Seeking advice for my build to order PC (1 Viewer)

[Marko Berg]

Dell's proprietary power supplies have different wiring than regular power supplies and that's why you can't connect a regular power supply to a Dell desktop directly.

However, third-party accessories are available to rectify this. I've replaced a desktop computer's 200-watt Dell power supply that was noisy and dying with a 350-watt standard one. All that was needed was a part which was installed between the new power supply and the motherboard connector that cost $8. There's no need to buy a power supply from the original manufacturer or have one custom-built for your computer.

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

Bottom line is that for anyone comfortable with assembling his own gear (and it's really not that hard) it rarely is the right choice to go with a brand name box.

I'd bet on any of the components I mentioned there against anything Dell can offer, and in most cases the win would be huge (the case, the power supply, etc.)

 

[Nathan_F]

Carl doesn't appear to be assembling his own gear. He seems to be talking about ordering a build-to-order box from tigerdirect.

Carl-- given what you're trying to do, I would say that difference between $500 and $850 could be better spent. Core2 is awesome, don't get me wrong, but upping the price by 70% just to get one probably isn't the best use of your money. For what you mentioned as your requirements (surfing, streaming media, some gaming), that $350 would probably be better spent on system memory, hard drive, or video card upgrades.

Do you need all components (keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers?) What kinds of games (SimCity4? was mentioned?) I think you'd do well to get a $500 PC for now and it would be more than you would need given what you've stated so far. If you do choose to go with tigerdirect, I would be cautious of their configurator. It seems sometimes the operating system is left unchecked (E.g., on their base Core2 system this is the case.) Depending on how much you want to research, I would check sites such as hardocp.com (consumer section), anandtech.com and/or extremetech.com for their system builder reviews. I'm particularly fond of hardocp.coms approach of evaluations where they blindly order a system from a builder (as opposed to receiving a spec system for review.)

 

[Sami Kallio]

Carl, I came across this deal and remembered this thread: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=TS-4000D-AX42-R

If you're not going to build your own, I think this PC would be a great buy. It has no OS but you can download Vista since you wanted to try it out. Microsoft will activate it if you call their support.

 

[Carl Johnson]

I'm aware that the tigerdirect system doesn't include an OS. My goal was to save a few bucks by using the free version of Vista RC1. If that doesn't get the job done then it would be cheaper for me to order a copy of Windows from my college bookstore.
I started this thread because I'm not really sure what to buy. First I was going to get the $500 Dell that was running a Celeron processor. Then it was suggested that I could do better which led me to tigerdirect. I figured as long as I'm having it built I might as well get some extra horsepower under the hood so I upgraded to the Core 2. I didn't mention the video card (Radeon X300SE 128MB PCI-Express) or the hard drive (320GB 7200RPM 3G SATA II).
It sounds like I'm trying to put a Ferrari engine into a Hyundai Elantra. Thanks for the research links. I'll do some significant digging before I make a final decision on what to buy.

If necessary I can use my current keyboard, monitor, mouse, and speakers. I'm not a hard core gamer by any stretch of the imagination. My current computer is so wimpy that it is unable to run anything more complicated than partypoker.net.

 

[JediFonger]

a "typical" motherboard you're buying these days will include an onboard gigabit nic and firewire port along with half a dozen USB2 port. if you have a front panel connector it's even more.

make sure you buy an external USB floppy. having an internal floppy is too unruly these days.

 

[D. Scott MacDonald]

I've blown through 2 Dell power supplies on one of my machines that is less than two years old. My other Dell is slightly younger but still holding up. most of my coworkers have had to replace at least one Dell power supply in the last year (all less than two years old).

Still anecdotal, but my next home machine will certainly not be a Dell.

 

[Nathan_F]

Hardocp just reviewed a system from Systemax/TigerDirect.. not pretty:
http://consumer.hardocp.com/article....xoY29uc3VtZXI=

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

Wow. Ok, one can't always go on just one experience, but it certainly doesn't look good.

 

[JediFonger]

re: PSU, don't skimp on it =). buy the best and don't worry about it. PC Power and Cooling comes to mind, pricey... but stable. if you can't afford that... otherwise, any of the following reviewed by jonny guru will work:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/
^scroll down.

 

[Carl Johnson]

That report on the lack of credible support by Systemax is exactly what I'm afraid of. I'm hesitant to build the system myself because I don't know a ram from a rom without consulting Google, so if I get everything plugged in and it doesn't work I'm SOL. There's no way that I would be able to fill in the blanks to get a system up and running like that reviewer did. Hell, a half way literate computer person would probably be able to fix the problems that have been getting progressively worse on my current computer over the past half decade....

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

You might be better off going with a brand name, I guess. You do get a working package and tech support. Buying parts and assembling is by no means hard, though, and there are tons of guides, howtos and step-by-step instructions on the web one can study.

You might also consider some other integrator. There are others besides TigerDirect, who do seem to stink based on the review above; apparently HardOCP have had good experiences with ABS for instance. There are more desktop tests on their pages too.

 

[Bepaof8]

My last 2 PC's have been refurbished Dells, and I have been more than satisfied with them.

That being said, I have to warn you that your choice for a video card is not a good one. I had the NVidia 5200 in my current machine, and it ran like a snail on crutches. Get a better NVidia card. (I got an ATI 9800 Pro, and it works great!)

Good luck!
Pete

 

[Rommel_L]

Carl,

Take a look at Stephen Orrs's thread about his new toy. The features and price point might be right up your alley, if not give you some ideas...

 

[Carl Johnson]

I really like Stephen's new toy. A large part of my motivation for going with a custom built system was so that this time next year I could upgrade it myself from 1GB of ram to 2 and to add a tv tuner card. I'd feel a hell of a lot more comfortable adding components to an already functional system than I would building one from scratch. I was turned on to Tiger Direct because multiple DIYers have given them the thumbs up, but that piss poor review of that Systemax system they built is discouraging to say the least.
Rather than trying to do this a la carte from someone that can do it cheaply I'll just save up and get it all at once from a reputable dealer.

 

[Rommel_L]

Carl,

The upgrades that you described can be done in Stephen's toy...

 

[Paul_Sjordal]

This is a bit of advice for anyone considering a build-your-own project (although in the original poster's case, this would probably put him over budget).

There is a web site called Link Removed that consolidates hardware performance reviews from other sites and offers reasonably current price info (as well as which online retailer is offering the best prices).

This information about hardware and prices is distilled into three different "buyer's guides." The different guides have different price budgets (for instance, the "value" buying guide is for a budget of $1000), and try to come up with the best component list for building a complete computer (including OS, mouse, monitor, etc.) within the given price point.

I build all my own computers, and truth be told, I have never built a complete system following every one of their recommendations, but it's a great jumping-off point when you're trying to figure out what you want.