If you were to help me build a computer...

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
That's interesting. I wasn't even going to physically transfer anything...no software install or discs involved...just put my current HDD into the new case and continue using it. But it appears that that's not legal according to the EULA. Thanks for the heads-up on that.


That wouldn't work. Windows is going to see that it's a different motherboard and system, and will hang on boot.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: brandini
There's a newegg bundle for 634 with a core i5 and integrated graphics. It's the perfect place to start.


Ahh!! I see "DIY PC combos" on their drop-down list. Thank you for that. That's exactly I was looking for.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
That's interesting. I wasn't even going to physically transfer anything...no software install or discs involved...just put my current HDD into the new case and continue using it. But it appears that that's not legal according to the EULA. Thanks for the heads-up on that.


Doesn't mean you can't do it however, LOL!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
That's interesting. I wasn't even going to physically transfer anything...no software install or discs involved...just put my current HDD into the new case and continue using it. But it appears that that's not legal according to the EULA. Thanks for the heads-up on that.


That wouldn't work. Windows is going to see that it's a different motherboard and system, and will hang on boot.


Easily fixed with a repair install.

 

[javacontour]

But then just using the OS without a valid license is no different than when the Chinese copy software, music, and what not without paying the authors.

So I know no-one here is suggesting anyone go the route of the Chinese and pirate software.

Given all the concern about jobs going to China and complaints about China, I'm sure everyone is running on licensed copies of their chosen O/S and not pirated copies.

 

[AccordV6MN]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
That's interesting. I wasn't even going to physically transfer anything...no software install or discs involved...just put my current HDD into the new case and continue using it. But it appears that that's not legal according to the EULA. Thanks for the heads-up on that.


if you do this then your OS will not be in the SSD.

it depends on how legit you want to be. as long as you have the disc from dell and you have the COA from dell, you can always install the OS on your new computer with license key from dell and it'll work just fine with all the updates. worst case scenario, you can't activate the OS online but you can call MS and tell them you had virus problems and had to wipe the HDD out and start from scratch. the OS still can't report back to MS that all the HW are all different.

in addition to that, the OS that was installed originally from dell were ghosted to many different HDD. if you know how to pull out the license key from your running OS, i can guarantee you that it won't be the same one as one in the COA sticker.

 

[JustinH]

I built three cheapo machines from newegg for family members recently. These are people who use a computer for microsoft word and facebook.

For the price the AMD sempron 45w AM3 cpu's can't be beat. They are around 39 dollars, and a matching motherboard is around 50 dollars. To build a full computer is less than 200 bucks and you have something that will kick the snot out of an older P4 system or something like that.

For myself, I wait for super deals, and buy each part when it is on sale. So far in a year I have a case and a power supply.

You can put ubuntu linux on the cheap computers and have a free OS that is pretty decent.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
But then just using the OS without a valid license is no different than when the Chinese copy software, music, and what not without paying the authors.

So I know no-one here is suggesting anyone go the route of the Chinese and pirate software.

Given all the concern about jobs going to China and complaints about China, I'm sure everyone is running on licensed copies of their chosen O/S and not pirated copies.


Not really. If I buy a copy of Windows, and then upgrade my system, the parts that came out aren't having the same OS loaded back on them. They are either sold-off individually or put together as a used system with a new license for somebody in the market.

Retaining the hard drive, and doing an in-place upgrade on new hardware with the same OS, whilst the old hardware is retired or recycled in some manner is in no way similar to the Chinese copying anything. That assertation is ridiculous.

 

[PandaBear]

Reusing your software between old and new computers is a gray area that IMO Microsoft do not care too much, unless they are in desperate financial trouble. Hey, at least you have a license and is only using it on one computer at a time.

In theory, if you tell them that you are "upgrading" part of your system at a time because your "motherboard died" they usually will have no problem with it.

What they have problem with is selling a truck load of computers with pirated copies. The amount they charge for a copy of windows to OEM is very low compare to what they charge retail customer.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Yes, the only part where I would "reuse" anything would be if I did not buy a SSD up front and used my existing HDD for the system drive. If and when I do buy a SSD, I would buy a legit copy of Windows. I have three machines and all are running OEM Windows XP. I may just buy the Windows 7 family pack.

Keep the recommendations coming! I think building my own is definitely the way to go.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Yes, the only part where I would "reuse" anything would be if I did not buy a SSD up front and used my existing HDD for the system drive. If and when I do buy a SSD, I would buy a legit copy of Windows. I have three machines and all are running OEM Windows XP. I may just buy the Windows 7 family pack.

Keep the recommendations coming! I think building my own is definitely the way to go.


The list of parts I gave earlier can be readily customized to suite your needs. IE, less expensive vid card if you don't plan on gaming, and you can drop the SSD and 1TB HDD's if you are reusing your own, which will make the price much more palatable.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Oh yeah; I think I can get it done for around $500 and have a much more sustainable system than I have now...meaning solid today but upgradeable pretty much forever with standard form factor architecture.

Just to confirm...this is what I have now. It almost appears to be a reverse or backwards ATX motherboard. I'm also not sure about the PSU...I'm not sure if a generic one would mount in place of this one or if this one has custom mounts.

If I can't re-use the case, that'll be fine. I'll keep the Dell together as-is and either keep or donate it to church or something.

 

[OVERKILL]

A regular PSU will fit in the case, but you likely won't be able to mount a regular motherboard in it. Get the Antec case I suggested.

 

[PandaBear]

That looks like a BTX case, and I think you would be better off buying a new case to build / a new computer instead of upgrading this one.

 

[Hokiefyd]

You are correct; it is BTX. I never heard of such an animal, but looked it up and sure enough... Looks like that standard ceased to be supported, other than by proprietary OEMs, back in 2007. I will definitely buy something else.

 

[zyxelenator]

Look for combo deals on newegg and compusa websites. Is makes sense to get better high end motherboard and less ram for example, or hard drive. Then you can add more ram when it is on bargain sale, or second video card.
But right now laptop fits my needs better. I move frequently, and prob. will move again in around 2 years due work. I don't really play games, so I don't really need powerful PC. I would like to build another one, but I know myself--I will not stop, until I max out that system. It will have like 4 GPU, lots of ram and huge and fast drives. And huge bill afterward

I have 2 custom PCs and dual cpu server in my closet that just sit there and collecting dust,don't really have time to play with them anymore,and they got old.
All of them were custom built and cost $1K+ plus back that time.Except server, it was bargain and I always waned to have dual CPU system

 

[johnachak]

Building your own isn't so much cheaper than what you can buy as it is you can build it higher quality and longer lasting. In the power supply and case alone it may cost you an extra $80-100 more but the difference is worth it in the long run. You can install a 500 watt PS and have 2 more fans than standard in the box which provides longevity. A really good video card is normally Missing from most store bought machines in the price range you stated. Not if you build it yourself. You may spend like $200 or more if you D.I.Y. but you will have a more powerful and more reliable machine, worth a lot more. The software hurts too. It could push it past $250-300 more but its a much better machine. As for standard builds... not so much anymore. It seems all versions of windows work fine with AMD now and you get a little more bang for the buck there. Just don't skimp on the memory. I like the idea of a ssd... i just haven't been able to justify the cost YET... I'm working on it.

 

[Nick R]

I had a gateway with that BTX form factor. It is completely useless with modern computers, it was abandoned long ago.

 

[johnachak]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Here ya go. I originally had a 6850 and a Phenom II X6 CPU, but had to cut it down in order to keep prices down. The 965BE is easily overclocked, and when I got mine back in december it was $160. It's one of the best bang for the buck out there right now imo. Also, you have a single 6770, and you can always upgrade to a second one in crossfire for performance if you wanted (ie what I have going on )

AMD Phenom II X4 965BE Socket AM3 CPU (3.4 Ghz)
8GB G-Skill DDR3 1600
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
XFX Radeon 6770
64GB Crucial SSD
1TB WD Black HDD
ASUS CD-DVD RW
Antec Three Hundred Case
Seasonic S12II 620W PSU
Cooler Master 4 pack of 12cm fans


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151096

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150540

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103052

Total: $811.54 with shipping


What about the O.S.?

 

[1 FMF]

I built a 3-core 3.2 ghz AMD setup for the wife about 4 months ago, win7-64bit home, 8gb ddr3 ram, cost was < $500 including windows 7 and I already had a tower which was an antec900.

What you have to decide up front building your own is do you want graphics power for gaming, or is that not a big requirement for you? If you don't want it, then building your own under $800 is very doable and i'll give you some info below.

fwiw I have an antec1200 case which costs around $170. I bought it more than a year before i built my current setup, with the intent of eventually messing with dual graphics cards and enjoying some games and maybe messing with water cooling. I never got around to that, but i am happy having the huge case and it will accept just about any kind of upgrade or modification. I also have 3 antec drive bays that let me plug in, or hot swap, full size hard drives like they were floppy disks into the front of the case, this i need for work and moving data and cloning hard drives. My setup which is not at all fancy, you will never be able to buy from dell, hp, or any store unless it's a store that builds custom and you will pay $2k+ for stuff like that. So think about what you really want, thinking about it is free.

now what are you going to do with the new pc? more than likely you can get by with a system similar to the amd setup I recently did:

$80 ASUS M4A88T-M LE AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131673

$83 AMD Athlon II X3 455 Rana 3.3GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX455WFGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

$65 (now $45) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231308

$55 Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

$140 win7 64-bit

total around $420,
add $25 for dvd burner,
add around $70 per sata hard drive 500gb or better, SSD still not worth it too expensive,
you would need a case so around $100-150 for that,
and another $30 or so for odds and ends like sata cables,
that's around $700 using integrated graphics,
look for motherboard that has at least one PCI-E x16 slot for a graphics card that you can get whenever. And if you plan on getting a mid-to-high end graphics card plan on buying a higher end power supply (800w around $150) to support it.

and don't look at any of the rebates on newegg, you most likely will never get it they are basically a scam. instead search for stuff that has free shipping, and i don't recommend combo deals because you really don't save any money with them.

I also assembled the antec900 with motherboard, psu, cpu, in about an hour. It is not at all hard so don't let that worry you. Hardest part is figuring how you want to route cables in the case to your liking if you want it neat.