Help building an affordable gaming computer

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Hello everyone. I want some help with building a gaming computer in the $800 dollar range. I have checked on Newegg.com and I have found some deals but they are not quite cheap enough and I know that there are better ones out there. What I am looking for is a computer that is a decent gaming computer. Not top of the line, but it should have room for upgrading when I get more money. What I am looking for is an AMD 64 processor and a PCI-Express graphics card. Please help me... :hotbounce

P.S. Also, if you can give a link with a cheap but good monitor ...flat screen is fine I don't need flat panel.

Kaiden16
 
I used the Chaintech Vnf4ultra nforce 4 ultra motherboard($90), a 939 3000+ ($150)cpu, 1gb corsair value select($80), pci-e 6600gt($160), antec 1650b ($65)case, and a tagan 480w psu($90)(wouldn't need this, the 1650b has a good psu that runs the system, I wanted more power for overclocking). I like it it's a nice system, for pretty cheap.
Total $635
+ a dvd burner ($50)
+ a hd ($85)
+ floppy ($10)
+key/mouse ($30)
+ monitor ($vaires)
=$810 w/o monitor.
 
i went through http://www.tigerdirect.com once, and that was the last time. they messed my order up and i only got my thermal compund and a couple of fans. they said that they could only refund the money i spent on my video card. so i never got my case or ne thing else. i ended up going to a local computer shop.
 
you may not think it, but you can go garbage picking for a monitor. thats what i did, i scored a 20-in gateway piece of crap, in the rain, but its better then the 14'' i had before it, or you can check your local sams club or costco or whatever is near you thats like that.

is there a sams club in like, every state or only in illinois...hmmmmmmm
 
Son of Sam said:
you may not think it, but you can go garbage picking for a monitor. thats what i did, i scored a 20-in gateway piece of crap, in the rain, but its better then the 14'' i had before it, or you can check your local sams club or costco or whatever is near you thats like that.

is there a sams club in like, every state or only in illinois...hmmmmmmm


I have an old monitor from my gateway 2000 and its like 21 inches. Its got a curved screen not flat like a CRT monitor. Does the gateway monitor I have hinder my visual performance? Or will it be the same as long as my graphics card is good? In other words, does the monitor signficantly affect how good your visual quality is? :monkey:

BTW does Sam's Club actually throw away their old monitors like that? If that's so, that's a score for me!
 
damn vnf4 im so getitn ur set up nxt time i build a PC =D maybe i'll drive down to US n shop at newegg do they have a store i can walk into? too bad i live in canada..

my best bet is Tigerdirect.ca
 
The best way to check priced is pricegrabber.com. For a monitor I got a dual input 21" dell flat screen crt for $168 (that includes shipping) at dealsdepot.com. They were a little slow but it was because of credit card conficts. I also ordered alot of stuff from newegg and trigerdirect, which are both wonderful sites. You can see my system in my sig and it cost me about $900 minus the seagate and the video card.
 
if you can find a few near you, stop by some pc repair/sales shops. tell them what you want to use the machine for, and how much you PLAN to spend. a bit of conversation and a few visits should land you a nice computer at a competitive price. you can even have it built for you, if you so desire. just stay away from mass-produced oem crap (dell, sony, hp, gateway, and so on...) and get a (knowledgeable) second opinion on what you are offered before you buy. in my opinion, going into a place and purchasing in person is a thousand times better than any website, but i realize not everyone has such establishments in thier vicinity.
 
I wouldn't personally get an aspire, I don't know if it's any good, could be or could be not.

Here are two that I've heard are ok, but either cost a little more, or are less powerful, but probably more reliable.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103465
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817189003

Psu guide
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=792566
Aspire is on the "unscrupulous" list.

Remember, newegg doesn't seem to show the "bad" reviews, some of my own reviews have been returned, due to being "too critical" of an item.
 
i put a forum here asking about what mobo should i get, and one guy said go with a mobo with a nvidia chipset. do the nvida chipsets really make a big difference. i was looking at this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127181

before that guy recommended a nvida chipset mobo. btw this mobo is in alienware computers

then i decided i was about to go with this one cause it had a nvidia chipset it in

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128286



so if you guys can help me choose which mobo to go with.
 
do u have an extra $7? cuz u can get this instead of the two other mobos u were looking at

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813152049

it has nforce4 chipset and pci-e ..
uwere looking for pci-e VC right?

btw.. id take vnf's set up seriously.. its $810 n its a good machine

im not being a fan boy or anythign, but if i had looked online n wasnt rushed i woulda bought those parts for my friends machine (i was stuck buying at a local store with very limited brands n parts =[ )

i jus did a set up for myself for fun.. using a vnf4ultra with a AMD 64 3200+ ...

here i'll show u lol..

$372 VNF4 Ultra Motherboard w/ AMD Athlon 64 3200+ CPU (939 Socket)
$128 1GB Kingston DDR RAM PC3200
$149 MSI Radeon X600XT 128MB DDR PCI-Express Video Card
$88 Vantec 460 Watt Power Supply
$137 200GB Maxtor Diamond Plus 10 7200RPM with 16MB Buffer
$103 ThermalTake Soprano Case (Black)
$70 Pioneer DVD+-RW 16x with DL


http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1332960&CatId=1619

http://cas-tech.ca/products.asp?L1=814&L2=13

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1240075&CatId=1561

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1407918&CatId=0

http://www.pccyber.ca/scrItem.asp?product_subtypes_id=98&product_types_id=9&product_id=6495

http://www.pccyber.ca/scrItem.asp?product_id=6492&product_subtypes_id=87&product_types_id=5

http://cas-tech.ca/product.asp?PID=6381

its all canadian price..

this is my hopefully future new PC>. lol cept the video card.. i'll prolly change that to a 6600gt

btw the links go in order according to the list and total is $1002 CND (plus 15% tax later.. )

in USD that like what.. around 800 or lesS?
 
man, how do you have the patience to deal with multiple website orders? i'd go a bit out of my way to go to a physical store and get all my stuff from there. websites may be nice to get things shipped to you from, but if you've got to return something or have a warranty honored suddenly it gets much harder.
 
i cant go with the nforce4 boards cause i need an agp cause i just bought a 9800 pro a couple of weeks ago so thats poo

oh this is great, the board that i was going to buy a DFI nforce3 ultra with an agp slot is gone out of newegg i cant find, wats with this! wow
this is just great i have to find a new mobo
 
zephead said:
man, how do you have the patience to deal with multiple website orders? i'd go a bit out of my way to go to a physical store and get all my stuff from there. websites may be nice to get things shipped to you from, but if you've got to return something or have a warranty honored suddenly it gets much harder.



On the contrary, I have found newegg's RMAs very easy to deal with and in fact have not had a single fuss-n-muss situation, of which I have had several in brick and mortar stores. Online when submitting an RMA there is no arguing; it's issued and you mail the product off, right from my home. When I actually go into the store, aside from having to produce receipts, serial numbers, identification and credit cards, as well as signing this and that and having to deal with customer anti-service, it is very frustrating having to "reason" my way into a return. I don't need nor want to tell the customer rep why I want to return it.
 
i wasn't specifically referring to newegg, but your point is valid. i suppose it comes down to our respective experiences. for me the big difference is that most small local shops will order parts that you want to buy, unlike websites. i can go in with a list of what i want and they will provide it, so my choice isn't limited to whatever they have in stock. if newegg doesn't have the part you want, they aren't going to stock one just for you.
 
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