Need some help choosing a new computer

N

nosignal

New Member
I'm in the market for a new computer. I have a little knowledge about the important parts to look at when comparing systems (ram, processor speed, and hard drive space). My problem is I don't know how things like the system bus affects the performance, and how different processors (amd, intel, triple core, quad core) compare to each other.

My budget is $400-$600 (of course cheaper is always better, but I don't want to sacrifice quality). I've been trying to find the best deals for that price range and I've come up with a few options.

I'm open to more suggestions, these are just the ones that I've found
Compaq
Presario - $385

Dell
Inspiron - $519
Inspiron i570 - $578

Gateway
Desktop with Intel i3 processor - $559

Asus
Essentio - $499

HP
AMD Athalon II Quad-core - $499
AMD Phenom II X4 - $549
Pavilion P6402F - $518
Pavilion A4310F Desktop PC with AMD Athlon II X2 250U Dual-Core - $483
Pavilion S5310F Desktop PC with AMD Athlon II X2 250 Dual-Core - $480
Pavilion P6310F Desktop PC with AMD Athlon II 630 Quad-Core Processor - $478

ZT
Affinity - $568

These all seem like good options, but I'm not sure how to make my decision. I like having more ram, so the expandability to 16 gb of some of the options above are nice. The asus seems like a nice deal, but it has a low system bus with 800MHz and like I said, I'm not sure how that affects the rest of the computer. The HP's offer a lot of nice specs as well. Any help is appreciated

Thanks
Eric
 
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I wouldn't buy any computer from Wal-Mart. Take a look at this desktop computer that you can buy direct for $600 from Hewlett-Packard with free shipping:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...oslp/psg/lateralnav_high_performance_desktops

Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor: AMD Athlon 635 Quad-Core (2.9 gigahertz)
RAM: 6 gigabytes DDR3 1066
Hard drive: 640 gigabyte Serial ATA
Video Card: 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4350

There are likely better deals out there than what I am recommending but I would not recommend a refurbished computer. The small drop in price isn't worth the pathetic 90 day warranty they give. I think it is cheap to refurbish a piece of equipment and then not back your work. Why not give at least a 6 month warranty? If you buy new you at least get one year warranty on parts.

One of the reasons I like building my own computer is I get a three year warranty on parts.
 
What is the main use for your PC?

Base on value for money, Here is my suggestions

For Gaming -
CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra 2053 Athlon II X4 630(2.8GHz) 4GB DDR3 500GB ATI Radeon HD 5670 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229193

iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 535SLC Athlon II X4 620(2.6GHz) 4GB DDR3 500GB ATI Radeon HD 5670 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227217

For general web surfing/ office use -

HP Pavilion P6310F Desktop PC with AMD Athlon II 630 Quad-Core Processor & Windows 7 Home Premium
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-1-TB-HP-P6310F/13377123

CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra A102 Desktop PC with AMD Athlon II X4 630 Quad-Core AMD3 processor & Windows 7 Home Premium
http://www.walmart.com/ip/CyberPower/13377139

ZT Affinity 7358Ma Phenom II X4 945(3.0GHz) 4GB DDR2 500GB ATI Radeon HD 4350 Windows 7 Home Premium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883241023

In terms of upgrade ability in future, I do recommend ibuypower/ CyberpowerPC over HP
 
thanks for the replies, I'll mainly be using the computer for design work(flash, photoshop), listening to music, and surfing the net.
Is there any huge advantages with cyberpower/ibuypower systems(or any of the others listed) over the hp? The hp's that have been listed were a fair bit cheaper with just as good, if not better (at least to my eyes, remember I don't know a ton about how the specs effect everything), specs.
Also, how does compaq compare to the other options? The desktop that I am replacing is a compaq, and I've never had any major issues with it and have been able to upgrade the ram, and install hard drives and disc drives into it.
What other upgrades should I keep in mind when choosing the new system?

this gives me a lot of help, keep it coming please!
 
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nosignal said:
thanks for the replies, I'll mainly be using the computer for design work(flash, photoshop), listening to music, and surfing the net.
Is there any huge advantages with cyberpower/ibuypower systems(or any of the others listed) over the hp? The hp's that have been listed were a fair bit cheaper with just as good, if not better (at least to my eyes, remember I don't know a ton about how the specs effect everything), specs.
Also, how does compaq compare to the other options? The desktop that I am replacing is a compaq, and I've never had any major issues with it and have been able to upgrade the ram, and install hard drives and disc drives into it.
What other upgrades should I keep in mind when choosing the new system?

this gives me a lot of help, keep it coming please!
Click to expand...

If you use software like photoshop, it will be best to get quad core. So you will be looking at Athlon II x4 or Phenom IIx 4 CPU.

Within you budget, you can also choose intel Core 2 quad with DDR2 RAM as well, however, since intel already change socket to LGA 1156/ 1366, if you want to upgrade in future, you will have a lot limitation.

The main reason I recommend ibuypower/ cyberpowerPC is you could easily find what motherboard you use. Unlike HP/Dell/Acer etc., you may find locking bios, or bios never get update which limit your future upgrade and overclocking.

For those gaming option I listed, it is more expensive because it have a budget gaming video card.

While for non-gaming option, CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra A102 would have a 4350 while HP use onboard. An ATi 4350 actually don't worth extra $50. If you know how to add a video card, you could easily spend that $50 for a lightly better 4650 and add it on the HP machine.

While for the ZT Affinity 7358Ma, it is more expensive simply because it have a better CPU (Phenom II x4 945@$143, Athlon IIx 4 630@$100)
 
thank you so much for the advice. Would anyone be able to elaborate on the difference between a dual core and a quad core, say a 2.8ghz dual core vs a 2.8ghz quad core? I like the ability to upgrade the ibuypower and cyber power ones, but I'd rather not go to the higher end of my budget.
 
A Dual-Core processor housing contains two processors that operate at the same frequency, but independently of each other. A Quad-Core processor chip contains four processors that operate at the same frequency, but independently of each other. Quad-Core processors have more processing power. I would go with a system that uses a Quad-Core because you will have a better computer.
 
okay, I've taken everyones suggestions into consideration an narrowed it down to a few systems. I really appreciate all the help, and I'll try to not keep annoying anyone, haha.

HP
HP Pavilion P6310F - 2.8GHz athlon II quad-core, 6gb ram, 1TB hard drive - $598
*Pavilion - 2.6GHz phenom II quad-core, 8gb ram, 750GB hard drive - $550
e9300z series - this would be the base model which has, 2.9GHz athlon quad-core, 6gb ram, 640GB hard drive - $579

Cyberpower
A102 Desktop - 2.6GHz athlon II quad-core, 4gb ram, 500GB hard drive - $538

ZT
Affinity 7358Ma - 3.0GHz phenom II quad-core, 4gb ram, 500GB hard drive - $579
Affinity 7354Ma - 3.0GHz phenom II quad-core, 6gb ram, 1TB hard drive - $568

*I don't really love the idea of buying a refurbished computer, but I think this is a great deal. Anyone have anymore words of wisdom or dissuasion about buying refurbished?

Again, I appreciate any input from anyone, I'm just trying to find the right system for me. Would anyone be able to explain the difference between the athlon processors vs the phenom processors?

Thanks again!
Eric
 
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The thing is 4 gigs of ram is plenty and ram is expensive..if somehow you get get the extra ram replaced with a better video card we might have some real winners.
 
Speaking of the cyberpower pc...I went to their site and made up this PC and it came to $554

Case: Xion AXP 600 Mid-Tower Gaming Case [-8]
Internal USB Extension Module: None
Neon Light Upgrade: None
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Maximum 120MM Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+9]
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: AMD Athlon™II X4 630 Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+46]
Freebies: None
Cooling Fan: AMD ATHLON64 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK [-20]
Motherboard: Asus M4A78L-M AMD 760G Chipset DDR2/1066 mATX w/ Integrated ATI Radeon HD3000 Video, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, SATA RAID, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
Motherboard Expansion Card: None
Memory: 4GB (2GBx2) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory [+54] (Corsair or Major Brand)
Freebies: None
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4670 1GB GDDR3 PCI-Express DVI-I & TVO [+44] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
Video Card 2: None
Video Card 3: None
Dedicated PHYSX Card: None
Free Game: None
Multiple Video Card Settings: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
Power Supply Upgrade: 450 Watts Standard Case Power Supply
Hard Drive: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
Data Hard Drive: None
Hard Drive Cooling Fan: None
External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None
USB Flash Drive: None
Optical Drive: LG 22X DVD±/±RW + CD-R/RW Dual Layer Drive (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
LCD Monitor: None
2nd Monitor: None
Speakers: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Modem: None
Mega Notebook/Netbook/Server Bundle: None
Keyboard: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
Mouse: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
Gaming Gear: None
Extra Thermal Display: None
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless 802.11 B/G/N Access Point: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
Video Camera: None
Headset: None
Printer: None
Cable: None
Power Protection: None
IEEE1394 Card: None
USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
Floppy: None
Operating System: None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
Office Suite: None
Ultra Care Option: None
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

If you or someone else wants to make a few tweaks from there that might be a good start...Only catch is no operating system, but you said you were upgrading so you can use your old operating system right? If not that disregard this post..lol
 
unfortunately, I have xp right now, and I want to upgrade to windows 7, so i'll have to get the operating system too. So would more than 4gigs of ram be overkill for what I'm needing?
 
Personally I don't know of anything where you really need more than 4 gigs as of right now. More memory can be added later. Well in that build you can also get free stuff like games and what not, maybe you could sell those then use that money for windows 7?
 
Oh I know that, was just trying to get him the best computer with the money he can afford. Now if he was actually building his computer he could go with this.

Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061 29.99
GPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102854 69.99
OS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 99.99
MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394 79.99
RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122 99.99
CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103706 90.99
PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034 49.99
HD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148451 44.99
DVD Combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 21.99

$587.91...10 in shipping and 10 in MIR..so roughly the same price. Could always get a few extra case fans when he gets an extra $15 and an extra HD when/if he fills up that one later on.
 
Now, my one will be a little more expensive but will have better performance.

mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...397&cm_re=gigabyte_am3-_-13-128-397-_-Product - $90
cpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702&Tpk=amd athlon x4 635 - $100
psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&Tpk=corsair 400w - $50
ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...145043&cm_re=dominator-_-20-145-043-_-Product - $83
gpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150369&cm_re=hd4770-_-14-150-369-_-Product - $105
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...n_digital_caviar_black-_-22-136-320-_-Product - $70 (if you'd go for breadman's kit, do not pick his hard drive. WD are much faster and much more reliable.)
DVD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177&cm_re=lg_dvd-_-27-136-177-_-Product - $23

Adds:
OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 - $100


Total: less than $620
 
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