Processor: Pentium 4 2.0 GHz (Can upgrade with slightly newer model to 2.65)
Ram: 512MB(can go to 1GB)
Operating System: Windows XP Pro(Necessary for networking)
Disk Memory: 40GB(Can go up to 120GB)
Graphics Card: GeForce 4
Sound Card: Turtle Beach Santa Cruz DSP
Other amenties include built-in 8x/4x/32x CD burner, Harman Kardon HK-695 surround sound speakers, surge protection, and Microsoft Office for XP as software bundle. All in all, this costs me about $2300. This leaves me with a leeway of about $600 for any upgrades(if any). If you have any suggestions on what I should choose, even if it's an entirely different computer, say so.
Edit: There's a campus-wide T3 connection, so I don't need to worry about modems. [ 06-06-2002: Message edited by: Azrael Heavenblade ]
Yes, that's right, hot live sex!
quote:
Waisztarroz had this to say about John Romero:
Build your own for half the price.
*nod*
A third if you use AMD products
quote:
Azrael Heavenblade obviously shouldn't have said:
I would if I knew how, I'm ok with the technical stuff, it's just that I'd be terribly afraid that I'd fuxx0r something up, like missing a necessary part, or accidentally getting static into the works, and the like. Feel safer going with already assembled product. (Could go in afterwards and modify it tho...)
No, really, it's so easy. If you need help, you can ask someone here to guide you through the whole process or look it up somewhere online.
The only real danger involved is screwing up the CPU with the heatsink/thermal compound, but even that isn't too bad.
Yes, that's right, hot live sex!It's high tech legos. If it fits there, chances are it goes there.
There's a reason everybody advocates building computers on your own. You have total control over the parts you're getting and it's a considerable price cut to boot. True, it's a little elbow grease, and at times a learning experience, but in the end you get a better machine for less money.
Buy your parts, read your manuals, take a day off to put the monster together, and you'll be all the better for it. [ 06-07-2002: Message edited by: Maradön² ]
go for more memory and maybe a slightly bigger hard disk.
Dell is ripping the hell out of you. What you should look for for your system are:
19" monitor (or none if you already have a nive monitor)
60 gig HD (at least) 7200rpm (raid is better)
512 meg 266DDR or Rambus
XP 2100+ or P4 2200+
Plexwriter cd recorder
SB audigy
Klipsch promedia/Logitech Z-560 speaker system
GeForce 4 4600Ti (128 meg ram)
the rest is just gravy
What the others here are not telling you is this. If you build it yourself and something goes wrong then it is a pain sometimes(but not always) to replace the part. With Dell you will have a replacement part installed by a pro within 24-48 hours at no cost. YOu will save little if any if you do it yourself or get it built locally. With Dell you have a reliable name behind it. Can't be said for most local shops..
Simple breakdown.
Dell system
Pros:
1. Reliable brand that has a good name and will be around.
2. Warrenty that will replace parts and or the whole computer with Minimal fuss and in very short time.
3. THey have spiffy cases.
4. Everything is from the same vendor. No worrying about mixing and matching stuff yourself. (not that this is hard but you save time)
5. You get software with the computer. At the bare minimum you have an OS and some nice productivity software. This is a few hundered dollars here.
6. Software comes preinstalled. No dicking with it. No waiting around to load everything.
7. Tech support. I can't tell you how important this is to someone who isn't a computer wiz. Hell computers are my job and I sometimes call Tech support with a problem just to use them as a sounding board for ideas to solve the problem.
Con:
1. You will pay a little more. 100-150 on a $1500+ system generally. However this is of set by the software and convinence.
2. Chance of a problem not being resolved in a timely manner. Sometimes you will get the bad tech. Just don't let them dick you around. DOn't be afraid to ask for someone else or a manager and no real problem here.
Building it yourself
Pros:
1: You know exactly what you are getting. You can buy the exact brand you want for each part. This is the biggest advantage.
2: you will save a little money.
3: some people seem to think it makes you smarter or better if you can build your own computer. Must be a "mine is bigger than yours" thing..
Cons:
1. If something goes wrong after about 3 months you are SOL. YOu are limited to the manufactuer warrenty on most parts. And frankly this sucks. You may well get the part fixed but turn around time is normally long. Sometimes you end up biting the bullet and just buying the part again.
2: It is still easy to mess up. If you don't know what you are doing then you can easily screw this up. For some people it comes naturally. For others it does not. If you dont' feel 110% comfortable then don't do it. Why throw away $500 worth of parts because you messed up something minor.
3: Time!!!! Order your parts. Wait for delivery. a couple days normally. Build the system. Install All the software.. *yawn* why screw with this when half of what you need can come installed on a system already.
I have build many of my own systems and countless ones for clients and friends. I have also purchased a lot of Gateway and Dell systems. Frankly for me it is easier to buy the Dell or Gateway. I dont' have to screw with a bunch of stuff. And if something goes wrong it is easy to get a replacement. No dealing with 15 different companies. No messing with an unknown. Call a single number. Talk to a person for 15 minutes. THey send me the replacement. I swap it out and send back the old one.
I will restate the point I made earlier. If you are not 110% sure about building it yourself then just buy the Dell. And no offense but you don't sound 110% sure.
price: dell (2300) aurora (2160)
Processor dell (2.0 ghz) aurora (1.73 ghz) but performs similarly
ram: 512 megs both
HD: dell(40 GB generic) aurora (60 GB seagate)
graphics: similar (lacking dell details)
sound card: dell (Turtle beach) aurora (audigy) audigy>santa cruz
Burner: dell (8x3x32) aurora (40x12x40)
dvd: dell (none) aurora (16x dvd)
speakers: dell (HK surround) aurora (none)
HK are decent speakers, there are a few better, and many worse.
now, he could get the dell and upgrade hid optical drives and hard disk, or the alienware, and buy a set of speakers.
It's rally his call, now isn't it?
quote:
the_machina stopped staring at Deedlit long enough to write:
try these:
Alienware aurora
I would not trust a single one of those Companies. Alienware is the worst of the batch too. They charge you about 2-3x what they should just because they slap a couple coats of pain on the machine. Have you ever tried to deal with fixing a problem through them? *shivers*
quote:
Azizza spewed forth this undeniable truth:
Building it yourself
Pros:
1: You know exactly what you are getting. You can buy the exact brand you want for each part. This is the biggest advantage.Yaes.
2: you will save a little money.
A couple hundred isn't "a little money" to everyone.
3: some people seem to think it makes you smarter or better if you can build your own computer. Must be a "mine is bigger than yours" thing..
No, it's more of a "I have the intelligence and know-how to build my own computer, thereby saving me the cost of a buying a name brand. You should do this too. It's a good thing. It's really not that hard." type thing.
Cons:
1. If something goes wrong after about 3 months you are SOL. YOu are limited to the manufactuer warrenty on most parts. And frankly this sucks. You may well get the part fixed but turn around time is normally long. Sometimes you end up biting the bullet and just buying the part again.Uh, yeah. Generally these warranties are over a year. In the case of Crucial RAM, lifetime.
2: It is still easy to mess up. If you don't know what you are doing then you can easily screw this up. For some people it comes naturally. For others it does not. If you dont' feel 110% comfortable then don't do it. Why throw away $500 worth of parts because you messed up something minor.
...You're just adding to the unncessary fear factor.
3: Time!!!! Order your parts. Wait for delivery. a couple days normally. Build the system. Install All the software.. *yawn* why screw with this when half of what you need can come installed on a system already.
...I refuse to reply to this.
Edit: Phew. I haven't nitpicked a post like that in a long time. [ 06-07-2002: Message edited by: Kegwen 2.0 ]
"OGMNONOONONNOONMKGGGS NOOOOO COMPUTERS R SCERY EEEE" is fucking stupid. Like Maradon said, if it doesn't fit it probably doesn't go there. Things are even COLOR-CODED now. A lot of the factory defaults on hardware (i.e. jumpers on harddrives) are set to what you need already. If you must, you can find instructions for the more arcane aspects in, you know, the instruction manual. Which comes with the hardware. CONCEPT.
And if worst comes to worst you can send the computer to a local shop for them to fix a problem that arises, and very likely STILL save money over going name brand.
It's not an ego thing. It just makes SENSE. [ 06-07-2002: Message edited by: Suddar Williams ]
"OHNO I AM MORON I MUST WATCH WIN XP LOAD BAR DO ITS THING BECAUSE I HAVE NO SOCIAL LIFE AND MY NAME IS AZIZZA HUR HUR HUR."
Edit2clarify [ 06-07-2002: Message edited by: Waisztarroz ]
Yes, that's right, hot live sex!quote:
Azizza had this to say about Robocop:
What the others here are not telling you is this. If you build it yourself and something goes wrong then it is a pain sometimes(but not always) to replace the part.
I've built two computers, upgraded both several times, and advised around ten people in the building of thier own computers.
I've broken and/or had someone break a part maybe five times. All five times the product was RMA'd and replaced by the retailer, and a new part was in thier lap maybe three days later. I defy Dell or any other stock system manufacturer to beat that.
Azizza, you sound a lot like you're fabricating reasons to justify the fact that you just like buying canned systems.
Hey, if you can afford the convenience of not having to assemble everything, that's cool. It doesn't mean it's a better choice for everyone.
more Viagra for him, plz
quote:
Kinanik Model 2000 was programmed to say:
Waisz is now just shooting blanksmore Viagra for him, plz
No.
Yes, that's right, hot live sex!
quote:
The logic train ran off the tracks when Suddar Williams said:
This is why Waisztarroz is a troooooooooooollllllllllllll.
Shut up, bitch.
Yes, that's right, hot live sex!quote:
Kegwen 2.0 had this to say about Cuba:
Get the tranquilizers. We're gonna have to drink some bleach.Damn straight, motherfucker.
We hate you bitch.
Fucking i will kill you.
Oh yeah? I'll kick you in the ass.
WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDD I'll cut ya bitch! 
Yes, that's right, hot live sex!
Dude! Your gettin' a Dell!
Now, if you REFUSE to make one yourself (it's a great learning/entertaining experience) you can go with a canned system, or better yet is to have a friend build it for you. Go to school and have one of the techies come over to your place and put it all together for you.
Building a Computer for Dummies
Excellent book on what you're going to need, what to remember the most, how to get things together, etc.
www.sharkyextreme.com is also a great website on the building your own subject. I found a complete motherboard installation guide in there, so I knew what I was getting into and what to expect before I dug in. Plus there are often comparisons of different hardware, making sure you get just what you want for the best price. [ 06-07-2002: Message edited by: Lyinar Ka`Bael ]
Lyinar Ka`Bael, Piney Fresh Druidess - Luclin
Lyinar Ka`Bael, Piney Fresh Druidess - Luclin
I'm a complete idiot and i can put together a very nice computer all by my lonesome with no advice.
I'm shocked that a system that *cough* crappy *cough* would cost 2,300 dollers, considering the sum of all those parts is around 1,200 or so. I figured out how to build a system when I was 14, and I had no fears spending pretty much all the money I made the entire summer on parts to put it together either.
Just about every part you buy online will come with a 1 year warrenty, and if you think dell's warrenty service is better, you are kidding yourself.
quote:
Blind Swordsman wrote this then went back to looking for porn:
I'd like to point something out.I'm a complete idiot and i can put together a very nice computer all by my lonesome with no advice.
I'm shocked that a system that *cough* crappy *cough* would cost 2,300 dollers, considering the sum of all those parts is around 1,200 or so. I figured out how to build a system when I was 14, and I had no fears spending pretty much all the money I made the entire summer on parts to put it together either.
Just about every part you buy online will come with a 1 year warrenty, and if you think dell's warrenty service is better, you are kidding yourself.
Much to learn, you still have.
If you know how to talk to people, and how to WORK the support, Dell is FAR better. If you don't know everything about computers, and wish to get it fixed now, rather than read a book and fix it later, Dell is far better.
Bottom line. If you are buying a prefab, Go with Dell. Fuck Gateway, Compaq, and the rest. Dell's service leaves them all FAR, FAR behind.
If you want to build your own sometime later, feel free to do so, Learn how, and Enjoy it. But dont make the comp you depend on, be the one you built with advice from people you never met.
And before you "Do-It-Yourself, AMD Nazi's" do it..
**Tal flames himself repeatedly**
That adds up to $1042 for the p4 1.6 unit if you feel like overclocking, and $1295 for the p4 2.4 ghz unit. ($75 more on either if you want the 4400 instead of the 4200, in my opinion the 4600 is just a waste of money) After you add on windowsXP home and a good monitor you might have spent 1,450 on the p4 1.6 and 1,700 on the p4 2.4
Note that BOTH of those computers would run circles around the dell you just thought about spending $2,300 bucks on, and all those parts have a one year or life time warrenty. Why would you order dell over this when you can have a MUCH better computer for less money that doesn't use anything proprietary and is completely and totally upgradeable?
Any questions?
[EDIT] You should be able to get officeXP pro and WindowsXP pro at your university library for FREE or for like 8 bucks. Microsoft loves college students. Take 200 bucks off the cost I had for both those computers... [ 06-07-2002: Message edited by: Blind Swordsman ]
quote:
Blind Swordsman wrote this stupid crap:
[QB] Why would you order dell over this when you can have a MUCH better computer for less money that doesn't use anything proprietary and is completely and totally upgradeable?Any questions?
[QB]
Some people would rather trust 2300 bucks on something built for them and guaranteed to work out of the box, than 1200 on a bunch of parts, that they might break.
As for running circles..
Unless you're rendering 3D graphics, compiling HUGE programs, Or trying to outwit Carnivore, you wont see that much differance. I'm running on a 1.6 gig P4 right now, and I bet it loads up these boards just as fast as your overclocked heatmachine.
Not everybody gets a boner off CPU speed.
And once again, your derogatory thoughts about Dell's support.
If my machine is broke, and I call myself, and tell me its broke, and I dont know how it's broke, it doesnt get fixed without me throwing money at it.
If I call Dell, and say it broke, they say "Ok, Send it here, and we'll fix it up, pretty as new." Or, get this.. this is the good part.. They SEND me the parts, and tell me how to do it myself, so it can be fixed, AND I can learn.
No, I am not a total idiot. I do most of my own fixes, and all my own upgrades. But, if I get stuck, I KNOW I can call them, and they will help me out. And they dont poke fun at me for needing tech support, they dont make fun of my P4 instead of AMD choice, and they dont answer my call for help by telling me they could build a newer, faster, better computer out of an old calculator, some bailing wire, and an AthlonXP.
Now either help him decide on his upgrades, which is ALL he asked for, or have a coke, and a smile, and shut the fuck up.
My then-boyfriend and I spent literally 3 days trying to figure out why the machine wasn't working before he stumbled across someone else having the same problem on a newsboard and mentioning that there was a "known" conflict between that particular mobo and that particular CPU.
I don't know how one would go about making sure that your components all talk to each other okay before you buy them, but let me tell you, we were ready to rip our hair out trying to figure out what the hell was going wrong.
(And then of course, when I moved to CA and shipped my computer out there, then went to put it all back together, turns out my video card bent ever so slightly so that it wasn't seating properly in the slot. But when you pushed on it, it FELT seated properly. My sister-in-law and I spent almost 2 days on the bloody thing before we figured out what was wrong.)
So I honestly can't blame someone for wanting to go with a pre-built machine. When I upgrade my computer in the next few months (finally!), there's a very good chance I'll buy a pre-built one also, because I don't want to spend forever and a year trying to figure out what those damn blasted "beeps" means when my machine doesn't start up. 
*waves to everyone* Oh, and hi again! [ 06-07-2002: Message edited by: Katjya ]
Katjya Sylvertongue
Tarissa Treerunnerquote:
Squire Twitch stumbled drunkenly to the keyboard and typed:
Some people would rather trust 2300 bucks on something built for them and guaranteed to work out of the box, than 1200 on a bunch of parts, that they might break.As for running circles..
Unless you're rendering 3D graphics, compiling HUGE programs, Or trying to outwit Carnivore, you wont see that much differance. I'm running on a 1.6 gig P4 right now, and I bet it loads up these boards just as fast as your overclocked heatmachine.
Not everybody gets a boner off CPU speed.
And once again, your derogatory thoughts about Dell's support.
If my machine is broke, and I call myself, and tell me its broke, and I dont know how it's broke, it doesnt get fixed without me throwing money at it.
If I call Dell, and say it broke, they say "Ok, Send it here, and we'll fix it up, pretty as new." Or, get this.. this is the good part.. They SEND me the parts, and tell me how to do it myself, so it can be fixed, AND I can learn.
No, I am not a total idiot. I do most of my own fixes, and all my own upgrades. But, if I get stuck, I KNOW I can call them, and they will help me out. And they dont poke fun at me for needing tech support, they dont make fun of my P4 instead of AMD choice, and they dont answer my call for help by telling me they could build a newer, faster, better computer out of an old calculator, some bailing wire, and an AthlonXP.
Now either help him decide on his upgrades, which is ALL he asked for, or have a coke, and a smile, and shut the fuck up.
I own a dell laptop. My hard drive stopped functioning in it. I call dell, i say "Dell, my hard drive stopped working in my lap top!" they say "OK we'll send you out a new one! Dude you're getting a dell laptop hard drive!" they send me out a hard drive, i'm happy... for 3 days until when the hard drive crashes again. So i call up dell again, say "Dude, i got a dell hard drive and it broke again." They said "You must have installed it impropperly, you can buy a new one from us for $300 us cash dollers." i said "No, but i can talk to your manager." so they put the manager on the phone. The manager tells me that he will cut me a deal and only make me pay $150 us cash dollers for the hard drive they sent me which only worked for 3 days. Note I spent an extra 280 dollers on the 3 year GOLD warrenty service...
The computer i have built for myself just had a hard drive crash too- my ibm gxp60 40gb hard drive stopped working and wouldn't be recognized by my motherboard. I send it back to ibm on june 1 and I am currently installing windows on it. Note i didn't spend money on the upgraded warrenty. I didn't have to call any dumbass that tries to tell me that i don't know how to use my computer so i could get some support on it. I just sent it back and got a new one in the mail.
if you want more stories, i have more stories. I hear them all the time. Dell's tech support is NOT all that it is cracked up to be. sure they are nice friendly people and enjoy saying "DUde, you're getting a xxxxxxx" but they really are not very helpful and don't have the slightest fucking clue what they are talking about. I am an A+ certified computer repair tech, and that is my professional opinion.
quote:
The logic train ran off the tracks when Ryuujin the Leezard said:
Because someone will eventually say it.Dude! Your gettin' a Dell!
damn i was reading the thread hoping noone said this 
