Time for a new computer

[Cloral]

So I've decided that it is time for me to get a new computer, seeing as how my current computer is just under 7 years old and has an astounding 256MB of RAM. But since it's been so long since I bought a computer, I don't really know what's good in the market these days. So for any of you who've bought a computer recently, what would you recommend I get? I'm looking to preferably spend less than $1000 on it, but still want a capable computer with at least 2GB of RAM.

[Beldaran]

I don't understand how a post like this could be written by a videogame programmer.

[Masamune]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3887566&sku=M975-M6750&cm_re=Homepage-_-Spot%2001-_-Laptops_M975-M6750

here's a decent looking refurbished gateway laptop.

[Cloral]

I don't understand how a post like this could be written by a videogame programmer.

I don't buy the computers I work on at work.

[MrCow]

Cloral, Get a Dell. There are tons of coupons online for them too that easily take off $150
you'll want a core2duo at the least and 2 gigs of ram at the least. if you want to play games pay attention to the video card, theres more i could tell you if you want. 200Gigs of hdd space at least would also be recommended these days.
Dell is seriously your best option if you want something that isn't gonna blow up in a month.
If you want a laptop, the specs change some and you could go for an lenovo thinkpad. again dell would be a great option. Sadly they seem to be the better of the prefab computers.

[Beldaran]

I don't buy the computers I work on at work.

I never would have imagined there was a game programmer anywhere who was content with a 7 year old computer with 256 mb RAM.

Don't you play PC games?

[mrz84]

I need to get a new pc of my own. My old one died 2 years ago. DO's pc has been ok for me, but I can't customize the desktop because its his. Anyways, I'll probably do that once I can get the cash.

As for you Cloral, hope you find what you need. :kitty:

[Cloral]

I never would have imagined there was a game programmer anywhere who was content with a 7 year old computer with 256 mb RAM.

Don't you play PC games?

No. The only games I play on my computer are emulated ones. Other than that I play games on my consoles (360, Wii, PS2, and DS).

Mr.Cow, I was looking at the Dell website the other day to get an idea of how much computer I could get for the price, and they had a computer that was about $700 that seemed to be about what I wanted. I wanted to know though before buying if there was another brand I should look at, since I felt like the only reason I was looking at their site was because I know the brand name from all the advertising they do. In other words, I felt like I would be falling prey to corporate propaganda rather than making an informed decision. That really is the main reason for this thread. Of course, if they really are a good company to buy from, then I might go ahead and buy that computer anyway.

[MrCow]

The good thing with dell is their support, their products hold up over time. A lot of these other companies will take shortcuts and you'll end up getting something with a power supply that dies two-three years down the road or a hard drive that gets the click of death. despite the haters, myself included(I prefer building my own), Dell is the way to go for the prebuilt machines. I recommend you immediately reformat whatever computer you get to get rid of the bloatware that comes preinstalled with any prebuilt machine.

also check things like dealnews and the like for coupons to dell online. You can save a lot of money that way. Breaker did that when he bought his last one I do believe.

[bobrocks95]

If you were a PC gamer, I was going to say that I definitely wouldn't recommend a laptop since in no way can you upgrade the GPU. But apparently you're not, so that's not a problem.

If you want a full tower, then I would HIGHLY recommend you buy and build the parts yourself. You'll save a good $200, maybe more, if you don't buy it from the manufacturer. Take the computer I'm building for example. A 2.5GHz dual-core AMD processor, 2 gigs of RAM, a decent motherboard with a x16 PCI-Express slot, this huge heatsink w/ 2 fans so I can overclock to around 2.8GHz, and a GeForce 9600GT with 512MB of video ram, all for about $320, which is a much better deal and a much better computer than most laptops you can buy for around 700 dollars.

[Trevelyan_06]

I've used emachines before. Never had any problem with them, though I know a lot of people that don't like them. Personally I think they're a good computer if you don't plan on upgrading everything inside of it.

That's what makes them so cheap. They don't have a lot of room to add upgrades. I think many of them only have two RAM slots, and they usually don't have any spare drive slots. They do have a little bit of space to add some upgrades, just not much. Might be something to consider if you don't plan on upgrading as you go.

[MrCow]

If you want a full tower, then I would HIGHLY recommend you buy and build the parts yourself. You'll save a good $200, maybe more, if you don't buy it from the manufacturer. Take the computer I'm building for example. A 2.5GHz dual-core AMD processor, 2 gigs of RAM, a decent motherboard with a x16 PCI-Express slot, this huge heatsink w/ 2 fans so I can overclock to around 2.8GHz, and a GeForce 9600GT with 512MB of video ram, all for about $320, which is a much better deal and a much better computer than most laptops you can buy for around 700 dollars.


now add in cost of software, a monitor and other peripheral devices and suddenly you'll be close to the manufacturer price;)
I did a report in college showing the differences between building and buying prebuilt. In the end it ends up being closer to the same price.

Albeit I'm still a fan of building my own, but if you do it completely by the books, it ends up being very similar in cost.

[Breaker]

definitely look for coupons. i found a coupon that saved me $300 on a $1200 laptop that I recently purchased. if your budget is lower than that, then there are coupons for considerbly cheaper machines as well, especially if you're looking for a desktop and not a laptop.

[bobrocks95]

now add in cost of software, a monitor and other peripheral devices and suddenly you'll be close to the manufacturer price;)
I did a report in college showing the differences between building and buying prebuilt. In the end it ends up being closer to the same price.

Albeit I'm still a fan of building my own, but if you do it completely by the books, it ends up being very similar in cost.

Well, I was saying that, as an upgrade to a previous machine, it's a lot cheaper. If you're getting everything completely new, it's going to run very close. I don't need to replace my case, monitor, or HDD, so I'm fine.

[bigjoe]

now add in cost of software, a monitor and other peripheral devices and suddenly you'll be close to the manufacturer price;)
I did a report in college showing the differences between building and buying prebuilt. In the end it ends up being closer to the same price.

Albeit I'm still a fan of building my own, but if you do it completely by the books, it ends up being very similar in cost.

If you do it right, you can actually save more than half the price. Buy used parts in good condition, for instance. Make sure they have a double lifetime warranty.

[Zaphod Q. IX]

Dell rocks.
My experience with them. (http://www.armageddongames.net/forums/showthread.php?t=102703)

And here are the specs:

Not a bad deal. (http://www.armageddongames.net/forums/showthread.php?t=102591) It was $712 after taxes.


My neighbor just got a Gateway (http://www.gateway.com/), and he's so disappointed with it, he's sending it back. After he saw my Dell (http://www.dell.com/), and I told him how much it cost, he said he's going to order one.

[ctrl-alt-delete]

I get a new computer every 2-3 years on Black Friday. They last exactly how long I want them to, and are top of the line for a very cheap price.

[Glitch]

Newegg.com

Buy the parts and put it together yourself plus it won't start out with all of that shitty software installs from the brands.

[vegeta1215]

I've been looking at getting an HP when I finally get a new computer. They have a line of open source computers that I'm interested in. (I think Dell has something similar, but I don't think they've commited to it like HP has).

As it stands, I'm still going on my 9 year old Dell running Mandriva Linux 2007 Spring edition!

[bigjoe]

Newegg.com

Buy the parts and put it together yourself plus it won't start out with all of that shitty software installs from the brands.

I don't think he will. Most people freak about their parts getting damaged.

Its really not that complicated or dangerous. If you can assemble a non-glue model car from parts, which is simple, you can FAR MORE THAN BUILD A COMPUTER. It is pathetically easy and almost all parts come with with step by step instructions nowadays. Buying them is a sign of insecurity.

Also, if youre looking to build it, try zipzoomfly.com as well. They have good deals on some things.

[DarkDragoonX]

Just popping in to say that should you build your own (highly recommended), Gigabyte motherboards are excellent. Been using them for about 10-12 years now, no complaints. Their tower chassis are quite good as well, my current PC is using the original 3d Aurora model and it's one of the best cases I've ever owned.