New gaming PC for ~500 bucks

[maddog00]

All right. I've done searches and I'm still not sure what to do and I'd prefer starting my own topic instead of bumping others.

I'd like to get a gaming PC for about 400-500 bucks.

I've been looking at Dell and CyberpowerPC, but not sure if I'm getting the best deal with them. I'm thinking about taking apart my old PC to upgrade my new one, but if there's a good deal where everything is included, I'll take it. Use the hand-me-downs for my wife's gaming PC. :)

My current system is:
Dell Dimension E510 desktop
250gb HD and 80 gb HD (both SATA. 80 gb added later)
Dual boot Windows Media Center and Vista Ultimate (Vista added later)
Kingston 4 GB RAM PC-5300 (started with 1GB, upgraded to 4GB later. Of course, I have 32 bit editions so only reads 3gb)
EVGA Nvidia 8600 GT PCI-e
2.8GHz Pentium 4 Hyperthread
DVD burner (16x)
DVD Rom Drive
19" flat panel digital monitor from Dell

I know I can build my own, but I'm wary about doing it. My coworkers do it and they complain about the headaches about their motherboard causing issues or their BIOS or drives not working. I don't have the time or the patience to deal with all that. I just want something that will work when I hit the on button, and one that I can upgrade video/memory/hard drives if need be.

Oh, and if the deals include a monitor, I'm fine with that. For some reason, my monitor won't turn off (power button must be broken), so a new monitor would be a-ok as well. If not, I can deal with what I have.

Reps will be freely given out for any help. :)

Thanks in advance!

[damnyou]

You may start with this and add video card of your own

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?CS=19&kc=6VAFF&oc=DDDADG4&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=566643&acd=10495476-1260291-

However some people have suggested that not many video cards are compatible with Dell systems

[kyzen]

It's not that video cards aren't compatible, it's that Dell's (and many of the other companies slim towers) cases are sometimes too small for modern video cards. So, while the card would work, it merely won't physically fit inside the case.

There was a website I used awhile back that listed cards known to work or not work inside these small cases; hell if I can remember what/where it is now though.

[Opaque1622]

Processor:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Processors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=A0816663&dgc=BF&cid=7421&lid=197378&acd=10466193-1225267-u513398t1231455f0fp0c0s558

Video Card:
look for a good deal on a ATI Radeon 4850 or Nvidia 9800GT

Motherboard:
http://shop4.frys.com/product/5451769?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Pretty much get any case and dvd rom you want

Hard Drive:
http://www.ncixus.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1065

or a velicoraptor if you don't mind the extra cost
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136322&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL030509&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL030509-_-HardDrives-_-L0B-_-22136322

Ram/Power:
wait for one of this frequent ram/power supply front page deals

Monitor:
http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/p16_AOC-2217V-22-Widescreen-LCD-Monitor_247939_Business_Supplies_10051_true_SEARCH

[maddog00]

If I were to go with Dell nowadays, do they provide a disk with Vista on it? Or am I forced to use their bloatware filled version of Vista?

I prefer formatting if they put crap on there I don't need.

Also, I hear getting Quad core isn't the best idea since nothing utilizes 4 processors. Is this true?

[Opaque1622]

If I were to go with Dell nowadays, do they provide a disk with Vista on it? Or am I forced to use their bloatware filled version of Vista?

I prefer formatting if they put crap on there I don't need.

Also, I hear getting Quad core isn't the best idea since nothing utilizes 4 processors. Is this true?

It depends what you are going to use your computer for. Most users won't fully utilize all four cores but some will.

[maddog00]

It depends what you are going to use your computer for. Most users won't fully utilize all four cores but some will.

Gaming mostly. MMOs, newer games, etc.

[kyzen]

Gaming mostly. MMOs, newer games, etc.

Games are starting to apporach true multicore use, I believe there were a couple of games released last year that could use them, and there's a few more coming out this year, but so far it's few and far between. In a couple more years however we ought to see more games optimized for multiple cores - so if you plan to have this machine for quite awhile, go quad core. If you'll be replacing it in 2 years, just go dual for now.

[maddog00]

Processor:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Processors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=A0816663&dgc=BF&cid=7421&lid=197378&acd=10466193-1225267-u513398t1231455f0fp0c0s558

Video Card:
look for a good deal on a ATI Radeon 4850 or Nvidia 9800GT

Motherboard:
http://shop4.frys.com/product/5451769?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Pretty much get any case and dvd rom you want

Hard Drive:
http://www.ncixus.com/products/index.php?sku=34286&promoid=1065

or a velicoraptor if you don't mind the extra cost
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136322&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL030509&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL030509-_-HardDrives-_-L0B-_-22136322

Ram/Power:
wait for one of this frequent ram/power supply front page deals

Monitor:
http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/p16_AOC-2217V-22-Widescreen-LCD-Monitor_247939_Business_Supplies_10051_true_SEARCH

Nothing came up on the motherboard link.

[Opaque1622]

Nothing came up on the motherboard link.

it must have sold out. it was a pretty good deal

[DealMakerWhiz]

I'm a big fan of UBID and for the last ten years have updated my desktops and laptops from them. Just last month, after a friend asked me to find them a great deal, I tracked desktop PC pricing for 8 days of 189 desktop PCs. I logged the data into an excel database to reference the PC Name, Model, Processor (Intel or AMD), Hard Drive, Memory, Chipset, Graphics Card, and price. Some of the PC's, mostly HP's, were decently configured with an NVIDIA 9500 GS 512 MB and sold for as low as $277 (with 3-4 GB Memory, large HD's, decent gHz speed 2.5 or higher, etc.). The PC configuration was acceptable for those into gaming (i.e. the gHz, GB memory, GB HD, etc.). Considering that many PC's sell with just a NVIDIA 6150se card or integrated graphics, that's not a bad deal for that price. And with graphics cards coming down in price you can always upgrade but at least you're starting with a reasonably decent PC that will run most games. Now if you are building a PC, I know you wouldn't start with a NVIDIA 9500 GS graphics card but my point here is that the price of the PC is so low that you can't go wrong, can always upgrade in the future, and you are starting with a card that will work fairly well on most games just to get you going.


For my last PC, I was not into gaming and bought one with a low end graphics card. After upgrading and having to buy a new graphics card and power supply to run it, the next time I'll make sure I get something with a little more punch. But I can't complain as I only paid $200 for the refurbished HP Pavilion PC with: AMD Athlon 64 Dual Processor, 4GB memory, 2.5 gHz, a320 GB HD, and that was over 18 months ago. The PC was manufactered only 4 months earlier. At the same time, I sold my old one year old PC used for $150 so my upgrade only cost me $50. So the cost of a new graphics card did not break the bank. And now the PC's are selling much lower propbably due to the economy.

I'm aware that UBID is not for everyone. But my last great buy was a brand new state-of-the-art laptop for just $375. It had a high end graphics card, 3 GB memory, 160 GB HD, 15" screen and was not refurbished but brand new with a one year warranty. And it wasn't a measly Celeron or Sempron Processor but the AMD Athlon 64 Dual. That was just over the X'mas holidays.

If you decide to give them a try, suggest you follow the pricing for a few days to determine what is a good buy. Otherwise you're bidding blind and have no idea when a high bid is just too high when you could have gotten it for a much lower price another time around.

Hope this is of some help to you.

[maddog00]

Thanks everyone.

I'm checking out UBID. I don't understand how they can sell these computers for so cheap compared to even the websites! I did a side by side with Dell and its was over 100 bucks cheaper on UBID! I don't how they do it, but seems like a decent way of finding a cheap computer. I wonder what ebay prices look like..

[DealMakerWhiz]

Thanks everyone.

I'm checking out UBID. I don't understand how they can sell these computers for so cheap compared to even the websites! I did a side by side with Dell and its was over 100 bucks cheaper on UBID! I don't how they do it, but seems like a decent way of finding a cheap computer. I wonder what ebay prices look like..

What I like about UBID compared to Ebay is that you generally get a manufacturer's warranty for rougly 90 days - sometimes more sometimes less. Used PC's on Ebay don't have warranties so I like having that cushion. The PC's and laptops I've purchased have not appeared as though they came from a war zone but cosmetically were essentially brand new. Ubid's definition of refurbished generally means that they were returned to the manufacturer (HP, Acer, etc.) for possible defect when there was none or they were just returned for whatever reason. UBID recertifies them and sells them again but cannot sell them as 'new' so they are labelled as 'refurbished.' Ebay's definition of refurbished is essentially the same as ones that are "used" and that's not good enough for me. I want one that is essentially new and that is what I have received for the last ten years from UBID. But as I suggested earlier, take a few days to follow the pricing on similar models to make sure you know when to bid. Without doing any homework, you could pay more as many people do who get the bidding fever and will do anything for a win - including over paying for a PC that sold for less hours or days ago.

[maddog00]

Alright. I'm thinking about going with the EcollegePC (http://ecollegpc.com). After doing the math, seems like they're only charging about 50 bucks to put all the parts together. Not bad. Let me know what you guys think.

CPU: 6000+ Athlon 64 AM2 X2 Dual Core 2MB Cache
Heatsink/fan: Thermaltake TR2-R1
Motherboard: ASUS M3A78-EM HDMI
Memory: 4GB (2x2GB) PC 6400 DDR2
HD: 500GB 7200 RPM SATA
DVD: 22x LG Dual Layer DVD +/- RW
Video Card: 512 nVidia GeForce 9600GT
Case: CoolerMaster Black Centurion T05
Power: 500watt Antec Basiq BT500UB
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE7.1

Cost: 568 (+49 for shipping)
Total cost: 617

A little over what I was aiming for, but I figure this will last a little while longer than my current set up.

[kyzen]

I have a 9600 GT in my current PC, it's a pretty slick card (I bought it the day it was available for at least double what they sell for now :(). One thing I will say is that if you're going to be using it on a 22" or larger LCD at its native resolution (typically 1680x1050 or 1920x1200), it really doesn't handle higher resolutions well. I have a 24", and insist on running every game at 1920x1200, with the best settings I can get. In WoW, with everything maxxed out, I get ~40 FPS in the outlands and northrend; and it can drop to single digits with the slightest bit of AoE in a 5 man instance.

It plays Source games fairly well however, but that's likely because the Source engine is a well oiled machine.

So I'd suggest getting a 9800 GT if you can afford the upgrade cost.

[maddog00]

Well, I only have a 19" monitor from my old setup that I plan on keeping. 9600 might work out ok.

If I were to upgrade to something like the 9800, I'm thinking about picking up a video card outside of the builder. Seems their upgrade price is about 40 dollars more expensive if I were to just buy it at newegg and install it myself.

Any opinions about the ATI Radeon HD 4850 vs the Geforce 9800GT? I've been to GPU review, but those numbers don't mean anything. :)

[kyzen]

Personally speaking, I'd go with the HD 4850, but that's just because after using nVidia for my last 4 video cards (6600, 7900 GS, 9600 GT, 9500 GS Mobile) I'm sick of their sketchy drivers.

Of course, the grass always looks greener on the other side, so when I switch to ATI I'll probably just hate them more :P

[DealMakerWhiz]

Alright. I'm thinking about going with the EcollegePC (http://ecollegpc.com). After doing the math, seems like they're only charging about 50 bucks to put all the parts together. Not bad. Let me know what you guys think.

CPU: 6000+ Athlon 64 AM2 X2 Dual Core 2MB Cache
Heatsink/fan: Thermaltake TR2-R1
Motherboard: ASUS M3A78-EM HDMI
Memory: 4GB (2x2GB) PC 6400 DDR2
HD: 500GB 7200 RPM SATA
DVD: 22x LG Dual Layer DVD +/- RW
Video Card: 512 nVidia GeForce 9600GT
Case: CoolerMaster Black Centurion T05
Power: 500watt Antec Basiq BT500UB
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE7.1

Cost: 568 (+49 for shipping)
Total cost: 617

A little over what I was aiming for, but I figure this will last a little while longer than my current set up.

I would agree with Kyzen and go for a 9800 GT or even the brand new GeForce GTS 250. The GTS 250 doesn't use as much power as the 9800's although the architecture for the card is basically similar (G92).

[maddog00]

Here we go again. :) This time I tried Ibuypower (http://www.ibuypower.com). Here's the new setup:
Case: Nzxt Apollo Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply
Processor: AMD Athlon™ X2 6000+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
MoBo: Asus M3A78-CM AMD 780V/SB700 Chipset w/Integrated ATI video, 8-channels, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Single PCI-E MB
Memory: 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module
Video: Nvidia GeForce 9800GT 512MB
HD: 500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]
Drive: LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64 bit

With shipping (and subtracting rebate and coupons) $660.

Here's the eCollege one again.
6000+ Athlon 64 AM2 X2 Dual-Core 2MB Cache FSB 2000MHz HT
AMD Heatsink and Fan Included
ASUS M3A78-EM HDMI (ATI Radeon HD3200 Video, DVI, HDMI, PCI-Ex, 8-Channel Audio, LAN, 4xSATA2, 4xDDR2, 1394)
4GB (2GBx2) PC6400 DDR2 800Mhz Memory Lifetime Warranty
500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA300
22X LG Dual Layer DVD+/-RW/CDRW w/Nero
512MB nVidia GeForce 9800GT GDDR3 PCI Express DVI/Tvout
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1
Antec Black Sonata III (4 5.25, 6 3.5 bays) Fan, Front Audio/USB/eSATA
400watt Stock Supply included with Case
Onboard LAN included
Onboard Sound included
Standard 1 year parts and labor
Total shipped: $688

Any opinions on which is the way to go?

[kyzen]

Not buying from ibuypower is a good start... they have a rather horrible reputation.

[JoeDavola]

You may start with this and add video card of your own

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?CS=19&kc=6VAFF&oc=DDDADG4&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=566643&acd=10495476-1260291-

However some people have suggested that not many video cards are compatible with Dell systems

I bought a refurb Dell 530 with Q6600 for $350 after discounts and put in my trusty EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GS (which I paid about $65 for and it fit) and I don't think there's a game it won't handle. :cool: I even played the Crysis demo on high with it and it was smooth as silk. :nod:

[maddog00]

Only downside with Dells is the upgradeability. My Inspiron only has a spot for 2 internal hard drives. C'mon, Dell. Give me at least one more spot for a 3rd internal drive.

But, Dell is certainly on my short list.

Not buying from ibuypower is a good start... they have a rather horrible reputation.

Why? I went to reseller ratings and its more positive than negative--a handful of the negatives were "They were bad..." giving no details whatsoever.

Here's my Dell build:
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Quad processor Q8200 (4MB L2, 2.33GHz, 1333FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
OFFICE SOFTWARE No Productivity software pre-installed
WARRANTY & SERVICE 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
MONITOR No Monitor
MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 4DIMMs
HARD DRIVE 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
OPTICAL DRIVE 16X DVD+/-RW Drive it
VIDEO CARD Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
SOUND Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
KEYBOARD & MOUSE Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
FLOPPY & MEDIA READER No Floppy Drive Included

Cost with shipping: 517.88
Plan on adding a Geforce 9800GT (can the power supply handle that?) If that's ok, that's another ~110 added to it bringing it to a total of about 630 bucks. Dell hasn't let me down yet...

[kyzen]

They got caught awhile back faking reviews or paying for positive ones.

Google "ibuypower sucks" - they have horrible customer support if you have a problem with your machine, computers have been delivered damaged from shipping, or missing parts, painfully slow build and sip times, and some people have found clearly used components in their machines. I think there's even a couple people on this forum who have run into issues with the company.

They've been trying to clean up their rep over the last couple years, and it's supposedly getting better, but I personally wouldn't risk any substantial amount of money with them.

[maddog00]

Well, I didn't. I went with a dell scratch and dent. Hope I chose wisely.
DELL XPS430
2.5GHz Quad Core
6 GB DDR3
750gb hard drive
Vista Home Premium 64 bit
16X DVD+/-RW Drive

610 dollars shipped. Just need to find a video card. :)

[klimt]

Well, I didn't. I went with a dell scratch and dent. Hope I chose wisely.
DELL XPS430
2.5GHz Quad Core
6 GB DDR3
750gb hard drive
Vista Home Premium 64 bit
16X DVD+/-RW Drive

610 dollars shipped. Just need to find a video card. :)

Anyone have a link for this machine?

???