Here is my take on a general purpose computer on a budget:
Processor: Core 2 Duo E2160 1.8GHz - $85
Heatsink: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - $20
Motherboard: Gigabyte 965P-DS3 Rev. 1.3 - $95
Memory: (2) Super Talent 1GB DDR2 667 - $60
Video Card: PNY GeForce 8800GTS 320MB - $270
Optical Drive...
Dell has a new deal every few days.
Check this page for the newest deal: http://gotapex.com
Trust me. I've been down that road. Just point him to Dell and Newegg and wash your hands of the whole thing (well, maybe you can help him install the video card).
Unless you want to be your friend's tech-support chimp, I suggest you point your friend to the E521 on this page:
http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/hot_offers_dt?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd
Then tell him to add this video card for WoW...
With Feisty, Ubuntu is a great option for a typical family PC.
My parents only use their PC for internet and e-mail, so I loaded a copy of Ubuntu on an old Socket A Athlon XP system and it blazes along. Ubuntu had drivers for all the hardware in my old Socket A system, and had all the...
No need to wait, Bro.
Another reason why eWiz rocks; the E2160 is MIA on Newegg.
For those who don't know already, the Core 2 Duo E21x0 series is the same as the Core 2 Duo E4x00 series, except they have only 1MB L2 cache. In certain applications, this does affect performance slightly; in...
Then do what Newegg themselves advocate. Window-shop on their site, and buy from another.
There was a time when Newegg wasn't the Wal-Mart of computer hardware. I'm not sure if you guys were too young to remember it. Lots of other e-tailers have great customer service, fast shipping, and...
The best at advertising? The best at being popular? Do they tuck you into bed at night?
Blind faith in Newegg always baffles me. There are many examples, but here is one to illustrate my point. I want to buy a Corsair 620HX, one of the best aftermarket PSUs available.
Newegg: $169.99...
For your mother in law? Here's my version of a mother-in-law PC; small, simple, and plenty fast for all tasks (save 3D gaming). The motherboard has GeForce 7025 video built-in; even has a DVI port.
Antec NSK3300 MATX case w/ 300W PSU - $75...
Ditto.
The speakers in question are these ones: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7705307&type=product&id=1138085354138
Good review here (although there are a lot on the web): http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/insignia_ns_b-2111_review/
The reason they're so good? They weren't...
Monitor & speakers are considered peripherals, which can be carried over between systems. My 20" widescreen LCD is serving me just fine after 18 months of use. Same with my speakers; still going strong, even though I've changed my computer config several times since buying them.
My motto for $3,000 PC builds:
Assemble a computer for $1,500.
Save $1,500 for CPU/GPU upgrades over the next 12/18 months IF NEEDED.
Of course, you can blow the entire $3,000 right now, but 12 months from now you'll have GPUs/CPUs that are a lot faster for half the price, and you'll wish you...
Is there any reason why Anandtech nor DailyTech discloses what timedemo (or methodology they use), or if they even use one period? I thought most big-name sites try to standardize their testing methodologies to some degree?
I have a question I was hoping someone here could answer.
In Anandtech's roundup of overclocked 8800 GTX cards, they did a Half Life: Episode One benchmark here: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2945&p=10
If you scroll down, you'll see that at 1920x1200 4xAA 16xAF, all the...
Wouldn't the solution be to get a 2.1 system then? 3 less speakers means 3 less wires period.
The imaging of all five speakers right in front of you would be crap, no? I'm no expert, but I would guess there is a reason that Dolby/DTS/THX don't list the "all five in front of you" configuration...
If you're not using SAS, why pay $150 for the feature on the motherboard?
Dual-771 motherboards need FB-DIMM memory, which starts at $100/GB.
But the big issue with your overall concept is the choice to go with 8 slower cores instead of 4 faster ones. Xeons don't scale as well in a multi-core...
You don't really need to spend $5000.
Intel 5000-series motherboard - $300
2 x E5310 Xeon Quad - $700
8 x 1GB DDR2 667 FB-DIMM - $800
Areca ARC-1220 8 x SATA II RAID Controller - $525
8 x 500GB SATA II $1000
DVDRW - $30
Case/PSU $250
Onboard Audio/Video/GbE
$3605 for 8 cores, 8GB...
I would think Dell's tool-less, well designed chassis would allow for easy upgrades. They have an industry standard 4 DIMM slots for memory upgrades, room for another hard drive, another optical drive, as well as PCI/PCI-E slots for peripheral cards and graphics cards.
As for the OP stating...
Just another quick comment: your son isn't paying for it, so I wouldn't give a second thought to buying a flashy (read: TACKY) system. The on-screen action is going to be exactly the same regardless of how much molded plastic, blue LEDs and colored fans are in the chassis.
As much as you guys knock Dell, their newer models have been rock solid for me.
$700-$800 for a Dimension 9200 with a 1-year onsite warranty.
$130 for a Radeon X1900GT from Newegg.
5 minutes to remove the side panel, plug in a PCI-E video card and PCI-E power cable.
Presto. The...
I guess nobody else is saying it, so I will.
You completely blew it on the CPU and motherboard.
X2 3600+ Brisbane (65nm) AM2 & Biostar TForce550 combo on Newegg is $150 for both the CPU and motherboard. The CPU overclocks like crazy, but even multitasking at stock speed it will destroy your...
The E4300s are averaging 2.8-3.0GHz for stable overclocks; they aren't as good as the E6300/6400s. And yes, for CPU intensive stuff, that config is much better. For gaming, an X1950Pro will dominate a 7600GT.
Let's see your best configuration. Here are the rules:
This is for a complete computer only; no software or accessories (monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse).
Shipping/tax does not need to be included (because it varies by state).
Coupons and rebates can be reflected in your total.
Prices must...