Anyway, who would like to help me out in this time of need? I'm very not-so-wise in these matters, so all assistance is welcome and enjoyed.

Basically, I'm looking for the following qualities:
-Not from Best Buy
-Not too bulky
-Able to run most games easily
-Able to run Microsoft Word (for writing and such)
-Under 2000 bones or so (money is negotiable)

I got my current thing from ibuypower.com last time, which seemed to be pretty solid. I'm considering looking elsewhere this time because I seem to have this curse where if I buy another computer from the same place, it rebels against me and generally acts up in unacceptable ways.

All help is appreciated and will be rewarded as best as I can for the task at hand.

thx u

This is what I am putting into mine on Weds

With the thought of when I do the full switch to Vista after Christmas I will add another 2 gig of RAM.

Peter fucked around with this message on 11-04-2007 at 08:06 AM.

Case in point:
XPS 420 customised as follows:
Intel® Core™2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 2 DIMMs
320GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
22 inch E228WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
512MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT

$1,799
And that's a hell of a deal for the price, I'd say.

If you'd rather cut down on corners, same computer with less upgrades is:
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6550 (4MB L2 Cache,2.33GHz,1333 FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs
320GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
20 inch E207WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
256MB Radeon ATI HD 2600 XT

$1,449

But that's a pretty crummy video card.

And the most important part (to my eyes), if you want something that lasts a few years, is the warranty and that's one thing Dell is hard to beat on.

Before anyone asks, no, I'm not a Dell shill, I just got badly burned by one self-built computer too many (the 3 grand one, yes) and having had to replace its RAM (NOT overclocked) 3 times now.

Asha'man fucked around with this message on 11-04-2007 at 08:13 AM.

My roommate bought his last computer through there and it's been great. Got a machine for about $500 less than buying it new from Dell would have been.

The site's here.

Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista Home PremiumMemory
3 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz (4 DIMMs)Hard Disk Drive
320 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)Video
128MB NVIDIA 8300 GSCertified Refurbished
Certified RefurbishedBase
XPS 410 Mini-Tower: Intel Core 2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)Media Bay
16X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capabilitySoftware Upgrade
Microsoft Works 8.5Hardware Upgrade
USB Keyboard
13 in 1 Media Card Reader
Dell Optical USB 2-button Mouse

That's an example of one of the ones they have up for around $1000. Buy it and replace the video card with something that's not total ass and you're ready to roll at around $1300. Or you can try and find something that would be better without having to swap anything out and still get a pretty big fucking deal.

Dr. Gee fucked around with this message on 11-04-2007 at 04:12 PM.

quote:

---

Kegwen had this to say about John Romero:
If you buy any video card besides a 8800GT you're wasting your money

---

Seriously these things are fucking boss.

The best option is to build your own computer. If you can't handle that, the second best option is to find a deal on one and upgrade certain components (definitely video card, likely memory). The third option (most expensive, but easiest) is to buy one already built and accept low value.

I'm going to assume you're like most forum-goers and capable of installing ram and video cards and go into option 2. At this level it makes sense to buy something like a Dell Inspiron with a good everything but video and ram. You might want to wait for one of their desktop coupons which they always have out. Then go to slickdeals or whatever and buy a $50 2gb kit and then go to newegg and buy and 8800GT and install them and you're in good shape.