buying a new computer

[perkeyone]

hey guys
my comp from 2000 has finally gone to shit
as described in this thread
so i will likely be getting a new comp here soon.

i heard that building a computer can sometimes be cheaper than buying one prebuilt, and also obviously allows more customization
so i was wondering if you guys could help me pick out good components for my new computer, and by good i mean good overall (power, efficiency, and reasonable price.)
my computer will be used for gaming, homework, and some light programming so the components should cater to those needs.

ps i apologize if this is in the wrong forum

 

[Prometheus]

Right forum, I suggest a search of this forum with the keywords "build computer", and then post back with what you think. Plenty of info in those threads.

 

[perkeyone]

well i did a bit of searching and sadly i didnt learn as much as i hoped to.

the threads i looked at referred to specific models of computer components which i am unfamiliar with and i dont really have much of a way to compare and contrast between different components since i am not very knowledgeable when it comes to which brand is better etc.

i understand the basic stuff though.
6gb ram > 3gb ram
but i honestly dont know about things like
dualcore vs quadcore
i have absolutely no clue which give more bang for the buck

hmm i think im going to send ddrtists a pm.
he said he built a pretty good pc for under 800 bucks, excluding the hd.

im sorry i am so unenlightened on this topic, but if i knew anything about this i wouldnt have to ask

 

[Prometheus]

Glad you took the time to search. Now, the help begins. First thing is first. Budget? What parts do you have right now that you can use on the new computer?
Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor?

 

[perkeyone]

i have a reasonably new monitor that is a good size (19 inches i think)
and my mouse and keyboard work just fine.

the HD is shot, it was only 32 gig anyways though
the 2 ram cards are only 256k's and pretty old
the i think it has a dvd-rw drive i might keep or at least use as a secondary
and a cd-r drive
it also has a 100mb zip drive which is really buggy

my mom is gonna cover this one i think
i think she is looking to spend less than 1k on it
she was looking on the walmart website at a few comps that were 600ish
but idk her budget for sure.
(i talked to her a little while ago and i think her budget has a little more flex in it than i might have indicated.)

i think if i can come up with two lists
one list of good bang for buck stuff
and another list of slightly cheaper but decent stuff
then i could pick a few things from each to try to come to a price shed be willing to pay.

 

[Prometheus]

Hmm, all you should really need is a dual core.
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=13438607
Hows that? You've got a nice dual core, 4 gigs of RAM, a really nice case, fast hard drive, ect.

 

[MeRcChRiS]

Any need for a Motherboard also?
Might want to build him a Intel/Nvidia PC just incase he prefers that over AMD/ATI.

 

[Prometheus]

I had that nagging feeling I was missing something, thanks.

I really don't think he cares. No offence, but he doesn't seem like the type to be a major tech nerd like some of us. ^^

Motherboard added.

 

[Samuraid]

Just a small suggestion, but it would be worth the money to get a Phenom II X3 720 BE (or 710) instead of the old Athlon brisbane chip (which is pretty much obselete). At minimum, get an Athlon Kuma 7000 series dual core.

Also, a 750W PC Power and Cooling PSU is extreme overkill. That build will use 200W-300W peak. Try getting a PC Power and Cooling or Corsair PSU in the 400-500W range instead.

Just some ideas. Take them or leave them as you see fit.

 

[Prometheus]

I figured he could drop the PSU some if need be. As outdated as the dual core is, it's probably all he'll need. Now, if he wants something better it won't be hard to swap it out.

 

[Samuraid]

Might as well get a 7000 series Kuma athlon X2 then. They cost about the same as a brisbane but run faster (since they are binned K10 Phenoms).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300

 

[perkeyone]

wow thats a pretty sweet price

whats this talk about a different processor?
the one that samuraid suggested is actually a buck cheaper lol not that its much of a difference, but if it will preform better then i have no reason not to swap out for it.
i cant tell what will work better

as for the power supply i might downgrade that if i can get away with less
i dont see how that would hurt performance.

the cooling however i might want to keep since it will lengthen the life of my computer so i dont have to replace it again like i am now

ps i am a nerd too, but mostly math
ive only put my toes in the water of tech stuff

 

[Prometheus]

Okay, I updated the wishlist. Thoughts?

 

[perkeyone]

umm not really except for a thank you =]

i think i might do a little comparison of similarly priced prebuilts

if i find some good ones (determined by what ever limited knowledge i have)
ill link them here and get some comparison feedback

 

[DDRtists]

You can get a much better computer, and much cheaper, if you build it rather than buying a prebuilt.

 

[Infinity.4Sk]

If you use your pc for 'some' gaming and don't really need best performance and features i'd recommend using AMD and ATI instead of Intel and Nvidia, these are usually cheaper than their counterparts.

 

[Slapshot136]

if your not looking for a top-of-the-line computer, i find this as a pretty good deal

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4630619&Sku=B69-1059

it comes with mostly everything you need, you will need a graphics card

and maybe a monitor/keyboard/mouse if you dont want to use your old ones

you will need to build it, but that's really not too hard, just make sure it fits nicely and it will be fine