Need advice on new system

[kefeso]

I am an average user, just average hehe. Nothing like extreme gaming and designing. I recently saw a HP media centre system with 920, 2G RAM, Geforce 6200, and 250G 7200 hard drive for about 1300. I thought that it was pretty decent. I was just wondering if HP is a good brand for PCs, will it go right up against powerhouses such as Dell, or does brand really doesn't matter. It would seem to be pretty darn stupid to buy a system of 1300 from dell for only a 820, 1G RAM, X600, and 250G 7200 hard drive.

I will really appreciate your opinions, thx =]

 

[o1die]

Why spend so much for an average user. I'd go for an athlon 64. Even the dual core systems can be had for less than $1000 after rebates if you watch the ads carefully. And you don't need 2 gigs for average usage. 1 gig is plenty. HP and Compaq both use the dual core amd. Just watch the ads from best buy and circuit city, best buy usually has the better deals. And sometimes Fry's beats them all with less upfront money (and smaller rebates). And if the system comes with onboard video, just be sure it has an extra pci-e slot and buy the video card separately. You'll get a better card for less by spending 5 minutes installing it yourself. Newegg has an evga 6800gs for $164 after $15 rebate that will run just about any game.

 

[techtre2003]

You will be able to put together a system for less if you build it yourself or know someone that can build it for you. It really isn't very hard to do! I have had HPs in the past. I have also had Dell systems in the past. My HP systems seemed to have fewer problems than my Dell systems. You will be sure to get the "cheapest" parts available when you buy one of these systems though. For example, Dell uses a passive heatsink rather than a heatsink fan for the processor. While this makes the system very quiet, Intel processors tend to get a little hot. When I went to upgrade my processor in my Dell, I realized the motherboard wouldn't even accomodate a heatsink fan so I couldn't really upgrade the processor. For 1300 dollars you can build a much nicer system rather than buying one from Dell or HP. If you can read and follow directions, you can put a PC together. Read up on some how to guides and give it a shot.

 

[kefeso]

Thanks guys. I just realized that I forgot to mention something, I live in Canada, so the price should differ from that of US's, don't know then if I am still getting ripped off or not? Any suggestions? And o1die, hmm yea I didn state that I am an average user, well my thoughts were that I'll be able to use this system for quite a while before I need another upgrade. Yea I'll be sure to look out for the pci-e slots. And techtre, thanks for the comparison between dell and hp in general. To be honest, I am still debating whether I should create a system from scratch or get the already made. Because from diferent sources where I'd hear that at the same price, the branded systems will include the best possible parts whereas if you buy each part separately, you'll end up spending much more.

 

[luminaris]

You would be better off going with the HP. I have a few old and very old HP machines that just won't die!

HP IMO, doesn't use the cheapest parts anymore. One of the newer HP machines I've seen recently actually had a very well known aftermarket board in it and it came that way. They've come a long way and I would certainly opt for the HP.

 

[ikjadoon]

I think a HP Dual-Core machine has an Asus motherboard inside? Can't remember which one, though....Circuit has great deals on HP's, especially those with Dual-Core. If you gamed more I'd say maybe build, or even change some parts with a HP machine as the PSU's are not that great, but everything else is good.

~Ibrahim~

 

[veedub]

i'm actually in a similar boat (in canada, building a system, that is) except i'm leaning towards intel, and i am definitely using pci-e. i don't know how remote your location is, but have you checked around your local shops? unless there is some kind of amazing savings somewhere, really your best bet is to buy locally. once you factor in the exchange rate, shipping, insurance, your time, and the hassle of returning defective/faulty merchandise, any possible savings you have initially, eventually get whittled away to pretty much nothing. and don't even get me started on gst and possible excise taxes. lots of component stores have systems they sell too, which often give room for a little customization. give those stores a look before you decide to plunk money down on a preconfig from staples or best buy.

 

[luminaris]

Yes, HP uses ASUS boards in many of their machines.