Magruter January 9, 2003 Share Magruter Member January 9, 2003 Ok Check this out, since i'm playing on a laptop right now i might go out and buy a new comp, for my b-day on a couple of weeks. Award myself for making thus far. But I know you guys are all about build your own, I don't think i'm going that route. Reason: I have a family member that works at Circuit City and they give him a "phat" discount which i would really like to take advanage of. Do you think computers that circuit city would be worthy of spending some money on?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ZDamage January 9, 2003 Share Guest ZDamage Guests January 9, 2003 not a single one. And if you buy an E-Machine's, i will personally kick your donkey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters January 9, 2003 Share gOOters Member January 9, 2003 NO, staY away from anything circuit city has pre-built, unless they have started carrying Alien comps, which I doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 9, 2003 Share Playaa Member January 9, 2003 yeah alienware is the only pre-built I'd buy.....maybe Dell in a fix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Premier January 9, 2003 Share DJ Premier Member January 9, 2003 SNOBS! Magruter, do you play CS on a laptop with a mouse/monitor? If so, why do you wanna move to a desktop? I'm curious that you wanna go buy a desktop as soon as you make it into Mmmm. What does your setup look like today? And what would you use the desktop for when you got it? I think that information would be the key factors in making a decision on a computer and not that a computer is from "Alienware". So ignore these boneheads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gOOters January 9, 2003 Share gOOters Member January 9, 2003 No, trust me Im not a snob... I play on a 7 year old frankensteined 450 MHz with SRAM and a dinky HD and old GForceII. My comp is teh sux BUT, I have seen many many friends store bought Compaqs HPs, Gateways do stuff like thrash all the info on the HD and then the damm things are so proprietary (all parts of the computer dependant on the rest, like all soldered to the MoBo) that they often lose all the HD forever when the ship the comp off for warranty repair which takes forever. My suggestion, if you really want a desktop and don't have a lot of money, goto a used computer dealer or a good computer builder and see if they have some older but decent computers pre-built that you can just take and install your software onto. A computer like mine should cost about $200 MAX used, prolly more like $120-$150. It sux, but is good enough for my broke donkey for now! P.S. Alienware is good but EXTREMELY overpriced, you can build the same comp yourself or have a friend help you for a savings of about 40-60% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 9, 2003 Share Playaa Member January 9, 2003 with alienware you basically pay for nice cleanly built interior and cool colored case/mouse/keyboard.....as for the rest it can be gotten alot cheaper elsewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ZDamage January 9, 2003 Share Guest ZDamage Guests January 9, 2003 Alienware is to computers as Jaguar is to cars. Over priced and no better than any of the others out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHair January 9, 2003 Share LongHair Member January 9, 2003 Yeah... my hp seemed a pretty good deal when I got it... but after trying to add new hardware.... everything kinda fell apart. The only upside is that I learned alot about IRQ's and forcing channels... blah blah... Mag, I'll get with ya about what to look for in a pre-made machine. The biggest tip I can give you (and anyone else who's buyin a computer) is find one with a BIG case if you plan to add cards... I could barely fit my Ge4 and Audigy card in at the same time... I thought I would have to remove my CD drives from their bays... trned out a few rerouted wires fixed that problem... but I have 2 more PCI slots that are completely useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magruter January 9, 2003 Author Share Magruter Member January 9, 2003 DJ, My setup is, Take a laptop that's about a year and half old (top of the line back in it's day) Take and external mouse that's about it. nothing too special. I average a decient ping w/cable (all that's available in the area), but the problem is fps i'm anywhere between 20-35 fps with a 2-10 packet loss. I have been thinking about desktop since a started counter-stike. I bought the laptop for college, easier to move around. Getting into Mmmm is a contributing factor for me getting a desktop, but there is also, i'm fresh out of college (about six months) and i'm making a pretty good buck. Thought it would be fun to spend some of it. Also there is no possiblity to upgrade my current video card according to the manufacturer. I really want to see what upwards of 100 fps can do. It's probably frivalous, i'm just jealous of everyone like "i have the G4000 video card with 400 meg of memory ( a bit blown out, but you get the idea) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 9, 2003 Share Playaa Member January 9, 2003 heh grut I had 100fps out of my Geforce2 MX400 (with no tweaking) (but get only 60fps out of my Geforce2 TI card).........so you don't hafta go too high on card price to get good fps in CS. Like everyone has said here...if you're gonna buy a prebuilt don't go with HP or Compaq.....find something like Dell or Alienware. And unlike someone said Alienware does provide more for the price....the more is mainly internal wiring and good cooling components (though you do pay a price for the pretty parts too). Of the alienware machines I've seen (21 of them, 17 at a gaming center the rest spread around friends) all of them have been nicely running machines that played games AMAZINGLY well......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Premier January 9, 2003 Share DJ Premier Member January 9, 2003 If that's the case, there's a fine line between bargain hunting and smart shopping. If the person at Circuit City can get you a GREAT deal, it may be worth investigating. What you USUALLY give up when getting great deals is the ability to upgrade as you want. But my experience with custom built machines has also given me problems (A new Motherboard CHIPSET is released every 4 seconds, or so it seems, which leads to a motherboard swap) and of course new RAM due to new RAM chipsets being invented every 6 seconds. EDO, SDRAM, DDR PC2100, PC2700, RDRAM, PC133, PC100, blah blah. Think about it this way... Getting a pre-built computer with good and expandable components is hard to do when bargain shopping. The biggest pitfalls of going with a store bought computer is that the components themselves aren't that top rated, especially if they are in the bargain bin. Going custom usually costs more than store bought. But it allows you to customize the computer to your liking.....for those who know how to do it. My advice to most PC novices is for them to go buy a store bought computer, eat the cost in the long run and learn all you can about it. For example, my first and last store bought PC was an IBM Aptiva. After years of owning it, I ripped it apart, upgraded what I could, found out what I could NOT upgrade and the reasons why. With the knowledge I gained, plus a good 2 years of use, I easily was able to custom build from that point forward. I'm tired of the "custom is the way to go" argument. It's repetitive and boring. Each individual has to choose their way. My advice is to go buy a desktop for a great deal, either used or new and make it a learning platform if you so desire. If you don't even want to deal with that, then you can always go buy computers as you need them. If you are enthusiastic about it, your first store bought PC will be your last since you will be custom building them from that point forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Premier January 9, 2003 Share DJ Premier Member January 9, 2003 Btw, the smartest thing you can do is to NOT SKIMP OUT ON THE MONITOR. Monitor's are the ONE item on the computer that will depreciate the LEAST in the next couple of years. Get a good one. A big one and one that has great color. Opinion on flat panels: horrible for gaming but sure looks cool. So...whatever floats your boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Premier January 9, 2003 Share DJ Premier Member January 9, 2003 ^^^ How's THAT for objectivity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 9, 2003 Share Playaa Member January 9, 2003 Going custom usually costs more than store bought. But it allows you to customize the computer to your liking.....for those who know how to do it. no way on custom being more expensive..... I paid $600 for my 1.4ghz Athlon 512mb DDR Ram (pc2100) 80gig HD (IBM 7200rpm) Windows XP Pro Full 24in HP monitor show me where to find something cheaper than that from Dell... however you're right that custom is not the way for everyone to go. I offer this piece of advice for the not completely technical ppl out there. if you know enough to put a hard drive/cdrom/ram in buy a bare bones pc. it comes with the motherboard/case/power supply already built so you'll have no compatability issues there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magruter January 9, 2003 Author Share Magruter Member January 9, 2003 Thanks DJ, Helps out a bunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magruter January 9, 2003 Author Share Magruter Member January 9, 2003 Do you think a new monitor would make much of a difference, in reference to fps and packet loss? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHair January 9, 2003 Share LongHair Member January 9, 2003 Opinion on flat panels: horrible for gaming but sure looks cool. So...whatever floats your boat. I just picked up a flat panel.... more for the space concern. I imagine living space in New York is similar to Chicago... small, cramped and too damn expensive... well I found a nice sized place for a nice price, but it is smaller than I would like. my old monitor (17in hp) took up my whole darn desk... its hard to play when you're lookin sideways at the monitor with the keyboard in your lap and mousing on a clipboard resting on an open desk drawer.... sry, I digress... The flat screen I got was an Envision 15 in. Color is good and the brightness is good too... I no longer have no need of buying Night vision... I'm also getting a higher fps.... around 99 when Idling, but it drops to mid 60's in a fire fight with 4 or more people shooting me.... which is more often than I'd like PS: I plan on puttina computer together before the end of teh year... I'll be turnin to most of you guys for help kinda busted for cash right now though PPS: this topic could be in the wrong forum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunman January 9, 2003 Share Gunman Member January 9, 2003 Here is what I bought and put together myself. This all cost under $650 when I bought it seperate. ASUS P4S8X Motherboard 2.56 GHz Pentium 4 processor GeForce 4 Ti4600 128MB 512 MB DDR-RAM Sony 52x CD-RW Transfer panel Antec Case 21" KDS Xtreme Flat Monitor (Very nice for the price) 80 GB Maxtor hard drive 3 Antec fans (2 included with case) Cheap floppy drive Those are my specs and I think this machine is a beast. I put it together myself and saved about $800 so...I think putting one together yourself is an excellent idea. ZD lemme know what you think of thsoe specs. You may not think the monitor is great but I work at Wal-mart so I got a sweet discount on it for Christmas. 35% off Gunman *EDIT* I forgot that I also have Windows XP Pro and Microsoft Office 2000. Got them for free *EDIT* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunman January 9, 2003 Share Gunman Member January 9, 2003 I forgot to say why it was only $650. It was because I only spent $50 on my case. $100 on my monitor, and $100 on my video card. I got a discount on the monitor. The case had a scratch in the top (big deal ) and the video card was on sale at http://www.jncs.com. Gunman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ZDamage January 9, 2003 Share Guest ZDamage Guests January 9, 2003 fatty, please move this to hardware, software section please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa January 10, 2003 Share Playaa Member January 10, 2003 ok Gunman beats me for price.... however mine is slightly more expensive because I got a barebones.... the more parts you buy seperately the cheaper it gets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Premier January 10, 2003 Share DJ Premier Member January 10, 2003 We've been though the pricing before in another thread. And from I've read, it's "almost" impossible to get a custom PC for cheaper than Dell or some other major provider. Some ppl have "ways" to get them cheaper. Like Gunman, who got a monitor for $100, etc. Or some other guy who had a $2 monitor and a 190GB hard drive for $4.99 somehow. Ppl have ways, but for the majority of us, it is pricier. Even the most fanatical of websites like Tom's Hardware have concluded that for the majority of cases. Well, what do i know...i'm the guy who has a $250 Aluminum PC case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Premier January 10, 2003 Share DJ Premier Member January 10, 2003 Magruter, from what you said, you didn't have a monitor. If you already have one, don't bother getting another one. If you don't... I like to think 17" is the minimum. Or an equivalent that can display a resolution of 1024x768 with at least 16-bit color and a refresh rate capability in the 75-100 range. Flat CRT is cheap these days. You can get a decent 19" for $250. I would stay away from "cheap" monitors. The colors aren't as realistic and the picture is sometimes "bland". If you can get a Aperture Grill monitor, that'd be awesome but most of those are pricy. And if they are too cheap, then I'd stay away. If you are on the market for a good 19" monitor for cheap, look up Samsung SyncMaster 955DF. It got great reviews from most places and ALMOST looks as good as aperture grill monitors. With a good 19" monitor, you should be able to get 1280x1024 at 32bit color and a refresh rate of 85. I've used 17" flat panels and I find that they hurt my eyes after long gaming use due to the slight "jerkiness" of liquid crystal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrX January 10, 2003 Share mrX GC Alumni January 10, 2003 Mag, I've bought (or ordered for the firm) enough computers in the last coupla years to say that if you're going pre-built, go with Dell. They leave upgrade options available, their mobos are high quality, and they are just well built. Others may disagree, but I have yet to have a major hardware issue with any Dells purchased (on the 6th or 7th I've dealt with in past couple years). I'll go ahead and move this over for ya ZD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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