Need a computer for the wife. 1000 budget.

[brett_monkey]

Hey gang my father in-law wants to buy my wife/his daughter a new PC. Which is fine by me However the budget is around 1000 dollars and they want to stick with a home brand such as Dell/HP/ABS etc. Can you even get a good gaming rig for around that price? I have a monitor already. Lucky for me my wife and I are going to start playing Lord of the rings online together. Any help would be great

 

[StevieD]

A "GOOD" rig? What is your definition of a good rig? A rig that is better than what is owned by half of the readers of the board? A rig that is better than most of the computers used in the world.

Try this one, it won't cause most readers to go bonkers in envy, but it will do the job.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DDCWAB3&s=dhs


No monitor

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6320 (4MB L2 cache,1.86GHz,1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
16x DVD+/-RW Drive
256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE TurboCache
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
13 in 1 Media Card Reader
56K PCI Data Fax Modem
Windows Vista™ Premium


I added the media card reader because I love 'em.
Modem was included at NC. The same with the keyboard and mouse (the keyboard really suxs but what the heck it is included)

The Graphics card is not the latest and greatest, but it works.

$779.


Add some software and you are still under the $1k budget. Try configuring the same computer on the small business division, the price may or may not be better.

 

[kobe08]

$350 off select Dimension Desktops $999 or more code BG43KQX1B9DZMB [Exp 6/28]

Dimension Coupons valid on these systems: DDCWBA1, DDCWBA2, DDCWBB2, DDCWBC2, DDCWBA3, DDCWBB3, DDCWAA2, DDCWAA3, DDCWAA4, DDCWAB4, DDCWCA1, DDCWCA2, DDCWCA3, DDCWCB3

http://bensbargains.net/merchants/6/Dell_Home_Coupons

 

[predaking]

So you aren't looking at laptops?

Newegg had a nice Asus with a 7600 card for around a grand. so with shipping it should be under 1100.

 

[aevm]

I saw an Acer PC advertised at BestBuy for CAD$ 899, it had a Q6600 inside. Just add a $300 8800 GTS 320 or a $200 x1950xt and you get a great gaming machine :lol:

Maybe you should try to explain to your wife and father-in-law that companies like HP and Acer and Dell cut lots of corners to achieve their lower prices. YOu end up with slower memory, weak PSUs and small cases that won't support upgrades, etc. If you do have some hardware skills and you intend to upgrade that PC later then you are much better off going to a local shop and getting them to build a custom PC, or building it yourself.

BTW, that's a nice father-in-law you got there :lol:

Good luck!

 

[zenmaster]

Also explain that you will get a better warranty if you build it yourself.
That could be part of the concern.

If any of your components blow after 90days or maybe a year on the PC you buy you are on your own.

However, if you build your own, many parts may have a 3-5yr warranty.
You may even ask for a reduced budget to build your own.

Hey for $800 I can build a far better machine than I an buy for $1000.

Explain to him that the cheapest of these canned PCs may be OK, but they overcharge for every little upgrade.

The other thing I would do is build a PC on NewEgg for $1000 and then show that PC side by side to a store PC. This may help him understand the difference.

In the descriptions do not put the exact CPU, but put something like
Intel Core2Duo running at 1.8ghz with a 1066Mzh Front Side Bus for the Store PC.

Then put Intel COre2Duo running at 3.0Ghz with a 1333 Front Bus.

Now need to mention that both may be E4300s.
This is not really deceptive since the store PC cant be changed to do what the home built PC will do.

For the graphics, spell out the power they have using Fill Rates.
The difference is huge and even those who do not understand graphics cards can read these simple numbers.

 

[brett_monkey]

Wow, thanks for the input guys. I am definitely aware that building your own is the best way to go, but it is kinda hard to explain that to someone sometimes. I will take all of your advice to my wife so she might be able to sway her dad to let me build it for her. Anyhow thanks again for reading and for the time invested.

Brett

 

[zenmaster]

But I'm not really sure they did great shopping.

Let's look at the "Affordable Gaming PC".

1) OS - Nobody looking to Game is likely going to be looking at Vista. XP is more the gamers choice at the moment. Also, where did he get those prices? New Egg sells it for $190 not $273-$414.

2) Motherboard - Why a very expensive motherboard for a system when OCing does not appear to be in line. Why not a P35 Mobo? He talks about upgradability but it's missing the whole next generation of CPUs coming out. There are cheaper P35 boards that support SLI. He is months behind on this selection.

3) Case - Built in PSU? OMG? Tell me he is joking. Perhaps for a low end PC, but not for a Gaming PC. Not for one which he just tossed down an extra $100 for SLI support but did not but a PSU to handle it. Not to mention tossing in other expensive parts that may die a horrible death due to the PSU. Cheap PSU for budget PC is OK with me. Not for a $1500 system.

There is no reason he could not have afforded an acceptable PSU if he had not blown money on the OS and MB. He could have even tossed in an upgraded sound card for those who are into that.

 

[Gneisenau]

Just buy her any piece of crap that works. She's not going to like whatever you buy anyway....Oh wait, that's my wife....sorry. Carry on

 

[apocalyp5e]

$1000 is more than enough to build a system... even a gaming system.
I'm not familiar with prices in Seattle but here in Canada I usually get parts from canadacomputers.com or pcvonline.com Tiger is ok but not the best prices.

 

[f61]

This DIY below is running US$725, Adding Windows XP is still under US$1000. If you put that ASUS 8600GT in there, your ready for Vista, when Vista gets ready.

f61