No idea what to buy for new tower/computer

Computer Forum New Build / Upgrade Advice
1

Okay, please do not make fun of me, but I am really tech uninformed compared to all of you. I do know the basics, but there are so many computer makers, builders, etc, I cannot tell what is better than the other.

So, I need to purchase a new tower. I am all set with monitor, peripherals, etc. I do not use my current computer for much other than the Internet and the basics…I mean I only have 512mb of ram. hehe

I am looking to buy a new tower for my son. He has a Playstation 3, but wants a PC for gamaes as well. He tells me the games require a great deal now and I also do not want to buy something that is out of date a year later.

I would like to only spend about $1,000 or less for the tower. Is that possible? I spoke with Dell and they had dedicated video cards and others that offered two video cards. They offered a i7 and a Core 2. Here are the specs they gave me for some of it.

Believe me, I am not in bed with Dell, so I am open to anywhere for the best price and the best machine and that is reliable.

Any help would be appreciated.

24-3607
1 Studio XPS 435MT
311-9770
1 Studio XPS 435MT, Intel Core i7-920 processor(8MB L3 Cache 2.66GHz)
311-9800
1 6GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz
330-3828
1 Dell Consumer Multimedia Keyboard, US
320-7706
1 No Monitor
320-8142
1 ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB
341-8294
1 500GB Serial ATA 2 Hard Drive 7200 RPM
341-8496
1 No Floppy Drive Requested
421-0084
1 Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition Edition English

2

You can do a lot better than Dell, especially if you’re not afraid of building one yourself. Dell uses a lot of cheap parts, so that route would make upgrades financially infeasible. In fact, Dell are infamous for their cheap PSUs failing.

One of our users put together a pretty good list of components for various build-outs just recently, so these prices should still be accurate:

http://www.hardwareforums.com/list-computers-26220/

3

Thanks for the info. The only problem is I do not feel confident building a machine from scratch. Even though it might be simpler than I expect, it just is not my thing.

I agree on Dell…any ideas on other places to look for built machines?

Also, do I need two graphic cards or the one card above fine? They said the one above is dedicated, so I did not need one of their two card systems.

Also, what about RAM? I was thinking 4gb, but could move to 6gb. Not sure if 4gb will get me through a few years or what.

Thanks for the help.

4

RAM is cheap and easy to install, so I wouldn’t consider it a huge concern either way. You only need one video card, but you can add another of the same model later have them work in tandem if he needs more horsepower for games. If you’re not comfortable putting together a machine, these guys can do you a better one for less than a Dell:

iBUYPOWER: High Performance Custom Gaming Computers and Notebooks

My advice there is to choose a brand-name PSU rather than going with the cheap one that comes with the chassis. The quality of the PSU can literally make the difference between the computer lasting months or decades. Corsair is a good solid PSU for a good value right now, so it’s a good bet.

5

Thanks for the advice. Checked out that site. Obviously a little overwhelming…I never knew there were so many darn computer case styles out there. yikes! Does the case matter at all?

Anyway, if you guys have faith in this company, then it seems like I will get a far better computer. I mean, here is the link for one. Is a Core 2 Quad 4MB better than the i7 8MB? How many watts do I need for the PSU?

What bothers me most about the Dell is that I cannot add RAM to it? The guy says it can handle 24GB, but you would need to replace them all to add to it. So, I could not buy RAM and add it without throwing the rest away. Is that stupid or what? Basically, what I choose now is what I am stuck with?

Let me know what you think of this one compared to Dell or if there is a better choice from them. They have so many choices. Thanks so much.

iBUYPOWER Computer :: Gamer Paladin Q840

6

There are a few main concerns in a chassis, in order of importance:
[ul]
[li]Cooling / Airflow – components work better and last longer if they run at moderately cool temperatures. For instance, the ideal temperature for a HDD is between 89.6 and 96.8 Fahrenheit.[/li][li]Space – for 5.25" and 3.5" drives, not to mention video card clearance. Some video cards these days are almost a foot long.[/li][li]Build quality – materials, manufacturing, durability.[/li][li]Ease of maintenance – do you need tools to work on it, or is it tool-less?[/li][li]Frills – things like LED’s, fan controls, etc.[/li][li]Appearance – chassis range from “basic” to “rave party” in appearance. This is dictated solely by personal taste.[/li][/ul]

There’s more to a computer than just the CPU of course, but the Core2 Quad is a decent CPU. It isn’t as good as the i7 series though.

The PSU specs you need depends largely on what you’re planning on powering with it and whether you ever plan to overclock. In any case, you should always overspec the PSU slightly over what you’ll need at peak load. For instance, if you need 500watts at peak, a 600-700watt PSU would give your system a much longer lifespan since the PSU’s components are never stressed.

Dell cheaps out on a lot of things. If you buy a Dell, basically consider it a finished product and don’t bother upgrading. Otherwise, it will be a money pit. For example, once you replace one thing, e.g. the video card, you’ll soon find that another part, e.g. the PSU, is underspec’d and must be replaced. Then that the chassis doesn’t properly fit normal form factor PSUs, and the motherboard doesn’t have standard headers to match the new chassis, and so on…

I can’t see any of your modifications obviously, since that’s all session-based, but the base unit looks pretty decent. Again you can build a much better rig for the same or less money by doing it yourself, but if this is out of the question for you than iBuyPower isn’t a bad choice. I consulted with a non-profit a few years back that needed clone desktops. They didn’t want to have their own technicians build them, nor did they want to pay the extra cash for Tier1 hardware. So, they bought several dozen machines from iBuyPower. The machines arrived on time and they all worked, so in my limited experience with them they were fine.