Desktop Computers
 

So I'm looking to buy a new desktop computer for my house, but I honestly have no idea where to start, what is good, what is trash, what a good deal is, etc? I've basically been given work laptops for the last 5 years, and just dealt with whatever it was, so I never really researched it.

Now, I'm not going to be doing anything very fancy schmancy here, just your typical internet browsing, emailing, periodic gaming like DII and DIII, when it comes out. I don't want garbage, but I don't need top of the line.

Anyone have favorite brands? Why?

What is the minimum system requirements I should look for to have a solid gaming computer, since I know that will carry me for whatever other uses I have too.

Do you know your general budget? Max you want to spend?

I was hoping for less than ~$1200...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....rd108000050005

What about something like that?

hmm what about an alienware desktop computer http://www.alienware.com/products/ar...de=SKU-DEFAULT

Gaming rig-wise, you should be aware that there are currently around five more or less known games that support quad architectures, all of which are more dependent (performance-wise) on the GPU than the CPU. Dual core processors, such as those found in Intel's Core 2 Duo series, are much better at handling games and applications with single or dual core support than their quad core counterparts, which is true even if you pay only about half as much for a Core 2 Duo as you otherwise will for a Core 2 Quad.

Getting a quad for internet browsing and e-mailing is overkill. If you want to get into video editing, then by all means, get a quad. If not, you're essentially paying for hypothetical "future proofing" and a label.

Fortunately, I'm a hypocrite. I like quads. The Q8200 is a good and relatively cool (gelid) choice, although the Q6600 model has a larger cache and can easily be overclocked to higher speeds than the former, which makes it the best performance-per-dollar Core 2 Quad CPU. If you change your mind about not wanting the top-of-the-line, you can find Intel's more expensive i7 series a few steps up the performance ladder, while AMD's Phenom II series seems to be a great and inexpensive alternative. GLG knows more about Phenom II than I do.

As for the prospective GPU of your system, get a Radeon HD 4870. The 1024 MB version is ideal if you're planning to play games in high resolutions such as 1920x1200. Given your price limit, you should be able to find a larger monitor than the 21.5" Dell, too, especially if you build the system yourself.

For comparison, here's my current rig: http://zelaron.com/forum/showthread....948#post663948

http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/c...or.aspx?mid=72

Check out that website, might be slightly over priced, but you can fully customize it to your liking.

The link is to the weekly special, but if you look at the top, you can choose from AMD/Intel/Notebooks etc. and build it how you want.

You can save a lot of money if you buy the parts from www.newegg.com and build it yourself (if you weren't already planning to do that).

Since we all seem to be putting down places to buy parts or buy custom computers at, here's a great, cheap, place. http://cyberpowerpc.com