What to buy?

[Spudster]

Greetings, as my first post on this site, I would like to ask what kind of computer I should look into buying... My price range 800-900 dollars. I would like gaming possibilities, but nothing too expensive. Something reasonably powerful, yet not too pricey.
My friend tells me that I should buy the Mega Special III from cyberpowerpc(dot)com.

Specs:
* CASE: Apevia X-Cruiser 2 Mid-Tower Case w/ Side-Panel Window & MultiMeter Display (Black Color)
* Neon Light Upgrade: NONE
* Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
* POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: 600 Watts Power Supplies (SLI Ready Power Supply)
* CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 CPU @ 3.0GHz 1333FSB 6MB L2 Cache 64-bit
* COOLING FAN : INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
* MOTHERBOARD: MSI G31M3-L Intel G31 Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
* MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
* FREEBIES: None
* VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 512MB 16X PCI Express (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
* VIDEO CARD 2: None
* VIDEO CARD 3: None
* Free Game: None
* MULTIPLE VIDEO CARD SETTINGS: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
* LCD Monitor: NONE
* 2nd Monitor: NONE
* HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
* Data Hard Drive: NONE
* USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE
* Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Dual Layer Drive (BLACK COLOR)
* Optical Drive 2: NONE
* SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
* NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
* MODEM: NONE
* KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
* MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
* Extra Thermal Display : NONE
* Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE
* Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
* VIDEO CAMERA: NONE
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER CABLE: None
* IEEE CARD: NONE
* USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* FLOPPY: NONE
* OS: NONE - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
* Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon: None
* FREEBIES: None
* Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* RUSH SERVICE: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

But he said I should run it by you guys first before buying... Well, what do you think?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

I would recommend this system instead. Change the CPU to the X4 925, change the video card to the HD 4870 512MB, and change the PSU to the Corsair 650TX. Tweak everything else as per your needs. Make sure to select an OS, if you do not have one. I recommend Windows Vista Home Premium 64. If you do get the latter, get the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade too; it comes with a $29 mail-in rebate, essentially making it free.

It should be within your budget, and will be far more powerful than that Intel system. If you feel you are going over-budget, drop down to the X3 720. It will not make a significant difference in performance, and will still be faster than the CPU in the Intel system.

 

[Spudster]

Wow, I am very surprised by what I can get for under 1 grand. This is a much better deal than buying from, say, HP or Dell.

What do you think about this monitor - www(dot)newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254039 Sorry about the link, I guess since I'm a new member I am not allowed to post links.


Here are the full specs -
* CASE: NZXT Zero 2 Crafted Series Steel Full Tower Case (Black Color Trim)
* Neon Light Upgrade: NONE
* Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
* POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: Corsair Power Supplies (650 Watts CMPSU-650TX - Quad SLI Ready)
* CPU: AMD Phenom™II X4 925 Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
* FREEBIES: (FREE Back-To-School Gift!) 2GB MP3 Audio Player (for AMD DDR3 Systems)
* COOLING FAN : AMD ATHLON64 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
* MOTHERBOARD: Asus M4A77TD PRO AM3 DDR3 AMD 770 Chipset CrossFireX Technology SATA RAID MB w/GbLAN, USB2.0, &7.1Audio
* MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
* FREEBIES: None
* VIDEO CARD: ATI Radeon HD 4870 PCI-E 16X 512MB DDR5 Video Card (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
* VIDEO CARD 2: None
* Free Game: None
* MULTIPLE VIDEO CARD SETTINGS: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
* LCD Monitor: NONE
* 2nd Monitor: NONE
* HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
* Data Hard Drive: NONE
* USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE
* Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 22X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Dual Layer Drive (BLACK COLOR)
* Optical Drive 2: NONE
* SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
* NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
* MODEM: NONE
* KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
* MOUSE: NONE
* Extra Thermal Display : NONE
* Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE
* Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
* VIDEO CAMERA: NONE
* PRINTER: None
* PRINTER CABLE: None
* IEEE CARD: NONE
* USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* FLOPPY: NONE
* OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
* Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon: (Free Upgrade Coupon) Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium ($29-$29 Mail-In-Rebate = Free) (64-bit Edition)
* FREEBIES: FREE! (Halo 2) Game
* Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* RUSH SERVICE: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

I would recommend this monitor instead. A much more reliable brand, priced the same, and it comes with free shipping to boot. I also recommend switching to the HD 4870 1GB, since it will make a big difference in game performance at 1920x1080.

Also, you can get another free game, depending on your choice of video card (ATI vs NVIDIA). There are also other freebies available, again depending on your choice of parts. Go through the options again carefully to ensure that you get the most out of your purchase.

 

[klepto12]

why not build yourself a sytem?

 

[Spudster]

Oh, I thought I had Stormrise selected... Thanks for catching that. And I really don't have the time or knowledge to assemble my own computer, I would much rather have someone do it for me.

 

[Spudster]

Sorry for the double post.

I am beginning to wonder if Cyber Power is a good company to buy from or not... While most of the reviews are positive, the bad ones have me worried. According to the negative reviews, they have really bad customer service, and put together computers rather crappilly. Every negative review is 1 star, and every positive review is 5 star. It's like the computer is either crap, or is really good. Every negative review will try to convince you to not buy it, saying that you will regret taking the chance... However, the majority of reviews are 5-star. Should I take my business elsewhere?

 

[ThomasW]

The only problem I see with their standard builds is that the PSU is under-powered. You can build their $800 systems for about $700 if you put it together yourself - maybe less. That's actually not bad in the retail world.

Everything I find tells me they're usually pretty good until it comes to returns, refunds, and exchanges. They have very bad reviews in that category. You can weigh the risk of needing a return accordingly

 

[Spudster]

Perhaps I should look into iBuyPower instead? It seems like it gets better reviews regarding customer service and assembly.