Massassi Forums Logo

This is the static archive of the Massassi Forums. The forums are closed indefinitely. Thanks for all the memories!

You can also download Super Old Archived Message Boards from when Massassi first started.

"View" counts are as of the day the forums were archived, and will no longer increase.

☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Thinking of buying a new PC...
Thinking of buying a new PC...
2004-02-24, 2:26 AM #1
... and I found this site, cyberpowersystems.com ... and I think I found what I want, for a relatively low price, but seeing as I don't know much about hardware, I'm asking you guys for any tips on what I should get or whatever, or if I'm forgetting something... anyway, here's a link to the PC that I want: http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highendsystem/a64e.asp?v=d

So, yeah. That look like a good idea? if not, what should I change? I already have a Radeon 9700 Pro card that I can take out of this PC any time I want, so I'll be ordering it without a videocard. I'm also thinking of getting an Athlon64 3200+ instead of the 3000+, but I havn't decided yet.

So.. yeah. Any suggestions or advice is welcome. and stuff.

------------------
Moo.
Moo.
2004-02-24, 3:51 AM #2
You got friends who can build comps? Cause I'm building mine, with at least a 2.7 GHz AMD and ATI Radeon 9800Pro 128MB card for 500 bucks. It won't look as nice as that, granted, but in the immortal words of Han Solo "She's got it where it counts."

------------------
Prowling out of the tundra, swinging a jeweled meat hammer, cometh Outlaw Torn! And he gives a gutteral bellow:

"I'm seriously going to hump you until you scream like a banshee!"
obviously you've never been able to harness the power of cleavage...

maeve
2004-02-24, 4:05 AM #3
I prefer building my own systems, but the prices seem to be reasonable, and the systems look smooth.

The case is more a matter of personal preference.

The 450 WATT Power Supply that comes default with that particular case should be fine.

Lighting is insignificant.

I'd upgrade to the ASUS motherboard if it were me, but that's a personal preference.

Go with the 1024 MB of PC 3200 DDR. Everyone claims that 512 is plenty, but I have 512 and am always wanting more.

I would go with the WD 80 or 120 GB as far as the hard drive goes, but again, that's a personal preference.

The video card that you already have is good. You can always choose to upgrade that later.

If you already have a DVD ROM, swap it, or just get the cheapest one. You can pick up a Lite-On on newegg.com for dirt cheap.

I can't speak for the DVD-R, I have yet to buy one.

If you already have a 19 in. monitor, keep it. If not, go with CRT, you'll save yourself tons of cash and it will work great. If you take your computer places like I do, you'll want to get something lighter.

Unless you're a sound fanatic, the onboard card will suffice.

These are just my suggestions. Feel free to ignore them. That looks like a nice system and any combination of that is going to be kick-*** at worst.

------------------
http://www.napalmdeathsquad.com
2004-02-24, 4:32 AM #4
Build one from scratch.

------------------
Mystic0 Editing Resources (no longer Updated)
Mystic0 Forum (fast again!)
The Massassi Post Count Summary
2004-02-24, 4:54 AM #5
Thanks for the responses so far.

Outlaw Torn: My stepbrother can, but he's usually busy and has already done a lot of work on this computer, so it'd be simpler just to do this without bothering him, seeing as the one I'm going for is only around $650 anyway.

Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by MentatMM:
I prefer building my own systems, but the prices seem to be reasonable, and the systems look smooth.
I had been planning on building my own, but this site puts everything together, and the price is cheap, so I figure it'd be simpler just to order it from them (knowing my luck, I'd break everything if I tried to put it together myself)

The case is more a matter of personal preference.

Yeah, I had been thinking of getting the X-Blade mini-tower instead, I like it better and it's a bit cheaper.

Lighting is insignificant.

 .. Eh? I'm not sure what you mean here

I'd upgrade to the ASUS motherboard if it were me, but that's a personal preference.

 Any specific reason, or do you just like the brand better? I don't know much about hardware, as I've said, but the default one seems to have everything I need, and it's cheaper, but if the ASUS is significantly better I'll go for that

Go with the 1024 MB of PC 3200 DDR. Everyone claims that 512 is plenty, but I have 512 and am always wanting more.

 I was thinking about that, but I decided not to, because I can always get more in the future. That way, if 512 turns out to be fine, I wouldn't have spent the extra $90 for something I didn't necessarily need.

I would go with the WD 80 or 120 GB as far as the hard drive goes, but again, that's a personal preference.

My current harddrive is 55 GB, and I've had it for around two or three years and it's currently only 30 GB full (and I have a bunch of stuff that I havn't cleaned out yet), and this is the family PC, so I don't think I'd be needing a huge HD... However, the WD 80 GB is only $16 more than the 40 GB thinger, so I'll look into that

The video card that you already have is good. You can always choose to upgrade that later.

If you already have a DVD ROM, swap it, or just get the cheapest one. You can pick up a Lite-On on newegg.com for dirt cheap.

I can't speak for the DVD-R, I have yet to buy one.

 I would, but my parents will still be using my current PC if I ever get a new one, so the DVD drive will have to stay in. I was intending to get a DVD-ROM and a CD-RW, but I havn't decided

If you already have a 19 in. monitor, keep it. If not, go with CRT, you'll save yourself tons of cash and it will work great. If you take your computer places like I do, you'll want to get something lighter.

Again, I would, but my parents would still be using this comp once I'm done with it. Other than that, a 19'' CRT is exactly what I'm looking for, I don't take my comp anywhere, so weight shouldn't be a problem.
</font>


Again, thanks for the help, guys, I really appreciate it. I'm getting a better idea of what I want now, but if anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to post them.

------------------
Moo.


[This message has been edited by A_Big_Fat_CoW (edited February 24, 2004).]
Moo.
2004-02-24, 4:55 AM #6
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mystic0:
Build one from scratch.

</font>


Yeah... I would, except that I don't want to. which is kinda the whole reason why I'm.. ordering one.. [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

------------------
Moo.
Moo.
2004-02-24, 5:00 AM #7
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Mystic0:
Build one from scratch.

</font>


Its also pretty difficult to construct components with a hammer and a screwdriver in your garage [http://forums.massassi.net/html/tongue.gif]

------------------
Drugs & Stupidity, Tons of it.
2004-02-24, 7:39 AM #8
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Cause I'm building mine, with at least a 2.7 GHz AMD</font>


Stock AMD's don't go that high.

------------------
"Honey, you got real ugly."
"Honey, you got real ugly."
2004-02-24, 8:55 AM #9
Probalby meant an AMD XP 2700 [http://forums.massassi.net/html/wink.gif]

------------------
I'm not an actor. I just play one on TV.
Pissed Off?
2004-02-24, 9:33 AM #10
^what he said.

------------------
Prowling out of the tundra, swinging a jeweled meat hammer, cometh Outlaw Torn! And he gives a gutteral bellow:

"I'm seriously going to hump you until you scream like a banshee!"
obviously you've never been able to harness the power of cleavage...

maeve
2004-02-24, 10:18 AM #11
Get that ASUS Nforce3 chipset and save yourself a helluva lot of problems in the long run. The VIA chipset SUCKS. I spent 3 months figuring out why my system crashed so much, only to switch to a new mobo with Nforce chipset. I have never looked back. And ASUS is a great brand also.

------------------
"The future is not determined by a throw of the dice, but is determined by the conscious decisions of you and me."
I am addicted to ellipses!!! AHHH!!! ...
2004-02-24, 10:48 AM #12
For that kind of setup, the price looks nice... It may be possible to get a better deal, but it would probably require you to build it yourself.

As for video cards, if you have the money, I wouldn't reccomend going for anything aside from:

Radeon 9600 XT ($150US)
Radeon 9700 Pro (which you have, or $140US)
Radeon 9800 Pro ($210US)
Radeon 9800 XT ($415US)

...As for Nvidia cards, I wouldn't reccomend any of their high-end cards. Part of the reason is that they are so thick, they take up the space of one of you PCI slots, as well as the AGP slot. The prices are the lowest i could get off of Froogle.

As for the processor, I wouldn't reccomend upgrading. The site says going to a +3200 will cost another $64US, and you could get a better boost from putting that money elsewhere.

For your power, 450 Watts is plenty enough, given that two hard drives, two optical (CD/DVD) drives, and all PCI slots filled is enough for you.

As for case lighting, it mildly takes away from performance, by increasing the power draw (the heat is negligable, but lights may slightly restrict airflow. Anyway, the case itself is good enough in appearance, I say, so spending extra money on lighting would be a waste, I say.

I never reccomend havign the company put in a large amount of memory. the extra 512MB chip would cost you only $65US, and since cases like that have clean wiring, adding the chip would be a cinch; just get somebody who's fingers don't tremble.

------------------
Nes digs around in the trash can.
Nes finds a hamburger!
Nes puts the hamburger in his backpack.
Wake up, George Lucas... The Matrix has you...
2004-02-24, 11:00 AM #13
Advice on a graphics card, the Radeon 9800 np is a pretty good card, and is cheaper than the Pro and XT. I have one, and I didnt really think much of the Pro at the time. But seeing as how this card can run demanding games like Halo and DX:IW great, this card is defiantly a good buy. Benchmarks Ive seen also show this card right up there behind the Pro version. Its really up to you though, you can spend a little bit more and get the little bit faster core clock and memory clock if you want, but imho, the non pro is a great card also.
2004-02-24, 1:31 PM #14
This site seems like the perfect site to get great computers for a low price, and they're extremely organized. Good deal man, and don't listen to nottheking, once they get 64 optimized (a few months for some games, a year or two for others) that AMD 64 will FLY. If you want to get uber performance though you can put that 64 towards your video card and upgrade your CPU later. But sounds like a good deal.

------------------
There is no signature
D E A T H
2004-02-24, 2:33 PM #15
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dj Yoshi:
Good deal man, and don't listen to nottheking, once they get 64 optimized (a few months for some games, a year or two for others) that AMD 64 will FLY. If you want to get uber performance though you can put that 64 towards your video card and upgrade your CPU later. But sounds like a good deal.</font>

I think you're saying what I was trying to. Currently, the gap between the 64 +3000 and the +3200 isn't enough to merit the price. The video card is where the biggest gain can be seen, although it can be the most expensive. I'm certainly not advocating taking an Athlon XP; they lag behind the Pentium 4s, surprisingly enough. I just see no reason to spend another $64US on the processor, when that money could be spent on a bigger performance gain, such as with a better graphics card.

------------------
Nes digs around in the trash can.
Nes finds a hamburger!
Nes puts the hamburger in his backpack.
Wake up, George Lucas... The Matrix has you...
2004-02-25, 1:13 AM #16
Good idea(s), but the thing is, I'm a bit short on cash, so I'm trying to get something as cheap as I can. Since I already have a Radeon 9700 Pro, I probably won't be worrying about a new videocard until the next wave comes out. The same logic goes with the processor; I was thinking about getting the 3000+ instead, and then upgrading that later, perhaps when the prices on them go down a bit...

Actually, my original plan was to have an Athlon XP instead of a 64, and then get the 64 later on when I upgraded again... but, do Athlon64's and AthlonXP's use the same socket, or would I need to get a new motherboard, as well?

------------------
Moo.
Moo.
2004-02-25, 1:21 AM #17
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by A_Big_Fat_CoW:
Good idea(s), but the thing is, I'm a bit short on cash, so I'm trying to get something as cheap as I can. Since I already have a Radeon 9700 Pro, I probably won't be worrying about a new videocard until the next wave comes out. The same logic goes with the processor; I was thinking about getting the 3000+ instead, and then upgrading that later, perhaps when the prices on them go down a bit...

Actually, my original plan was to have an Athlon XP instead of a 64, and then get the 64 later on when I upgraded again... but, do Athlon64's and AthlonXP's use the same socket, or would I need to get a new motherboard, as well?

</font>


You'd need a new mobo, and there are 3000+ models for the XP, and they DON'T lag behind pentiums, surprisingly enough :P. Mine runs like a frelling dream, and blasts the crap out of my friend's 2.6c at 2.036 GHz 2400+. But yah, the 64's use a different socket, and if you can I'd go with a 64 model, unless you're an overclocking fool.

------------------
There is no signature
D E A T H
2004-02-25, 8:14 AM #18
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Get that ASUS Nforce3 chipset and save yourself a helluva lot of problems in the long run. The VIA chipset SUCKS. I spent 3 months figuring out why my system crashed so much, only to switch to a new mobo with Nforce chipset. I have never looked back. And ASUS is a great brand also.</font>
Agreed! I have a via chipset and the damn thing won't stop crashing no matter what I do. It was perfectly stable when I had a 1.3ghz duron in there, but when I upgraded it to an athlon 2400+, the whole system went haywire. In windows & linux now, I crash between every half hour to every few hours. I just ordered a new system as well, spent 1600 bucks @ www.laclinux.com. I decided to go with a real P4 and an actual intel motherboard this time, because I'm absolutely sick and tired of all the crap I have been putting up with since I took some people's advice and bought amd components.

------------------
EvilMagic.net: Brian's Web Log
2004-02-25, 11:52 AM #19
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by A_Big_Fat_CoW:
Good idea(s), but the thing is, I'm a bit short on cash, so I'm trying to get something as cheap as I can. Since I already have a Radeon 9700 Pro, I probably won't be worrying about a new videocard until the next wave comes out.</font>

That would be a reccomended idea. The Radeon 9700 pro is an excelent card. While a ways from the best, it is the most "bang for your buck". This is doubly true when you already own one! [http://forums.massassi.net/html/smile.gif]

Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by A_Big_Fat_CoW:
The same logic goes with the processor; I was thinking about getting the 3000+ instead, and then upgrading that later, perhaps when the prices on them go down a bit...</font>

Yes... Right now, the A64 3000+ is roughly $200US on its own (not including the mobo). Thing jump up sharply after that, with the A64FX-51 being ~$750US.

Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by A_Big_Fat_CoW:
Actually, my original plan was to have an Athlon XP instead of a 64, and then get the 64 later on when I upgraded again... but, do Athlon64's and AthlonXP's use the same socket, or would I need to get a new motherboard, as well?</font>

Yes, they require a seperate socket... The Athlon 64 requires the socket 754 style board, while the Athlon 64 FX, as well as the AMD Opteron, require the Socket 940 style of board... Unfortuantely, while 754 boards are around $120US, socket 940 boards are around $250US...



------------------
Nes digs around in the trash can.
Nes finds a hamburger!
Nes puts the hamburger in his backpack.
Wake up, George Lucas... The Matrix has you...
2004-02-25, 12:11 PM #20
nottheking, Have you been shopping in brick-and-mortars again? The Athlon FX deal is true, but AMD 64 mobos are anywhere from 100 to 500 some odd bucks. Quoth the Newegg Never-Brick-and-Mortar

------------------
There is no signature
D E A T H
2004-02-25, 1:36 PM #21
Hmm.. it seems like i'm a bi late on this, but i want to give you a warning, if you're still thinking about getting a PC from cyberpower. i looked at thier website about 2 years back and they looked good, and quite alot less then otehr compnaies, but the BBB gave then an absolutly rancid rating. i forget the specifics now, but you can always check it out. This may not have any bearing on wether you will get it from them or not, but i'd just thought i'd let you know.

------------------
"No good can ever come from staying with normal people"
-Outlaw Star
"Some people play tennis. I erode the human soul"
-Tycho, Penny Arcade
"I'm a Cannabal-Vegitarian. I will BBQ an employee if there is no veggie option"
-DX:IW
A Knight's Tail
Exile: A Tale of Light in Dark
The Never Ending Story²
"I consume the life essence itself!... Preferably medium rare" - Mauldis

-----@%

↑ Up to the top!