The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Gaming Desktop around $1000
RenegadeSilence
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So my brother is in the market for a pre-built gaming desktop for around $1000. Largely preferable if it's pre-built. Price can include the monitor, we have extra some lying about, but none of them are HD. I'd like to stress the pre-built part because I don't have the time to build him one.
If it helps to know my dad probably can order anything dell through his work with about a 30% discount.
EDIT: Well I wouldn't mind learning how to put one together it's just if it's going to be ~$1000 worth of parts I really want some supervision if I'm going to give it a go for the first time.
If it helps to know my dad probably can order anything dell through his work with about a 30% discount.
EDIT: Well I wouldn't mind learning how to put one together it's just if it's going to be ~$1000 worth of parts I really want some supervision if I'm going to give it a go for the first time.
RenegadeSilence on
0
Posts
It takes about two hours.
If you want, you may think about visiting Computer Renaissance, you can actually order the parts through them and have them build it. I believe they charge $50 for the build fee, but that's still likely less than you would pay for a pre-built with lesser parts.
Other than that, HP has just released their new desktops and they are now in Best Buys. The Elite series is pretty hefty and within your budget. ASUS also has a very nice desktop out, but it's a couple hundred over your listed price.
Actually from what I remember it has the similar specs as this PC I just built on HP.com for $1,009.99 (I tried to do the same on Dell, but it was coming up nearly $400 even with worse parts):
Operating system Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-920 processor (2.66GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache with QPI Technology)
Memory 6GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs]
Hard drive 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
Graphics card 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4850 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
Primary optical drive LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
Networking Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
Front Productivity Ports 15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
TV & entertainment experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Sound Card Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
Speakers No speakers
Keyboard and Mouse HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse
Productivity software Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
Security software Norton Internet Security(TM) 2009 - 15 month
It does take about two hours to build and software a PC these days. And the end result is something much better that the pre-built system for roughly the same cost, so why--if you have the know-how to make your own PC--the insistence on a pre-built system?
The guy not only said he wanted a prebuilt, he said that he wanted to stress that he wants a prebuilt. THAT MEANS HE DOESN'T WANT TO BUILD IT. Jesus.
Or, just finding a pre-built that doesn't have Norton installed. I can't believe that people even use that piece of shit in this day and age.
Yes, I'm quite aware of how a POS Norton is and I know the viable free alternatives, I'm pretty sure my brother has pretty safe browsing habits are safe as he's never had to deal with a virus before so I'm pretty sure he'll do well with one of the free alternatives. If we do get a pre-built I'm pretty sure he's going to reformat to nuke the bloatware.
As for software such as office, we don't have to worry about it because my dad has access to the corporate licenses from his work, hell I've gotten photoshop for free because of it.
If anyone is in the St. Louis area and wouldn't mind supervising a build I wouldn't mind trying it.
Anyway just curious what would be the "premium" on buying a pre-built compared to building one?
I just compared the Alienware Area-51 750i base model ($900) to equivalent hardware from Newegg. Without even hunting for bargains or combo deals, just copying the hardware that comes in the Alienware, I was able to get basically identical hardware (minus the gaudy Alienware case) for 704 dollars on Newegg. So thats saving 200 bucks on basically identical hardware. I'm sure if I opened up my options by not just looking at identical hardware, I could find either better deals for extremely similar hardware, or get a much faster/better computer for the 900 dollars the Alienware costs.
That being said, if I had a thousand dollars to blow and a strong reason to get a pre built machine, I would take a hard look at Alienware. I have a friend who's bought 3 computers from them by now. The PC quality is absolutely top notch, and their user support is tremendous.
Edit: I just designed one using ibuypower.com I went a little bit over the top ($100), and it doesn't include windows (as from the sounds of it you may be able to get a deal on it through your dad's work) or a monitor
Case ( PSI ArmorX Gaming Tower Case - Red )
Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7 920 Processor (4x 2.66GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )
Motherboard ( Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset CrossFire and SLI Supported w/7.1 Sound, Triple-Channel DDR3, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, 3-Way SLI PCI-E MB - 3-Way SLI )
Memory ( 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1333 Triple Memory Module - Corsair Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 PCI-Express x16 – 896MB - Single Card )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( 650 Watt -- Casegears ECO-Element 80 Plus Certificated High Efficiency Power Supply - SLI Ready )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink )
Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE - [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Optical Drive ( None )
2nd Optical Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 22X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
Operating System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Video Camera ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Headset ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Software/Game ( [Free Game] - Halo 2 - Free with purchase of Microsoft Windows Vista operating system )
MP3/MP4 Player ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Sound Reduction ( None )
Sub Total: $1,104.00
isnt that a lot
like
enough that its worth getting a dell
Keep an eye out on something like this from slickdeals.
1. Click here then Customize and Buy
2. Choose the following options (or any other options to reach $1249 before any discounts)
1. 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4850 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters] +$110
2. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio +$40
3. Checkout, apply coupon DTX8714 for $500 off
4. Your total will be $1250 - $500 coupon = $750 with free shipping.
Specs
* Intel Core i7-920 processor (2.66GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache with QPI Technology)
* 6GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs]
* 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
* 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4850 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
* LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
* Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
* 15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
* Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
* HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse
* Norton Internet Security 2009 - 15 month
* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit
It would be impossible to build that yourself for cheaper without stealing the parts.
the dell offer probably doesn't extend to gaming computers.
If Inspirons count within the 30% discount, then I'd go with this.
Its about as high-end as you can get before you hit the XPS, and comes with a 24" monitor. Comes in at $1179 before your discount.
If by "glue" you mean "thermal paste," then yes, it is very much supposed to be there.
This guy's post is a classic example of why the OP should not try building his own PC. There are really easy ways to fuck up every single step, and many of them involve bricking the hardware. If you need "supervision" to put together the PC, then you can't put together a PC. You'd be better off paying the "supervisor" to do it for you.
For $1000 and the anxiety about doing it yourself, just go by the advice of those in the thread who are posting specs. If your 30% discount on Dell applies to any of their PCs, go with them.
I couldn't agree with this more. If you're not sure you know what you're doing, definitely have someone else do it for you. If you get a 30% discount from Dell, there's no reason at all not to buy one from them. Plus, like someone else said, keep an eye on slickdeals, or even woot. They have some crazy pc deals sometimes, and they're usually from Dell.