Buying a new computer II

[woopidoo2]

I made a thread a while ago, about the same thing.

 

 

 

I didnt have much money back then, compared to now. My grandmother is willing to give me, my brother and sister a computer or laptop, she will pay 700 Euros or 966 Dollars. I may put money with it myself if I want to.

 

 

 

I have found this computer, its 799 Euros or 1,105 Dollars. I have no idea what all the info meens, the soundcard, and the memory in all places.

 

 

 

Here is a list of it:

 

 

 

Its an Acer M3610-BB computer with a 19 inch TFT Screen,

 

Intel Premium Dual Core Processor E2140

 

(1,6Ghz, 1MB level 2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)

 

2048MB DDRII-RAM Main Storage,

 

320GB harddisk (7200 rpm SATA)

 

DVD ReWriter dual layer,

 

Soundcard on-board (8 channel)

 

nVidia GeForce G7300SE Graphicscard with 128MB videomemory,

 

Videomemory(sp?) partible to 384MB, DVI, 18 in 1 memorycard reader,

 

Firewire,

 

10/100 networkconnection,

 

Software Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows media centre.

 

 

 

Now, what I will need to do with my computer:

 

 

 

It has to store alot of my photos, so a big harddisk is needed. (I think this one is quite big, isnt it? :? )

 

Has to play games, Runescape but also other games like shooters.

 

Fast loading time with webpages.

 

 

 

 

 

If I would buy this computer, would I get what my money is worth? Does it fit what I want to do with it? Are the Graphics/Soundcard decent ones?

 

 

 

Thank you for your help in advance.

[blade995]

Well I don't think it's that good of a deal.

 

 

 

The processor is weak being only the E2140. The core 2 duos are cache dependent and the processor only having 1mb compared to the 2mb-4mbs on mainstream cpus.

 

 

 

The ram is good because you want to have 2GBs of ram for all computers today. The hard disk I consider large but other may suggest even bigger (we have some storage freaks on these forums).

 

 

 

If you want to play some of the newest shooting games then this computer will not be good. The 7300 card is weak. It's pretty much the worst dedicated card from last generation to be brutally honest.

 

 

 

If you want, you could build a computer for the same price that is a lot better.

[zonda]

I wouldn't buy it for that price. I also don't care much for Acer. If there are two computer brands to stray from it would be acer and dell.

 

 

 

The RAM would be sufficient since I assume it comes with vista, you will want at the very least 1 gig of RAM, but that would be the bare minimum. More will make programs load faster and work more effeciently as well as be nice for having multiple programs opened at once; doing some multitasking.

 

 

 

The hard drive is nice, but that doesn't compensate for the slow processor. Look at it this way, a 1 gigabyte SD card for your camera can store between 400 and 800 pictures (depending on how many megapixles your camera is) so lets say about 600 pictures per 1 gig. That hard drive is 320 gigs.

 

 

 

ALL computers are going to come with onboard sound and video, so you really don't have to worry about that - for the most part they are all the same. Not spectacular but more than enough for the average user.

 

 

 

Same goes for a DVD-RW, thats pretty much standard now.

 

 

 

If your looking for a laptop I would go with an HP - they have nice 15.4 inch screens that will save your battery life, come with DVDRW and wireless cards as well as integrated web cams, microphones, and vista as well as decent video cards for minor gamers - they also include a nice remote control that allows you to sit back and watch a movie, TV (if you get a tv tuner card), or listen to music much like the remote of a television. They have addiquatly sized hard drives and the like - the reason I reccomend HP over dell is simply because I have heard from many of my customers that dell has horrible service when it comes to getting help or troubleshooting of any sort. I personally don't like dell because they control their market - if you ever want to upgrade your dell computer you HAVE to do it through dell unless its something simple like RAM. Same goes with their ink... if you wanna buy dell ink, you HAVE to order it from them online... basically this allows them to charge whatever they like for it.

 

 

 

You don't have to take my advice on getting an HP, thats fine with me, but I really do not think this desktop is worth what they are asking

[woopidoo2]

Thanks for the useful info guys =D>

 

So what specifications should a basic computer have then, what are the minimal standards? (Compared to the list I gave)

[das1330]

well it depends on if you only want to buy one or if you are willing to build one. Building a computer isn't that hard, and you can get quite a bit more value out of your system by building it, through overclocking and just plain cheaper parts. Its hard to pin exactly what kind of specs would be good for a "good" computer, because it would be kind of difficult to price out the parts on a prebuilt computer to fit a budget. Computer manufacturers offer different prices for the same thing based on country, region and even things like what part of their website you bought it from. If you will build your own computer, it simplify things quite a bit. As far as parts, I would put the minimum processor as one labeled as a "core 2 duo" and a graphics card as either a 7900gs or 8600 or above.

[Nadril]

well it depends on if you only want to buy one or if you are willing to build one. Building a computer isn't that hard, and you can get quite a bit more value out of your system by building it, through overclocking and just plain cheaper parts. Its hard to pin exactly what kind of specs would be good for a "good" computer, because it would be kind of difficult to price out the parts on a prebuilt computer to fit a budget. Computer manufacturers offer different prices for the same thing based on country, region and even things like what part of their website you bought it from. If you will build your own computer, it simplify things quite a bit. As far as parts, I would put the minimum processor as one labeled as a "core 2 duo" and a graphics card as either a 7900gs or 8600 or above.

 

 

 

For the card I would say either a 7900GS if you're planning on playing DX9 games, or an 8800GT (640mb) for DX10 games.

 

 

 

 

 

With the 8800 though I'd wait for the 9000 series to come out =P.

[ormoke]

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 98 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

ASUS P5LD2 82 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

2 x 512 Mt, 667 MHz DDR2 35 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro 256 Mt PCI-E 136 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 (250 Gt, 7200 RPM, sarja-ata II) 57 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

LG 16x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer, IDE (GSA-H10A) 31 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

1,44 Mt -levykeasema 5 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

A-Link RoadRunner 24 32 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

Antec P150 143 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

ViewSonic VA902 (19", 8 ms) 264 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

Logitech Deluxe Keyboard 5 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

Logitech B58 Premium Optical Wheel Mouse 8 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

Logitech X-530 5.1 61 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì 68 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì 81 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition OEM 82 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì

 

 

 

That's worth 1039 ÃÆââââ¬Ã¡Ãâì total but it's good.

 

It has display, mouse, keyboard and speakers (the pc itself of course)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do'h forgot u was searching for laptop -.-

[woopidoo2]

well it depends on if you only want to buy one or if you are willing to build one. Building a computer isn't that hard, and you can get quite a bit more value out of your system by building it, through overclocking and just plain cheaper parts. Its hard to pin exactly what kind of specs would be good for a "good" computer, because it would be kind of difficult to price out the parts on a prebuilt computer to fit a budget. Computer manufacturers offer different prices for the same thing based on country, region and even things like what part of their website you bought it from. If you will build your own computer, it simplify things quite a bit. As far as parts, I would put the minimum processor as one labeled as a "core 2 duo" and a graphics card as either a 7900gs or 8600 or above.

 

 

 

I have no experience in buying a computer, but I might have friends who know how to do this. (I heard a story from a friend of mine who overclocked his computer too much, he had to use 4 ventilators to keep it cool. The computer went pretty fast though :P )

 

 

 

@ormoke, I am looking for a computer, no laptop. And Im not going to spend 1000+ on a computer. :)

 

 

 

Do these computer stores build computers too, if I would give them the parts? would they do it for free or do I need money for that also?

[weezcake]

Do these computer stores build computers too, if I would give them the parts? would they do it for free or do I need money for that also?

 

 

 

Generally, if you buy the parts and give it to them to put together, they will charge labor. Different shops have different policies, so call around to local computer shops.

[das1330]

 

Do these computer stores build computers too, if I would give them the parts? would they do it for free or do I need money for that also?

 

 

 

 

 

Almost all of them will. It depends on the shop as to how much they charge, but you can expect about $100 or 60 or so euros to have them put it together. If your not sure about building a computer, just search around the internet for a tutorial. Its easier then you might think. This series of videos are good, and show you every thing you need to do to build a computer. As far as picking computer components, we would be happy to help you pick out a good computer part configuration.

[magerx7]

Talking about graphics cards, I have a Radeon X1650 card and it works great for shooters (I play a lot of Counter-Strike: Source) and highly detailed games. It's not too terribly costly either. About $130 USD (sorry, don't know the conversion from dollars to pounds). So, if you are looking for a great, cheap card, I'd look into the Radeon series. :D