A Decent Computer for a Good Price

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Tenko

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Hello, I have been on a long journey to try to make my computer good enough to be World of Warcraft worthy. I was trying to upgrade my parents' Dell Dimension but was having no luck (First, it is almost non-upgradable in the first place thanks to Dell, and second, we had a $100 Dell Giftcard that I was using to upgrade our computer which we got a month ago and we placed the order and it still hasn't been confirmed). Now i am just really mad so I'm gonna try and buy a totally new computer (I wanted one for my room anyways). So, to the point. I was wondering if anyone could reccomend a decent gaming computer with plenty of upgrades available, the only catch is that it can't be over $1000 and if possible $700 or less would be awesome!
Thanks in advance,
Tenko
 
Well that's awesome... not too expensive yet still awesome. Is that a full computer or is that without a keyboard, monitor, etc? If I could find a full computer that was decent and could play World of Warcraft... and not just play... because my computer can "play" it if you call play a lagfest haha... but like not much lag and able to enter Ironforge would be nice =)
Keep in mind my budget though.... $700 or less would be awesome! but i can go up to maybe $800 or near there depending on how much money i save.
 
I would avoid any video card with less than a 256bit memory interface, especially if you want to play games at high resolutions.
 
vegasgmc said:
I would avoid any video card with less than a 256bit memory interface, especially if you want to play games at high resolutions.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. Get this it's pretty good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150152
A good Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823126170
A cheap, well-performing mouse.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104182
And a good XGA LCD monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824176040
Plus the PC previously listed and wallah...it comes up to $802.96!!!
 
Well, so far... I am up to like $870 without keyboard and mouse because im sure i can find one laying around here.... So here are the parts that I'm thinking about... If there is any way to get any of these parts cheaper or differant parts that function the same... let me know =)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824222019

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16883102664

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102688
(It would be nice if i could use this)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814145127

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102176

And I'm just wondering if those cheaper cards will work for WoW... I don't really care if i can run around with everything on max... I just want to be able to play on medium with no lag in Ironforge or the BattleGrounds... So if theres any way to trim the price a bit... that would be awesome! (Sorry that I know nothing of computers haha, Also tell me if im gonna need something to cool it or something to power it because i know nothing =/ ) If possible is there a cheaper monitor and video card that will still work? I can trim the price down to $780 with that cheaper video card... and probably down to $700 if i could get a cheaper monitor. Thats only if i dont need like a fan and better power source for it.
Anyways,
Thanks everyone so far!
Tenko
 
The 7300GS which u posted has a 32-bit memory interface, which really sucks. The X850 or the 6800 I posted would be a better choice.But for good performance with an affordable price tag, I would recommend the 6800XT I posted or this card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125220
This sound card would be really good
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102003
Only a dollar more than the one u posted and better features.
U will also need a new PSU. Get this it should be enough
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103936
 
Sry about the bad recommedation about the memory interface.

I would get atlest a 6800gs.

It should be more then enough for wow, but as for others it's not.
 
Well instead of going down in price, I went up... But that's ok... I might be able to save this much... (Hopefully) Well here's my build so far...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125220

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102003

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103936

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824222019

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16883102664

Total ~875 (without taxes or s/h)
Once again if there's anything i can trim down... or anything additional I will need, just say so. =)
Thanks a lot everyone,
Tenko
 
you can upgrade your dimension you know.

it uses a standard micro-ATX motherboard and a standard ATX power supply.

you will simply need to replace the mobo (and possibly the PSU as well if you need more power) you won't be able to use the front panel connections, but the only one you need is the power switch anyways. depending on your CPU and the mobo that you want, you may want to buy a new CPU as well.

you will obviously need to buy a video card, but you needed that anyways.

just another option to consider instead of buying a whole new PC, as this option could save you hundreds of $$$$'s.
 
If I did this, would it work as good as the computer that I've been working on building? And what all would I need to buy... Because everyone I talked to in my other thread said that my Dimension is a piece and is hard to upgrade.
 
Tenko said:
If I did this, would it work as good as the computer that I've been working on building?
Click to expand...
potentially.... yes. maybe even better. those basic systems offer a nice cheap starting point, but are far from high end machines.

Tenko said:
what all would I need to buy
Click to expand...
well that depends on what model demension you have now, and what you will be keeping from it. if you're CPU is decent, then you'll need nothing more than a mATX motherboard and a video card.

Tenko said:
everyone I talked to in my other thread said that my Dimension is a piece and is hard to upgrade.
Click to expand...
well like any boxed OEM PC, they are far from high end machines and severely limit your upgrade options. OEM PC makers do not make money if you upgrade their machine, they want you to buy a whole new PC when your needs exceed the PC's abilities.
 
Well I currently have my parents' stock Dell Dimension 2400... So to make it World of Warcraft playable with little to no lag what would I have to buy? And how much would it cost? Could you post parts? Thanks a lot because i need all the money i can get so hundreds of dollars off would be awesome!
 
Well, I might have found a cheaper solution to this all....
How good would this work for World of Warcraft?

AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3500+ Computer with 17" Flat-Screen Monitor and Color Printer
-Windows Xp Media Center Edition 2005 Software
-1024MB DDR memory
-250GB hard drive
-Double-layer multiformat Lightscribe DVDRW drive/burns labels directly to DVDs and CDs
-9-in-1 Media Reader
Total=$550

I know some of the above things have nothing to do with gaming but thats ok I just wrote the description.
What else would I have to buy for WoW to be lag-free or close to it?
Thanks a ton everyone!
Tenko
 
Judging from the price it has onboard video. If you want to play WOW with decent visual settings you're going to need a video card.
 
Whoops.... In the post with the computer specs I accidentally looked right past the video card...
-ATI Radeon Xpress 200
There, will that work or will I still need to buy that other one?
And how fast of broadband will I need? What brand is really good? We have Broadband... I really don't know how to tell speeds so ya. All I know is that when I flash over the internet icon it always says 100.0 Mbps. Also, if the above video card won't be enough... Will the one I mentioned earlier even work with this computer?
I'm so close to having this computer finished! Now I just gotta save a little cash.
Thanks for the 10 millionth time! =p
Tenko
 
Thats an onboard video card so it will not do. Get the 6600 u posted. It will be enough. I would recommend at least a 2 Mbps connection for good speed. That's the max available here anyways. Etisalat sucks :(
 
if you're tight on cash, you can get by with the onboard video until you can buy a good card.

world of warcraft's system requirements are pretty low. this is taken from their website :
What are the game's system requirements?

Windows® System 98/ME/2000/XP OS:

* 800 MHz or higher CPU.
* 256 MB or more of RAM.
* 32 MB 3D graphics card with hardware Transform and Lighting, such as GeForce 2 or better.
* 4 GB or more of available hard drive space.
* DirectX® 9.0c or above.
* A 56k or higher modem with an Internet connection.
Click to expand...
... 32mb geforce 2??? lol... the ATI radeaon xpress can handle it until you can buy a decent card
 
Heya,

I'm not going to provide any links but rather I will give you some personal experience feedback. WoW is a great game first and foremost. Now onto the computer you should have to run it. I am giving you my computer specs. it runs the game with ZERO lag while averages around 45 FPS, and it is not the best machine out there. Socket 478, Prescott 3.0 w/ HTT, Radeon 9800PRO 128mb, 2 gigs RAM in 1 gig pairs (1 Gig would work also 2*512), and the kicker is a good and fast Harddrive. The above off the top of my head would cost.

200 for the cpu
60 for the MB
60 for the PSU
70 for the videocard
60 for the case
150 for the ram
100 for the WD 32GB raptor (use this as your primary HD where you put your OS and game)
50 for a 19 inch CRT monitor

You could prolly come out cheper but that's pretty much the specs for the parts to run that game w/ no lag.
 
Well, idk where I could get all those parts for that cheap so I'm kind of outta luck. I think that if the computer I mentioned earlier will work I might buy it and just wait untill I can afford a better video card. If you could manage to find those parts or provide some more details on your parts/specs then that would be cool but you don't have to. How bad of lag do you think I would experience? How much of an improvement would it be over my Dell Dimension 2400? (Can't enter Ironforge because of lag issues and Battlegrounds are out of question... Lag almost anywhere I go)
 
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