He opens your computer, replaces it with the working part, you sign a form, he leaves, no money exchanged.

Trust me, i've had a dell for 4 years, saved about 400$ on replacement parts because I didn't have to pay for them.

New Motherboard, new processor, new video card, new speakers, new mouse, new hard drive, all free of charge thanks to Dell's 3 year Unlimited Tech Support & Parts replacement warranty.

[edit] And that's why they included the Format option so you could make a clean install.[/edit]

Wheeee · July 2003

cheap case = $20
power supply = another $50

Spooge · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (SmokeNova @ Jul 24 2003, 02:34 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Trust me, i've had a dell for 4 years, saved about 400$ on replacement parts because I didn't have to pay for them.

New Motherboard, new processor, new video card, new speakers, new mouse, new hard drive, all free of charge thanks to Dell's 3 year Unlimited Tech Support & Parts replacement warranty.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Must have been some high quality parts <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

NumbersNotFound · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Trust me, i've had a dell for 4 years, saved about 400$ on replacement parts because I didn't have to pay for them.</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

I can build a faster computer for 400 bucks less than a dell and save the hassle of having to hang on the phone for hours and lead tech support through my problem...

Wheeee · July 2003

*shrug* it's nice to have a warranty, but a 1-year warranty most likely ain't gonna do you much.

Cereal_KillR · July 2003

well the vga looks weak, and so does the memory. Unless you use that extra 100 bucks (that you absolutely will need to spend on ram)

Wheeee · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Cereal_KillR @ Jul 24 2003, 03:33 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> well the vga looks weak, and so does the memory. Unless you use that extra 100 bucks (that you absolutely will need to spend on ram)  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
agreed

p4Samwise · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (SmokeNova @ Jul 23 2003, 03:51 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Total: 944$

Beat that you people who know how to build your own computer.
 </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
40 GB hard drive? 256 MB of RAM? 64 MB video card? Why not save yourself even more time and money and get a pocket calculator? <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'> <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'>

NumbersNotFound · July 2003

a PC for a friend going away to college i've been toying around with:

Part Price

KDS Radius RAD-5 15" LCD monitor - Retail $250.00
Seagate 80GB 7200rpm EIDE Hard Drive Barracuda $79.00
Asus A7N266-VM AA (AMD Assured Version) NVIDIA nFORCE 220 $65.00
Lite On 48x24x48x16 CDROM/CDRW/DVD Combo Drive BLACK $65.00
LEADTEK tv tuner card $51.00
AMD Athlon XP 1700+/266 FSB CPU 1700+/ 1.47GHz -OEM $44.00
Crucial 256MB Ram $44.00
InWin Model IW-V523G.250FU2D case $40.00
Altec Speakers $30.00
Logitech MX300 Optical Mouse (PS/2 & USB) - RETAIL $20.00
Keyboard $16.00
Speeze CPU Fan Model 5F263B1M3 for AMD/Intel Socket A/370 $7.00
80mm silent case fan $7.00
SAMSUNG 1.44MB FLOPPY DRIVE BLACK $7.00

$725 total.

Wheeee · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (404NotFound @ Jul 24 2003, 04:18 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> a PC for a friend going away to college i've been toying around with:

Part Price

KDS Radius RAD-5 15" LCD monitor - Retail $250.00
Seagate 80GB 7200rpm EIDE Hard Drive Barracuda $79.00
Asus A7N266-VM AA (AMD Assured Version) NVIDIA nFORCE 220 $65.00
Lite On 48x24x48x16 CDROM/CDRW/DVD Combo Drive BLACK $65.00
LEADTEK tv tuner card $51.00
AMD Athlon XP 1700+/266 FSB CPU 1700+/ 1.47GHz -OEM $44.00
Crucial 256MB Ram $44.00
InWin Model IW-V523G.250FU2D case $40.00
Altec Speakers $30.00
Logitech MX300 Optical Mouse (PS/2 & USB) - RETAIL $20.00
Keyboard $16.00
Speeze CPU Fan Model 5F263B1M3 for AMD/Intel Socket A/370 $7.00
80mm silent case fan $7.00
SAMSUNG 1.44MB FLOPPY DRIVE BLACK $7.00

$725 total.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 

...um, why?
those components make as much sense as...i dunno.
Why are you buyin a 15" LCD? Why don't you just buy a laptop if you're concerned about space?
why only 256 ram? you're shooting yourself in the foot at every other step here.
Perhaps i'm missing something; is this supposed to be a work-only computer?

NumbersNotFound · July 2003

I'm buying a 15" LCD because the person don't feel like hauling a CRT to and from a dorm every summer and i'm buying only 256MB of ram beacuse that's fine unless you do gaming, which the person isn't...

If i was making a gaming machine add 40 bucks for ram and maybe 90 bucks for another vid card.

FlatlineUTD · July 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>P4 2.40ghz 800 Mhz FSB/ HT Technology</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
HT isn't worth it yet. It's sorta like MMX at this point - great in theory, not in practice. Wait till the next revision, it'll probably be incredible by then.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>256mb DDR SDRAM @ 400mhz (Costs 110 to upgrade to 512, gonna buy 2x 256 DDR from Crucial for 100)</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
512 will be fine, Crucial makes good stuff.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200 RPM</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Yeah, you're gonna need a bigger HDD if you plan on doing anything more than school work and internet browsing. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>No Floppy Drive</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Just because Apple doesn't use a floppy drive doesn't make it a good idea. Pay the $10 on Newegg and buy one. Trust me.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>48x CD-Rom Drive</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Why? Pay the $60 on Newegg and yourself a 50x Lite-On CD-RW

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>17 in (16in viewable, 27dp) E773c CRT Monitor</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Not bad, but I would get a flat screen. (No, not flat panel LCD, a flat screen) BIG DIFFERENCE.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>64MB DDR RAm GeForce4 MX w/ TV-Out & DVI</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
MX = crap. You're gonna be replacing that card first, I'll bet.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Digital Sound Card with Dolby Digital 5.1 capability</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Get an Audigy 2 on Newegg for $78. 6.1 and much much much better than SB Live!

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Altec Lansing? ADA215 Speakers</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Good speakers <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'> I like Altec Lansing

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Microsoft? Windows? XP Home Edition</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
At least you'll get it so you only need the XP Pro Upgrade. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Integrated Intel? PRO 10/100 Ethernet</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Bleh, it'll get the job done, not much more.

The Dell 1 year Tech Support won't do much, the parts will break shortly after that. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'>

I've got nothing against Dell machines except they're horribly un-upgradable. I would build one myself, but if you can't, Dell is the way to go.

Just as long as you reformat the machine upon arrival and don't TOUCH the driver disk, you'll be OK with a few upgrades I mentioned above.

Cereal_KillR · July 2003

oh I thought 40 Gigs meant 40 additional gigs. Who doesnt have a 100 gigs or so nowadays <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

Don't forget, if you're just upgrading, you can use stuff from your old PC.

That goes for: any drives (floppy/burner/dvd, possibly even HDDs) possibly sound card? Network card. If your computer isn't that old you might also be able to use the alim (300-350W needed)

Smoke_Nova · July 2003

I'm getting it from Dell because I can't build my own computer.

I can't strip stuff off of my old computer because that's what is staying behind for my parent. My CD-RW I am taking tho, but that still leaves a CDrom.

I don't need a gigantic hard drive namely because I keep a very minimalistic install. I have about 600 megs of MP3/Music Video's, about 200 megs of Halo Video's, and all my games together should be no more then 10 gigs.

Chy · July 2003

Dear cuz, get on AIM sometime tonight. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

New Computer Thread...again!

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