Second Life Forums Archive - Want a new pc, any suggestions?

Teeny Leviathan

Never started World War 3

Join date: 20 May 2003

Posts: 2,716

05-27-2006 11:10

From: Mad Wombat

10 grands?!?! 10000?!?!?! I'm sorry, you have been ripped off.

For that kind of money, it should cook you dinner, be street legal and have sex with you.

Zelgadas Book

Registered User

Join date: 16 May 2006

Posts: 1

05-27-2006 11:46

From: BushidoBrown Hightower

I'm not a PC fan, but Dell makes solid PC hardware that is on the resonable side of pricing (I'm a Mac user, but kottam their prices are ballistic, so anything not a Mac is reasonable in price!). They've got 17" laptops with solid mem and video mem for under 1K. They also have solid desktops as well (LCD included). Check out their website and see if it vibes with the change in your pocket.

/BB/

I concur. And you don't need to get an XPS, either. I got an Inspiron E1705 (it's a 'Media Laptop', not a 'Gaming Laptop'), and it's great for gaming. 17" screen, 1GB RAM, 256MB GeForce Go 7800, dual core processor; good stuff. Not only that, but it was reasonable inexpensive; I got it for about $1600. It runs SL great. Heck, it runs Oblivion great.

Flavian Molinari

Broadly Offensive Content

Join date: 1 Aug 2004

Posts: 662

05-27-2006 14:25

From: Devlin Gallant

My Alienware cost just under 10 grand.

Used Dell 4550 Intel P4 with MS XP pro $549

Nivida Gforce 6800GS $220

1 gig DDR ram $100

Used 17in dell flat panel $250

Bought it 3 years ago it plays SL and Eve Online perfectly. My only complaint is Dell sucks for Bios updates and there are only 2 RAM slots.

Yiffy Yaffle

Purple SpiritWolf Mystic

Join date: 22 Oct 2004

Posts: 2,802

05-27-2006 17:54

I just build my own PCs from the ground up... I don't like name brands. I like things 100% Custom.

_____________________

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Devlin Gallant

Thought Police

Join date: 18 Jun 2003

Posts: 5,948

05-27-2006 18:15

From: Mad Wombat

10 grands?!?! 10000?!?!?! I'm sorry, you have been ripped off.

Apparently you have never owned an Alienware built comp. I have had my current one for 2 years and have never had a hardware problem with it. My new one has top of the line tech built by folks with god-like abilities, who will bend over backwards for me to fix ANY problems I may have in the future. I priced a top of the line Dell gaming system with all the best tech I could configure, and even THEIR system came to 6 grand. And Dell's best system was quite inferior to the Alienware I am getting. I realize 10 grand is a lot of money, but I am quite willing to pay it for an Alienware system. I fully believe it is worth it. However, If Dell DOES aquire them in the future I will think twice about buying from Alienware again. Heard too many horror stories from folks who have owned dells.

_____________________

I LIKE children, I've just never been able to finish a whole one.

Flavian Molinari

Broadly Offensive Content

Join date: 1 Aug 2004

Posts: 662

05-27-2006 19:21

From: Yiffy Yaffle

I just build my own PCs from the ground up... I don't like name brands. I like things 100% Custom.

Could you imagine a roll your own system made with a $10k budget? Awesome.

I've made my own systems in the past and this is certianly is a great way to go if your on a budget. It's actually easier than most people would think and you learn a lot about how your computer works.

Torley Linden

Enlightenment!

Join date: 15 Sep 2004

Posts: 16,530

05-28-2006 16:14

From: SuezanneC Baskerville

There have been some good threads on the subject, I seem to recall one trying to make a thousand dollar budget and one trying for a five hundred dollar budget. Unfortunately I don't know which threads and the search engine doesn't allow for very effective searching.

Torley might remember, I think maybe he made a comment in the thread. I believe the threads I am thinking of were in the technical forum.

Yes, this was one of them:

Challenge: SL PC for under $500
/111/20/92903/1.html

I'm moving this thread to Technical Issues.

^^

_____________________

Teeny Leviathan

Never started World War 3

Join date: 20 May 2003

Posts: 2,716

05-28-2006 18:59

From: Flavian Molinari

Could you imagine a roll your own system made with a $10k budget? Awesome.

For 10 grand, I could build a decent quad SLI system and have enough money left over to build a conventional SLI system.

Gene Jacobs

Who? Me?

Join date: 30 Jul 2004

Posts: 127

05-29-2006 04:59

From: DolphPun Somme

I have a "universal formula" for buying computers that I recomend to everyone. It has been consistant since the old Apple II days.

If you buy the "cheapie" model... you are going to get screwed.

They are priced at this range to get them off the shelves for the next generation.

If you buy the "Latest and Greatest"... you are going to get screwed.

R&D costs money, a cost they pass along to you.

Start off with the "latest and greatest" and go backwards a couple steps. Usually you will get a computer with enough power to run all the latest games, but will still be useable 2 or 3 years from now.

Amen, I have preached that sermon for years

Delta Nyak

Registered User

Join date: 9 Feb 2005

Posts: 123

I think this is about the best "Value" solution . .

05-29-2006 15:57

From: Shirley Marquez

I recently put together a new system for SL and other things. It would have cost about $700 after rebates if I had bought everything this month -- I'm actually out of pocket less than that because I already had a case with power supply, DVD+-RW and hard drives, and a copy of Windows XP home that hadn't been installed yet.

What I bought:

Pentium D 805 (2.66GHz x 2) -- came in a special deal from Micro Center with a free motherboard - $150
2 x 1GB RAM - $130
ASUS 7600GS video card with 512MB RAM - $160

What I already had (and about what it would have cost):
XP Home - $100 (I'm eligible for academic pricing, but it's only a LITTLE more for the rest of you if you buy an OEM copy at the same time as system components)
DVD+-RW - $40
80GB hard disk - $50 (heck, you could probably get a bigger drive for that price; I had the 80GB because there was a special deal on them for $10 after rebate a couple of months back)
Case and power supply - $50

Not top of the line, but respectable... and it runs at 20-30 fps with all the eye candy turned on, unless you go someplace REALLY crowded like Bad Girls. And that's WITHOUT overclocking the 805, which can evidently get spectacular results. (But I'm not really interested; getting an extra 20% frame rate at the cost of perhaps more crashes isn't a good tradeoff in SL, though it might be great if you also play Doom.)

The 512MB on the Video card may be a waste, the 256MB version would most likely do fine.

As regards overclocking the D805, I am of the opinion that you could easily take it to 3.5GHz without incurring any crashes - Check Tom's Hardware for their excellent article in this regard, it required water cooling to reach 4.1GHz, but the stock cooling worked well upto about 3.7GHz.

Remember to look at all the parts of your SL Attack:

1. CPU (Dual Cores are better than singles)
The Intel D805 is a heck of a buy (newegg $125), as are any of the D800 and 900 family
I personally use the AMD x2 series, which are excellent as well.

2. RAM, 1GB is minimum
I use 2GB, certainly does no harm, my wife has 1GB, and does fine.
Ensure you get Dual Channel memory.

3. Video Card (NV works better than ATI)
Wife has an NV6600/256, while I have a 7800GT/256.
Good value right now are the 6800XT, 6600GT and the 7600GS. ($100-$125)
the 7600GT ($180) gets up there, followed by the 6800GS and the 7800 family ($280).
At this price point I recommend the 7900GT ($280) as better value, it runs cooler and faster than the 7800 series; it has started dropping in preparation for the 9750 series introduction.

4. Storage Drives: SATAII is now the same price as PATA. Its faster and more than worth it.

5. Internet Connection: Broad Band is for the most part mandatory. DSL is acceptable, Cable usually better (faster). Satelite (for those without access to regular BB) is marginal with excessive latency (slow). Dialup is possible (very slow), therefore not really recommended; also, may put extra load on the SL servers, having to possibly retransmit more packets

6. Daily Exercise: Try to get at least an hour a day outside or Gym exercise (walking, jogging or cycling). It breaks up the day and may make you less manic about SL, and the performance of your hardware.

7. Eat more healthily, ie, many small healthy snacks, such as sticks, twigs, nuts, grass, etc. Anything with sugar/starch is bound to wind you up more.

Have fun!

Want a new pc, any suggestions?
Teeny Leviathan Never started World War 3 Join date: 20 May 2003 Posts: 2,716	05-27-2006 11:10 From: Mad Wombat 10 grands?!?! 10000?!?!?! I'm sorry, you have been ripped off. For that kind of money, it should cook you dinner, be street legal and have sex with you.
Zelgadas Book Registered User Join date: 16 May 2006 Posts: 1	05-27-2006 11:46 From: BushidoBrown Hightower I'm not a PC fan, but Dell makes solid PC hardware that is on the resonable side of pricing (I'm a Mac user, but kottam their prices are ballistic, so anything not a Mac is reasonable in price!). They've got 17" laptops with solid mem and video mem for under 1K. They also have solid desktops as well (LCD included). Check out their website and see if it vibes with the change in your pocket. /BB/ I concur. And you don't need to get an XPS, either. I got an Inspiron E1705 (it's a 'Media Laptop', not a 'Gaming Laptop'), and it's great for gaming. 17" screen, 1GB RAM, 256MB GeForce Go 7800, dual core processor; good stuff. Not only that, but it was reasonable inexpensive; I got it for about $1600. It runs SL great. Heck, it runs Oblivion great.
Flavian Molinari Broadly Offensive Content Join date: 1 Aug 2004 Posts: 662	05-27-2006 14:25 From: Devlin Gallant My Alienware cost just under 10 grand. Used Dell 4550 Intel P4 with MS XP pro $549 Nivida Gforce 6800GS $220 1 gig DDR ram $100 Used 17in dell flat panel $250 Bought it 3 years ago it plays SL and Eve Online perfectly. My only complaint is Dell sucks for Bios updates and there are only 2 RAM slots.
Yiffy Yaffle Purple SpiritWolf Mystic Join date: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 2,802	05-27-2006 17:54 I just build my own PCs from the ground up... I don't like name brands. I like things 100% Custom. _____________________ YouTube channel -+- Website -+- RezzedNet Profile
Devlin Gallant Thought Police Join date: 18 Jun 2003 Posts: 5,948	05-27-2006 18:15 From: Mad Wombat 10 grands?!?! 10000?!?!?! I'm sorry, you have been ripped off. Apparently you have never owned an Alienware built comp. I have had my current one for 2 years and have never had a hardware problem with it. My new one has top of the line tech built by folks with god-like abilities, who will bend over backwards for me to fix ANY problems I may have in the future. I priced a top of the line Dell gaming system with all the best tech I could configure, and even THEIR system came to 6 grand. And Dell's best system was quite inferior to the Alienware I am getting. I realize 10 grand is a lot of money, but I am quite willing to pay it for an Alienware system. I fully believe it is worth it. However, If Dell DOES aquire them in the future I will think twice about buying from Alienware again. Heard too many horror stories from folks who have owned dells. _____________________ I LIKE children, I've just never been able to finish a whole one.
Flavian Molinari Broadly Offensive Content Join date: 1 Aug 2004 Posts: 662	05-27-2006 19:21 From: Yiffy Yaffle I just build my own PCs from the ground up... I don't like name brands. I like things 100% Custom. Could you imagine a roll your own system made with a $10k budget? Awesome. I've made my own systems in the past and this is certianly is a great way to go if your on a budget. It's actually easier than most people would think and you learn a lot about how your computer works.
Torley Linden Enlightenment! Join date: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 16,530	05-28-2006 16:14 From: SuezanneC Baskerville There have been some good threads on the subject, I seem to recall one trying to make a thousand dollar budget and one trying for a five hundred dollar budget. Unfortunately I don't know which threads and the search engine doesn't allow for very effective searching. Torley might remember, I think maybe he made a comment in the thread. I believe the threads I am thinking of were in the technical forum. Yes, this was one of them: Challenge: SL PC for under $500 /111/20/92903/1.html I'm moving this thread to Technical Issues. ^^ _____________________
Teeny Leviathan Never started World War 3 Join date: 20 May 2003 Posts: 2,716	05-28-2006 18:59 From: Flavian Molinari Could you imagine a roll your own system made with a $10k budget? Awesome. For 10 grand, I could build a decent quad SLI system and have enough money left over to build a conventional SLI system.
Gene Jacobs Who? Me? Join date: 30 Jul 2004 Posts: 127	05-29-2006 04:59 From: DolphPun Somme I have a "universal formula" for buying computers that I recomend to everyone. It has been consistant since the old Apple II days. If you buy the "cheapie" model... you are going to get screwed. They are priced at this range to get them off the shelves for the next generation. If you buy the "Latest and Greatest"... you are going to get screwed. R&D costs money, a cost they pass along to you. Start off with the "latest and greatest" and go backwards a couple steps. Usually you will get a computer with enough power to run all the latest games, but will still be useable 2 or 3 years from now. Amen, I have preached that sermon for years
Delta Nyak Registered User Join date: 9 Feb 2005 Posts: 123	I think this is about the best "Value" solution . . 05-29-2006 15:57 From: Shirley Marquez I recently put together a new system for SL and other things. It would have cost about $700 after rebates if I had bought everything this month -- I'm actually out of pocket less than that because I already had a case with power supply, DVD+-RW and hard drives, and a copy of Windows XP home that hadn't been installed yet. What I bought: Pentium D 805 (2.66GHz x 2) -- came in a special deal from Micro Center with a free motherboard - $150 2 x 1GB RAM - $130 ASUS 7600GS video card with 512MB RAM - $160 What I already had (and about what it would have cost): XP Home - $100 (I'm eligible for academic pricing, but it's only a LITTLE more for the rest of you if you buy an OEM copy at the same time as system components) DVD+-RW - $40 80GB hard disk - $50 (heck, you could probably get a bigger drive for that price; I had the 80GB because there was a special deal on them for $10 after rebate a couple of months back) Case and power supply - $50 Not top of the line, but respectable... and it runs at 20-30 fps with all the eye candy turned on, unless you go someplace REALLY crowded like Bad Girls. And that's WITHOUT overclocking the 805, which can evidently get spectacular results. (But I'm not really interested; getting an extra 20% frame rate at the cost of perhaps more crashes isn't a good tradeoff in SL, though it might be great if you also play Doom.) The 512MB on the Video card may be a waste, the 256MB version would most likely do fine. As regards overclocking the D805, I am of the opinion that you could easily take it to 3.5GHz without incurring any crashes - Check Tom's Hardware for their excellent article in this regard, it required water cooling to reach 4.1GHz, but the stock cooling worked well upto about 3.7GHz. Remember to look at all the parts of your SL Attack: 1. CPU (Dual Cores are better than singles) The Intel D805 is a heck of a buy (newegg $125), as are any of the D800 and 900 family I personally use the AMD x2 series, which are excellent as well. 2. RAM, 1GB is minimum I use 2GB, certainly does no harm, my wife has 1GB, and does fine. Ensure you get Dual Channel memory. 3. Video Card (NV works better than ATI) Wife has an NV6600/256, while I have a 7800GT/256. Good value right now are the 6800XT, 6600GT and the 7600GS. ($100-$125) the 7600GT ($180) gets up there, followed by the 6800GS and the 7800 family ($280). At this price point I recommend the 7900GT ($280) as better value, it runs cooler and faster than the 7800 series; it has started dropping in preparation for the 9750 series introduction. 4. Storage Drives: SATAII is now the same price as PATA. Its faster and more than worth it. 5. Internet Connection: Broad Band is for the most part mandatory. DSL is acceptable, Cable usually better (faster). Satelite (for those without access to regular BB) is marginal with excessive latency (slow). Dialup is possible (very slow), therefore not really recommended; also, may put extra load on the SL servers, having to possibly retransmit more packets 6. Daily Exercise: Try to get at least an hour a day outside or Gym exercise (walking, jogging or cycling). It breaks up the day and may make you less manic about SL, and the performance of your hardware. 7. Eat more healthily, ie, many small healthy snacks, such as sticks, twigs, nuts, grass, etc. Anything with sugar/starch is bound to wind you up more. Have fun!

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Want a new pc, any suggestions?