I have a little under 1100 to spend on a new computer. This include S&H. I'd also like at least SOME tech support. This can include rebates.

Requirements:
=>256 MB Ram
17" Flat Panel, or at least thin.
CD Burner, no specifications on RPM
No Printer
Descent Gaming Machine (Graphics/processing mostly)
Speakers Included, nothing special

A Plus:
DVD Drive/Burner
Advanced Speakers
Softwear Package
All black :-P

I'd prefer a site link, if possible. Any suggestions? (Also, this isn't in the tech forum as it doesn't really involve much technical aspects, but more consumer aspects: I want a good deal)

JediKirby

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

I just got my new comp last week:

AMD 2500+ Barton core
512mb DDR333
5.1 sound + network onboard (although I still use my old sound card: STAudio Media 7.1 - with Phantom power )
Nice case + 400W PSU
40 gb hard drive (to be replaced)
Radeon 9600XT VIVO 128 mb DDR
52x24x52 CDRW
16x DVD-ROM

Minus the sound card (which is $400 on it's own), my system cost under $1000 CAD (I got free shipping from www.tigerdirect.ca). It plays everything at really high detail levels without any trouble at all.

[edit] What helps though, is that I already had a monitor and Logitech 5.1 speaker set, so that saved me $300. A 17 inch flat panel is going to cost you an arm and a leg...

Oh and my kit's all-black
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When guitars are outlawed, only outlaws will have guitars.

[This message has been edited by MaD CoW (edited May 08, 2004).]

I'm really liking this

If I can find a 17" Flat Panel for under 300, I'll be made. What do you guys think of the above?

JediKirby

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

Yes, you'd save a lot of money by buying a CRT monitor. They're better for faster games anyway. Or you need a flat panel with a very high response time.

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WARNING: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUT!
----@%

That computer you pointed to has a horrible graphics card. You'd need to spend a lot more on a new graphics card if you bought that.

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WARNING: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUT!
----@%

Doesn't look like a very good value system, I mean, its refurbished, and that's never a good sign. Also, you want AT LEAST 512 mb ram, and a Radeon 9600 pro. You could save a significant amount of money by getting an AMD motherboard and CPU. As for monitors, the Samsung SyncMaster 753df is not a bad buy.

Refurbished is fine, but that system isn't worth it anyway. You do want at least half a gig, and a 9600 Pro would be good.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

Dont buy a LCD screen unless it has a 12ms response time (or better). Otherwise it's Blurryville - Population: You for first person shooters. Only thing is you're looking at $500+...

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The Massassi-Map
There is no spoon.

[This message has been edited by Spork (edited May 08, 2004).]

12? I've never seen one below 15 or 16. The best LCD for gaming, according to Maximum PC, is a 20.1" Dell that has about a 15-16 ms response time, and it still somewhat ghosts with darks against lights. And the contrast ratios still aren't too great.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

The middle system is pretty good.

I bought my system from them, they have great tech support and my system beat out my friend's who paid at least $500 more (He got his from Dell). Also, they have fully customizable sytems, so if you want a different case or something they'll let you do it. Unfortunatly, a 17" flat screen from them is over $400, but you can easily go without a monitor and get one from newegg or something.

[Edit] Tag problem

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"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
Scions of Light[/i]
The Never Ending Story Squared[/i]

[This message has been edited by Noble Outlaw (edited May 08, 2004).]

Whenever I get the moneys in hand I'm looking at getting an Apple flat-panel display. They've always impressed me far more than anything else. And not in terms of appearence, they just display better to me.

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Frogblast the Vent Core!

--End of Line--

I want two of the apple 23" cinema displays.

most tech support isn't worth a damn from my experience.

In short, I had to lerarn how to fix my computer myself.



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Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

That e-Machines is an absolutely horrible deal

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Ω of 14

And e-Machines make absolutly horrible computers...

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I check my e-mail.

Indeed.

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Frogblast the Vent Core!

--End of Line--

Radeon 9600 256 VS GForceFX 5900 128?

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

Yes, but more specifically, all e-machines are bad. I've heard that they almost always have tons of problems, and their power supplies are shoddy at best.

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[19:59] Happy "Liar liar" dud: This is arguably one of the lowest points in my life.
[20:00] Happy "Liar liar" dud: I'm sitting here infront of my two computers wearing shorts and with no shirt, eating potato salad and orange juice, debating the existance of pants.

[This message has been edited by happydud (edited May 08, 2004).]

Get the 9600.

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Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

To be honest, as you're on a moderate budget you're better off building a computer yourself. It will give you more bang for your buck, also you will know exactly what is in your computer which makes installing drivers and stuff a lot easier.

It's really not difficult to build a PC and there are plenty of guides on the internet to help you.

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WARNING: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUT!
----@%

I don't have the time, effort, abilities, or confidence to build my own computer, plus my parents want to be legit *rolls eyes*

JediKirby

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

Red, Blue, or Green Neon lights? I'm getting the higher grade lamps, so they look nice and crisp.

I'm liking the red because it's sinister, but the green is geeky, and the blue goes well with the black case cover. Opinions?

I've pretty much got everything chosen right now, and I've ended up at 1070, with S&H from http://www.ibuypower.com. My mother really wants a flat panel, so methinks she's going to fork over the extra 200 bucks to get one.

Thanks for everyone's help on the forums and the chat!

JediKirby

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

I dont know if anyone has mentioned it yet but you might want to take parts from your current computer and use it in your new one to save on the total price. ( A: drive, Soundcard maybe)

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*

Unless anyone has any suggestions, or objections, these are the almost final specs, including Tech Support.

OS: XP Home
Case: Raidmax Scorpio-868 ATX Mid-Tower Case with 420W Power Supply (Black)
Power Supply: 420W
Monitor: CTR Monitor 19" .25 DPI Color Monitor (black)
[May change to a LCD Monitor Aopen 17" F75PS TFT LCD Monitor (silver and black)]
Processor: AMD Athlon-64 2800+ CPU with Hyper Transport Technology
Processor Cooling: Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink
Motherboard: Albatron K8X800 Pro-II Via-K8T800+8237 Chipsets with 7.1 Sound, LAN, IEEE-1394, USB 2.0 8x AGP Motherboard
Memory: 512 DDR-400 PC3200 Memory Module
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9600-XT 256MB with DVI + TV Outx AGP Video
Hard Drive: 120 GB 7200 RPM Ultra ATA-100 HD
DVD Drive: 16x DVD-ROM Drive (black)
CD-RW Drive: 52x24x52 CD-RW Drive (black)
Sound Card: 3D Wave Stereo Sound Onboard
Speaker System: 600W PMPO 3 PCS Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System
Netcard: 10/100 Network Onboard
Floppy Drive: Mitsumi 1.44 MB Internal Floppy Drive (black)
Keyboard/Mouse: Multi-Media/Internet Keyboard + Optical Internet Mouse (black)
Meter Display: Thermal Temperature LCD Display (black)
Flash Media Reader/Writer: 6-in-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer (black)
Case Lighting: Sound Activated Cold Cathode Neon Light (Red)

$1,070
or
$1,300 with the flat panel option

JediKirby

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

Go for it.

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I’m not going to die, I’m going to see if I was ever alive. - Spike
It's not your right to decide whether they live or die. They deserve a chance! - Vash
Originally posted by Elana14: i would love a dong like that!

^^^ What he said, but also slap yourself for even thinking about that E-Machine.

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[="Mothers stop cooking take off your aprons; Fathers stop looking at every sports station; Take a second, and think of every poor nation." - Nas=]

Massassian since: March 12, 2001

Horrible PC (for the eMachine). If you're going prefab, they do a pretty good job for decent money. YOU WANT AT LEAST 512 AND AN NFORCE 2 CHIPSET. CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. As for video card, good choices: 9600pro/XT, 9700pro, 9800/pro/XT, x800pro/XT(New ATi card, the pro costs 400, and kicks major MAJOR *** ), GeForce...wait nevermind, nVidia is overpriced . Must have 7200 RPM HDD at least, 40+ gigs probably, must have a lite-on 52x burner for CDs at least (only like 30 bucks), not to mention AMD Athlon 2400+ or ^. The 2500 Bartons have a great reputation, but I think the 2600 Thoroughbreds are going for like..64 a pop now. I think that about covers it. Also, go CRT, Flatpanels SUCK for games. Period.

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There is no signature

[This message has been edited by Dj Yoshi (edited May 08, 2004).]

Did you even SEE the price range I placed at the top of the screen!?

JediKirby

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

Where are you getting this computer from?
If it's from Emachines.. I'm just warning you.

And if you're on a budget.. Why are you getting fancy LED's? That money could be spend towards a better piece of hardware..

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[19:59] Happy "Liar liar" dud: This is arguably one of the lowest points in my life.
[20:00] Happy "Liar liar" dud: I'm sitting here infront of my two computers wearing shorts and with no shirt, eating potato salad and orange juice, debating the existance of pants.

Happydud, the one I have listed above is NOT an e-machine. It's built on http://www.ibuypower.com with the Gamer FX template.

Also, the LEDs are only 14 bucks. I even made sure I couldn't upgrade other things for that much before-hand, but I can't.

JediKirby

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

Yes I did, and everything listed is highly possible. If you build it yourself. As for tech support--why? Theres such a thing as the internet--along with google the possibilities are endless.

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There is no signature

My parents say no, so I say ho, ho!

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

Your system looks pretty good for that price. I have some nitpicky things. Feel free to implement or ignore them at will.

XP Home is a dodgy operating system. I had it on my computer, but upgraded to XP Pro, along with Debian linux. Of course, my school gives away one free copy of XP Pro to Computer Science majors. So I have a small advantage. Still, if you need to do any major networking or tweaking, Home is not the best way to go. If you don't, Home should suit you fine, though I find that memory management in Pro is a lot better. I definately get faster startup times.

I'm assuming you're getting the memory card reader because you already have a digital camera, or plan on getting one. If not, it won't do you a whole lot of good, unless you want to carry a re-usable and easily losable media card around.

The thermal LCD Display is nice, but unnecessary. There are a number of free tools on the net that will show you your CPU's temperature.

If you get rid of those, you can use that money to buy some more case fans, which are more useful in my opinion.

But then again, that's just my opinion.

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Our very existence is at stake

Hey, you chose my suggestion! Yes!

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"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
Scions of Light[/i]
The Never Ending Story Squared[/i]

I completely agree with Ric. Here's a great program for checking CPU and case temps, CPU and case fans speeds and voltages.

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When guitars are outlawed, only outlaws will have guitars.

XP is just evil. I completely dislike it. IF you don't want it you could always look for a reasonsably cheap copy of 2k somewhere. It's what I use, and I think it's probably the best version of Windows.

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Frogblast the Vent Core!

--End of Line--

Hehehe, our CS department provides unlimited copies of 2k. But XP Pro is what's compatible, so it's what I use when I have to use Windows. Otherwise, it's Debian all the way.

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Our very existence is at stake

Samsung have a 12ms screens out. It was recommended in my Aussie PC mag of choice as the monitor to have for gaming. The response time is so fast there is no blurring at all, ever. I think Benq have one out too, but I havent read anything detailed about it.

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The Massassi-Map
There is no spoon.

I have a copy of Pro sitting on my shelf as we speak. I'll be installing that over XP Home, but I'm still ordering home just in case this XP that I got from an old friend has been used already. I've also got a copy of Office Pro sitting next to that, so I'm all good as far as that goes.

And yes, the memory reader and heat-display are hardly needed, but the PC requires it within the case, and I do plan on getting an MP3 Player, as well as a camera.

JediKirby

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"I was driving along listening to the radio, when Judas Priest comes on. It was 'You've got another thing coming.' All of a sudden, I enter 'VICE CITY RAMAGE MODE' and nearly ran some guy over"
- ]-[ellequin

*Cough cough* iPOD *Cough*

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There is no signature