As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/
Options
New Computer help
chromdom
Who?Where?Registered User regular
Who?Where?Registered User regular
Ok, my home computer crapped out, apparently the motherboard went bad.
The way I see it, I have 3 choices. New computer, try to get the old one fixed, or just go without. Going without isn't really a good idea these days, I'm down to a new machine or fixing the old one.
All my tech guy buddies have kind of drifted away or are otherwise inaccessible, and I am in NO WAY capable of fixing something like this myself. Most I can do is maybe put in a new video card. I had gone to Best Buy for a diagnostic when the machine started crapping -- they initially told me it was the video card. Luckily, I asked them to put the new one in, when they discovered that the video card may or may not be bad, but the mother board certainly looked dookielicious.
The fact that the video card may or may not also be bad leans me towards thinking of getting a new machine. That said, and since my techie buddies aren't around, what recommendations are there for a new computer? I'm looking for a machine that will be able to run games and do basic home & work projects. So it doesn't have to be high-end, but I also don't want a computersaurus.
I guess my first question is should I get a Vista machine or try to stick with XP. Dell is still offering customized XP boxes, but Gateway is not. I don't really think going with a "boutique" machine (like Alienware) is a great idea for me, but I'd look into them if there seemed to be a good reason to go that way. Who else should I look at? Given some of the more graphic/processing intensive games that are coming out (Warhammer, Fallen Earth, Conan), what should I be looking at as a minimum?
Finally, price is most definitely a factor. I just got engaged, we're planning a wedding (lots of expenses there) and I'm paying off the ring for the next year, in addition to the fact that I didn't have a big ol' wad of cash just burning a hole in my pocket in the first place, so keeping costs down and being able to pay over time without getting huge interest build up is a Good Thing (tm).
Thanks in advance for your help and advice!
-- Ron
The way I see it, I have 3 choices. New computer, try to get the old one fixed, or just go without. Going without isn't really a good idea these days, I'm down to a new machine or fixing the old one.
All my tech guy buddies have kind of drifted away or are otherwise inaccessible, and I am in NO WAY capable of fixing something like this myself. Most I can do is maybe put in a new video card. I had gone to Best Buy for a diagnostic when the machine started crapping -- they initially told me it was the video card. Luckily, I asked them to put the new one in, when they discovered that the video card may or may not be bad, but the mother board certainly looked dookielicious.
The fact that the video card may or may not also be bad leans me towards thinking of getting a new machine. That said, and since my techie buddies aren't around, what recommendations are there for a new computer? I'm looking for a machine that will be able to run games and do basic home & work projects. So it doesn't have to be high-end, but I also don't want a computersaurus.
I guess my first question is should I get a Vista machine or try to stick with XP. Dell is still offering customized XP boxes, but Gateway is not. I don't really think going with a "boutique" machine (like Alienware) is a great idea for me, but I'd look into them if there seemed to be a good reason to go that way. Who else should I look at? Given some of the more graphic/processing intensive games that are coming out (Warhammer, Fallen Earth, Conan), what should I be looking at as a minimum?
Finally, price is most definitely a factor. I just got engaged, we're planning a wedding (lots of expenses there) and I'm paying off the ring for the next year, in addition to the fact that I didn't have a big ol' wad of cash just burning a hole in my pocket in the first place, so keeping costs down and being able to pay over time without getting huge interest build up is a Good Thing (tm).
Thanks in advance for your help and advice!
-- Ron
chromdom on
0
Posts
Seriously, a day and a half later, and no one has a suggestion on where to go, what to look for, or what to avoid?
Also, I didn't see anything, but are there rules against bumping a thread up to keep looking for advice?
I suggest you stick with a XP computer for now. Keep an eye out for places that sell Vista OEM. All that means is all you will get is the disc but you have to buy a piece of hardware at the same time. If you don't get a new computer with a DirectX 10 compliant video card you can pick one up when you get Vista.
Avoid Dell if possible. They are not a bad computer but they do use proprietary parts. This has been known to cause problems when trying to upgrade.
Again, much thanks!
Good luck with the wedding plans.
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Anyway, here's what I ordered:
Gateway® DX430S
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6600 (2.40GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 4MB cache, non-HT) 1
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium (32-bit) 1
2048MB 667MHz Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2-1024MB modules) 1
160GB 7200rpm Serial ATA II/300 hard drive w/ 8MB cache 1
48x/32x/48x CD-RW/DVD combo drive 1
Gateway® 19" Widescreen HD LCD Display 1
Microsoft® Office Home & Student Edition 2007 (includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint) 1
Cyberlink Power2Go (for Windows Vista™ Home Premium and Ultimate) 1
Energy Star Compliant 1
Gateway® 5-Bay uATX Case 1
Intel® G965 Chipset 1
Black Polish 1
(2) PCI expansion slots, (1) PCI-E x1 expansion slot. (1) PCI-E x16 expansion slot 1
(6) USB 2.0 (2 front, 4 rear), (2) IEEE 1394 firewire (1 front, 1 rear), audio ports and (2) PS/2 1
15-in-1 Memory Card Reader 1
90-day America Online® Internet access 1
Gateway® Elite Keyboard (for Windows® Vista™) 1
56K PCI data/fax modem 1
Systemboard with Intel® G965 Chipset & 10/100 network 1
Soft-touch USB Optical Wheel Mouse 1
Integrated Intel® 10/100 Twisted Pair Ethernet 1
Windows Vista™ Home Premium Backup Media (32-bit) 1
400-Watt Power Supply 1
McAfee® 90-day Internet Security Suite Complimentary Subscription with VirusScan, Personal Firewall Plus, SpamKiller & Privacy Service v. 1.2 (for Windows Vista™) 1
End User License Agreement for Non-Microsoft Software 1
Gateway® 2.0 Speakers 1
No TV Tuner Card Selected 1
NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTS w/ 320MB, Dual DVI-I Dual link TV Out (Factory Overclocked) w/ VGA adapter 1
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 with Maximum 384MB Shared Memory (Dynamic Video Memory Technology) 1
1 Year Value Plan (Tech Support - Parts - Factory Labor) 1
PCI Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g Broadcom 4318e 1
For a brand new pretty good computer (right???) with a brand new HD monitor, less than $1900, including tax and shipping and handling (which I always think of as bullshit charges, but whatever). The main part that sucks is that it looks like it's gonna take 6 weeks to get here! What the hell? Oh well, just gotta get by at work and on the laptop at home for a while.
Thanks again everyone who pitched in!