10-13-2008, 12:04 PM | #1 | ||
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: C-Town
|
Looking to buy a new desktop
I'm in market for a new desktop/monitor package. I'm purchasing one mostly for gaming (would like a system that has enough power to play Crysis) but would like to be able to stay under $1500.
Circuit City has a decent system : hxxp://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=222589&om_keycode=85 any great deals out there? ~thanks
__________________
XBox Gamertag: Pronk32 FOOL-X - Cleveland Naps FOOL - Cleveland Cyclones SLOP - Cuyahoga Spiders |
||
10-13-2008, 12:30 PM | #2 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Cary, NC
|
That looks like a decent system, as long as you clean off any bloatware (all too common with anything you buy off-the-shelf).
__________________
-- Greg -- Author of various FOF utilities |
10-13-2008, 12:51 PM | #3 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: C-Town
|
I take it bloatware is crap companies like Circuit City put on the PC?
__________________
XBox Gamertag: Pronk32 FOOL-X - Cleveland Naps FOOL - Cleveland Cyclones SLOP - Cuyahoga Spiders Last edited by CleBrownsfan : 10-13-2008 at 12:59 PM. |
10-13-2008, 01:15 PM | #4 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Cary, NC
|
And companies like HP ;-)
All the marketing stuff that's on there and/or runs in the background. Most of it you just uninstall, or you wipe the box and redo the OS (assuming you got an OS disc with the PC...)
__________________
-- Greg -- Author of various FOF utilities |
10-13-2008, 02:06 PM | #5 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
|
You can catch pretty good deals on Dell desktops by monitoring the below websites.
www.techbargains.com GotApex? Deals & Coupon Codes Three additional items you need to factor in:
I think you can buy a good Dell config CPU, RAM, HD and monitor for < $800-$900 which will leave you plenty to buy a good graphics card. |
10-15-2008, 09:44 AM | #6 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
|
Here's a possible Dell config. Quad Core2, 3GB, 640GB HD, 22 inch monitor for $799. Have to config $999 to get $200 off. Add a graphics card.
Dell Inspiron 518 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz Desktop (3GB/640GB) w/ 22in LCD $799 Deal - Best Price Cheap Sale Items Review Wholesale Sale Discount inspiron 518 I would change the configs a little for my taste but a starting point for you. |
10-15-2008, 09:55 AM | #7 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: C-Town
|
I saw from hxxp://www.gotapex.com/ :HP Home & Home Office Store - $400 off $999+ Desktop PC!
That seems like a good ass deal - I'm going to toy around the configs on the HP's @ lunch.
__________________
XBox Gamertag: Pronk32 FOOL-X - Cleveland Naps FOOL - Cleveland Cyclones SLOP - Cuyahoga Spiders |
10-15-2008, 02:16 PM | #8 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2005
|
Quote:
Do tell us what you decided to get. |
|
10-15-2008, 02:38 PM | #9 |
The boy who cried Trout
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: TX
|
There are some great deals at dell, especially if your company has an EPP with them. I noticed the other day that you can now remove the Mcafee when configuring your system with dell, as well as Works. Nice.
|
10-15-2008, 02:54 PM | #10 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: the yo'
|
I saw some Samsung TOC 25.5 inch monitor at sam's the other day, i must make it mine. It had 2 hdmi, optical out, an ATSC tuner. I forget what else. Basically it's just a glorified TV, but for 500 bucks you can't even get a shitty 3 series samsung 26" LCD
|
10-15-2008, 03:52 PM | #11 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Great Northwest
|
Quote:
Of course it's better to protect your computer for free for a year, then to not use any type of protection... IMO. |
|
10-15-2008, 03:57 PM | #12 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Cary, NC
|
Quote:
And you may not want the protection that the particular manufacturer wants to provide...
__________________
-- Greg -- Author of various FOF utilities |
|
10-15-2008, 04:06 PM | #13 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Great Northwest
|
Quote:
Very true, but from my experiences most people don't protect their computers unless they get something when they first get their computer, because they don't know any better. I'm not a big fan of McAfee but it's not any worse nor better then any of the others out there, it's all a matter of preference. |
|
10-15-2008, 04:11 PM | #14 | |
The boy who cried Trout
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: TX
|
Quote:
Not quite true: 2007-04, 23 April-10 May | :: Virus.gr :: But McAfee is VERY hard to uninstall. So I would rather get a PC without the headache and install AVG or Avast. |
|
10-15-2008, 04:25 PM | #15 | |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Great Northwest
|
Quote:
That article is from April 2007 I'm talking about the whole suite. Anyway, I've never had issues with uninstallation of it, but I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones? As reviewed by Consumer Reports. McAfee suite was 3 and 4 out of 9 (McAfee Total Protection 2007 / Internet Security Suite) McAfee Virus Scan Plus was 5 out of 12 These were from Sept 2007, I could have swore they did more recent reviews, but I can't find them on their site. I'm not defending the product, it's just not good to deter people from using security software. Anyway, sorry to threadjack. I suggest getting a Dell. |
|
10-15-2008, 04:36 PM | #16 | |
The boy who cried Trout
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: TX
|
Quote:
Wikipedia has a pretty good list of results for each product, but you have to register to see the results on Virus Bulletin. I used this one because it was free and easy to read. |
|
10-16-2008, 09:50 AM | #17 |
Pro Rookie
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: C-Town
|
So after all my research I'm going with the Gateway FX4710 (hxxp://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8891684&type=product&id=1214611180474) from BestBuy - open box (demo) for $950. I went to a buddies house that has the same model (he bought it for $1300 a few months ago) and it ran every game he showed me(including Crysis) very smooth. Plus I can get two free years financing on my BestBuy credit card
It's comparable to the HP I was initially looking at - maybe not as good as a couple desktops I've been looking at but I don't think I can beat the price for what I'm getting. Now that I'm finally upgrading my puter - what games should I be buying?? I'm also getting the Gateway - 22" Widescreen Flat-Panel LCD HD Monitor.. do you guys suggest I get Best Buy's warranty for the monitor? Specs: Processor Intel� Core"2 Quad Processor Speed 2.5GHz System Bus 1333MHz Cache Memory 2 x 3MB on die Level 2 System Memory (RAM) 6GB System Memory (RAM) Expandable To 8GB Type of Memory (RAM) PC2-5300 DDR2 Hard Drive Type Serial ATA II (7200 rpm) Hard Drive Size 640GB Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT over-clocked Video Memory 512MB (dedicated) Network Card Built-in high-speed 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector) Wireless Networking None Recordable DVD Drive Yes, double-layer DVD�RW/CD-RW Recordable DVD Drive Speeds 8x DVD+R DL; 8x DVD-R DL; 18x8x16 DVD+RW; 18x6x16 DVD-RW; 12x DVD-RAM; 48x32x48 CD-RW Direct-Disc Labeling Yes Digital Media Reader or Slots Yes, digital media card reader Total Expansion Bays 5 (3.5"), 2 (5.25") Available Expansion Bays 4 (3.5"), 1 (5.25") Total Expansion Slots 2 PCI, 1 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR2 Available Expansion Slots 1 PCI, 1 PCI-E x1 USB 2.0 Ports 6 (2 front, 4 rear) IEEE 1394 Ports 2 (1 front, 1 rear) S-Video Outputs 1 Additional Audio/Video Connectors HDMI, 2 DVI, 6 audio Serial Ports None Parallel Ports None Game Ports None Keyboard Description Elite multimedia (Blackhawk FX Copper) Other Control Devices (mouse, etc.) USB optical 2-button wheel mouse Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1 Software Included Microsoft Works 9.0, Money Essentials; Vista DVD Playback; Adobe Reader; CyberLink Power2Go; Gateway BigFix and more
__________________
XBox Gamertag: Pronk32 FOOL-X - Cleveland Naps FOOL - Cleveland Cyclones SLOP - Cuyahoga Spiders Last edited by CleBrownsfan : 10-16-2008 at 10:15 AM. |
10-17-2008, 07:18 AM | #18 |
College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Nov 2003
|
I've been working a fair amount of overtime in the past couple of months and have saved enough "extra" money to buy a mid-level gaming computer. I even got Mrs Tyke to agree to the purchase. But I'm having a hard time placing the actual order. I keep thinking with the economy in the toilet, the Holiday season fast approaching, and dire forecasts for retailers... the price will have to come down. I've waited 2+ years to buy a gaming computer, so I would be more than willing to wait another month if I thought the price would drop 10% or more. What do you think? Do you believe or have you heard whether computer prices will drop fairly soon? I just saw an article indicating that HDTV's are getting ready to see a significant price in anticipation of the Holidays. On the other hand... if these boutique type computer stores keep prices constant, then I either need to resign myself to the current price, or shop around. Thanks for the advice and feedback! |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
|
|