I think its finally time to let my 6 year old computer go. I have no clue what the current stuff is and haven’t for years. basically all I will use it for is internet, music and movies. It Must be able to play hd movies and have optical or coax audio out. I’m going to need case/psu, motherboard, cpu, memory, video and prbably an optical drive. What are some chipsets, sockets or platforms to look for? Or I’d take a complete list of components too. What could I expect to spend on something thats not bottom of the barrel but nice enough and fairly cheap?
building it yourself, with just a tower prob about $600
I’d recommend just buying a Dell for those purposes, especially since building yourself will cost the same if not more (sadly.)
Check out Slickdeals.net or techbargains.com. Those are the two places I look for cheap computers that come with monitors.
I swear I just saw a Dell perfect for your needs that also came with a 24" Monitor for around $650!
Quick check found:
Dell E2209W 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor; Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 @ 2.8GHz; 2GB RAM; 320GB HDD; USB Mouse/Keyboard; Vista Home Basic; 3yr warranty
$519
OR, A lot more for a little more:
Dell Home Coupon Code 20% off Inspiron 530/530s Desktops (Quad-Core w/ 24in LCD $623.20), Jul. 1 8 AM
Dell Home is offering this coupon code.
20% off this Dell Inspiron 530 desktop or this Dell Inspiron 530s Slim desktop configured to over $699 w/ Coupon
Code: 2JP4Q4$ZRFLKFQ (Exp 7/31)
Dell Inspiron 530 Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 w/ 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor $623.20 $39 Shipping
Dell S2409W 24" LCD; Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @ 2.33GHz; 2GB RAM; 320GB HDD; DVD burner; Vista Home Basic; 1yr warranty
$779.00 - 20% off Code: 2JP4Q4$ZRFLKFQ = $623.20
CLICK HERE
- Select Processor - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @ 2.33GHz (+$170)
- Select Monitor - Dell S2409W 24" Full HD Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor (+$340)
- Click on Review tab at top
- Click on Add To Shopping Cart
- At shopping cart, use 20% off $699+ Dell Coupon
Code: 2JP4Q4$ZRFLKFQ
I don’t need a monitor. The biggest issue I have with pre-built computers is all the crap that comes on them and stuff that you can’t messs with. Are they easy enough to clean up?
I don’t think I need an os either but those will at least get me started.
If you don’t need the monitor, you save even more $$$ by selling it to NYSpeed for cheap when you’ve got it 
Cleaning junk off is as easy as “Add and Remove Programs”
Get rid of the antivirus and trial crap (microsoft office 60 day and 60 day Norton 360) or whatever, put AVG Free on there and OpenOffice for your word/excel needs.
If you don’t want an OS, then your problems are gone. Pop a CD in… format… Win.
your looking ~400$ for a decent system, maybe 450, 500 with a legit windows OS.
AMD is going to be your friend for cheap, reliable power. Heres what i would recommend:
LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136167
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$24.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148395
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$59.99
A-DATA G series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1B16KG - Retail
Item #: N82E16820211281
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$45.99
AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core black edition Processor Model AD775ZWCGHBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103300
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$64.99
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128379
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Rosewill R379-SM Black/ Silver 0.8mm SGCC Steel Slim MicroATX Computer Case with ATX12V Flex 300W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811147098
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
-$10.00 Combo
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate13-128-379
$144.98
$129.98
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116674
Return Policy: Software Return Policy
*
Microsoft Gift - Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 x64 64-Bit - OEM
Item #: N82E16800996054
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Combo
$119.99
$109.99
Subtotal: <b>$435.93</b>
Shipping: $22.20
Grand Total: <b>$458.13</b>
A computer with those specs will be more than enough to keep you happy for a long time to come. It will def be able to handle HD movies (i was using that chipset to watch blu ray/hd dvd’s and hd movies myself) and the 500gb hdd will give you plenty of storage space. Now, are those the exact parts i would choose, probably not - that was just with a quick one over on newegg. and thats 458 with shipping, that could be cut if you look for free shipping, and includes a full version of vista premium and you get the windows 7 upgrade with the tech guarantee.
You can buy a dell with out all the pre installed crap…you just have to select the right options when ordering.
Right on.
If you watch slickdeals and techbargains every day for a month, you will find the right deal to jump on.
I picked up a dell desktop with a core2, and a 24 inch monitor for 479 bucks shipped to the door, with vista on it.
The new ones will come with coupons to upgrade to windows 7 for free.
You can not even come close to building a computer like this for 500 bucks.
I just picked up a laptop for the misses who is going to grad school. A decent toshiba with a 15 inch screen for $399.
The only reason I would ever build a computer is for gaming but I am not a huge nerd so that won’t happen.
I’ll look around at some dells but I don’t feel like waiting too long. I threw together a similar system to MKE for 300 without the hard drive and os. Time for more research
I would have a ton more faith in a properly built/properly researched custom build than with a dell/any other store bought system.
Post up specs/model number of the dell you got for 480 w/ 24" monitor.
Faith? What faith?
It comes with a warranty
I have 4 Dell Desktops at home which run 24/7 oldest is a couple years old never had a single issue.
Why waste money building something if its cheaper to buy it from dell? It doesn’t make l33t being able to build a desktop this isn’t 1995
I’ll buy the monitor for 100 bucks
Turns out to be a 22 inch monitor, not 24… I spent about 75 bucks upgrading the ram to 4gb, putting a sata dvd burner on it, and a regular hdmi pci express video card. So I’m at around 550 total now…
Order Detail
Item Description:
Optiplex 360 MiniTower - OptiPlex 360 Minitower Base, Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic,SP1, with media,32 Edition English
Unit Price: $729.00
Quantity: 1
Total Price: $729.00
– OptiPlex 360 Minitower –
– OptiPlex 360 Minitower Base
– [224-0471]
– Processors –
– Intel® Pentium® Dual Core Processor E5200 (2.50GHz, 2M, 800MHz FSB)
– [311-9933]
– Memory –
– 2.0GB DDR2 Non-ECC SDRAM, 800MHz, (1DIMM)
– [311-7443]
– Keyboard –
– No Keyboard Selected
– [310-0760]
– Monitors –
– Dell 22 inch E2209W Widescreen
– [320-7404]
– Video Card –
– Integrated Video, Intel® GMA3100
– [320-5766]
– Boot Hard Drives –
– 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s and 8MB DataBurst Cache蒂
– [341-5096]
– Floppy Drive –
– No Floppy Drive
– [341-3839]
– Operating System(s) –
– Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic,SP1, with media,32 Edition English
– [310-8643]
– [420-8464]
– Mouse –
– No Mouse Selected
– [310-3553]
– Removable Media Storage Devices –
– 16X DVD-ROM SATA, Roxio Creator蒂 Cyberlink Power DVD蒂
– [313-6743]
– [420-9179]
– Thermals –
– Opti 360 Heat Sink,MT
– [330-2079]
– Speakers –
– No Speaker, OptiPlex
– [313-4825]
– Power Supply –
– OptiPlex 360 Minitower Chassis with Standard Power Supply
– [330-2077]
– Documentation –
– Documentation, English with 125 Volt US Power Cord
– [330-1710]
– [330-1711]
– Dell Energy Smart –
– No Energy Smart Selected
– [467-3564]
– Resource DVD –
– Resource DVD - contains Diagnostics and Drivers for Vista systems
– [330-3686]
– Hardware Support Services –
– 3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service
– [990-7792]
– [990-9830]
– [992-1847]
– [992-1848]
– Installation –
– No Onsite System Setup
– [900-9987]
– Ship Packaging Options –
– Shipping Material for System, Smith Minitower
– [330-1186]
– Save $282 on Select Optiplex 360 through Dell Small Business
- $282.00
– Save $282 on Select Optiplex 360 through Dell Small Business
- $282.00
Subtotal: $447.00
IVA: –
Shipping and Handling: $35.00
Import Fee: –
Shipping Discount: -$35.00
Total: $486.12
This is a bit more than I planned but seems pretty nice and will give some flexibiluty.
[ATTACH]9863[/ATTACH]
The AMD computer would still beat that, and with the price of monitors be around the same price.
the Pentium Dual core e5200 (not a ‘core 2 duo’), is not as good of a processor as the 7750 (or if he spends the extra 5$ for the 7850) for games, and his main reason for replacing a computer - media ‘stuff’. The computer i ‘built’ has 3-4x more hard drive space, and has a much better integrated graphics card, for his purpose.
Faith? What faith?
It comes with a warranty
I have 4 Dell Desktops at home which run 24/7 oldest is a couple years old never had a single issue.
Why waste money building something if its cheaper to buy it from dell? It doesn’t make l33t being able to build a desktop this isn’t 1995
It comes with a 1 year warranty. If you build a computer, typically most parts have a min of 2-3 years.
From the computers i’ve built, i’ve never had a single one fail on me over the past 4 years. Now, if i compare that to the number of computers my family has purchased, about half have died in a couple years, if not less. (ram, hdd, psu)
off the shelf computers are definitely more hit-or-miss than a custom built pc. And as we just demonstrated, the price is not any more expensive. Plus, with a custom pc you get to choose what you want, for better expandability/future proofing. when you buy a cheap prebuilt your pretty much stuck with whatever is in it until you replace it.
So yes, when the prices are this close, i would feel more comfortable building one than buying a dell.
BUDGET FAIL.
I still don’t understand why you are custom building for “internet, music and movies,” as you said in your very first post.
FML why do I keep coming into this post? :picard:
Next, you’re gonna come back in here talking about your top of the line video card that you paid $300 on…
I fail to see your logic. You posted two rigs at $512 and $623 while his build comes to $423. His budget seems to be where he wants and doesn’t have to go through the hassle of having to sell the monitor to be cheaper.
sigh
it’d take less time to sell the monitor than to price out parts, get them and build the computer, install windows, etc. It took me less than 24 hours to sell all 8 of my monitors I’ve gotten with my last 8 workstations.
Those two deals were examples. You can find them higher and lower. Do you think those are the only two deals on the internet? I referred to them as examples. Selling the 24" monitor alone from the $623 option would make the computer about $400…
at only 19% more power than the E7400, the Phenom II 550 isn’t really a huge difference, especially compared to his “6 year old computer”
His build at $400 doesn’t even have a hard drive or windows, BTW.
ALSO, the Dell Desktops have an open PCI-E slot! If he wants more performance, video wise, than the onboard ATI HD3300 w/ 128MB RAM, he can easily spend $50-$100 to get a video card that will blow the onboard out of the water.
I love when people say “off the shelf computers are definitely more hit-or-miss than a custom built pc. And as we just demonstrated, the price is not any more expensive. Plus, with a custom pc you get to choose what you want, for better expandability/future proofing. when you buy a cheap prebuilt your pretty much stuck with whatever is in it until you replace it.” type of sentences. Even with a custom built PC, you’re stuck with what you built as well. People who build their own don’t usually build them half-assed, expecting to pay more for 10-20% more performance later on by swapping out the processor. You can change out the video card on most pre-built computers so there is no advantage there. Memory as well, you can just buy $20-$40 more if you need it. Hard drives as well are simple upgrades (if you know what you’re doing with imaging software)
Way too many ignorant people who can’t do math today. I’m already in a bad mood… I think it’s time to log off.
Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
[LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50 - OEM](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136167)
$24.99
[APEVIA X-QBOII X-QBOII-NW-BK/500 Black SECC Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144224)
-$10.00 Instant
$59.99
[CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 - Retail](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184)
-$2.00 Instant
$44.99
[GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9400 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128363)
$129.99
[Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7400 - Retail](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115206)
$119.99
Subtotal: $379.95
Summary:
CPU: 2.8GHz core 2 duo
Gfx: Geforce 9400 w/ HDMI
Ram: 4GB DDR2 800MHz
Audio: 8 channel Realtek ALC889A
PSU: 500 Watt
Throw in a 320GB hd for $45 and a copy of windows 7 and you have a kickass system for under $450