cheap computer

[Lamilia]

what is the cheapest price for a tower computer including a ok monitor and descent partswhat are the name of the parts and where do i get them and would it be easier to save up and get a better computer or buy cheap and build up to a really good computer

[Kov-Ice]

Welcome to PCMech. You are in the right spot for finding answers to all your questions.

First, you need to decide what your target uses are for the computer. Gaming system, audio/video intensive, word processing/web surfing? Then come up with your budget. How much can you spend now?

As for cheapest, you can get some really good deals on manufactured computers that include all the peripherals, but your quality is not going to be as high. If you plan to upgrade later, you'll likely want to build what you can afford now while keeping your upgrades in mind.

As for purchasing, go to www.newegg.com and browse around their site. That's where you'll find the best deals, selection, and service.

[glc]

If you buy a real cheap computer, it's not going to be upgradeable - the case is going to be small, the power supply is going to be too weak to handle upgrades, and it's not going to have an AGP or PCI-E slot for a decent video card. I'd save up till you have at least $700 to spend including monitor, keyboard, mouse, and operating system. If you have to go cheaper than that, wait for a deal on a Dell, but don't buy the absolute entry level systems, the Dimension 2400 and 3000 are models that don't upgrade worth a darn. The Dimension 4700 has a video card slot.

If you are never going to game, add components, or try to upgrade anything but the hard drive and ram, the Dimension 2400 can't be beat, it's impossible to build a computer that's going to have any quality at all for the same price.

[Lamilia]

Thanks. i'm either going to make a gaming computer or one for web surfing. I don't really know what my budget is yet. I think i'm going to go with a water cooling sytem which I know costs a bit more than a fan one. I want a OS that isn't windows because i want something different i'm thinking maybe linux. should I get a good motherboard so i dont have to buy a better one when i upgrade the computer?

[Lamilia]

I'd love it if computers could be cheap like console games. But i guess computers do a whole lot more. Do you think coolerguys.com has good prices? iI'll probably want a nice antivirus program it would be a shame to build a computer and have it be ruined by a virus

[piasabird]

In the long run it is usually cheaper to buy the computer you need/want than to go back and try to upgrade it later. If you want a computer to play the newest games, that makes it worth building yourself. However if you want a low-end computer for e-mail and web surfing a Dell computer may be a good buy, because they throw in a small monitor or a cheap LCD upgrade for a flatscreen. Sometimes when you buy a name brand computer they throw in a monitor, a printer, and free shipping and it is really worth it to buy the whole package. Usually a cheap computer would be around a 2.4Gig P4 with a 400Mhz FSB Celeron, with integrated Video and very little memory. You have to really pay attention to the details when you order something from a manufacturer so it is right the first time. Sometimes you dont get free shipping on the really cheap computers, but if you spend another $100.00 for a better computer you then get free shipping worth that $100.00 you just spent.

It is hard to say to definitely do this or definitely do that, because I dont know what your line of thinking is, or what your initial idea of too much money is. When you buy computers you sometimes lose money if you dont spend enough money to get what you want. The satisfaction can be worth spending more money for the best name brand parts or the right brand/model for a preassembled computer system.

If you think you find a good deal tell us about it and we can compare what you find.

For parts I like these vendors:

www.newegg.com
www.zipzoomfly.com

For Premanufactured System I Suggest:

www.dell.com

Favorites:
MB: Asus
Processor: AMD
CDROM: Lite-ON
Hard Drive: Various--Maxtor, Seagate, Western Digital. . .
(Not in order of preference)
Floppy: Any
Memory: www.crucial.com
Video Card: ATI or Nvidia: Nvidia 6800 ATI All-In-Wonder cards (TV).

It takes a long time to determine what you want. If you build yourself you might try an AMD Athlon64 Processor/motherboard. It runs cooler and is 64 Bit. I think Windows will come out with 64 bit in the next couple of years, and even if they dont it would make a nice processor/Motherboard combo.

Try looking at:

www.anandtech.com

Look at their computer building guides. They have guides for low-end, Mid-Range, and High End system. This will give you some good info.

[Lamilia]

if i were to get a completed computer i would get alienware but it is much cheaper to build a computer and then you get the part you want. I want to build it myself so that i dont get cheap part that people put in so they get more money. and no matter how long it takes me to save up the money i'm going to build a computer. instead of a floppy i have a digital camera with a nice memory card (sony to be exact) and i just bought a $15 memory card reader and i find that to be faster and more reliable for transfering files than a floppy drive. oh and is this a good deal or will it probably just be junk:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823165011

[Lamilia]

ok this is what I have. I haven''t added up the price.tell me if I need to change anything. this stuff is at newegg.com

CPU and fan-intel Pentium 4 530J 800MHz FSB LGA 775 Processor
optional upgrade-intel Pentium 4 630 800MHz FSB LGA 775 EM64T Processor
motherboard-Albatron PX915P PRO ATX Intel Motherboard
moitor and speakers-Fuji PLUS FP-768 2-Tone 17" 12ms LCD Monitor Built in Speakers
speaker upgrade-Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker
other speaker upgrade mouse and keyboard-ASPIRE Black Keyboard, Scroll Mouse and Dual Speaker Combo Set
or
mouse-Kensington Orbit Optical Trackball 2-Tone Mouse
keyboard-BELKIN Black Wireless ErgoBoard Keyboard
hard drive-Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive
case-THERMALTAKE Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
power supply-LOGISYS Computer PS500AC 500W Power Supply
operating system-NOVELL SuSE Linux Professional 9.1 Update Strong Encryption 128+ Bit Eng
ethernet card-LINKSYS LNE100TX PCI Network Adapter
sound card-AOpen Cobra AW850D Sound Card
video card-ATI A-I-W RADEON 7500 Video Card
dvd and cd burner-LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner Model SOHW-1653S BLK OEM
memory-crucial Ballistix 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM System Memory
I can save on the memory by buying from crucial.com (thanks plasabird)
extras:
Sunbeam Chameleon Light Controler Silver / Black from www.coolerguys.com
and Flexiglow Illuminated Gaming Mouse Pad / X Raider 3 colors same place
ok my total without any upgrades or optional parts is $1142.28
with the best stuff and everything it is $1338.68
$196.40 difference i guess it's worth it just to buy the best stuff
If there is anything that isn't quality parts or anything that I need to change to my upgrade or anything that i need better than the upgrade please tell me.
some good wesites I found while trying to make my computer before i found pcmech.com are:
www.dangerden.com
http://www.pricewatch.com/
http://www.overclockers.com/
www.nextag.com/
I thought it would be nice to share these websites with everyone, and one last thing do you think liquid cooling works better than fans and is it worth it to buy it.

[Hi Ho]

It would be a lot easier if we new a specific budget. How much can you spend on this PC? In looking at your list there I see you have a very good start. The main problem I see in that list is the power supply. I haven't heard anything about Logisys and I wouldn't take a chance with them. A good quality power supply such as those from Enlight, Thermaltake, Antec, Aopen, Enermax, etc., is a must.

If you're trying to spend as little money as possible than water cooling probably isn't the best option. If you aren't heavily overclocking air cooling will work just fine.

About the anti virus program you mentioned earlier. You can use AVG AntiVirus. It is free, works much better than McAffee or Norton, and is not a resource hog.

[glc]

Linux is NOT a gaming operating system. For that, you will need Windows XP.

Replace that Albatron with an Asus board, the P5GD1 is a good board, and it takes standard DDR ram, not expensive DDR2.

Replace that WD hard drive with a Seagate. Quieter, more reliable, longer warranty.

You don't need a network adapter, most motherboards have one built in. Same with a sound card - if you want better sound than the onboard sound, you are going to have to spend a LOT more than you would for that AW850 - you need a Soundblaster Audigy or comparable.

The Radeon 7500 is a VERY obsolete video card, and it's not PCI-Express, which you need for a Intel socket 775 build. If you need an all-in-wonder, get the X600 Pro.

184 pin sdram is not compatible with any new motherboard, get a Corsair value select 1 gig PC3200 DDR ram kit from Newegg for under 80 bucks.

The heatsink/fan on the Intel retail boxed processors is quite adequate. You don't need liquid cooling.

The best power supply for the money is the THERMALTAKE TR2 W0070 ATX 430W. You need one with a 24 pin ATX connector for a 775 board.

Finally, don't hop all over the net to save pennies - order most of your stuff from the same vendor. It saves on shipping and makes possible customer service issues after the sale easier to manage. I recommend look at Newegg first.

[Lamilia]

is there anything other than windows XP i could use for gaming or is that the best? and really anything under the alienware computer prices is fine with me so like $2000- ok for that memory the PC3200 DDR i cant find any thats not sdram that is around 80

[glc]

Tell you what - go look at the system requirements for the games you want - I bet 99% of them require Windows with XP preferred.

If you have more money to spend, just upgrade the components you have listed (and consider my alternate suggestions).

[Hi Ho]

Windows XP is really the only way to go for games. The only other options are Linux and Mac. Mac has very, very few games and Linux has even fewer. Do you have something against XP?

If your budget is $2,000 you can build a very nice gaming PC and get a lot more bang for your buck than you would with Alienware.

Here is a system that would work great.

Case
Lian Li Silver Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Case, Model "PC-60APlus" -RETAIL - $125.00

Motherboard
ASUSnForce4 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU, Model "A8N-E" -RETAIL - $125.00

Video Card
eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, Dual DVI/TV-Out, PCI-Express, Model "256-P2-N376-AX" -RETAIL - $359.00

Power Supply
Thermaltake TR2 430W power Supply, with 6-pin PCI Express connector, 24(20) pin main connector, Model "W0070" -RETAIL - $43.00

CPU
AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64 4000+, 2.4 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - Retail - $485.00

RAM
Geil Value Dual Channel 184 Pin 2GB(2x 1GB) DDR PC-3200 w/ Blue Heatspreader - Retail - $184.43

Monitor
SAMSUNG 172X-Silver 17" LCD Monitor -RETAIL - $335.99

Optical Drives
NEC Silver 16X DVD+/-R DVD Burner support Dual Layer, Model ND-3520A SV, OEM

ASUS Silver 16X DVD-ROM Drive, Model DVD-E616P3 SLVR, Retail - $27.00

Keyboard/Mouse
Logitech Laser Cordless Mouse (Blue/Black), Model "MX1000" -RETAIL - $53.00

Microsoft BLACK Multimedia Keyboard PS/2 102keys -OEM - $19.99

Speakers
Logitech Z-5300e 5.1 THX Certified Speaker System -RETAIL - $127.00

Operating System
Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition With Service Pack 2 -OEM - $91.95

SUB TOTAL: $2,019
SHIPPING: $70.15
TOTAL: $2,089.50

You could take the RAM down to 1GB if you wanted to save some money.

[Lamilia]

how about this:

case- THERMALTAKE Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window I still want this because I like thermaltake and I don't like lian li

motherboard- ASUSnForce4 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU, Model "A8N-E" I don't mind paying a bit more for some things

video card- ABIT RX600 PRO-Guru Video Card I want the TV tuner so I want this one

power supply- Thermaltake TR2 430W power Supply, with 6-pin PCI Express connector, 24(20) pin main connector, Model "W0070" once again thermaltake so I like it

CPU- AMD Athlon 64 4000+, 2.4 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 64-bit Processor reccommended by hi ho and i like it

RAM- Geil Value Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 w/ Blue Heatspreader if it will make gaming that much better I will buy
Geil Value Dual Channel 184 Pin 2GB(2x 1GB) DDR PC-3200 w/ Blue Heatspreader

monitor-Fuji PLUS FP-768 2-Tone 17" 12ms LCD Monitor Built in Speakers I like it because it has speakers built in and if I want better sound i will use headphones unless this is a bad monitor

cd dvd-LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner Model SOHW-1653S BLK OEM I want all of the stuff on the outside to be black so it will match my case and to speed up cd burning and make it look like my computer isn't just a plane PC with 1 cd drive I will get LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive

card reader-VANTEC UGT-CR900 11-in-1 USB2.0 Card Reader I have a camera with memory card pro it works way better than floppy and it is way more reliable for transfering files

floppy drive-SONY MPF920 Black Internal Floppy Drive just in case some hardware installs with floppy

keyboard-Saitek Black Eclipse Keyboard I would like a keyboard with green LEDs or a wireless one but this will do because it has a arm rest

mouse-Logitech Marble Mouse It's different and it has a scroll button so unless anyone says it is hard to use or something I'll take it

speakers-included with monitor unless anyone says anything bad about that monitor

operating system- Microsoft Windows XP Professional With Service Pack 2 it's the cheapest one with access and excel which are cool if you know how to use them (the reason I want something other than windows is because it is expensive and I like to support smaller companies by buying from them and plus most viruses are made for windows)

extra-THERMALTAKE Thunderblade A1909 80mm Sleeve Green LED Light Cooling Fan eventually I will have an all green LED inside for my computer so this is a start

extra-SOYO SY-TECHAID PCI Motherboard Debug Card If I have a problem and I can't figure it out and no one on pcmech can help (yeah right) I will get this

extra-Thermaltake HardCano 12 HDD Cooler and LCD Heat Monitor if anyone finds a black heat monitor that is cheaper tell me and if I dont need this also tell me

so my total is:$1408.83
shipping $48.40
grand total $1,457.23
I'd say pretty good
or with the geiL 2gb RAM it is $1,559.23
but the motherboard can handle 4gb so I can just add that 2gb later

[Hi Ho]

That does look good. That should work fine. However, if you want good performance for more games for a longer period of time I would still go with the 6600GT and seperate tuner that cost just about as much as the X600 AIW. Actually, after checking, I can't find an AIW X600 on Newegg. The only video cards that have a built in tuner are the ATI All-In-Wonder cards.

The case is personal preference. The build I posted is a quickly modified version of one I plan on building. I changed some things around to make the price lower.

I haven't heard anything about Fuji monitors. I don't know how good it is. However, I can garantee you that the sound from the built in speakers will be absolutely horrid. I can't imagine playing games with built in monitor speakers.

About that "debug card", I have heard of them before but I don't think it's really worth buying. From what I've heard they don't work all that well.

[glc]

If you want to game AND have a TV tuner, wait till the X800 All in Wonder comes out - or get a hot video card and a separate tuner card. The X600 is not a bad card, but it's not a high end gamer. If you need to save a few bucks, cut back on the CPU speed, a 4000+ is still expensive overkill. A 3500+ gets the job done at a considerable less cost.

Mitsumi makes a combo floppy drive/card reader you might want to look at.

[Lamilia]

ok lets see I'll change the monitor get a speaker system and look at the mitsumi
card reader. oh and change the video card to eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, Dual DVI/TV-Out, PCI-Express, Model "256-P2-N376-AX" -RETAIL and buy a TV tuner card I just hate how everyday when something is on I have to run upstairs to watch it then someone closes everything I was doing ugh it's a pain. I'm going to look at sony monitors and all that stuff maybe re-check everything then get back to you guys. oh and after i get my computer I definitely have to get this: http://www.ultimategamechair.com/

[Lamilia]

ok here is my results I have some questions:

case:THERMALTAKE Tsunami VA3400BWA Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window it is a bit more but it comes with a 400W power supply unless I need that 30W more I think this is a good deal actually I only save 3 dollars by doing this so should I go for the extra 30 watts?

motherboard:ASUS A8N-E ATX AMD Motherboard I'm sticking with it I like it adds some color and what not

video card:eVGA 256-P2-N376-AX Video Card a bit pricey but probably good quality

CPU:AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor picey but it's cool

RAM-GeIL Value 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory I'm sticking with this

monitor-SONY SDM-S73/B Black 17" 16ms LCD Monitor I like sony expensive but very good quality in my book

CD DVD-LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner Model SOHW-1653S BLK OEM
CD DVD-LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive

card reader floppy- MITSUMI FA404A/404M Black USB2.0 & FDD Digital Card Reader/Writer W/FD (Black)INTERNAL thanks glc saved me some money

keyboard-BELKIN Black Wireless ErgoBoard Keyboard for this one I don't know if anyone finds a nice black keyboard that is wireless please tell me

mouse-Logitech Marble Mouse

speakers-Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker this one has A/v prots in the back then a jack for hooking it up to a computer and I have an A/V changer so my computer can have my VCR and my games hooked up all into one. COOL!

operating system-Microsoft Windows XP Professional With Service Pack 2 I wonder if i could make a operating system that ran windows games after all a bunch of college kids made linux

hard drive-Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST380013AS 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive

fan-THERMALTAKE Thunderblade A1909 80mm Sleeve Green LED Light Cooling Fan

heat monitor- Thermaltake HardCano 12 HDD Cooler and LCD Heat Monitor something to look at and to make sure I'm not frying my computer

controller-Logitech 963292-0403 Dual Action Gamepad and Saitek CYBORGEVO Joystick for games is a joystick better or a controller the only game I'm sure I'm going to get is guild wars

TV tuner-Kworld VS-TV878RF TV Tuner, Video Capture Card, REMOTE or Compro VideoMate TV PVR VideoMate TV PVR all I was looking for was a TV tuner that wasn't too much that I could hook my TV up to maybe as an option instead of a monitor and one with a remote (which I cant even explain why)

fan controller-Thermaltake XCONTROLLER Fan Controller w/ LED Light I forgot the reason why I was looking at this

total minimum price-$2,408.24
ouch thats a lot of mulah anywhere I could save? and where could I get one of those anti-static armband things

[Hi Ho]

Without seeing the individual prices on your list I don't see why it costs several hundred more than the one I posted. Your list is basically the same except with a cheaper CPU, RAM, and monitor. Yet it costs $319 more. I still recommend the one I posted. You can change out the monitor, keyboard and mouse if you want but the ones I linked too are all top notch. Samsung makes excellent LCD's (if not the best), The Microsoft keyboard is excellent (I love mine), and the Logitech MX1000 LaserMouse is the best on the market. Plus you can bring it under $2000 by going with 1GB of RAM instead of 2GB and changing the CPU to a 3500+.

[Lamilia]

well in 2 birthdays and 2 christmases I can get all that all I need is the case the motherboard and thats it I have an old compaq that I can use the parts from it will just be a very low-end computer for a while. and I got the extra TV tuner card the heat monitor the floppy and card reader all kinds of little things but they add up i'll check out your stuff

[Hi Ho]

You mean more than two years??? By then the computer world will be a completely different place. The parts you're looking at now will be obsolete or low end.

[Lamilia]

that the exact reason I didn't want a computer in the beginning. I'm not even old enough to get a job my best hope is to do a bunch of online surveys and get some money from them

[Lamilia]

At a recent computer exposition
(COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer
industry with the auto industry and stated: "If General Motors had kept
up with the technology like the computer industry has, we would all be
driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon".

In response to Bill's comments, GM issued a press release stating:
"If General Motors had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all
be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy
a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You
would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows,
shut
off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue.
For some reason, you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause
your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have
to
reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable,
five times as fast and twice as easy to drive -- but would run on only
five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be
replaced by a single "General Protection Fault" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out
and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle,
turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time GM introduced a new car, car buyers would have to learn to
drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the
same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

I just got that in my email today it's funny because it is true

[Lamilia]

ok this is what I have no extra stuff i don't need. cheapest I can get:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133132


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153023

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130215

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131530

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820144310

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824006067

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106984

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821104104

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823154003

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104108

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836121118

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16800500509

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148019

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814160026

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103514

total price is:$1,571.68
plus shipping:$1,630.99
thats a bit better and then later I can get those little things. It would be way better if it was like $150

[Hi Ho]

That is funny. However, with XP it's not true. If you haven't used XP you're in for a surprise. It is very stable.

EDIT: You posted while I was typing. That list looks good to me. It should work very well.

[Lamilia]

i'm working on a hp pavilion 754n now with XP it's nice

[Lamilia]

maybe I should wait until I'm 18 I have a job and I can afford this money pit they call PC gaming. so no matter how much you do in like 2 or 3 years there will be better......that's stupid

[Lamilia]

ok well other people in my family want a good computer to play games so i'm getting this computer it just won't be mine. so these are good quality parts for games like sims 2 and stuff and it wont freeze up every few seconds right?If so look for pictures of my cool new computer in a few months lol

[Lamilia]

ok right now I have a HP pavilion 754n with a 2.53 ghz pentium 4 processor with 512 mb ddr sdram memory an 80 gb ultra dma hard drive 64 mb ddr sdram integrated intel extreme graphics with up to 64mb shared memory. what would i have to do to make sims 2 run good on it (because right now it freezes occasionally then comes back for a few seconds and so on) and would it be worth it just to buy those parts and make a computer

[glc]

That computer has a 4x AGP slot, so just slap a video card in it and play to your heart's content. You may have to upgrade the power supply if you put in a video card with high power demands. I don't know if I'd trust that power supply with a 6600GT, but it should be able to handle something in the ATI 9600 range without problems.