Computer died, want to replace it with something cheap that can handle Civ IV & GTap

RainbowDespair

So my computer died today (not a big surprise since it's been making funny noises for months now) and I'm in the market for a new computer. I saw a pretty nice computer on Circuit City's website for $790 (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/iBUYPOWER-Gamer-515-TX-Desktop-PC-515TX/sem/rpsm/oid/216006/catOid/-12962/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do), but then I got to thinking, do I really need to spend even that much money? As far as gaming goes, all I really used my old computer for was Civilization IV, GameTap (mostly old stuff that has low reqs.), and the odd indie game with low reqs. There's nothing really on the horizon that I'm looking forward to that I couldn't just play on my 360 instead. As long as it'll run Civilization IV reasonably well and do my productivity stuff (MS Office, Internet, plus Visual C# + XNA for my 360 programming hobby), I think I could get away with a cheaper computer.

For reference, my old computer was thus:

An early dual core processor (I think it was 1.6Ghz)
1 gig of RAM
GeForce 7600GT

That old computer handled my needs pretty well so any suggestions on a cheap replacement?

Dixon

Man you could build a computer that could do that no problem for about 400 bucks...let me check newegg.

EDIT: Are you looking for something that is pre-fab or can you put together a system? If so would you need a case and such or are there old parts you could salvage?

EDIT #2:
Mobo http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3517183&CatId=1533 $80 with $20 rebate

CPU http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3856076&CatId=1969 $150

Memory: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2206874&sku=C13-2022 $56 with $25 rebate

Video 8500gt http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3145095&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs $50

or

Video 8800gt http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3592056&sku=P450-8830 $120 with $20 rebate

Case/PSU http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3775010&sku=C283-1184 $69 with $20 rebate

Then steal your optical drive from your old computer or pick up like a $25 dvd burner

I've also check the PSU that comes with the case and it will run the 8800gt it will be close but it will do it.
So you can run your stuff with the 8500gt but the 8800gt is a few times better so I just grabbed it for some choice...

So your looking at $405 with the 8500gt and then $85 savings with the rebates if you choose to mail them in then if you want to go with the 8800gt your just looking at $456 then the same $85 savings with rebates

EDIT: Damn I just realised I had forgot a harddrive...
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2268595&sku=TSD-320AS

So theres a 320gb seagate for $59.00.
Damn that puts me over my $400 estiamte quite a bit but it's less then that one from circuit city, and is about the same performance. I know the 8800gt is about 10% better then the 9600gt. Not sure on the CPU's as I haven't had any personal time with the 7400. The 2gb to 4gb of memory jump won't give you to much of a performance gain so yeah.

OremLK

The PC you posted has okay specs but it's pretty expensive for what you're getting. I'd just build my own for around half that price if I were you. If you want a build off Newegg let me know, I'd be happy to throw something together.

RainbowDespair

I guess I should have said I want something pre-made. I've never built a computer before and as I'm a bit of a klutz, the thought of trying to put together hundreds of dollars of highly delicate electronics scares me to death.

OremLK

Hell, if that's the case, why not have someone here do it for you for shipping costs and a few extra bucks? It would probably still be significantly cheaper than anything you'd be able to buy pre-built. Plus I can almost promise that you will be getting a better product that is more reliable, faster, and easier to upgrade.

The only obvious advantage to buying from a manufacturer is the warranty. The price/quality tradeoff is stunningly bad for all the ones I've seen.

Dixon

that one there is prob one of the better ones that is prefab. its hard to find a prefab comp that has an actual video card that is any good

RainbowDespair

Yeah, tell me about it. The computer I linked really caught my eye, because it's the only pre-fab computer I've seen that actually has a decent graphics card and is under $1000.

In the end, I think I'm going to wait on a new computer at the moment. I figured out the problem (a really nasty worm) and after several hours of hard drive reformatting, Windows re-installing, and driver searching, I've got my computer back up and running.

The advice about getting a friend to build the computer for me isn't a bad idea. I have a very tech-savvy friend from college; he'd probably build a computer for me if I asked nicely and paid for all the parts & shipping.

Cheezy

OremLK wrote: »

The PC you posted has okay specs but it's pretty expensive for what you're getting. I'd just build my own for around half that price if I were you. If you want a build off Newegg let me know, I'd be happy to throw something together.

Could you make one for around $500-600 (including optical drives and such)?

OremLK

CD
Case
HDD
Video
PSU
Memory
Motherboard
CPU

Comes to $507 before shipping. If you toss in a system builder's copy of Windows XP that should still be under $600 before shipping, or if you already have an OS to use, upgrade the part of your choice (video, HDD, case, CPU, whatever).

Desert_Eagle25

If you're gonna go for an Intel Core 2 Duo, get an Intel E8300 for $170. More power and longevity for an additional $50.

OremLK

Well, for my part, I was trying to work within his stated budget, and you could easily overclock the E7200 to near those speeds, if the processing power is important enough to you.