Getting a New Computer

[Brian Mc]

Well I might be, if I can work up the gonads.

I porbably could have thrown this in the offtopic section... but part of the reason I need a new one is for gaming, specifically Civ4 and Rome.

I admit to being a complete dunce when it comes to computers, although I pretend I know what I'm talking about. But here I am trying to figure out how to get the best bang for my buck while still getting a trustworthy system, so I need help.

What company should I look at? What processor should I get (speed and company)? What Graphics Cards does your average computer have (I can't figure out how to compare something you would get with, say, a Dell, and the namebrand Radeon or whatever)? What should I be paying (I am a Uni student, so I don't have millions. I was thinking somewhere around $1000, am I being unrealistic)?

I don't need anything horribly fancy I don't think. I'm not a super-serious gamer, TBS and maybe some RPGs are about as far as my tastes go. No serious graphics or video work. Aside from those games just word processing and the like.

I am in Canada for what it matters. (I don't know how shipping computers from American companies works).

 

[Padma]

Moderator Action: Not Off Topic, but Computer Talk. Moved.

 

[TastySheriff]

$1000 is a good target for games like Rome and Civ4. Personally, i like AMD processors and i think that theyre the best value. With your could probibly get an Athlon64 3000+ and impress all your friends at work, telling them uve jumped on the 64-bit bandwageon .

Now graphics are always the most annoyingly expensive parts, and pc makers tend to realy screw the average joe here. Most pcs that you but off the shelf have "onboard graphics." Basically that means that the graphics card is integrated into the mainboard. You dont want that it sucks. These kinda games gont require killer graphics, but imo you dont get your moneys worth with onboard. I would say... look for around a Nvidia Geforce 6800, or an ATI Radeon 9800, but dont worry about going up or down one notch if you find an offer you cant refuse. And if you already have a monitor, keep it. Dont get a new one with ur computer. Thatll save you at least $100 right there.

And my final note, i (or my 'rents with my help) have ordered pcs from both HP and Dell. I dont really have much of a problem with either company. They both have equally horrible customer service though. And be sure to get a warrenty. If ur strapped for cash stick with the 1-year, but if possible go for the 3 year. Not that their workmanship is horrible, but theres only soo much workmanship you should expect when you pay $400 for something that should cost $700.

Hope i was helpful.

Also: look for a computer with a 7200 RPM Hard Drive. Most off-the-shelp PCs come with 5400 and thats a hug scam. It tends to slow down a new PC ALOT.

 

[ml_4da3]

I would go for a home built AMD64 3000+ CPU with Asus A8N motherboard, 512-1024 MB RAM and a 6600GT graphics card from nvidia. Total cost: maybe 600 USD.

Reuse your old CD-ROM drive, computer chassie and maybe harddrive. If you want to spend more cash, put more money on a faster CPU and a modern SATA harddrive.

 

[Zelig]

Are you building it yourself? If so, I'll link some parts from the Canadian site I use to order stuff.

What parts from your current system are reusable, or do you want a completely new rig, so you'll have 2?

And is noise important to you? If you're not a real hardcore gamer, you could piece together a nearly silent system.

$1000 seems like a good budget for what you need/want, you could probably get something for somewhat less than that too.

 

[Brian Mc]

Thanks Padma!

Hm, thanks for the advice guys. There's the rub. I'm really useless when it comes to electronics, I have a crippling phobia of destroying my computer. So, I couldn't tell you what is reusable on my computer, I don't know! As for putting it together myself, it would have to be pretty idiot proof.

My opening post probably was not thorough enough. My current monitor is a beast and my CD drive doesn't even have a burner on it, so I do need the whole shebang. Blah! I find the whole thing very frustrating!

That'd be great Zelig, if only to give me an idea of what I should have.

PS: Anyone have any exprience with Alienware?

 

[IglooDame]

Alienware is probably a bit pricey for what you're wanting to do, though they do have good quality from what I know of them.

I would recommend Dell. If you read off Civ4's required specs to them, their phone sales rep should be able to jin up something for you.

 

[guyfamous]

Don't be afraid to build your own. I did it for the first time earlier this year and I'm a tool when it comes to using tools. My system is great, I've had no problems and if something goes bad, I feel I know enough to fix or replace whatever has gone wrong.

I used a couple of reference books that made everything go pretty smoothly. The first was the PC Gamer special magazine guide to building your own machine. Check their website, I've seen it in pdf format on the magazine CDs. The second was the Maximum PC book Building a Dream Machine. That was the book I used most when going through the steps. I went to a bookstore and looked at PC building books to see if it was something I could handle before I bought $1,800 worth of parts.

A couple of things I did to make it go easier. I used SATA drives, which are plug and play. There are no master/slave configurations to set up or jumpers to set. SATA Optical drives are hard to find, but the Plextor 716SA DVD burner is rated highly and commonly available. Also, I used a motherboard that used PCI-Express video. A PCI-E video card slot will make it easy to upgrade when the time comes.

I looked at a number of sites to get an idea of what it would cost and Alienware was expensive in comparison. Take a look at Cyberpower.com, they seem to be priced well and their systems are configurable. I think Ibuypower.com was another that was fairly inexpensive, but well regarded.

One last thing. If you are buying online, make sure to use a credit card if you can. If anything goes wrong you can dispute the charges, if the seller can't fix it. That gives you a little extra insurance.

Good luck with your choice, Brian.

 

[Brian Mc]

Great! Thanks!

 

[Brian Mc]

Is this bundle a good deal? (from Future Shop)

AMD Anthlon 64 3400+
512MB DDR Memory
200GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Dual Layer 16x DVD Burner
ATI X200 Integrated Graphics
Card Reader and Fireware
+17" LCD Monitor
+Epson All-in-one

=$799.99

 

[guyfamous]

Is this bundle a good deal? (from Future Shop)

AMD Anthlon 64 3400+
512MB DDR Memory
200GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Dual Layer 16x DVD Burner
ATI X200 Integrated Graphics
Card Reader and Fireware
+17" LCD Monitor
+Epson All-in-one

=$799.99

It's OK, but for Civ IV you will need a better video card. The onboard GPU will steal RAM and since there is only 512MB, you might run into some problems. Look for a system with a separate video card with 128MB of memory. It shouldn't cost that much more to add that. ATI or NVidia it doesn't matter. Also, you might want to have another 512MB of memory. Obviously I don't know how the game will run, but having 1GB of RAM won't hurt the cause. Everything else is fine.

 

[BloodyPepperoni]

Is this bundle a good deal? (from Future Shop)

AMD Anthlon 64 3400+
512MB DDR Memory
200GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Dual Layer 16x DVD Burner
ATI X200 Integrated Graphics
Card Reader and Fireware
+17" LCD Monitor
+Epson All-in-one

=$799.99

That's exactly what I bought a month or so ago, at future shop too. Damn I should've wait I would've saved 100$!
(by 800 bucks you mean $CAN right?)
I'm pretty satisfied with it, and since I wanted to be able to run as many recent games as possible I added 512MB. However don't buy your memory there. Go to tigerdirect.ca, they sell 512 MB for 40 bucks, and I paid mine 130

Oh, and the video memory is 128MB, which should be more than enough for civ4. I run Rome Total War pretty well on my system

 

[CruddyLeper]

Is this bundle a good deal? (from Future Shop)

AMD Anthlon 64 3400+
512MB DDR Memory
200GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Dual Layer 16x DVD Burner
ATI X200 Integrated Graphics
Card Reader and Fireware
+17" LCD Monitor
+Epson All-in-one

=$799.99

I'd go along with guyfamous. A bit more memory (XP really does like 1Gb) then you'll be OK.

Civ4 will run on X200 integrated graphics - not mega fast but should be playable (and "enjoyable playable" at that).

 

[cidknee]

www.canadacomputers.com they are amazing