Best value on new computer

[onejayhawk]

I have a friend who wants to get a High school boy his own computer. This is a first purchase. Budget is under $1000. How should the money be allocated? Where to spend it for best results? Bear in mind this is a young user without a lot of sophistication.

J

 

[cgannon64]

Do you mean company wise, or what kind of areas to spend more in? Like, do you want me to say "Dell" or do you want me to say "Get him a computer with a good speed processor and a nice printer"?

 

[CrackedCrystal]

I would spend your money with the following priorities

1) Monitor - this in my opinion is the most important part of the computer. A bad one will give you headaches looking at it and it is the most visable portion of the computer. It is also the number one re-used part. My monitor has gone through 3 computers already.

2) Processor speed - Although the CPU is upgradable, it is limited by your motherboard. Go for a "two-step down from best" processor. I suggest a mid range 2.x GHz. Probably a 2.4GHz, that is the sweet spot for dollar vs speed value.

3) Graphics Card - This is more easily upgraded than the CPU, thus taking third. Agian, a "two-step down" approach is best. I suggest a Geforce4 MX.

4) Then go for RAM. 512MB is pleanty. And 256 is adaquate.

5) CD Burner - invaluable. But the technology is so well established, name brands are not really important anymore.

6) Printer and other peripherals. Don't spend more than $150 on a printer though unless you are going to do photo printing. A $90 printer is fine for schoolwork. Just make sure ink refills are readily available where you live. I made that mistake and went for a cheep printer that has hard to find refills.

7) Hard Drive - if you have the CD burner, a large hard drive is not needed as much. Just burn it to CD. A 40GB would be fine (go to 80GB if you are worried).

And that is my 2 cents worth. In the end, I would spend 30-40% of the total cost on just the monitor. Like I said, its important.

 

[Jeratain]

Well, if it were me I'd make my own computer. But that's me because I know what I'm doing. I don't know your friend or if he know's what he's doing (or she.)

So I reccommend you just go buy a Dell. They are relatively cheap for what they offer, plus they include software and tech support/warranties, which ends up being a darn good deal.

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

6) Printer and other peripherals. Don't spend more than $150 on a printer though unless you are going to do photo printing. A $90 printer is fine for schoolwork. Just make sure ink refills are readily available where you live. I made that mistake and went for a cheep printer that has hard to find refills.

Agreed on all points except the price. You can find a printer more then adequate for school work for a mere 20$ or so if you look in the right places

 

[Zelig]

Originally posted by CrackedCrystal
3) Graphics Card - This is more easily upgraded than the CPU, thus taking third. Agian, a "two-step down" approach is best. I suggest a Geforce4 MX.

Good Geforce 3s are a better deal. I have a Geforce4 MX 440 SE and a Geforce 3 Ti 500 and the Geforce 3 easily beats the Geforce 4 in pretty much everything. I paid around $80 Canadian for each of them.

 

[damunzy]

If buying a premade one: Dell or Gateway. Just make sure you get a decent video card with whatever system you go with.

If building your own:
1) Monitor: Like CrackedCrystal said, get a good one. My suggestion: Get a Sony Trinitron 19 incher. $310 free shipping: http://www.newegg.com/app/specification.asp?item=24-006-018
2) Processor: Look for the sweet spot in pricing. The sweet spot can vary depending on the total amount you can spend so I will offer a few choices:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...343&manufactory=1028&DEPA=1&sortby=14&order=1
a-AMD Athlon XP 1800+ for $67 <- My recommendation
b-AMD Athlon XP 2200+ for $103
Do not go with Intel - the cost/performance ration compared to AMD is bad. Always by the retail and not OEM processor - it comes with a fan and heatsink and has a 3 year warranty. OEM comes with 30 day warranty and nothing else (sometimes longer warranty but no higher than 90 days).
3) Mobo: Biostar M7VIK for $87 from NewEgg.com Review
4) Video: Get cheap now, save money and upgrade later after a few months - it will be worth the wait. GeForce 4 MX 420 - $50
5) RAM: Get brand name, KINGSTON KVR333X64C25/512 512MB 32x64 PC2700 DDR RAM for $67 each. Go for two.
6) HDD: WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM for $98
or
WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 120GB 7200RPM for $123
7) Case: Pick from a whole bunch for 35-100$ with about 15$ shipping
http://www.newegg.com/app/ListProdu...list&catalog=7&description=&sortby=22&order=0
8) CD-RW: Lite-on 52x24x52 CDRW for $48
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=27-106-185&depa=1
9) LAN Card: 3COM 3CSOHO100BTX Office Connect 10/100 Network Interface Card - OEM for $26
10) Audio: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 - OEM for $78
Total system with the parts I recommended: $948 = Kick ass bargain system. Most of these parts include shipping but some do not so the price might be a little bit higher but still under $100. It is also possible to build two decent PCs for playing games for the $1000 price limit.

Summary:
Sony Trinitron 19inch monitor, AMD Athlon XP 1800+ Processor, Biostar M7VIK Motherboard, GeForce 4 MX 420 64MB, (2) Sticks of 512MB Kingston DDR 333/PC2700 RAM for a total of 1GB!, WD HDD 80GB 8MB Cache, Case (pick what you like), Lite-on 52x24x52 CD-RW, 3COM LAN, and finally Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 - OEM

As you can see I highly recommend buying from NewEgg.com. Their prices are hard to beat (comparable to most pricewatch.com prices) and they generally have free shipping. They also have very friendly support for package problems (FedEx f---ed up my delievery - they sent a new batch of items to me that same day, Great Service).

Video alternatives: go to www.pricewatch.com and click on the link Video Cards in the top right corner. I hear the ATI 8500 is a good card and it can be had for pretty cheap. Unfortunately it seems NewEgg.com doesn't have a good selection of video cards for cheap. Try else where if you don't want the GeForce 4 MX 420. Price watch has the GeForce 4 MX 440 listed even lower than the 420: $39. Check it out, but Buyer Beware: It is a house brand video card and not brand name.

 

[CrackedCrystal]

Originally posted by munzy
As you can see I highly recommend buying from NewEgg.com.

I second that. NewEgg is great. Sometimes I am willing to pay up to 10% extra if it means going through NewEgg. But most of the time they have the best price anyway! They are always the first stop I go to for pricing.

 

[Turner]

Interesting thread. . .Good points here.

Let's say I'm really lazy, and want to buy a pre-made system, or customize my own. I know about dell, systemax, powerspec (although you can't customize theirs), gateway (Won't buy there,just don't like them). . . what other 'value' brands are there? I wasn't too impressed with emachines, although I would go that way if the system was configured right. Any suggestions?

Thanks