New Computator time!

[Calax]

So, methinks me needs to get a new computer. Just the tower really (two monitors already), but am at an impasse about how to go about it.

 

I could build my own system... but I REALLY don't want to go through that hassle and having to keep track of six cd's to ensure I have all the drivers. So I've been looking at prefabs.

 

My current system is a 2.2 ghz duel core with 4 gb of ram and a 500gb hd. Obviously not that great anymore.

 

http://www.costco.com/CyberPower-Cooler-Master-Elite-431-Intel-Core-i7-3770K-3.9GHz-Blu-Ray-Combo-Drive.product.100012851.html

 

Been looking at that because it's cheap and a MASSIVE upgrade. But was hoping the techies around here might know something that would do me better for my gaming habit. I have a 1200 dollar upper limit, and don't need more than the tower.

 

So Fire away kids.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I wouldn't go for it. I dislike the integrated graphics quite a bit.

 

This and This are what I would go for.

[Tigranes]

Building it really isn't that big a hassle, if you think of all the benefits in cost & performance over the next 2+ years. Besides, you should be keeping all PC-related spare cables, CDs, etc in one place, whether you buy a prefab or build, so there's no difference there.

 

You could build quite a decent tower for that price, but even if you go prefab, integrated graphics - just stay away. Forever. (Sorry I'm not linking to any actual alternatives, but there are people here who could pick for you far better than I.)

[Calax]

Yeah, I wouldn't really care about the integrated GPU. I'd end up buying a high end one anyway and running off that.

 

Another one of my issues with assembling my own is that, while I've done it once, I'm always scared of screwing it up to badly, and am not familiar enough with the bloody things to be able to do it without help.

 

I emailed my brother the question of if he'd build a good comp with my budget. He should be able to, it's just getting it across the country and if he's willing that are the issues.

[Gorth]

I think my current MB comes with a handful of drivers anyway, for stuff that Gigabyte has added to the Intel chipset. Not sure if a prepacked solution would have fewer if you were to reinstall the operating system on it. I copy all my most recent drivers to a folder on my HDD anyway, so I don't have to go searching for them. Not that i reinstall that often these days (last time was the first in two years).

 

Only thing I can remember from top of my head to pay attention to when building yourself (my preferred option) is the chipset. Make sure the CPU (socket type) and RAM (tri- or quad channel) works with it. Just about everything else is interchangeable if bought within the last 5 years.

 

[Humanoid]

$1200 buys a lot nowadays if all you need is the box. Keeping track of drivers isn't really an issue as modern OSes work well enough with the drivers they ship with to at least allow you to download the latest versions - bearing in mind a lot of it is unnecessary bloatware anyway - if you can get around to building it, you can end up with a much more balanced system complete with goodies such as a big SSD and high-end graphics (nothing linked in this thread so far boasts acceptable graphics for the budget).

[Humanoid]

Ahh, shopping, the one thing I'm really jealous with Americans about. Put together an example build using Newegg:

 

Antec P280 Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case $109.99

SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply $99.99

 

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K $219.99

+ Newegg Promotional Gift Card - $20.00

ASUS P8Z77-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card) $134.99

GeIL EVO Leggara Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model GEL38GB1866C9DC $42.99

 

SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256B/WW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $199.99

Western Digital Red WD20EFRX 2TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $129.99

 

SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ($20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card) $299.99

+ AMD Gift - 4-in-1 Game Coupon (free Far Cry 3, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs, discount on MoH:Warfighter)

 

 

Comes to $1,237.92 so I overshot the budget a little, but that's before $40 worth of mail-in rebates and $20 free gift voucher. No OS specified, if you need to cut back on the budget I suggest downgrading either of the storage solution. Also no optical drive since that's trivial to scavenge from your old box.

Edited November 25, 2012 by Humanoid

[Janmanden]

So, methinks me needs to get a new computer. Just the tower really (two monitors already), but am at an impasse about how to go about it.

 

I could build my own system... but I REALLY don't want to go through that hassle and having to keep track of six cd's to ensure I have all the drivers. So I've been looking at prefabs.

 

My current system is a 2.2 ghz duel core with 4 gb of ram and a 500gb hd. Obviously not that great anymore.

 

http://www.costco.co....100012851.html

 

Been looking at that because it's cheap and a MASSIVE upgrade. But was hoping the techies around here might know something that would do me better for my gaming habit. I have a 1200 dollar upper limit, and don't need more than the tower.

 

So Fire away kids.

 

All that I get from that link is "Product Not Found".. Yep, I wouldn't buy that either.

 

I sincerely doubt that you can get a silent system without a bit of tinkering, but it might be that you just have to switch the CPU and GFX cooler and leave the rest as it is. Maybe noise is not a concern for you?

 

$1200 for just a tower, that could be a really nice upgrade.. if you go old. I would go for a massive SSD solution, which would detract a considerable amount from those $1200 and a fairly nice gfx card too. I saw a british shop online with some nice setups, sort of, but what part of the world do you live in?

[jonvel]

The one thing that I'm saddened by on this thread is that nobody asked what you use your computer for. That will dictate what you should get far more than anything else. So.... What do you currently do with your computer and what do you plan on doing with it for the next year or so with it?

[Deadly_Nightshade]

The one thing that I'm saddened by on this thread is that nobody asked what you use your computer for.

 

Well, we know Calax plays games so we're aiming for a more powerful rig.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Deadly_Nightshade

[Calax]

*BASE_PRICE: [+1229]

BLUETOOTH: None

CAS: Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Adjustable HDD Cage (Black Color)

CASUPGRADE: None

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)

CD2: None

COOLANT: Standard Coolant

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Quad-Core 3.60 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)

CS_FAN: Maximum Enermax 120MM Case Cooling Fans for selected case (Maximum Silent Operation) [+29] (1,000 RPM Black Color with No LED Enlobal Magnetic Barometric Bearing 17 dBA)

ENGRAVING: None

FA_HDD: None

FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)

FLASHMEDIA: None

FREEBIE_CU: FREE 500GB External Hard Drive with Intel® Core™ i7 or Intel® Core™ i5 based PCs [+0]

FREEBIE_MB: None

FREEBIE_VC: FREE Sleeping Dogs Game Coupon [+0]

FREEBIE_VC2: None

GLASSES: None

HDD: 256 GB OCZ Agility 4 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 420MB/s Read & 410MB/s Write [+82] (Single Drive)

HDD2: None

IEEE_CARD: None

IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports

KEYBOARD: Black Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard

MEMORY: 32GB (4GBx8) DDR3/2133MHz Quad Channel Memory [+198] (Corsair or Major Brand)

MONITOR: None

MONITOR2: None

MONITOR3: None

MOTHERBOARD: (SLI/CrossFireX Support) MSI X79A-GD45(8D) Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Winki 3, OC Genie II, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16 & 4 PCIe X1 [-15]

MOUSE: None [-4]

NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network

NOISEREDUCE1: Power Supply Gasket [+5]

NOISEREDUCE2: Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]

OS: Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional [+135] (64-bit Edition)

OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking

POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts - Standard Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready

 

That's the system. Gonna throw in 2-4 Sata drives.