I need a new computer, Please Help!

The Keen

Hey guys,

So my computer has officially died. I had it for about 3 1/2 years and it treated me good but alas, I need to get a new one. I want to get a computer that will be good enough for me to play/work on next gen games. Can anyone help? I'm no good at figuring out what I need.

sonic

If you're building yourself, go with a Core 2 Duo processor (you can even go low end Core2duo if you're on a budget, they are all beastly) with a decent motherboard (don't go PCChips,Jetway,or Foxconn), 2 gigs of RAM, a 500gb SATA hard drive, a 500-550 watt power supply, and either an 8600 series card or an 8800 depending on your budget (they are both DirectX 10 cards). Go with Vista if you have money to blow, if not, get XP Home or Pro. Order it all from Newegg so you can RMA easily if something dies.

If you aren't building, go with something simple like a Dell XPS, Alienware, etc and get a decent warranty. Dell has really upped the build quality on their computers lately, and I've gone from hating them to really liking them.

I have built and worked on hundreds of systems (used to be a computer tech), and I used to be an AMD fanboy but Intel is dishing out the spanks this round.

hawken

I'd second the Dell option. If you need it for gaming and making high end art, make sure it has a fantastic service / replacement warranty. As you'll be kicking it in the guts everytime you use it.

Jesse Moody

Yeah my desktops are all ones that I have built but I bought a laptop this fall. I researched for months, read forums on how people liked the ones they bought, compared hp, compaq, gateway, dell, alienware, voodoo and a few others and I ended up getting a loaded Dell XPS M1710. I love this thing. I also got a 4 year Warranty with Accidental damage. (you know how laptops fall off desks at about 2 1/2 years)
I have not had any issues with my dell and i am doing high poly next gen stuff daily, working with unreal 3, mudbox, zbrush 3, etc.

Gaming wise I have played everything from Warcraft 2 to Rainbow Six: Vegas on here.

Just an all around awesome laptop and well worth the money.

The Keen

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I was always told by friends to stay away from DELL but I'll look into it. I'll probably show you guys what I plan on getting before I get it.

dom

you might wanna consider the Asus G1S. 15 inches (uh huh), santa rosa processor, 2Gb maxed up to 4Gb, and geforce 8600GT for all the dv10 loving.

I'm looking to get that.but can't seem to find a retailer in europe forr that model.

The Keen

Ok, so I'm going with dell, I customized it. Here's the specs I'm thinking about getting. Please let me know if I'm making some big mistake here. Thanks. The total comes out to $1,389.



Sorry the font is so small, hopefully you can read it.

Jesse Moody

not too bad my friend. did you ask them to take more money off as a discount? I did when i bought my laptop and they took 700 off the price. Granted it was more than this but even if they took off like 150-200 it would be nice you know

The Keen

I didn't think you could actually get discounts. How might I go about doing that?

Jesse Moody

after i put my system together online i spoke with a representative over their chat system. I just asked if there was any discounts or rebates that could be applied to help out with the purchase. He played around for a minute and then gave me the new figures.

Pretty easy.

The Keen

Awesome, I'll do that thanks.

notman

check http://www.retailmenot.com before buying to see if you can find any discount codes.

Ryno

Looks good but I might consider a bigger hard drive, depending on what you might end up doing with it. My 160 gig that seemed big a couple of years ago is just about full with video of my new son.