Yo guys need a little help.

[Darkness112]

Alright guys.. so im thinking about buying a new computer to game with since my current one is horrible. Im a complete newb to upgrading pc's and anything along that line... i was actually thinking about building my own but then i came across this http://cgi.ebay.com/Dual-Core-Gaming...QQcmdZViewItemand i wanted to ask the pros ( you guys) if its worth the price or would i be better off attempting to build my own? Thanks, any feedback would be appeciated.

[jfk]

Build your own. Get EXACTLY what you want. Buying a PC on eBay is a gamble at best.

[ammo]

I agree with jfk and there is a good build your own pc page on this website

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/index.htm

[pam123]

I agree with the guys on this.
If it's a choice between build your own and buy on e-bay then build your own.

[Darkness112]

aye, but im just skeptical about building my own because i never have before and i dont know how to build it, so i dont want to break parts or have problems getting everything together and im not sure exactly what parts are the best for buck and whatnot, and about how much would it cost rougly for a good gaming computer, im not looking for nothing top of the line or anything like that... just to play games like World of Warcraft smoothly.

[Alaron]

That is exactly why people come to PCMech. We will help you put together a great system that will give you a bang for the buck. Building a system isn't as hard as it seems. With a little research, and asking questions, you'll be set in no time.

If you want to give it a try, start a thread in the Build Your Own PC forum. Be sure to give us a budget, what parts you need (just the box, or a monitor, peripherals, etc.) and if you have a preference for AMD or Intel. (And before you ask, both are good for gaming).

[blue60007]

For a gaming computer I'd say start at $1000. You can always go a little less or a little more as necessary.

[Darkness112]

aye aye, alot of helpful people on this site ^_^ I thank you all for the feedback... ima start saving up for a computer and hopefully have one built asap.

[jfk]

I had never built a PC before I built my sig rig last fall. It was a great experience and everyone here was a tremendous help. It's funny, 2 years ago I was paranoid about opening up my PC...it was a magic black box that I was afraid to touch. Now, I open it all the time to tweak. Trust me, you CAN build a PC, be successful doing it, and have satisfaction with your PC you've never had (nor will EVER have) with an off the shelf unit. Believe it.

[blue60007]

Originally Posted by jfk I had never built a PC before I built my sig rig last fall. It was a great experience and everyone here was a tremendous help. It's funny, 2 years ago I was paranoid about opening up my PC...it was a magic black box that I was afraid to touch. Now, I open it all the time to tweak. Trust me, you CAN build a PC, be successful doing it, and have satisfaction with your PC you've never had (nor will EVER have) with an off the shelf unit. Believe it.

Same here. But I didn't know about PCMech. I think doing research and reading up on the stuff really helped. Luckily, everything went OK the first go. It took me one evening to do (had to finish up with the OS the next day). I was really nervous, but I was suprised at how easy it was when it booted it up! One tip: Take your time. Don't rush through anything.

[jayb1234]

That looks like another one of the shady ebay sellers. Doesn't list the brand or model of half the components, and no contact info, address etc, except for a web based email address.

You would be better off building your own and knowing that you were getting quality parts from a reputable source.

[Darkness112]

aye i was trying to look up the parts on newegg.com to see if he was selling a good deal or not, and some of the components were to little detailed and i couldnt find them on newegg thats when i became to have doubts lol. But yeah, ive heard countless times building a pc is the BEST way to go and i believe it. But once i get the money i want to for sure build my own.

[blue60007]

For giggles, I tried to configure something similar, and it came to about $550

How they do it:
-Use cheap CPU (I wouldn't be surprised if it came overclocked a bit to give you a "free" boost)
-Use cheap cases with very cheap power supplies. what they are paying for the both is what you should be paying for EACH, alone.
-No Windows....that'll run you another $90. You won't even be able to play most retail games on that system (UT2004 can run on Linux).
-Charge bucketloads for upgrades (an Intel 930 runs you $75 more, not the $150 they ask).

[Nuclear Krusader]

May I also recommend to wait for a couple of months till Core Duo 2 is out and you can assemble a better system? Even if you end up not getting a CD2 CPU you may get better prices on the Pentiums already on the market.

And make sure you don't spend a fortune on the video card, either. When Vista comes out packing DirectX 10 you'll have to upgrade the VC, so it doesn't make sense to shell out 700 bucks in a VC now.

[Darkness112]

yeah im glad i consulted you guys first before and didnt try to buy the computer.