Please I need everyone's help here

[Allura Prime]

Please I would like as many people to respond to this post as possible.

Ok folks, I really need to buy a new pc. I would like to keep it under $500 if I can. The pc will be used as a gaming system. Basically I want you to tell me what to buy lol.

I have a flat screen monitor, I have my own mouse, I have a keybord, speakers, usb hub, router, eternal dsl ethernet modem, and such. Parts are generic aren't they meaning I can attach them to another system.

Basically all I really need is a new tower. When I was on line today I saw lots of systems that looked nice.

However I have questions?


What does it mean when it says a pc is a barebones system?

I have my own retail copy of windows xp so I can install the os myself.

What processor is good?

What speed should it be?

How much ram should I get as a minimum?

I think you get the idea.

Currently I am playing DAoC but I want to be able to play SWG again as well.

Really people any info, comments, advice, even links to systems you've seen that would work for me. I really need them.Thanks, Im desperate

[Marc Trueshaft]

I'm kind of in the same boat as you,and will probably do the same thing.
I have decent peripherals,my sound card is good ( Game Theater xp,I love the outboard box),my graphics card is great (GEForce FX 5700),I plan on using my hard drives,Cd burner,etc.
Really all I need is a new motherboard,processor,ram,and perhaps power supply.
Usually when you see a barebones system advertised,it's basically a case,power supply,motherboard,processor,and sometimes some minimal ram.They usually don't come with an OS.It also depends on the vendor.Sometimes what they call "barebones" is shorthand for "crappy,outdated components we can't sell,so we'll throw it in a case and call it "barebones" or "starter computer".

My plan is to go to my local computer shop,have them make the system I want,and take the useable parts out of my current system and put them in the new one.
I already talked to them about what i want,and it looks like it'll cost me about 500 bucks give or take,depending on what i decide on for a processor/motherboard.

Basically i'm upgrading so I can get a nicer processor ( right now am running an Athlon 1800 xp),and a more up to date motherboard that uses AGP 8.I can update my current motherboard bios so it will let me run up to a 2.2 ghz Atlon,but the graphics port is only AGP 4,which means I'm not getting the most out of my graphics card.
I was planning on upgrading my processor to an Atlon xp 3000 or 3200,but am almost considering sucking it up and just buying the new Athlon 64 ( I think you can buy an Athlon 64 2800 for 200 bucks,the 3000 is twice that price).
As far as memory goes,with the graphics today and the system resource intensive games,programs,and mutlimedia stuff,I think you really need 1 gig of ram.
Me I want to upgrade so I can play Doom 3 ( which just went gold) and half life2, and other games on decent settings.

[Allura Prime]

Hmm let's see, 22 people viewed and Marc was kind enough to reply. Come on folks you can do better than that. Go on the assumtion that I know nothing about pc/s

Computer Systems :
AMD Athlon XP Desktops
AMD Athlon 64 Desktops
AMD Duron Desktops
Intel Pentium 4 Desktops

What is the difference between these types? Or isn't there any?

Also is there any good websites that let you configure what you want?

[Marc Trueshaft]

www.tomshardware.com/

This is a good site,Great,trustworthy reviews.
It has a good section called PC's and how to's which is great for novices.
I really recomend going to your local computer store ( not CompUSA or Best buy,but a computer store with knowledgeable staff) and asking questions.
Tell them your needs( for instance if you want something that plays games mostly,),and what you can afford.Most of these places would be more than happy to answer questions and help you out.
The downside to buying from a computer shop and not someplace like NewEgg or whatever,is you spend more money.But me personally,I like haveing a person I ask questions from,and go to if I have problems.
My local store here in Indy has helped me out many times.
I feel kinda bad being the only one who's tried to answer your question,because I know I'm not computer tech savvy.
Anyway,that's what I did.

[Aeife/Niamb]

I got my computer from ABS Computing, but it cost well over $500. I know Kra'gen got his new computer from them and felt it had the best value/quality ratio, with a price only slightly above what it would cost to buy the components and build it yourself. However, looking at the site, it appears a decent gaming computer would run in the area of $1500. Their website is here: www.abspc.com/index.asp

I want you back in SWG....I miss you!! Unfortunately, I am not one of the uber computer experts in the guild. Celune had recommended I look at ABS and she and Jake helped me put together a system that a year and a half later I am still very satisfied with.

[Atochew]

I can address the questions you as above...

• What does it mean when it says a pc is a barebones system?
  This system will not include hard drives, cd drives, and may not include memory or even a CPU.
  
  
• I have my own retail copy of windows xp so I can install the os myself.
  If it has not been installed before this is true. If it as been installed on a now-dead system you can contact Microsoft and have the license transfered (or so I have heard).
  
  
• What processor is good?
  Intel P4 is the standard, the corresponding AMD is good as well.
  
  
• What speed should it be?
  I run a 2.4GHz and it seems doing ok.
  
  
• How much ram should I get as a minimum?
  I have 512MB and would consider that the minimum for SWG.
  

Now for recommendation there are people that are much better than I, but I would recommend the best video card you can afford (128mb at least). Do not use on-board (built into the motherboard video). Get a good AGP card. You can also upgrade these over time.

I would think that $500 for the base system should be very doable. If you are comfortable moving hardware you can probable salvage a CD drive, floppy drive, and hard drive(s), but these will be minimal costs (unless you have a spare CDRW-DvD lying around... those can get expensive). As for installing your own CPU, be careful these are easily damaged and I leave those to people better at it than I.

Just some ramblings.

[Marna]

for a gaming machine, i have looked and priced out a system for roughly 600.00 with an athalon 3400, 512 mb of ram, and a decent motherboard... if you have components, such as the CD, HD, etc from an older machine, that will save you cash there, and you can get a decent APG graphics card for roughly 200 more. Total cost lf my new system will be about 700, but im building myself... some people dont like to do this, since, as Atochew said, placing CPU's can make or break you.

I use athalons, since they seem to do a much better job with high graphic games then the comparable P4.... but thats my opinion.

[Kragen]

Ok...Things i would recommend.

Stay away from AMD Duron and Intel Celeron processors. They are cheaper versions of these companies higher end processors, but really are not suited for game players. Avoid them at all costs.

As for processors. I would recommend AMD. They are typically cheaper and a bit faster for games than Intel's current CPU's. The Athlon 64's are the most current version and come in various speeds and price levels. The XP's can be found cheaper, but you may limit your future upgrade possibilities if you get ones of these becuase they are an older technology. For AMD 64's a speed of 2.2 or better would be good. For Intel you may want to look at 2.8 or higher. The reason for the difference is the fact that AMD is a 64 bit cpu and even though the core speed is lower, the chip is actually faster than a comparable Intel 32 bit chip running at say 2.6.

As for graphics AGP is a must. Do not pay to upgrade any PCI video card. It's just not worth the money IMO. 128 mb video memory is another must. As for the Nvidia or ATI question? That is more of personal preference. You really can't go wrong if you choose one of their mid to high level cards. Once you get closer to a decission with this one, post your options. Im sure you will get a lot of different opinions.

Minimum RAM.. 512 is an absolute must. I would really go with 1GB if you can muster the extra cash. It makes a big difference.

Marc's suggestion of going to a local small PC shop is a good one. These guys should be able to build you a decent PC for around the money you are looking to spend and should be willing to use some of your old parts to save you some cash. I would suggest trying some of these places if you are a bit concerned about doing the work yourself. Trust me, it can be a fustrating trying to build your own PC. Some folks have no problems, they simply put all of the parts together and things work smoothly. Others have a lot of trouble and spend hours trying to debug a newly built system. The last system I built my self I used an IWILL mother board which was a big mistake. This was a Japanese company who did not do a great job of keeping their BIOS current and I had all sorts of trouble becuase of it (USB did not work out of the box, system would not shut down correctly when a USB device was plugged into it. Windows XP would not install with certain high end video cards installed (but it worked fine if you had an older card installed, go figure)) It took me months of reading dozens of different message boards and waiting for BIOS updates to get everthing stable. That is why I did not want to go that route with the PC I just bought. I simply did not have the time ATM.

Anyway, I hope this helps. If I can think of anything else I will post it here.

[Allura Prime]

Ok, I am very comfortable changing hard drives, drives, video cards, etc. The only thing I am not comfortable with is changing out a motherboard or cpu.

I have a hard drive, a dvd, a cd-rom, ethernet modem card, zip drive, floppy drive that I could put into another system. Im pretty sure my ATI Radeon 850 All-In-wonder is on its way out . So I would probably need a new vid card.

[Kragen]

Allura said:

Ok, I am very comfortable changing hard drives, drives, video cards, etc. The only thing I am not comfortable with is changing out a motherboard or cpu.

I have a hard drive, a dvd, a cd-rom, ethernet modem card, zip drive, floppy drive that I could put into another system. Im pretty sure my ATI Radeon 850 All-In-wonder is on its way out . So I would probably need a new vid card.

How large is your current HD and do you know it's speed (ie ATA 133 7200 RPM for example?)

From the sounds of it you may be able to get away with a simply motherboard upgrade, plus a new video card. Now the trick is a new mobo is going to mean you will probably need the following:

* new mother board compatible with your new CPU - will cost from $90 to 125

* new CPU - probably $250-$400

* new memory ~$100 per 512 mb

* new powersupply (not definate, but I would recommend it) ~$45 to 60

Next you would need to assemble it yourself, or have some do it for you.

The other thing would be Windows XP. You would need to contact Microsoft and find out if you could transfer your current version of XP to a new PC. Since thier licensing techolonolgy checks the components of your PC to insure you are not installing multiple copies of the OS onto different machines, you may not be able to use your version on a completly rebuilt pc (yes this is Microsoft BS). If that is the case you will need to buy another copy of windows. This should csot about a $100 dollars and will probably need to be bought from the same place as you buy your mobo.

[Atochew]

I agree with Kra'gen here. If everything is recent you may be able to get away with a MB/CPU upgrade. And of course the video card. I have been very pleased with my Dragon motherboard (friend helped me build the PC) and most MBs are standard size so it is not much harder than changing a HD. In some ways it is easier (a little more room to play).

What is your current CPU/MB? Could you get away with just a video upgrade? If you have an AGP slot that would be an upgrade you could pass on to a future system.

[Allura Prime]

If it helps you computer savvy people I have a Gateway 750 series computer. If you like you can look up the configuration at gateway, the serial # for that system is 0022676928.

This is what I think I know:
AMD Athlon
748 Mhz
640 MG of RAM (upgraded)
Western Digital 120g 7200 rpm
ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500 DV (upgraded)
Creative Sound Blaster PCI 128
External DSL Modem
Flat Screen Monitor
Hitachi DVD-Rom CD-8000
IDE CD R/RW 8x4x32


Ok gateway says I can upgrade motherboard and processor for about $500.

They suggest a Intel BOXD865GBFLK Pentium 4 w/ HT Sckt 478 ATX 4GB DDR-SDRAM and a Intel P4-2.6GHZ 512K L2 CACHE Oh right I know just what they are talking about.

Also this is why I decided a new system might be better, its gonna cost me about the same amount of money.

[Kragen]

Well if you do decided to go the upgrade route, do not buy your upgrades from Gateway. Their prices are way out of wack I find. Go through newegg.com

[Allura Prime]

Kra'gen no worries I wouldn't buy anything from Gateway again even if they were the last pc shop on the planet!!!!

Hehe I was looking through my old packing slips from Gateway, I had forgotten that theyhad to replace my entire system 4 times in the first year I owned it.

Be warned and buyer beware!

[Eliga Tibbar]

Well, you could do what I did when I had a million-and-one questions about how to build a PC myself: go to Borders or Barnes & Nobles and consult the many books on the subject. That's how I taught myself to build computers, and the first one I built booted on the first try.

Or you could continue to post questions to 22+ people and get many varied opinions, some of which are bound to conflict with each other....

Just a suggestion

HB Jr/Vinny S

[Cabs]

I usually consult my pc technician in these cases. I get good results and great tech support, and house calls also. Not sure if this is available in your area or not, but i didn't want you to think i was ignoring you. The service is called Dial-a-Ras.

p.s.

sometimes they even provide food and entertainment

[Allura Prime]

Hehehe believe me Cabs, if I had a car, I'd have been at their doorstep already. ;D

[Marna]

heh AP, ya got 2 in your area, less then an hour away =P

[Blackwind]

I need agree with what‘s been said. With your budget an upgrade is your only real option.

I know SWG will play with only minor spots of lag on p4 2.4, 512 ram and an all-in-wonder 9000. So I’d wonder about the NEED for a video upgrade… I’d say don’t order the video at first but plan ordering it later if the 8500 doesn’t work too well.

As far as upgrading goes… a new MB may not fit in your Compaq case (with out some drilling & cutting), you will (may) also need new memory and there’s a good chance you won’t need a PS but it’s worth keeping in mind that it may be an additional cost if you do.

After all that’s said you really need to decide if it’s worth it. You just may be better off saving for a new system. We’re talking about the bare minimum here and there’s still the whole problem of actually doing the work. (wanna mail it all to me ;D)


Hope that helps,
Blackwind

[Allura Prime]

hehe depends BW, where do you live ;D

[Marna]

Or you can just order the parts and have me or Ras come over fer a meal and a puter building party =P.. not that i can speak for Ras in this matter.. hehe

[Marna]

ok i just looked this up on NewEgg.com

MB - ASUS "A7N8X-X" nForce2 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL -- 68.00

CPU - AMD Athalon XP 3200 with 400 Mhz FSB - 181.00

Memory - Kingston 1 gig - 184.00 <85.00 for 512mb with lower quality Memory>

case - ASPIRE (Turbo Case) X-Pider Silver ATX Full Tower Case with 420W Power Supply, Model "ATXA2XPW/420" -RETAIL - 90.00


comes out to 523.00 as long as you have the HD, and CD/DVD player.. if you want to upgrade the VIdeo at the same time you can go with either the ATI 9800Pro for about 225.00 or the Gforce 5900+ for 187.00.. but that can come at a later time.

hope this helps you out.

[Allura Prime]

Yeah I would be game for a pc building party! I know Ras and Jay are going to be in this area sometime in August. Wonder if I could have the money by then, not.

Now another thing I was thinking, what if I bought the parts but had them shippped to your house Marna? Would you be willing to put it together for me? Course we are talking a couple of months here. Just a thought I had.

[Lazy Ras]

Know whats cool about having Noj build yer PC?? You can pay him with scallops and beer!! Yay!!! hehe

[Marna]

im sure we can work something out where you can get the stuff, and i can pick you .. and the stuff up, and take a trip up nahhth ovah tha big bridge, and visit cabs and ras' domain...

[Allura Prime]

oh that would be awesome hehehe