Buy this? Intel core 2 quad 2.83ghz q9550 $965.00

[fan1008]

Gaming PC from ecollegepc:

CPU: Intel® Core 2 Quad 2.83Ghz Q9550 CPU w/Fan
CPU cooler: artic cooling freezer cpu cooler
Motherboard : ASUS P5QL PRO Intel® P43, PCI-Ex, 3 PCI
Memory : 8GB DDR2 PC6400 800Mhz Memory
Video Card : 1GB GeForce 9500GT PCI Express TVout/DVI
Hard Drive : 500GB 7200RPM Ultra Fast Serial ATA300 Hard Drive
DVDRW/CDRW : 22X LG Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive w/NERO
Network Card : 1Gbit Fast Ethernet Network Adapter
Sound Card : 8 channel HD Sound Adapter
Case : CoolerMaster Black Elite-330 case
Ports : 8 USB 2.0 Ports, Serial
Bundled Software : Nero CD Burning Software, all drivers for video,sound, and lan.
PSU: 650 watt
OS: Windows Vista home 64 bit with disc installed

Total Price is $965.00 shipped to my door. I think its good deal but I'm not sure about computers. Please respond and thanks!

Computer will be used for gaming, Pull the trigger? I will not buy dell so please don't recommend them. Its either this system or the gateway LX series on newegg for $800.

[fan1008]

Can somebody who knows about computers tell me if this is a good deal and if not, tell me were I can find a better deal!??!?

Please reply and thanks!!!!!!

Danny

[IceWeasel]

If you're using this for gaming, then that video card sucks. I would say the price is mediocre, because you could build something much better on your own for that price range.

Are you only looking for a pre-built system? Or are you willing to build your own?

I did a quick search on Newegg for pre-built, and here is one similar to yours, the only major difference is the downgrade in RAM and upgrade in GPU. (RAM is a cheap upgrade anyways)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229078

If you're willing to build, I was able to price together a very similar system on Newegg but with some significant upgrades in the following areas:
1. GPU - Nvidia GTX 260
2. HDD - Western Digitial 640 GB
3. Case - CM 590
4. PSU - BFG LS-550

It came out to $983.57 after S&H... I'm sure the guys at Hardforums (http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40)could do you even better.

That Gateway LX you were looking at has an awful graphics card too!

[fan1008]

The system has to be prebuilt, I will not build one myself. The one from newegg is the best bet for me?

[IceWeasel]

well, that isn't as easy to determine... you haven't given much information other than you want to game on it.

1. what is your budget?
2. what size monitor will you use? what resolution?
3. what games will you be playing?

So far that PC I linked from Newegg is a better deal than the one you originally quoted. Although, you need to realize that it's going to be limited on it's upgrades. The motherboard won't take any more RAM, and even with this one, the GPU isn't the greatest. (Although it's much better for gaming than that 9500 you originally had)

[fan1008]

Budget has to be around the 965.00 price range.....

Doesn't cyberpowerpc have a bad reputation? Maybe I'm confusing them with Ibuypower. I can probably upgrade the video card on the first system I posted for an extra 50 bucks to 9800gt. Will that make it a better deal?

Resolution will be 1680x 1050 on a HP 22 inch monitor.
I want to be able to do decent on games that will come out next year and maybe the year after. I buy systems every 5-6 years.

[c0re]

The system has to be prebuilt, I will not build one myself. The one from newegg is the best bet for me?

build it yourself. with pre-built, you never get good hardware.here is what i put together in 5 mins, no need for a sound or ethernet card, on-board is fine. if you don't plan to overclock, there is also no need for cpu cooling fan. Total cost $693, save the extra cash and buy a nice lcd monitor.

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $50
Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Retail $65
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $99
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail $198
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail $40
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM $25
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $65
EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $134
Koutech IO-RCM620 USB 2.0 3.5"/5.25" Card Reader - Retail $17

[IceWeasel]

build it yourself. with pre-built, you never get good hardware.here is what i put together in 5 mins, no need for a sound or ethernet card, on-board is fine. if you don't plan to overclock, there is also no need for cpu cooling fan. Total cost $693, save the extra cash and buy a nice lcd monitor.

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $50
Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Retail $65
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $99
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail $198
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail $40
SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM $25
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $65
EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $134
Koutech IO-RCM620 USB 2.0 3.5"/5.25" Card Reader - Retail $17

while i agree that building it yourself is always the best answer, the OP has said that it must be pre-built... your solution doesn't really address that need.

Budget has to be around the 965.00 price range.....

Doesn't cyberpowerpc have a bad reputation? Maybe I'm confusing them with Ibuypower. I can probably upgrade the video card on the first system I posted for an extra 50 bucks to 9800gt. Will that make it a better deal?

Resolution will be 1680x 1050 on a HP 22 inch monitor.
I want to be able to do decent on games that will come out next year and maybe the year after. I buy systems every 5-6 years.

OP, paying $50 more to get that 9800 does not make it a better deal... You're just paying way too much for all of that. If you were to build the original build yourself, you would spend about $850 and you're not guaranteeing that you're getting quality parts. You're paying them quite a bit just to install it all for you.

Yes, cyberpowerpc doesn't have a very good reputation, but everywhere else is just plain overpriced. Hopefully the 36 good reviews from Newegg mean this one isn't so bad.

Some other options are http://www.avadirect.com or Puget Systems... but I have no experience with either. I've heard some scary things about Avadirect, but they have lower prices than Puget.

[fan1008]

They use Retail CPU's, motherboards, video cards and cases. Everything else is oem. He said that oem is same as retail except for no packaging. That true?

Anyway, I'm basically paying $60 dollars for him to install it if the parts are worth 850.00. Shipping is 40 dollars. I can barely install the OS let alone build a computer from scratch. I don't know why people are suggesting I build my own system, I can't. I would if I could. You guys think this is decent deal, I don't need the best deal right now!?!?

[IceWeasel]

ok, so i went to the site you're using and built one from there with what i would recommend:

Your Original Build
CPU: Intel® Core 2 Quad 2.83Ghz Q9550 CPU w/Fan
CPU cooler: artic cooling freezer cpu cooler
Motherboard : ASUS P5QL PRO Intel® P43, PCI-Ex, 3 PCI
Memory : 8GB DDR2 PC6400 800Mhz Memory
Video Card : 1GB GeForce 9500GT PCI Express TVout/DVI
Hard Drive : 500GB 7200RPM Ultra Fast Serial ATA300 Hard Drive
DVDRW/CDRW : 22X LG Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive w/NERO
Network Card : 1Gbit Fast Ethernet Network Adapter
Sound Card : 8 channel HD Sound Adapter
Case : CoolerMaster Black Elite-330 case
Ports : 8 USB 2.0 Ports, Serial
Bundled Software : Nero CD Burning Software, all drivers for video,sound, and lan.
PSU: 650 watt
OS: Windows Vista home 64 bit with disc installed

Total Price is $965.00 shipped to my door.

My Recommended Build
3.0Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 6MB Cache FSB 1333
Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler Extremely Quiet
GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L (Intel P43, PCIEx, 8-Channel Audio, LAN, 4xSATA2, 4xDDR2, 1333FSB)
4GB (2GBx2) PC6400 DDR2 800Mhz Memory Lifetime Warranty
500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA300
22X LG Dual Layer DVD+/-RW/CDRW w/Nero
512MB ATI Radeon HD4850 GDDR3 PCI Express DVI/Tvout
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1
CoolerMaster Black 690 (5 5.25, 5 3.5 bays) 3 Fans, Front Audio/USB/1394
650watt Antec EarthWatts EA650
Onboard LAN included
Onboard Sound included
Three year hassle free pickup and return

Total $972.00 (includes S&H)

I changed out your CPU to upgrade you in some other areas. I also lowered your RAM because you don't really need more than 4gb. The upgrades included a much better video card (since you said this was for gaming) and a 3yr warranty. The price shouldn't really bother you since you were willing to add $50 to your first build for the 9800.

If you are building this for gaming, then this is a much better build than your previous one. Dual-cores are better for gaming than a quad-core, and before your video card would be the bottleneck of gaming, now you're set with a good cpu and a good gpu.

Summary:

Changed CPU to E8400 (Saves money for upgrades on other areas... minimal performance loss for major gains elsewhere)
Downgraded memory from 8gb to 4gb (Not really much use for more than 4gb currently, you could always add more later)
Upgraded GPU from 9500 to 4850 (Major performance upgrade for gaming)
Upgraded from no warranty to a 3yr warranty (Major improvement, it seems their warranty policy will allow you to get it replaced quickly)
Changed Motherboard to the Gigabyte (These have been really popular boards over at Hardforum, but you may want to look into this some more)
Upgraded Case (Having more space for airflow and such is a good thing. Better to have a nicer case now than to regret it later. Reviews are available on Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137).)

[fan1008]

Thanks alot for all your help.

Anybody have good experiences with ecollegepc.com?

[KnowledgeMania]

Gaming PC from ecollegepc:

CPU: Intel® Core 2 Quad 2.83Ghz Q9550 CPU w/Fan
CPU cooler: artic cooling freezer cpu cooler
Motherboard : ASUS P5QL PRO Intel® P43, PCI-Ex, 3 PCI
Memory : 8GB DDR2 PC6400 800Mhz Memory
Video Card : 1GB GeForce 9500GT PCI Express TVout/DVI
Hard Drive : 500GB 7200RPM Ultra Fast Serial ATA300 Hard Drive
DVDRW/CDRW : 22X LG Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive w/NERO
Network Card : 1Gbit Fast Ethernet Network Adapter
Sound Card : 8 channel HD Sound Adapter
Case : CoolerMaster Black Elite-330 case
Ports : 8 USB 2.0 Ports, Serial
Bundled Software : Nero CD Burning Software, all drivers for video,sound, and lan.
PSU: 650 watt
OS: Windows Vista home 64 bit with disc installed

Total Price is $965.00 shipped to my door. I think its good deal but I'm not sure about computers. Please respond and thanks!

Computer will be used for gaming, Pull the trigger? I will not buy dell so please don't recommend them. Its either this system or the gateway LX series on newegg for $800.
Firstly, I assume that you don't do overclock on your machine, so getting a higher stock speed on the CPU is much important than the amount of cores for a gaming machine... that's if video rendering/converting is not your thing.

All I can say is that build have some crappy spec for a gaming machine and with that price tag w/o a monitor. If you have a computer shop near you that can help you put together a machine for a fee, you might as well buy the parts yourself off etailers on the web... unless you don't want to deal with the warranty work if a part comes defective.

I would normally recommend getting the Dell for people that don't build their own computer because it's cheap, but since you don't like them, just look for an OEM machine (HP, Gateway, etc) with at least a e8400. And it's better to buy the machine with the least RAM and the worst video card it comes with. Replace or add them with deals you find on slickdeals so you can save some of your pocket money. They are easy to install by yourself. As for the OS, I'll get the 64bit Vista Home Premium, it's worth it imo.

Thanks alot for all your help.

Anybody have good experiences with ecollegepc.com?

I never bought from them, but with a simple google search...
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/eCollegePC
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=51&threadid=2282649
http://www.tech-forums.net/pc/f76/question-about-prebuilt-gaming-rig-ecollegepc-199049/
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=ecollegepc&ftab=AllFeedback

Skimming through the website, they do cut a lot on the corner with the cheap parts and stuffs in most of the computers they are selling, although that e8500 (http://www.ecollegepc.com/Custom/custombuilder_intelgame4.htm) looked pretty decent.

[fan1008]

I can't overclock or do anything myself. I need to take it to the shop if I need any kind of install or upgrade. Got local comp shop here. About how much should they charge to build my system if I have all parts? 60 dollars? Need a ball park figure because they may be charging to high.

What is the most I should pay for IceWeasels recommended build? You think the 972.00 is overpriced? Don't forget that the 3 year warrenty is 60 bucks by itself. I can save that if you don't think I need it. Vista home 64 is about 120 dollars. I emailed the seller today so I hope I will get response from him and I will post the new specs for the dual core system with the new price. I'm asking to see if he will drop the price. Will have new post tomarrow! Thanks for everything so far.

[KnowledgeMania]

I can't overclock or do anything myself. I need to take it to the shop if I need any kind of install or upgrade. Got local comp shop here. About how much should they charge to build my system if I have all parts? 60 dollars? Need a ball park figure because they may be charging to high.

What is the most I should pay for IceWeasels recommended build? You think the 972.00 is overpriced? Don't forget that the 3 year warrenty is 60 bucks by itself. I can save that if you don't think I need it. Vista home 64 is about 120 dollars. I emailed the seller today so I hope I will get response from him and I will post the new specs for the dual core system with the new price. I'm asking to see if he will drop the price. Will have new post tomarrow! Thanks for everything so far.
IceWeasels's recommended build is good for your usage, and as a prebuilt, it's not bad for 972.00. If you're not experience with troubleshooting should your machine fail, it's better to get the 3 years warranty with them.

As for the fee from the local shop for putting the parts together, around $30-60? It's shouldn't be that expensive. Personally, it takes me about 2 hours to get a machine fully working if there's nothing wrong (build, install windows, drivers, stress test for 15-30min for non-overclock).

[IceWeasel]

I've had the guys over at Hardforum look at the build comparisons too, they seem to agree that the build is ok for a prebuilt. They're not too sure about ecollegepc either.

That's the problem with buying a prebuilt from a little online boutique... Much better to aim for Dell, Hp, or some other large OEM company. You may try poking around at your local shop.

As for the cost for building... it depends on the person. I could totally see someone charging $10-20 an hour, depending on their skills.

[fan1008]

I've had the guys over at Hardforum look at the build comparisons too, they seem to agree that the build is ok for a prebuilt. They're not too sure about ecollegepc either.

That's the problem with buying a prebuilt from a little online boutique... Much better to aim for Dell, Hp, or some other large OEM company. You may try poking around at your local shop.

As for the cost for building... it depends on the person. I could totally see someone charging $10-20 an hour, depending on their skills.


Very recently, the shop charged me about 150 dollars to reinstall windows xp on my older computer system along with drivers. I think the minium labor for the shop is about 35 bucks an hour. I'm afraid that they are probably the cheapest in town. Best case scenario, I get charged atleast 70 dollars plus tax so maybe 80 dollars for the install. Worst case, it will be over 100 maybe toward 150 dollars. If I pay 150 for the install and buy the parts myself(worst case), am I still saving money vs prebuilt? Its really alot of trouble ordering each part online.

How are you getting people to charge only 20 dollars an hour? Don't understand that:(

Help me out guys and thanks!

[fan1008]

Here is another post. Checked my email and Mike from ecollegepc replied. He went down some on price.


CPU : Intel® Core 2 Duo 3.0Ghz E8400 CPU w/Fan
Motherboard : ASUS P5QL PRO Intel® P43, PCI-Ex, 3 PCI
Memory : 4GB DDR2 PC6400 800Mhz Memory
Video Card : 512MB Radeon HD 4850
Hard Drive : 500GB 7200RPM Ultra Fast Serial ATA300 Hard Drive
DVDRW/CDRW : 22X LG Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive w/NERO
Network Card : 1Gbit Fast Ethernet Network Adapter
Sound Card : 8 channel HD Sound Adapter
Case : Cooler master 690 case
PSU: Antec Eartwatts 650 watt
Ports : 8 USB 2.0 Ports, Serial
OS: Windows Vista 64 home with disc
Bundled Software : Nero CD Burning Software, all drivers for video,sound, and lan.
3 year warrenty

Total is $823.00 shipped to my door
I can opt for the warrenty and save about 60 bucks maybe if I choose to.

This sounds a little better guys? Only bad thing like you said, they are a small company(ecollegepc). If I'm forced, I can probably buy a dell at my local bestbuy only because they can deal with any problems and not some non english speaker customer service rep in another country. I can add another 19 dollars for artic cooler cpu cooler if I wanted to. I dont need this unless I overclock correct? I will not do anything else to the system.

Gateway or HP have silimar systems that I should buy instead?

[IceWeasel]

That price is pretty close to what you'd pay for it if you built it yourself.... Now I'm wondering how he's actually making any money. The guys at Hardforum priced out my last build that I provided and it was about $794 (not counting S&H on the case)....

So I would say, if you trust this website, then go for it. If you're unsure of their customer service, then you should check out those links that an earlier poster provided about their feedback.

[fan1008]

That price is pretty close to what you'd pay for it if you built it yourself.... Now I'm wondering how he's actually making any money. The guys at Hardforum priced out my last build that I provided and it was about $794 (not counting S&H on the case)....

So I would say, if you trust this website, then go for it. If you're unsure of their customer service, then you should check out those links that an earlier poster provided about their feedback.

The reviews is not telling me to avoid the company and at the same time, its not perfect. Very decent feedback. He has a store on ebay so I can pay him using Paypal and I'm 100% protected. Pull the trigger!?


Also, maybe I can have him overclock my cpu at my discretion. Do you think that will be worth it? Are there disadvantages/dangers to overclocking? My last computer(velocity micro) made this beeping sound when the heatsink went out and cpu was overheating. Do all newer computers do that?

[IceWeasel]

If you don't know how to overclock it yourself, don't bother having someone else do it for you. Overclocking will void your warranty and it lowers the lifespan of your hardware. I would really suggest you take the time to teach yourself how to build your own pc and even overclock, as it is very easy to do, and there are plenty of guides out there.

Not to mention you'll save several hundred $$$ in the process.

[fan1008]

Thanks so much for your help in guiding me through this process Ice. Appreciate it. Thanks again!