Is it possible to get a decent computer w/ monitor for ~$600?

[Fifty]

Also, it has to be pre-made.

Is that possible?

If so, where should I be looking????


THANKS!

 

[Cutlass]

http://www.pricewatch.com/public/

http://www.pricewatch.com/computer_systems_with_os/

 

[Mise]

In the UK you can, oh yes! I got my PC for £250 about a year ago without a monitor -- core 2 duo, can't remember the megahurtz, onboard gfx card, but nonetheless a decent internets set up or gaming starting point. You can get 17" monitors for £50, and computers are dirt cheap now (thanks you mr recession).

Are you gonna play games on it? Cos if not then I'd just get a laptop...

 

[Fifty]

No! I hate laptops. My current computer is a laptop and I hate it... plus aren't laptops more expensive?

 

[Zelig]

Honestly, Dell makes pretty solid computers overall, along with having a pretty solid support system incase your stuff breaks.

Going from this page, the best looking computer is:

Inspiron 530 (option #2 from here) - $449 with a 17" monitor or $569 with a 22" monitor. (Get the bigger monitor, it's well worth it, I'd even recommend the 24" package for $629)

If you're looking to get more memory, bigger HDD, etc., it's cheaper to buy not from Dell, and add it to one of their setups, they have good prices on the base systems, but charge exhorbitantly for customized upgrades. Dell monitors aren't a bad price bundled with their systems, since they're manufactured by Dell themselves, but you can sometimes save a few dollars by buying the monitor separately.

With the onboard video, that rig isn't going to be very useful for games, but if you want to put a mid-range video card in later on, it shouldn't be a problem. (Anything highend would likely be too much for the PSU to handle)

Also, that system (and most systems in that pricerange) have Vista 32-bit included, which allows for no upgrades to the system memory. (While using Vista 32-bit, at least) If you want that capability, you'll have to look around a bit more.

edit: Fixed everything to US prices/links.

 

[Fifty]

So Mars, you think:

ATI Radeon HD3650 256MB [add $100 or $3/month-1]
Radeon ATI HD 2600 XT 256MB [add $150 or $5/month-1]
ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB supporting HDMI [add $60 or $2/month-1]

Are all bad deals to add to that system?

What about +50 for another 180GB of HD space? And +40 to go from 2 to 3GB of RAM?

 

[Zelig]

So Mars, you think:

ATI Radeon HD3650 256MB [add $100 or $3/month-1]
Radeon ATI HD 2600 XT 256MB [add $150 or $5/month-1]
ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB supporting HDMI [add $60 or $2/month-1]

Are all bad deals to add to that system?

What about +50 for another 180GB of HD space? And +40 to go from 2 to 3GB of RAM?

Well, prices from newegg for those parts are as follows:

Radeon HD 3650 512MB: $55 ($35 after mail-in rebate)
Radeon HD 2600 XT 512MB: $63 ($48 after MIR)
Radeon HD 3450 256MB with HDMI: $38 ($28 after MIR)

For $120 ($90 after MIR), you can get a 1TB hard drive, or you can get a 320GB drive for $55, or 500GB for $60.
(The HD space is a particularly bad deal, if you're not concerned about HD speed, it would almost definitely be cheaper per GB to pick up an external drive and just plug it in via USB)

And 1GB of RAM will run you somewhere under $20.

You can figure out how much your time and effort ordering/installing stuff separately is worth to you, and go from there.

 

[Sui Generis]

Well, prices from newegg for those parts are as follows:

Radeon HD 3650 512MB: $55 ($35 after mail-in rebate)
Radeon HD 2600 XT 512MB: $63 ($48 after MIR)
Radeon HD 3450 256MB with HDMI: $38 ($28 after MIR)

For $120 ($90 after MIR), you can get a 1TB hard drive, or you can get a 320GB drive for $55, or 500GB for $60.
(The HD space is a particularly bad deal, if you're not concerned about HD speed, it would almost definitely be cheaper per GB to pick up an external drive and just plug it in via USB)

And 1GB of RAM will run you somewhere under $20.

You can figure out how much your time and effort ordering/installing stuff separately is worth to you, and go from there.

On the bolded part, if you do get an external drive, don't get a USB flash drive, it has a limited amount of write re-write cycles before it will fail.

And imo, its pretty easy to install a HDD, you can just buy the computer pre-made and install a hdd at a good deal yourself.

 

[Zelig]

On the bolded part, if you do get an external drive, don't get a USB flash drive, it has a limited amount of write re-write cycles before it will fail.

Anything you buy has a limited amount of use before it fails.

But I was referring to normal hard drives anyway, flash drives are small and expensive.

 

[Fifty]

Ok, so how hard is it to install this type of stuff? I mean, I've done some basic computer stuff like installing a CD Drive, but I'm by no means a technical expert.

So if its the type of thing where you just open up the case, plug the thingy in, and install drivers or something, I can probably do it, but if I have to spend 600 hours changing settings and doing all manner of crap to make it compatible or whatever, then I dunno if I'm up to the task.

 

[Strider]

Ok, so how hard is it to install this type of stuff? I mean, I've done some basic computer stuff like installing a CD Drive, but I'm by no means a technical expert.

So if its the type of thing where you just open up the case, plug the thingy in, and install drivers or something, I can probably do it, but if I have to spend 600 hours changing settings and doing all manner of crap to make it compatible or whatever, then I dunno if I'm up to the task.

An external HDD is just a simple plug into the back of the computer. RAM/GPU upgrades are fairly straight forward also. In both cases you just insert (firmly) into the correct slot and turn the computer back on. You may have to plug a newer GPU into the power supply and of course you will have to install drivers for it after the computer is back on.

In my experience Desktops tend to be cheaper and a bit more reliable than laptops; although obviously not as convenient.

 

[Quintillus]

Ok, so how hard is it to install this type of stuff? I mean, I've done some basic computer stuff like installing a CD Drive, but I'm by no means a technical expert.

So if its the type of thing where you just open up the case, plug the thingy in, and install drivers or something, I can probably do it, but if I have to spend 600 hours changing settings and doing all manner of crap to make it compatible or whatever, then I dunno if I'm up to the task.

It should be more or less straightforward as Strider said (note: no drivers for memory upgrades). But with small-form desktops, they sometimes don't put much thought into making upgrades easy, and have everything and its power cable between you and the memory slots or whatever else you may want to upgrade. So if you're looking to upgrade yourself and want it to be simple, you probably want to avoid the slim/small/whatever they're called desktops.

I'm sure it varies somewhat by model, too, but I'm not up on recent desktops.

 

[Zelig]

Ok, so how hard is it to install this type of stuff? I mean, I've done some basic computer stuff like installing a CD Drive, but I'm by no means a technical expert.

So if its the type of thing where you just open up the case, plug the thingy in, and install drivers or something, I can probably do it, but if I have to spend 600 hours changing settings and doing all manner of crap to make it compatible or whatever, then I dunno if I'm up to the task.

Installing a hard drive is exactly the same as installing a cd drive, same wires and everything.

Installing ram or a gpu is pretty straight foward.

This guide covers everything you'd do when installing RAM if you're being insanely careful.
My ram installation procedure consists of turning off the computer, opening the case, pushing the ram into the slot and turning the computer back on.

For the video card, you might have to snap off or unscrew a metal bit from the back of the case to allow it to fit, then you stuff it into the slot, and install drivers after boot.

It should be more or less straightforward as Strider said (note: no drivers for memory upgrades). But with small-form desktops, they sometimes don't put much thought into making upgrades easy, and have everything and its power cable between you and the memory slots or whatever else you may want to upgrade. So if you're looking to upgrade yourself and want it to be simple, you probably want to avoid the slim/small/whatever they're called desktops.

The Dell model I linked is a regular sized desktop, partially for that reason, it might save a few $$ to go with a slim one.

 

[Sui Generis]

Anything you buy has a limited amount of use before it fails.

But I was referring to normal hard drives anyway, flash drives are small and expensive.

Come on, flash drives are great, I have one, but they are not meant for HDD use.

Anyway... I figured you were talking about normal HDD, but my friend bought... i think it was a 30 gb flash drive, booted windows from it, and put information on it and stuff. One day it failed and he lost everything. I laughed and called him an idiot

 

[Zelig]

Okay, the link in my first post goes to an Inspiron 530 with monitor with a $50 saving applied.

If you:

1. Select the first option here. (nearly the same thing, minus the monitor)
2. Change the cpu to the Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor E2200 (1MB L2, 2.2GHz, 800FSB)
3. Get the E228WFP 22-inch monitor from here instead, with the $65 saving applied.

You get the same thing for $36 less.

 

[frekk]

Under $600 really isn't difficult ... pre-built computers are actually cheaper because they're made with crappy parts and loaded with bloatware (although some companies offer you the privilege of paying an extra $50 to get rid of all that useless trial software, which is almost worthwhile considering you can spend an hour or two finding and uninstalling all that crap).

If you want a "decent" computer your best bet is to get a good upgrade box (usually has just the MB and power unit) and buy the parts yourself from a smaller retailer although it will be more pricey. You'll have to either get them to give you a deal on an OEM windows or get yourself a copy of Linux, though.

 

[GoodGame]

One option is to see if there are any reputable builders in your area. They might order the parts for you and help you design it, and build it for around $90 / hour while including a limited support warranty. Assuming you're still in NYC, it should be easy to find one.