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Okay, here is the situation. I've been stuck on this rinky dink crappy acer one that is itty bitty and cannot play full games, since my laptop went kablooey on me about seven months ago (nice technical term there, eh? hehe!
Finally got some money, and I'm looking to go grab a new system tonight or tomorrow. I can go to good ol' wallyworld and get an HP all in one, or maybe a regular tower system, or I can go to best buy and get something along those lines.
I know all in one's seem to be all the craze now, but I've seen all in one tv's that were, well, crap, to put it nicely, so not sure if it isn't better to stick with tried and true, though the space savings is a definite plus in not having to deal with a tower, and the huge screen is also a plus for me since I wear glasses.
I'm not sure how buff it needs to be, whatever I get, either. With all the game upgrades and such, do I really need a 1 or 2 T system? what's the difference between the intel processors most have? is 4 gb memory enough or should I go a bit bigger with 6 or even 8?
Budget for me is around a thousand. I'd prefer to spend less, after all I am a single mom and don't want to spend most of what I have on a system. I have no clue when it comes to building one myself, so that is not an option for me, just not tech savvvy, would be like asking me to build a car! lol! disaster!
So i'm looking for suggestions from you guys, as you deal with these systems and know what works best with the games and what should be avoided. Let 'er rip!
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2/06/12 3:56:11 PM#2
All-in-ones are only for people who think a slick form factor is more important than price, performance, reliability, and how long the computer will last you. There are such people in the world (and a large fraction of them buy Apple), but if you have to ask, then you're not one of them. Next up, you're looking in entirely the wrong places. You should not buy a prebuilt computer. Period. 100% of them are overpriced and/or loaded up with cheap junk parts (and usually both). If a computer doesn't tell you exactly what parts are in it, then it means that they used the cheapest parts that technically meets their claimed specs, and aren't bad enough that a computer illiterate will be able to figure out that something is wrong. (E.g., you'd be able to figure out something is wrong if the computer won't turn on, but might not realize there are problems if it's only 2/3 as fast as it should be.) Companies like Best Buy that sell overpriced junk have gotten very good at listing 40 lines of specs, and only actually telling you one or two of the parts in the entire machine. (Most commonly they'll say the processor, and that's it.) Much of the rest is disinformation designed to confuse you. The ideal solution is to build your own. You can buy parts from a site like New Egg and assemble them yourself. That lets you control exactly what parts go in the computer, so that you can avoid cheap junk parts that will perform poorly and/or be unreliable. It also gets you considerably better value for the money than you can get elsewhere. And it's really not as hard as you might think. One question I'd ask is, if you buy a prebuilt, how do you plan on setting it up? If you can plug devices into USB, DVI, and Ethernet ports in the back of the computer yourself, then plugging things into PCI Express slots, DDR3 slots, and SATA ports inside the case isn't any harder. The case and motherboard will come with very detailed instructions, and all you have to do is follow the directions. If you're the sort of person who wouldn't be able to diagnose and fix the problem if someone unplugged the power cable, then maybe you shouldn't try it, though. If you can't or won't build your own computer, then the next best thing is getting one built to order from a site that will let you choose the exact parts. Some companies like Dell and HP try to make it look they're doing this, but the offer a very restricted selection, and sometimes all of the parts they do offer are bad choices--and occasionally even "a reputable company wouldn't even offer this" bad. If you're in the US, then AVA Direct offers the most configuration options of any company I'm aware of. If you don't know what to pick, then I could pick parts for you. Do you need new peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, surge protector), or just the case and everything that goes inside of it? |
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Thanks for the great info.
Answer is I need a complete system. I had a Toshiba Satellite laptop that actually did great for several years, then seven months ago, my daughter in law got on it, downloaded a bunch of stuff that wigged it all out. It flat out died, I tried wiping and reloading, but it couldn't even find the stupid winlogon exe file and kept locking up and shutting down, and I got so frustrated I just said the heck with it and have been using this stand in until I could get my money together.
So though i do love the convenience of laptops, I want to get a good desktop system, good monitor, and would prefer a plug in keyboard and mouse, I hate wireless, batteries always going dead, screwing up, blech, just give me the wires.
The three main things I used my system for were gaming , pictures, as I do some photography occasionally, and uploading videos. But gaming will be the main focus.
I've looked online and was absolutely floored by the cost of the high end systems. i cannot afford three grand. Not happening. Two grand is too much for me. I really need to stay closer to a grand, as I said I'm a single mom so my budget is tight.
I like the idea of having as much memory as possible, I've already seen the difference in how systems run with and without a good sized memory. Hard drive size is important, but I can also just get external later for my pictures so I keep the main drive clear as possible. Graphics cards baffle me, I hear so many opinions on what is best or what you can get by with, it is confusing to me, the same with processors. For someone who is not tech savvy, it is very confusing and even intimidating.
I have added memory to a system before, plug in card, was scared to death even of that, lolol, just keep in mind I'm fifty three, I know some basics like most average folks, but the insides of a system are intimidating, feel like I'm going to break something important or plug it in wrong. I just want a good solid system, I don't need fancy containers, it's what is inside that counts, not some flashy light show or paint job.
Does any of that help, or just make you shake your head at yet another computer illiterate person? lolol! |
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2/06/12 4:52:08 PM#4
Originally posted by TNgal Ah, so you know more than you tried to make it sound like in your initial post. Even with peripherals, there's no real sense in spending more than about $2000 on a desktop, unless you want multiple monitors or have very unusual needs. The $3000+ high end desktops are largely spending money for the sake of spending it. So let's get you a built-to-order desktop with respectable gaming performance. http://www.avadirect.com/desktop-pc-configurator.asp?PRID=22369 Case: Antec Three Hundred Power supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520 W Motherboard: MSI 970A-G45 Processor: AMD FX-4100 Memory: G.Skill 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) Ripjaws PC-12800 DDR3 1600 MHz CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5 V Video card: Asus EAH6770/DI/1GD5 Radeon HD 6770 OS: Microsoft Windows Home Premium 64-bit Everything else as the default. That comes to $781.59 before shipping. There's no reason why peripherals need to be bought in the same place, so how about: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009305 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126096 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826623004 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812220052 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121013 That adds $226 for peripherals, including shipping. I guess it goes over a $1000 budget slightly, but not by very much. If that's a big problem for you, I could try to cut back somewhere. One nice thing about this computer is that if you later (say, 2-3 years from now) decide you need something better, you'll be able to upgrade it. Need a faster processor? Then replace the processor and nothing else. Need a faster video card? Then replace the video card and nothing else. That sure beats having to buy an entirely new computer. |
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Okay, a lot of good information there, thank you for helping me out with it. I'm going over it, checking it out, and seeing which is the best way for me to go. Thanks!!!!!!! |
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2/07/12 12:01:38 AM#6
Quiz's option is a very good one - I can't knock it, it makes good sense. Another option that works as well, if you find someone you can trust, is having the computer built locally. A lot of people have "that one friend" that puts together computers for fun - sometimes they are good at it, other times they are still practicing to get good at it, but you can almost always get free (or damn near free) labor and have them put together a shopping cart of parts that Quiz (or someone else here, there are a lot of good builds) puts together. Another slightly less risky option is to use a Mom&Pop shop - local computer repair or sales shops often will put together a system using your parts for pretty cheap - $50-$100 total. They aren't all reputable, but a good one is a very good resource. These are ~not~ places like OfficeMax Computer Repair, or Geek Squad, or some big retail chain - you need a good local place, where their business depends on their reputation and quality of work, not on a marketing or advertising budget and some black & white painted VW's. Even at $100 to have it put together locally, you'd still save a bit money with the exact same parts as the AVA build Quiz linked. |
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Well, thanks for the absolutely awesome information...but the whole issue has been resolved without my knowing it...
My brother surprised me tonight with an Asur Model G74SX-BBK9 laptop! This thing is a freaking nine pound monster! lol! I can't tell you how shocked I was! I'm still in awe of it, wow, looks like a freaking tank! I'd helped him out several times last year with some serious stuff, so he surprised me with this, it's like a late Christmas present, LOVE it!
He got it from Best Buy, here is a link to it: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+-+Black/4566495.p?id=1218492352640&skuId=4566495 he also got the two year service package on it. I think I'm a'gonna be rockin' this baby for a bit! |
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2/07/12 12:05:09 PM#8
I hope you travel a lot, as buying a laptop and using it like a desktop is an enormous waste in so many ways. Still, you can't complain about the price if you're not the one paying it. That should get you about the performance that you'd get from a budget gaming desktop, though not the reliability, upgradeability, ergonomics, monitor size, or budget price tag. |
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2/07/12 1:15:14 PM#9
Congrats, that's quite the gift! |
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2/07/12 1:19:04 PM#10
EDIT: decided not to bother All of my posts are either intelligent, thought provoking, funny, satirical, sarcastic or intentionally disrespectful. Take your pick. |
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Originally posted by Quizzical I truly do thank you for all the great information you shared, even though my own situation changed. You helped me better understand how these systems function best, and I still have the plan to have a desktop setup. This at least buys me some valuable time, and I can enjoy the internet and gaming again while I take my time and get what you suggested and learn as I go. Thank you thank you thank you! Oh, and I do travel some, so it will come in very handy, though this unit is a monster to me at nine pounds lol!! |
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nowOriginally posted by Ridelynn No doubt!!!!
I'm the oldest, had two younger brothers, one passed away with all of us there with him as cancer took him from us. It definitely had a huge impact on our family, and certainly put the whole of life in perspective. We are closer now than ever before, and the past year has been hard on my family. My mom had three surgeries, my brother had a lot of other things with his family he was dealing with, I was doing all I could to help everyone else out, so this was his way of saying thank you. Thanks for commenting! Working on getting this thing loaded up with my fave games now! lol
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WaldoCorn
 Advanced Member
Joined: 8/11/11
Find the truith, just beyond grasp, with eyes of steel, and a heart of solid glass. |
2/07/12 8:02:14 PM#13
For Quiz mainly, Ive been toying around with a build much like the one you listed here. How Important would 1866 RAM be, as opposed to 1600? I remember reading the AMD controller supports 1866, and that as time goes by, windows will utilize the new AMD processors better (and visa versa), and that taking advantage of the full memory controller bandwidth, would maximize performance. I just am not clear on how much advantage we are talking about here. See the world and all within it. |
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2/07/12 8:11:49 PM#14
If you need to feed integrated graphics as well as the processor, as in Llano or Trinity, then the extra memory bandwidth is hugely important. If you're going to push 8 cores, then the difference in memory bandwidth could matter. If you're just going to get a simple quad core, then the difference between 1866 MHz and 1600 MHz memory is irrelevant. |
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