Guest r3dh3adkid Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Ok guys ive been wondering weither to get a Home PC or a Laptop I'm 16 (bout to turn 17 soon) and I will be going to college soon. Whatever computer I get will be going with me to college. The obvious advantage for a college computer (in my opinion) is a laptop. I love the fact that its portable and pretty decent (depending on that you put in it) I could also get alot more for my money if I go with a home PC, but that isnt portable :-/ I think tho i've finally come to the conclusion on getting a laptop (unless someone can bring up some good points on a PC that will swing my vote ;-) But here is the main reason I made this post. I need some recommendations for what laptop to get. My budget is between 0 and 1,300 dollars. This PC will go to college with me (obviously) and I will be playing Guild Wars on this computer and it will have to last me for a decent time. I would like it to be a nice computer to do all my college work on and for it to be able to run GW without any lag and such. (And if possible for the game to look nice and crisp) If you need the requirements for Guild Wars I wil gladly give them to you. Please help me out THANKS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runesmithie Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I've been thinking the same thing Poke around http://www.abs.com, although you might have to up your price limit? I'm not sure, just check the site :P I just posted something! ^_^ to the terrorist...er... kirbybeam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilheart14 Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 laptops in my opinion arnt really value for money unless u really need 2 work on the go. Pcs are becoming alot more portable but if u need it 4 lectures and such obviously u cant be using a pc. 1,300 isnt much for a laptop which quickly becomes outdated and is harder 2 upgrade. If ure computer just needs 2 be in ure room and such and when u take it round its 2 other ppls places and such u can use a Pc as they are alot more portable now and better for gaming, if u will be doing decent gaming laptops are rubish for this and will cost u an arm and a leg 2 get a new gaming laptop that will be a pain 2 upgrade. whats the specs for the games thou.? Aussie Aussie Aussie, :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Getting a laptop with the plan on using it during lectures is not a good idea. It annoys other people with clicking, fans ect... and it would prove to be a distraction because many lectures are boring. Pen and paper is the best way to take notes. The main advantages of a laptop is to study on while in a library. I would suggest the possibility of purchaseing a PC for around the $750 mark, and spending the remaining $500 rest on a cheap notebook. That way you have the preformance of a decent computer, and the convience of a laptop. Although if you need to purchas windows it could prove to expensive. A quick example: PC AMD Athlon 64 3200+ $160 S939 Motherboard: $74 Radeon X800GT $139 1GB Memory: $74 250GB Hard-drive: $108 Case: $50 Cheap mouse/keyboards/speakers: $15 Moniyor: 2nd hand 17" CRT: $25 (Estimate) Total: $645 (prob more around $675 with postage) Laptop ($625) Acer AS3003LCi $610 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... etailSpecs (Cheap notebooks benefit greatly from extra memory, and has short battery life, and normally poor build quality, although they do office tasks fine) Dell also have cheap laptops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoo Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 It depends on what you plan to study at college as to what kind of computer you will want. I certanly recommend buying a pc though and not a laptop for the work involved. Dual core seems to be pretty much the way forward, maybe the 4400+ seems to be pretty good performance / value wise. If you are not planning to overclock, asus do good mobo's. Do not buy a case that comes with a psu, make sure you buy a seperate one, all the general stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest r3dh3adkid Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 laptops in my opinion arnt really value for money unless u really need 2 work on the go. Pcs are becoming alot more portable but if u need it 4 lectures and such obviously u cant be using a pc. 1,300 isnt much for a laptop which quickly becomes outdated and is harder 2 upgrade. If ure computer just needs 2 be in ure room and such and when u take it round its 2 other ppls places and such u can use a Pc as they are alot more portable now and better for gaming, if u will be doing decent gaming laptops are rubish for this and will cost u an arm and a leg 2 get a new gaming laptop that will be a pain 2 upgrade. whats the specs for the games thou.? Here are the game requirements Minimum System Specs: * WindowsÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî XP/2000/ME/98 * Intel PentiumÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî III 800 Mhz or equivalent * 256 MB RAM * CD-ROM Drive * 2 GB Available HDD Space * ATI Radeon 8500 or GeForce 3 or 4 MX Series Video Card with 32MB of VRAM * 16-bit Sound Card * Internet connection * Keyboard and mouse * DirectX 8.0 Recommended System Specs: * WindowsÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî XP/2000/ME/98 * Intel PentiumÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâî III 1GHz or equivalent * 512 MB RAM * CD-ROM Drive * 2 GB Available HDD Space * ATI Radeon 9000 or GeForce 4 Ti Series Video Card with 64MB of VRAM * 16-bit Sound Card * Internet connection * Keyboard and mouse * DirectX 8.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoo Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 if you really are insistant on buying a laptop (although you might be really dissapointed when you shoulda got a pc instead :P) I would recommend acer as a good choice for laptops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilheart14 Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 oww those specs arn't to high. Its really your call if ure gonna use the laptop more then pen and papper which can be hard sometimes for drawing or writing and similar things quickly but if u can manage it by any means go for it. Just to note though laptops usually cost more then pcs, and are not as good as ure paying for portablilty, laptops are harder/more expensive to upgrade usually if u are, as its harder to do your self. Personally i think it comes down to are u gonna really use the laptop that much or is it more of a cool idea cause it sound good now but are u really gonna want 2 use it everyday and it may slow u down writing notes, diagrams and such. Dont go for 2 crap computers try opting for a laptop or a Pc as this way its cheaper/ easier 2 fix/ less problems/ better quality invested in one computer. Aussie Aussie Aussie, :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Dont go for 2 crap computers try opting for a laptop or a Pc as this way its cheaper/ easier 2 fix/ less problems/ better quality invested in one computer. For $1300 it is possible to buy a good computer which would be able to play all current games in good quality, and a notebook which can easily handle office tasks and most uni work. Apart from the build quality of the laptop casing, there is not much of a difference between cheap parts and expensive parts. In 6 months the expensive parts would be the cheap parts. If you spend $1300 on a laptop, you can get something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834224040 So a good CPU, 2.5 hours of battery life, Its video card preforms slightly better then the desktop Radeon 9600 XT. So it is like a entry level gaming desktop. The $645 example computer would easily thrash it in everything. (Possible exception being CPU intensive tasks) The main point of a laptop is for convenience, they are not suppose to be powerful gaming machines. The best option I beleive is to purchase a cheap one and slot in 512mb extra memory. (I find Acer and Asus notebooks to be good value) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remoteman Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 i strongly suggest that u do not split your money and get two. the bonus with a pc is that what ever you get in a laptop you can get for around about half price in a pc. aswell as this, you can just keep upgrading it when eve u get money, or it starts to rune slow. laptops are great for taking everywhere, and they are still decent. guildwars has very low system specs so u could pretty much easily play it on a laptop. dell has great laptops and pc's, u can custom build them to through the website. they also have great deals on. at the moment (in the australian website) there giving free 1gb ram and a 20gb harddrive upgrade + free delivery) so yer i suggest dell. its really up 2 you with which one u want, u can really get a cranking machine with $1300 US in a pc. good luck mate "A disbelief in magic can force some poor souls into believing in authority and business" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest r3dh3adkid Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Ok well I guess you guys are right and a PC would be better worth my money. I'll go with a PC then so if anyone has any suggestions on a PC then please tell me. From what i've heard I can get a pretty nice PC for $1,300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart_G Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor - $160.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535 ASUS A8N-E ATX AMD Motherboard - $109.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530 CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - $99.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145450 Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $85.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144415 eVGA Geforce 7800GT 256-P2-N516 Video Card - $299.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130256 Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-450 450W Power Supply - $66.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103936 BenQ FP71G+ (Black) Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor - $208.95 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014100 NZXT TRINITY BLK Black/Silver Computer Case With Side Panel Window - $79.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811146015 Logitech Black Wired Value Keyboard - $7.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823126170 Logitech Value Black Mouse - $6.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104181 Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker - $49.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121118 Total - $1171.91 Now thats got everything you would need such as monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers. I find the case rather sexy myself, but you might not like the looks of it. It comes with a psu, but normally psu's that come with cases arent that great so i put in a 450w Antec psu which should be able to provide ample power. I could write stuff about the other parts, but i cant be bothered. So if any one else wants to suggest something better than the parts i listed, you can do so. Oh, by the way, nice sig :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 A few alternatives to Stuart_G suggestions. Motherboards The following are good quality boards, with good preformance, good feature sets, good overclockers, ect...t. Probably slightly cheaper then the Asus A8N-E and personally I feel they are better. Epox EP-9NPA+ Ultra DFI NF4 SLI INFINITY For cheap alternatives the Chaintech VNF4 is worth a look. Foxconn boards are currently good value. From what I have read about them, they have good build quality, reliable and stable, with their fair share of features. They are well worth a look if you do not plan to overclock. I was put off the ASUS board because they seem to be having a few hardware, and maybe bios difficulties at the start of the product line. Although, I heard they have been fixed on newer boards. Memory Unless you plan on overclocking there is little preformance benefit in getting Low latency ram (plenty of good value stuff around), although it is only a few dollars ($19) more. Case I agree that the Trinty is a nice case, a alternative would be the Cooler Master Centurion or Cavalier cases ($45-60). Pretty much agree with, or indifferent towards everything else he suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest r3dh3adkid Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor - $160.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535 ASUS A8N-E ATX AMD Motherboard - $109.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530 CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - $99.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145450 Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $85.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144415 eVGA Geforce 7800GT 256-P2-N516 Video Card - $299.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130256 Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-450 450W Power Supply - $66.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103936 BenQ FP71G+ (Black) Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor - $208.95 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824014100 NZXT TRINITY BLK Black/Silver Computer Case With Side Panel Window - $79.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811146015 Logitech Black Wired Value Keyboard - $7.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823126170 Logitech Value Black Mouse - $6.00 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826104181 Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker - $49.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836121118 Total - $1171.91 Now thats got everything you would need such as monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers. I find the case rather sexy myself, but you might not like the looks of it. It comes with a psu, but normally psu's that come with cases arent that great so i put in a 450w Antec psu which should be able to provide ample power. I could write stuff about the other parts, but i cant be bothered. So if any one else wants to suggest something better than the parts i listed, you can do so. Oh, by the way, nice sig :wink: Wow that sounds like a really awsome PC! I am highly intrested in the one you posted except for the case. Yes, it does look pretty freakn awsome but for 79.99 it just doesnt really seem worth it to me. I personally dont care that much for fansy smansy cases as long as it does an amazing job :-D and BTW if its not too much trouble could you explain what part does specifically.. (IE what the motherboard is for or the RAM or memory or w/e) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 It might also be worth mentioning at this point older Intel Graphics Controllers wont work with GW. Just a note for you to remember when deciding on graphics cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoo Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 yes i would certanly recommend changing that case, try and find one that doesn't come with a built in power supply, and buy one seperate instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blade995 Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 yes i would certanly recommend changing that case, try and find one that doesn't come with a built in power supply, and buy one seperate instead. Stuart G suggested a 450 watt Antec in his post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoo Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 yeah but that case comes with a built in psu, you could probably find a cheaper similar alternative case that comes without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 yeah but that case comes with a built in psu, you could probably find a cheaper similar alternative case that comes without it. But then you sell the built in PSU via a online auction and because there are so many idiots out there you would make much of the money back. Cases with PSU often work out cheaper then ones without (if you get around to selling the PSU, which I don,t). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoo Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 if you want to splash out a bit then this is the case i have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811119023 it's an amazing case, looks really stylish, runs really cool and very little noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest r3dh3adkid Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Intel Pentium 4 3.0E 800MHz FSB Socket 478 Processor - $190.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819116171 Intel BLKD101GGCL Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - $65.75 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813121309 Kingston HyperX 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - $111.94 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820144176 Western Digital Raptor 74GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - $161.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822144160 ATI Radeon X800XT All-In-Wonder X800 XT 100-714200 Video Card - $299.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814102492 Thermaltake W0093RU 500W Power Supply - $79.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817153028 NEC Display Solutions LCD1770GX-BK Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor - $349.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824002284 ASPIRE X-Dreamer II ATXB4KLW-BK Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window - $54.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811144026 Logitech Black Wired Value Keyboard - $7.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6823126170 Logitech Value Black Mouse - $6.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6826104181 Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker - $49.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6836121118 Total - 1375.65 Any suggestions are comments are welcome and HIGHLY suggested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart_G Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Hrm, lets see... The motherboard is a 775 socket with pci-e while you chose a socket 478 processor and an agp video card, those three parts arent compatible. The motherboard doesnt support DDR2 ram so the ram youve chosen wont be compatible there either. None of those parts go well together because most of them arent compatible. If your going to try and keep under budget, its a good idea to stick with an AMD cpu because they are cheaper than Intel cpu's and can perform just aswell if not better. So if your seriously considering a new computer, i would really think about the parts i listed because i think they would do just fine, but thats my opinion, wait and see what other people think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoo Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 I would definatly 2nd the AMD cpu, not too go against intel too much, they're not bad, just AMD is much better, and since most of their products you will need are socket 939, it makes for easier upgrades of processor without having to change motherboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Militaris Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 A few changes I would make. Motherboard People already commented on your chosen motherboard, here is a good reliable motherboard. Foxconn NF4UK8AA-8EKRS ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813186037 $93.00 CPU AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103535 $160.00 Memory Unless you plan on overclocking, there is little point in getting more expensive ram. CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145440 $81.00 Hard Drive. The money spent to get a 'raptor' hard-drive would be better spent elsewhere. It would only speed up loading times slightly. Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822144415 $85.00 Video Card The most important part for good game preformance. eVGA Geforce 7800G http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130247 ($275.00 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Tv tuner I prefer seperate cards, that way you do not have to replace it when you purchase a new video card. Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150 MCE 1042 Tuner Card - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6815116620 $62 PSU Thermaltake PSU focus on frills and aesthetic features over actual performance. They are fairly reliable but underpowered and overpriced. Unless you like the looks of the thermaltake, I would suggest going for a Antec, Enermax, Seasonic or OCZ power supply. Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 500W Power Supply - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817103937 $68.99 Case $54.99 Mouse/keyboard $13 Monitor NEC Display Solutions LCD1770GX-BK Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824002284 $350 Speaker There are cheaper alternatives, I personally can not tell the difference between 'good speakers' and 'crappy speakers'. I just purchase on looks and price mostly. My cheap 2.0 speakers sound fine and go fine. $49.99 Total: $1293 + postage. I do not think I forgot anything.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wahoo Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 I dunno about that motherboard, i was reading some reviews on the site and there seemed to be quite a few angry customers in that thread, too many for my liking. ASUS do very good motherboards, and this one has gotten lots of good reviews http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131569 Only $89.99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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