What computer should I buy

Alright, after saving up for awhile and getting a bit of a loan from my parents, I can finally get a new desktop computer. (It's been about 4-6 years since I've gotten one.)

Anyway, I'm going to list the specs/price and I want your opinions on the best deal. I'm mainly looking for a computer that can run good graphic video games, run programs smoothly, etc.

Also, if you have any suggestions on upgrading something, or if you know a piece of hardware is faulty, let me know.

(I'm going to put them in separate posts because they're pretty extensive.)

So, Here we go:

Case - Nzxt Alpha Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply

Case Lighting - Neon Blue

Standard Power Supply

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8500 (2x 3.16GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Processor Cooling - AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink

Motherboard - [SLI] Asus P5N-D Nvidia nForce 750i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB EPU Technology

RAM - 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module

Video Card - NVIDIA Geforce 9500GT 512mb w/ DVI + TV Out Video

Hard Drive - 500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]

CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive - LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive

Sound Card - 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

NIC - Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)

Flash Media Reader/Writer - 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer

Price: $641.00

Case - Nzxt Alpha Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply

Case Lighting - Neon Blue

Standard Power Supply

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8500 (2x 3.16GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Processor Cooling - AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink

Motherboard - [CrossFire] Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB

RAM - 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module

Video Card - ATI Radeon HD 3450 256mb PCI-Express x16

Hard Drive - 500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]

CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive - LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive

Sound Card - 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

NIC - Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
[B]


Price: $629.00

Case - PSI CycloneX Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply

Case Lighting - Neon Blue

Standard Power Supply

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8500 (2x 3.16GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Processor Cooling - AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink

Motherboard - [SLI] XFX MB-N790-IUL9 Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Dual Gb LANs, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, 3-Way PCI-E MB

RAM - 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR3-1333 Memory Module

Video Card - NVIDIA Geforce 9400GT 512MB /w DVI + TV Out Video

Hard Drive - 500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]

CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive - LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive

Sound Card - 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

NIC - Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
[B]


Price: $668.00

i know its the cool thing to build your own system, but i hate dealing with all the issues like diagnosing system instability: is it the motherboard? bad ram? overheating cpu? bad psu? who knows! you'll figure it out eventually after a few RMAs and all that shit but why bother. i'd say 80% of the time your self-built system will work perfectly but why take the risk

i recommend getting a coupon for a nice dell or something and then putting in a nice video card. it will probably cost a hundred bucks (or more) extra in total but you'll have a system thats practically guaranteed to work well, all tested from the factory, and with a warranty in case shit fucks up

sure you wont get any e-peeen but who the fuck cares about what computer you use...it should work well for YOU

i'll see if i can find you a nice coupon link, if you wish to go this route

#1.

Go for a P5Q motherboard if possible. The P5Q series are pretty OC-friendly, but I think they're incompatible with Nvidia cards. How much more (or less?) do you have to pay to switch the 9500GT for a Radeon HD 4850 or 4870?

Also, in practice, a 420W power supply will most likely not provide your components with as much as 420W of power. Your choice will most likely be sufficient, but upgrading to a 500W one still seems feasible. Corsair is a pretty good PSU brand.

I'm readin your advice guys, and I'll get back to you. I'm still designing several other models to choose from.

Case - Nzxt Alpha Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply

Case Lighting - Neon Blue

500 Watt -- Power Supply

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8600 (2x 3.33GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Processor Cooling - AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink

Motherboard - Asus P5Q3 Intel P45 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB

RAM - 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR3-1333 Memory Module

Video Card - NVIDIA Geforce 9400GT 512MB /w DVI + TV Out Video

Hard Drive - 500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]

CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive - LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive

Sound Card - 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

NIC - Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)



Price: $715.00

#1. Go for a 9500GT and a P5Q motherboard if possible. The P5Q series are pretty OC-friendly. How much more (or less?) do you have to pay to switch the 9500GT for a Radeon HD 4850 or 4870? Also, in practice, a 420W power supply will most likely not provide your components with as much as 420W of power. Your choice will most likely be sufficient, but upgrading to a 500W one still seems feasible. Corsair is a pretty good PSU brand.

Okay I played around with my #1 computer, the price jumped significantly so I'll probably still change some things up, but here's what it's got:




Case - Nzxt Alpha Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply

Case Lighting - Neon Blue

500 Watt -- Power Supply

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E8500 (2x 3.16GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Processor Cooling - AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink

Motherboard - [CrossFire] Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, Dual PCI-E MB

RAM - 4 GB [2 GB X2] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module

Video Card - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB PCI-Express x16

Hard Drive - 500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]

CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive - LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive

Sound Card - 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

NIC - Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)

Flash Media Reader/Writer - 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer

Price: $793.00

Mantra, how does this setup sound, and how much do you think it should cost? (Retail and/or wholesale)


Case: Nzxt Alpha Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply
Case Lighting: Blue Neon Light
Power Supply: 500 watt
Processor: Intel core 2 duo E8500 (2x 3.16 GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)
Processor Cooling: AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink
Motherboard: [SLI] MSI P7N SLI-FI Nvidia nForce 750i SLI Chipset w/7.1 sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0 Dual PCI-E MB
RAM: 4 GB DDR2-800 PC6400
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9500GT 512MB w/DVI + TV Out Video
Hard Drive: 500 GB
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive: LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive
And an onboard sound card/NIC

Do they sound decent? You think anything will conflict?

Mantra, how does this setup sound, and how much do you think it should cost? (Retail and/or wholesale) Case: Nzxt Alpha Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Case Lighting: Blue Neon Light Power Supply: 500 watt Processor: Intel core 2 duo E8500 (2x 3.16 GHz/6MB L2 Cache/1333FSB) Processor Cooling: AVC Silent Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink Motherboard: [SLI] MSI P7N SLI-FI Nvidia nForce 750i SLI Chipset w/7.1 sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0 Dual PCI-E MB RAM: 4 GB DDR2-800 PC6400 Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9500GT 512MB w/DVI + TV Out Video Hard Drive: 500 GB CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive: LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive And an onboard sound card/NIC Do they sound decent? You think anything will conflict?

i can build you a better system i'm sure

CPU
gigabyte makes the best motherboards right now
ram
hard drive
i'm very impressed with msi video cards, always overclocked and stable from the factory
psu

Subtotal: 673 bux $$

mix and match whatever case you like, i recommend a lian li or an antec. case lighting is for assholes but whatever you like. aftermarket cpu cooling is a waste of money unless you're overclocking or are paranoid about noise (you probably are not). check out the recommended heatsinks on silentpcreview.com, i have a scythe ninja. if you need a sound card (i recommend one if you have nice headphones and/or audio equipment) get an HT OMEGA STRIKER.

this system will probably work without issues 95% guaranteed. the weakest link is probably the ram in terms of coming DOA, but it probably won't

all of them