anyone build desktops?? need advice

[Lyondellic]

I used to build computers. Two things stopped me. First, the cost of computers on sale at places like Dell made it impractical. I cannot put a computer together for the price that Dell sells theirs for. Second, overclocking became unnecessary as the price of CPU's fell. The days of the 50% overclock are gone. I used to buy a 600 mhz Celeron and overclock it to 900 mhz with very little effort.

If you still want to build a computer, two sites will be your friend:

http://www.newegg.com

http://www.pricewatch.com

 

[Saturn_Fan]

This is why I got out of doing it as well. Now I just do it for my own gaming machines.

I built all my computers from the two sites you listed as well as Mwave.

 

[dorkiedoode]

Newegg, zipzoomfly, tankguys, mwave are some to name. but those are some of the sites where i buy my supplies, not including heat sinks and fans.

corsair PSU FTW!

as for built computers, some main advantage are that they are sometimes cheaper, you get to pick your parts, and OVERCLOCKING!

many manufacturers computers have locked bios so you won't be able to overclock.

IMO, you should watch for those dell deals. if i recall correctly i saw a quad-core, 2gb ram, 250hdd, 24" monitor for 699 or so.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Originally Posted By: Lyondellic
I used to build computers. Two things stopped me. First, the cost of computers on sale at places like Dell made it impractical.


I agree. Today's Best Buy sales ad has an HP AMD quad-core, 3gb RAM, 2x320GB disks, TV tuner w/remote, 19" monitor, all in one printer for $899. With Techbargains.com e-coupon code, a Dell Inspiron 530 with similar specs w/o monitor & printer for $759. New Egg is showing prices to be about $825 w/o Windows Vista license. Very close indeed.

 

[Buffman]

kc8adu I pulled the cover off that 350watt (not 330 as I mentioned) Antec unit. I Found one cap had started to swell. All other caps looked good. I would say that's pretty good for a 5 yr old PSU that saw a lot of load

 

[sanitarium16]

It really only pays to build your own computer if your a gamer. Otherwise for the home user a computer from dell would be the way to go, you cant beat their deals for a complete system. I just purchased these systems for a client of mine. THE MONITOR ALONE WOULD BE $200.00!!!!! and FREE 3-5 DAY Shipping.

Vostro 200:
Intel Core 2 DUO E4500 2.20Ghz, 800Mhz FSB
2GB DDR2 667Mhz Memory
160GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA2 Hard Drive
Dell USB Keyboard/ Dell Optical USB Mouse
Dell A225 2.0 Stereo Speakers
Dell E198 19INch WFP LCD Monitor
Integrated Intel GMA3100 Graphics
16X DVDRW Drive
Windows XP Home SP2
1YR Tech support/next business day on site warranty

Sub-Total : $529.00
Tax : $45.60
Order Total : $574.60

 

[Cutehumor]

I decided to not build a pc because I'm a home user and not a gamer. Plus, the money expenses. It's kinda like car maintenance. I do it because it saves me money and I know it's done right. If it cost me more money to change oil myself then at jiffy boob. I would reconsider it.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

TN has the tax-free weekend coming up. It will save you even more $$ !!

 

[1sttruck]

The Dell was a good deal. We picked up a low end Intel dual core Compaq with a 250 Mbyte drive (I'd prefer two smaller ones), 1 Gbyte of RAM, internal graphics, a 19in wide LCD, and Vista Home Premium for $450. I added 1 Gbyte of RAM, Office for Students, and a bit later added a lower end / non-graming grpahics card (Nvidia 8500). The 4.7 Vista score (a useful performance measure) for the PC indicates that it's limitd by the processor, which is where you want to be, as it was 3.9 with the internal graphics. An XP system would be less graphics needy.

 

[unDummy]

I'm not a gamer and I build plenty of PC's for nongamers.
Lack of bloatware and tremendous upgrade ability is what you get when you build your own PC.
You won't save money building your own. But, you won't have the 'ball and chain' of a brand name.

Sorry, I would never buy a desktop dell, HP, gateway, 'insert major computer company name here'. The number of board/powersupply components that I replace on the 'cheap quality' name brands is incredible. And, they fail after the basic warranty expires. And, your memory, processor, graphics, power supply, memory,.... upgrades are very limited. Buying 'major brand' is like visiting jippylube for service.

If you can disassemble and reassemble your desktop, then you'd have no problem building your own machine. A good online store, like newegg has buyer reviews on most products they sell which should help you pick components within your budget.

Computer ATX case with powersupply $30-80(pick one that will match furniture for peace with your better half)
Samsung SATA CD/DVD 20x burner $30 or $35 with lightscribe
winXP-pro $140
Motherboard(socket AM2 or 775) $50(with sound, NIC, integrated graphics)
Processor(dual core) $70
Single stick memory(2gb ddr2) $35
Harddrive 160gb 7200rpm $45

Reuse your mouse/keyboard/monitor! Upgrade those whenever you want(watch sales rebates and closeouts).
I've seen closeout rebated 19-20" LCD's for $160. Keyboard/mouse depends on personal preference for look/feel.

Upgrade to quad core $1000 CPU in a couple years when price drops it to $150. Double memory in the future. Add extra harddrives. Install fancy graphics card for whatever purpose needed(new game titles).

 

[1sttruck]

"Sorry, I would never buy a desktop dell, HP, gateway, 'insert major computer company name here'. The number of board/powersupply components that I replace on the 'cheap quality' name brands is incredible. And, they fail after the basic warranty expires."

The PC that we replaced earlier this year was a '98 HP Pavillion, a 333Mhz PII. It was running XP pro, IE7, MS Office, etc., and doing fine until it finally died. The kids are using an IBM portable from work, a 2000 PIII model that IT said to keep at home as they'll just get rid of it if I bring it in. I also use it to dial in to work. At work I'm using two Dell towers, 2004 or so models that get a good workout and are rarely turned off.

If I had the money and was concerned about long life I'd get a PC designed to be used as a server from HP, Dell, Compaq, etc.