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Looking for a computer.. – gamer4christ

Gamer4Christ

Member

Posts: 551
From: Kokomo, Indiana, USA
Registered: 07-19-2005
I am, at the moment, in need of a up to date, not advanced, computer for less then $800, I have looked at Dell, Compaq, Toshiba (That is one of them, right? lol, I can't remember), and that new company... I don't remember its name, it starts with an E... I think ... E-Machine? Anyway the point... I am not sure what is good and what is not... It needs at least

Windows XP
512MB System RAM (preferrably... 1 Gig of RAM)
2 Ghx Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor (preferrably ... 3Ghz)
128MB Direct3D compatible video card and DirectX 9.0 compatible driver
8x DVD-ROM drive
at least 4.6 GB free hard disk space

And preferrably ATI X800 Series, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series, or higher video card...

Is that possible for less then $800? If so can anyone name any computers, if not how much would a computer with the minimal things cost?

Thanks for all the help.

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firemaker103

Member

Posts: 643
From:
Registered: 07-13-2005
I got something here, $693 without tax and shipping.
http://i2.tinypic.com/sphz6u.jpg

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"Be nice to the nerds because later on, you'll be working for them" - Bill Gates

Mack

Administrator

Posts: 2779
From:
Registered: 01-20-2001
If you live in Canada; www.memoryexpress.com

If you live in the USA contact Cheryl at Progressive Systems; ccgr@NOSPAMccgr.org (remove the NOSPAM).

goop2

Member

Posts: 1059
From:
Registered: 06-30-2004
E-Machine is crappy

Its all intergrated so if something stops working you cant just replace it, you have to get a ton of other stuff too. I dont know how much the HP Pavilions are, but they work prety good. Something you could try is building your own. Then you dont buy a computer, then replace everything with better stuff.

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Its one of those... Goop... things...
hotmail: Grafitiware@hotmail.com
Yahoo: namerobbedagian

pigpen98

Member

Posts: 41
From: Indiana
Registered: 03-29-2006
about the EMachines... ok, so it's all integrated... but we've got one we haven't had any problems with... and it's old, and we've had it for a while.. but it still runs... lol...

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"kinda makes ya wanna treat me with more respect, huh?"

goop2

Member

Posts: 1059
From:
Registered: 06-30-2004
If you take good care of a computer it will usualy last, but if something DOES go wrong, your screwd

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Its one of those... Goop... things...
hotmail: Grafitiware@hotmail.com
Yahoo: namerobbedagian

CPUFreak91

Member

Posts: 2337
From:
Registered: 02-01-2005
quote:
Originally posted by gamer4christ:
Windows XP
512MB System RAM (preferrably... 1 Gig of RAM)
2 Ghx Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor (preferrably ... 3Ghz)
128MB Direct3D compatible video card and DirectX 9.0 compatible driver
8x DVD-ROM drive
at least 4.6 GB free hard disk space

And preferrably ATI X800 Series, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series, or higher video card...

Is that possible for less then $800? If so can anyone name any computers, if not how much would a computer with the minimal things cost?

Thanks for all the help.


Desktop or laptop? I'm overclocking my AMD 2300 to 3200 (from 1.5ghz to 2.04) so I'd get a slower processor and up the FSB in the BIOS.

As for video cards, the X300 is good, but get one with 256 VRAM.
Hard drive space is cheap. Look for a 100+ Gig ATA drive
Ram is cheap too, I suggest you get PC2100 or PC2700 ram (any size)
DVD burner. It doesn't really matter. You want a dual layer DVD-RW/R/RAM which goes for about $70.

Note that this is all for a desktop.

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All Your Base Are Belong To Us!!! chown -r us ./base
"After three days without programming, life becomes meaningless.'' -- Tao of Programming Book 2

[This message has been edited by CPUFreak91 (edited April 01, 2006).]

Gamer4Christ

Member

Posts: 551
From: Kokomo, Indiana, USA
Registered: 07-19-2005
lol, thanks for all the replies, I think I might go with building my own, so my next questions are these...

How difficult is it to build one?
What is the average cost of the items listed? (So I don't get ripped...)
If I have any problems/questions when building it, is there anyone here that would be able to help me?

Oh yeah, I am wanting a desktop, lol =P

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[This message has been edited by gamer4christ (edited April 01, 2006).]

CPUFreak91

Member

Posts: 2337
From:
Registered: 02-01-2005
quote:
Originally posted by gamer4christ:
How difficult is it to build one?


If something doesn't work it can be fairly difficult diagnosing what's wrong. You also have to be carefull with static electricity when installing the CPU.

quote:

What is the average cost of the items listed? (So I don't get ripped...)


Go to pricewatch.com and find the cheapest of the list of the hardware you chose.

quote:
If I have any problems/questions when building it, is there anyone here that would be able to help me?


I would, however, it's just not the same as whem someone's there

quote:
Oh yeah, I am wanting a desktop, lol =P

Go with barebones packages. They're easier and sometimes preassembled.
There are also companies that put stuff together for you which costs extra but is sometimes worth it if you want a custom machine.

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All Your Base Are Belong To Us!!! chown -r us ./base
"After three days without programming, life becomes meaningless.'' -- Tao of Programming Book 2

goop2

Member

Posts: 1059
From:
Registered: 06-30-2004
Cases range (on the site Ive been looking at) from $27 to $839. Im sure you can find some cheaper, or more expensive, but hey, you said you wanted to spend 800 on your computer :P

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Its one of those... Goop... things...
hotmail: Grafitiware@hotmail.com
Yahoo: namerobbedagian