Buying a new computer.

[lilbrack5]

So it's time I buy a desktop. The only game I will be playing will be WoW. I'm a 16 year old kid in high-school, so of course my budget is super-low. I know the more ram the better, and I need a good video card. I've customized a computer off of cyberpowerpc.com that I think will do what I need it to do. The end price was about $718..no monitor that is. I selected the ATI Radeon HD 3850 256MB video card, 2gb of memory, and windows xp. Is there any other "things" I should really focus on to make it a great gaming pc at low budget. Btw it's a dual core processor.

 

[wanna be geek]

I know if I had $718, I could build a super computer and get a monitor... If you are only going to play that one game why don't you get a barebones kit (you can get them for $200 or less if you know where to go and then you will have extra $ to get a decent video card as wel as a nice big lcd monitor)... My system that I am running now I paid less than $150 for. I just got a 22 inch wide screen monitor for $150 on sale so I am really enjoying my games... I don't have the best of systems but can run most games... At least all the ones I like. I can turn you on to some great $ saving sites where you can get the most for your $... Whatever you do, Do not buy a computer from a store... You will get a bunch of crap and bloat ware with it.. Do it yourself.. It is not that hard and if you build it, you can always fix it...

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

I'd go the barebones route as well...

Find one with a motherboard/chipset that looks like it will provide you with some room to upgrade later on if you choose.

You're probably better off waiting a week or two to see if the 8800GT's drop in price, I think the GeForce 9 series has (or had anyway) an anticipated release of 2/21/08 according to Wiki. Might save yourself some cash !

 

[lilbrack5]

Asus M2N-MX SE Plus Motherboard - Qty: 1 $59.99

AMD A64 X2 5400+ 2.80GHz OEM - Qty: 1 $109.99

OCZ Platinum 2048MB PC6400 - Qty: 1 $69.99

Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB Hard Drive - Qty: 1 $59.99

Diamond Radeon HD 2400 Pro 256MB PCIe - Qty: 1 $49.99

Diablotek CPA-808 Black ATX Mid-T Case - Qty: 1 $29.99

Power Up Standard 450w ATX PSU - Qty: 1 $39.99


I'm not the computer genius, but this amounts up to$334.99. It's got over enough memory for WoW I can see. I don't know how good the motherboard or video card is. And will this come with an ethernet hook-up? Also should this run World of Warcraft very smoothe?

 

[wanna be geek]

that looks pretty good... Check this site out. They have everything... www.geeks.com

 

[wanna be geek]

I just found this for $350
Acer Aspire Pentium Dual Core 1.6 GHz Mini Tower PC


General Features:
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium pre-installed w/COA
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2140 1.6 GHz processor
1 GB DDR2 memory (expandable up to 2 GB)
250 GB SATA hard drive
DVD±RW DL drive
No floppy drive
Integrated SiS graphics
Integrated audio
56K modem
Integrated Ethernet
Built-in front panel memory card reader


Supported Memory Cards:
Compact Flash I/II
SmartMedia
xD
Secure Digital
MultiMedia Card
Memory Stick/PRO


Front Panel I/O ports:
Three (3) USB ports
Mic in
Headphone in


Rear I/O ports:
Two (2) PS/2 ports
One (1) 9-pin Serial port
One (1) Parallel port
One (1) 15-pin VGA port
Four (4) USB ports
One (1) IEEE 1394 FireWire port
RJ-45 Ethernet port
Six (6) Audio ports


Dimensions:
14 x 7 x 17.25-inches (H x W x D, approximate)


Regulatory Approvals:
FCC
VCCI
C-Tick

Package Includes:
Acer Aspire Pentium Dual Core 1.6 GHz Mini Tower PC
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Keyboard
Mouse
USB Speakers
Power cord



It is at the above mentioned link

 

[lilbrack5]

That is pretty cheap. I would prefer to have 2gb of memory rather than 1 though. And those computers don't come put together. I'm a newb, not a geek. I don't think I could figure out how to put it together .

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

It's not as hard as you think honestly. If you don't feel comfortable assembling the system maybe you know someone that might be willing to if you toss a few bucks their way? I'd usually jump on anything like that (mostly with the intent of doing it for free but most people tip or whatever you'd like to call it) just to gain a tad more experience. Ask around, you never know...

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

The build in post #4 is pretty good. I'd recommend tossing that video card though and getting an 8600GT instead. That would be more than sufficient to run WoW smoothly.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

I'd disagree on the 8600GT. Granted, it's plenty good enough to run WoW but if you want to try a newer game sometime in the near future you'll wish you had gone with an 8800GT.

As I stated before 8800GT's should drop in price considerably sometime soon considering the release of the GeForce 9 series cards.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Read the OP's first post. It's only going to be used for WoW. An 8800GT is a waste of money for that game.

 

[wanna be geek]

OK, what I gave you was a starter... I think as a newbe you should take the plunge and doi t!!! You got to start somewhere. Now is the time... $ is not everything, nor is performance... Understanding how things work and how to conrfigure them is what makes **** happen. Get a bare bones sys. put it together, enjoy it for awhile, show it off as your build, sell yourself to others, gain thier confidance, make a sale, use the profit to upgrade, do it again... That is how I made my start... That is how I live. Everyday I learn, everyday I grow.... Before you spend a dime, shop around!!!!! The net is the place!!! The world is at your finger tips. Remember that.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

I have read the first post and I am more than aware that an 8800GT is a waste of money for WoW. However, if he is gaming now, odds are he will be gaming later. I'd put any amount of money on the fact that he's going to move on to games that will require more power. So fine, spend $120 or whatever now, and then an additional $150-200+ down the road when it's time to move to bigger/better things and you'll have spent $350 rather than just spending $180 (or less after rebates) that the 8800's will presumably drop to.

It's a simple cost benefit analysis and I'm only trying to save the kid money. Do what you want heh...