Author Topic: Computer help 2: Huh, THAT could melt? (Read 2864 times)

superaielman · « **on:** November 21, 2009, 11:21:50 PM »

Short version: Need a new computer. Prefer laptop due to space concerns but a good deal on a desktop would work. It needs to be able to play L4D2 fairly well, otherwise specs don't matter too much. Any ideas on prices?

Yakumo · « **Reply #1 on:** November 21, 2009, 11:25:05 PM »

Given the timing you could check Black Friday ads? Otherwise I dunno, haven't been looking at computer prices lately.

superaielman · « **Reply #2 on:** November 21, 2009, 11:28:37 PM »

Yeah, black friday ads are what I've been looking at. Haven't seen a ton of good deals on gaming level computers though.

Luther Lansfeld · « **Reply #3 on:** November 21, 2009, 11:28:52 PM »

Seems like we could just use the other topic as a big computer help topic or something~? Seems silly to have more than one topic about fundamentally the same subject.

I have no idea of course. I could link you to what I bought in May.

Laggy · « **Reply #4 on:** November 21, 2009, 11:53:39 PM »

Any sort of gaming laptop will require a dedicated video card rather than an integrated/onboard one. That alone will cause the price to jump to 4 digits usually (lowest I've seen is like 700 range).

Yeah, you could look at sales, but unfortunately the laptops that usually get put on sale are low-end ones. I could pull a few suggestions from Newegg but I need a budget.

superaielman · « **Reply #5 on:** November 22, 2009, 12:02:18 AM »

500-700. If I'm going to spend more than 700 I may as well break down and make the space for a desktop. Desktop may be what I'm stuck with here. E: I've seen reasonable nongaming laptops for 300 but that may be black friday. May just have to go with a desktop here. E: yeah, desktop. Crap.

Grefter · « **Reply #6 on:** November 22, 2009, 01:34:03 AM »

Get a Desktop. Intel Core 2 Duo should be cheap as fuck now for a decent CPU, Find a not shit Mobo of the right socket (I like Asus ones myself, Aopen are not bad though there is others). Get 4 gigs of DDR3 if you can and are going to go 32 bit OS, 6-8 if you are getting Windows 7 (OEM will be available which should knock $100 or so off the price). I highly recommend you think about getting an alright Graphics Card. Any flavour of a 4870 should be relatively cheap since they are a year old now and they are fucking sexy cards (Gigabyte would be a go to brand, but I have a Sapphire and it has worked well for me).

Have fun good luck. I assume you have no need for monitor and keyboard. You may need a case. If you are going to build it yourself I highly recommend a nice case to go with it. Lian Li are the shit if you can swing that.

Shale · « **Reply #7 on:** November 22, 2009, 06:42:38 AM »

If you want something cheaper, Centurion cases are pretty good value and easy to put together.

SnowFire · « **Reply #8 on:** November 22, 2009, 07:49:31 AM »

I just got an HP dv6 Pavillion laptop recently. Shouldn't be set up too badly for gaming, though laptops will always be underpowered compared to desktops and the gap has widened with time. You should be able to get a solid desktop for 700 no problem. (Re Laggy, my laptop was $853, and it has a non-Intel integrated graphics card. Though admittedly it's nothing special, an ATI 512 MB Radeon... it's probably okay for games now, though not really future-proofed. It wouldn't have pushed it to 1K to get the 1GB version, either.)

Luther Lansfeld · « **Reply #9 on:** November 23, 2009, 11:57:20 PM »

Any luck finding something Super?

superaielman · « **Reply #10 on:** November 24, 2009, 12:06:12 AM »

Still looking. I managed to save the laptop (Thought it was a brick for sure) but it badly needs to be replaced.

Grefter · « **Reply #11 on:** November 24, 2009, 12:43:28 PM »

Okay, spent a bit of time on Newegg (pussy). This is a basic system that you should be able to strip back if you need to or at least give you a price comparison.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112025 Lian Li case, fairly basic one but they are sexy as. $109.99 but there is $20 discount at the moment for whatever which brings it to $89

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153114 PSU, 700W. Good brand, specifics I am kind of meh on but didn't want to under power this, could possibly drop this back. Could easilly spend more on a PSU though.
$74.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131297 Asus Mobo socket 775 will fit a Core 2 Duo and is a brand and model I trust. On board audio and network cards and blah blah, standard fair. $189.99 but with $50 off for whatever reason $139.99 Apparently a mail in rebate but that shit is fucked up, what is wrong with Capitalism these days?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037 3GHz Core 2 Duo. Alright CPU, will do you. Could easilly spend more, could probably spend less. $167.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231283 2x2Gig kit of G.Skill Ripjaws RAM, actually a lower version of the RAM I am looking at the moment, apparently some really good cheap RAM at the moment. Speed matches the recommended MOBO and whatnot. Could spend more, could spend less if you went OCZ which used to be good but heard rumor of them flaking out a bit lately on RAM (think they may have shifted focus a bit more to SSD) $109.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150436 Video Card. ATI 4870. Don't know the brand at all, but I don't know the other brands as well. All these cards are going to be pretty hot, so if that is an issue you may want to invest in some nice fans and stuff. $154.99

Net price $737.94

Can shave cost off in places here and there, but there you go, a basic blueprint.

Edit - Assuming you don't need a new DVD Drive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 A whopping $30 so yeah whatever, can get one easy enough if you need it.

Edit 2 - Of course I didn't even bother really looking at the deals after I looked at a couple and saw amazing deals on really fucking shit parts, so yeah balls to that. Can do it if you want, but fuck me the offered bundle Mobo with the CPU was fucking shocking piece of shit.

Edit 3 - Oh yeah and if you are worried about your hard drive being fucked http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148411 is $80 this would all bring the price up over $800 at which point is way past what you wanted to spend (but all TOTALLY worth it I assure you). If you have a case that it will all fit in you -could- use it, but the Lian Li is sexy and a new case is always a good way to start a PC, you know for sure it is clean. If you had something melt previously you may want to try and make sure it stays so since dust clogging and killing fans is more likely to cause a critical parts failure than actual amazingly bad ventilation from my experience. If you leave your case on the floor right now I -highly- recommend that you get something to lift it up off the floor. If it sits on carpet the fan at the front of a case will just hoover dust up from the carpet right in front of the case like nobodies business. Even just a small length of wood larger than the base of the case will do (looks like shit though).

Lady Door · « **Reply #12 on:** November 24, 2009, 05:35:09 PM »

My laptop, the new version, is going for ~$800-900 on Amazon. ASUS with 4GB RAM, Windows 7, 1 GB nViDia GeForce 220M, 2.53 GHz (3MB cache), 320GB 7200RPM HDD, etc.

We're looking to replace Andrew's computer soon, too (crap!), so we're keeping an eye out for the same things, super. Though Andy really wants to spend all the money we've saved and that I saved by going with a <$1000 computer. <_<

Jo'ou Ranbu · « **Reply #13 on:** November 24, 2009, 08:24:55 PM »

Looks like Andy needs a special brand of disciplining love. >_>

superaielman · « **Reply #14 on:** November 24, 2009, 10:55:55 PM »

I fully endorse turning this topic into a pitch for Cabana Boy Andrew.

*Nods to LD* I was thinking about your computer during this as well.

Cmdr_King · « **Reply #15 on:** November 25, 2009, 02:19:33 AM »

Quote from: Jo'ou Ranbu on November 24, 2009, 08:24:55 PM

Looks like Andy needs a special brand of disciplining love. >_>

That would just be rewarding him.

Jo'ou Ranbu · « **Reply #16 on:** November 25, 2009, 03:03:55 AM »

Ordinary brands of disciplining love reward him. Hopefully, the new special pavlovian chinese torture love discipline techniques will make him behave!

Hunter Sopko · « **Reply #17 on:** November 25, 2009, 02:24:35 PM »

Quote from: Jo'ou Ranbu on November 25, 2009, 03:03:55 AM

the new special pavlovian chinese torture love discipline techniques

So... every time he hears water drip, he is ready to be denied love?

Jo'ou Ranbu · « **Reply #18 on:** November 25, 2009, 04:14:32 PM »

Hopefully with agonized screaming and crying.

metroid composite · « **Reply #19 on:** November 25, 2009, 05:37:33 PM »

I know little about PCs myself, but this site seems to do a pretty good job of it within your price range:

http://www.hardware-revolution.com/the-secret-behind-designing-the-400-gaming-pc/
http://www.hardware-revolution.com/500-gaming-computer/
http://www.hardware-revolution.com/build-a-directx-11-ready-700-gaming-computer-you-can-be-proud-of/

This is complete with benchmarking for most modern games (written a month ago, so L4D, Crysis, Far Cry 2, etc)

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Author Topic: Computer help 2: Huh, THAT could melt? (Read 2864 times)