Computer purchase help

[andvruss]

I just came across what I think as a pretty nice deal on futureshop.ca.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...id=10607&logon=&langid=EN&dept=1&WLBS=fsweb19
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...8&sku_id=0665000FS10047255&catid=&newdeptid=1

The first one comes with a monitor, but the second is better. The question is are the differences worth it (to get the second over the first), or does someone here have an even better computer for below 1000 or so canadian (this is without a video card). BTW the above computers are both $900.

 

[MarineCorps]

Well you could always just upgrade your current computer for cheaper. Thats what I am doing, buying computer parts off the web.

 

[andvruss]

Well, to upgrade to 512 RAM, I would need to spend around $150. My rather weak video card was $130 or so. I dont have a DVD drive, and it is 2.4, which is good, but this is 3.0 Ghz. Also, the comp by itself has 160, and my current has 40GB. I dont have an AGP slot, that one has 3 PCI and an AGP. And so on. I can live with this computer, and it is good, but that would be very good for me , being a gamer and all. I want to run hal-life 2 great when it comes out.

 

[MarineCorps]

Well, to upgrade to 512 RAM, I would need to spend around $150. My rather weak video card was $130 or so. I dont have a DVD drive, and it is 2.4, which is good, but this is 3.0 Ghz. Also, the comp by itself has 160, and my current has 40GB. I dont have an AGP slot, that one has 3 PCI and an AGP. And so on. I can live with this computer, and it is good, but that would be very good for me , being a gamer and all. I want to run hal-life 2 great when it comes out.

$150 for 512? Here you can get it for 70 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-220-025&depa=1

 

[Cedric Greene]

Nobody heard of www.pricewatch.com or www.crucial.com ? And I would certainly check eBay for your computer needs, where I got my last barebones for an excellent deal.

 

[andvruss]

Nobody heard of www.pricewatch.com or www.crucial.com ? And I would certainly check eBay for your computer needs, where I got my last barebones for an excellent deal.

Those prices are kinda low....I dont believe it .

 

[Jeratain]

www.newegg.com is your best bet for great prices, reliable delivery, and great service.

Pricewatch is a good site - but some of the vendors listed on there are shady.

 

[stormbind]

I would consider assembling it myself, putting emphasis on a (1) strong core-logic chipset, (2) ample expansion... then reusing the components from your old computer.

Put the budget to one side and calculate what the acceptable risks are.

Get a good cooler and overclock the old CPU to the average for that model, maybe check out ebay for a 2nd hand graphics card (they devalue so quickly that buying the latest is normally a bad choice).

For example: The average OC for a P4 2.4C is 3369 Mhz, which I would hope to achieve with good air cooling (judging by past experiences).

Or, perhaps you intend to sell the old PC to boost your budget?

 

[stormbind]

Those prices are kinda low....I dont believe it .

They are respectable vendors.

 

[MarineCorps]

Those prices are kinda low....I dont believe it .

Neweeg has prices for about the same.

 

[Cedric Greene]

Pricewatch has customer reviews for the sites they have listed, if it has few or bad reviews don't buy from there. I just got my DVD±RW from BananaPC.com linked from there and have had no problems with any earlier purchases either, site has been around for years.

 

[Damnyankee]

i recommend building your own computer. I built mine for a chunk of change and got an awesome computer. My other advice, if you are new to building computers is to make a list of the basics and look for the cheapest price for each one. If you know somebody in the buisness then you are more or less set.

 

[Comraddict]

integrated graphics! big no!!!!!!!

 

[DreadCthulhu]

Those prices are kinda low....I dont believe it .

They are forgetting that you are in Canada. $70-$80 US is the going rate for a good stick of 512MB RAM (go with Crucial, Corsair Value Select, or Muskin) Given how much Canadian money is worth, I wouldn't be suprised if 512MB of RAM cost $150 Canadian. Seriously though, I checked the Bank of Canada's Currency Converter and $150 Canadian =~$120 US; maybe tech prices are higher up in the frozen north, but that still sounds way too much for RAM, unless you are buying it in a retail store, which are insanely marked up here in the states too when it comes to RAM prices, or Canada has some weird taxes/tarriffs on RAM.

Now, that first machine you had linked was about $1000 CA, which equals $800 US. I will try to build a good machine for that much.

CPU - Sempron 3100+ with Heatsink+Fan - $124

Motherboard Asus K8N nForce 3 250GB - $89

RAM - 2x512MB Corsair Value Select PC 3200 - $160

Video Card - Radeon 9600XT - $140

Hard Drive - Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM - $60

Power Supply - Thermaltake 420 Watt - $36

Case - Just grab a Generic one that looks good -$30

Optical Drive - Samsung DVD +/- RW - $55

OS - Windows XP Home Edition - $90

- Total Cost $784 US. A good 17" CRT in the US will run $100-$120 depending on if it is on sale or not.

This computer will be vasty better for gaming than the one you linked too - the integrated video on the one you linked too is unable to play many modern games, while this machine has Radeon 9600XT, which can play any game out there pretty well.

If this is too much, to save cash you could reuse whatever parts are good from your current machine - optical drives, case, power supply & other stuff. After that, you could downgrade the video card to say Radeon 9800 Pro ($200 in the States) or a 9600XT ($140 in the states.) And then there is the price differences to deal with. I am not sure how well computer part's prices line up with the exchange rate in Canada, so use this more of a guide line of what to get.

Does anyone know a good computer part place in Canada andruss could order from? Newegg, while being an extremely good vendor that I use often, doesn't ship internationally.

 

[andvruss]

That looks really good there. The 3100+ Sempron you listed, how is that in relation to an Intel (GhZ)?
Also, by 512 MB X2, does that mean it comes with 2 512 chips, or has a capability for only 1 GB, or 2 512MBs?

 

[DreadCthulhu]

2x 512 means two 512MB sticks. The 3100+ Sempron is basically the budget version of the Athlon 64; it fits into the same motherboard (socket 754), but it lacks the 64 bit extensions, and has half the L2 cache. It is still a very good performer for its price; the only Intel processors in its price range are older Pentium 4's (2.4ghz & down) and Celerons. The number is ment to give a comparison to Celerons, not Pentium 4s, since they are both competing in the budget area.

Like the other K8 processors, it has a strong advantage in gaming, but tends to lose in things like media encoding. If gaming is your main heavy duty CPU use, then a Sempron 3100+ or one of its Athlon 64 brothers is the way to go. For example, in Doom 3 the Sempron 3100+ runs even with a 3.0 ghz Prescott core Pentium 4, and beats a 3.2 ghz Northwood core, all else being equal. OTOH, for things like media encoding you are looking at similar performance to a 2.4ghz Pentium 4.

 

[andvruss]

One more thing: what is the 250 GB bit about in the motherboard. Is it directly related to the speed, or something else. I am probably going to go somewhere along this line, ship it to a friend's house in the US, have him assemble it, and then have him ship it here. Maybe....

 

[stormbind]

My advice is: Do not have someone else assemble your computer, because if anything goes wrong, you are the one who has to fix it.

Assembling it is quite easy. Have you ever played with LEGO?

You take the big board, and stick little boards on it, make sure the battery is in place... and viola: 3GHz Pentium 4 PC

 

[DreadCthulhu]

One more thing: what is the 250 GB bit about in the motherboard.

The 250 Gb part is part of the name of the boards chipset - the board uses the "Nforce 3 250 Gb" chipset, which is made by Nvidia. Nvidia also makes a "Nforce 3 150" & "Nforce 3 250" chipsets used in Athlon 64 motherboards. The 250 series chipset is generally a bit faster than the 150 series; the 250 Gb version has a nifty built-hardware firewall, if you use the built-in Gigabit ethernet the motherboard comes with - no need to buy a seperate ethernet card.

Asus uses the chips made by Nvidia when it builds the board. Other companies also use the same chipset in their motherboards, but Asus is both reasonably priced & has a good reputation for quality. The other main makers of Athlon 64 chipsets are Sis & Via, but this chipset is probably the best out there for you dollar.