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Is this a good deal?
I'm a noob at PC hardware, but looking to upgrade my desktop. Is this system, from gateway, a good deal (@ $1,300) -- or where might I look for something similar but cheaper?
| Operating System | Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (32-bit) |
| Processor | Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (2.40GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 8MB cache) |
| Memory | 3072MB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM (2-1024 & 2-512) |
| Hard Drive | 500GB 7200rpm Serial ATA II/300 hard drive w/ 16MB cache2 |
| Optical Drive | Super Multi-DVD±RW Hybrid BD/HD Read Only (Serial ATA) Plus an additional 16X Super MFDVDRW/DVD-RAM+/-R Double Layer |
| Video | NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600GS 256MB with DVI, VGA adapter and HDMI (HDMI supports video only) |
| Media Card Reader | 9-in-1 Memory Card Reader |
| Speakers | Logitech® X-240 2.1 Speakers |
| TV Tuner | Analog/Digital TV Tuner with 3D Comb |
| Additional Software | Adobe® Acrobat Reader® 7.0 and Google Toolbar |
| Application Software | Microsoft® Works® 9.0 & Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day complimentary trial |
| Backup Media | Gateway FX540S Recovery DVD V1.0 - MENTOR |
| Chassis | Gateway® 7-bay BTX tower case |
| Color | FX Logo Accent - Black Steel |
| Download Tracking | 2905986R - FX540S - DOWNLOAD TRACKING |
| Finished Goods | Insert for Norton Internet Security™ (60-day Free Trial) |
| Keyboard | Gateway® Elite Keyboard (Windows Vista® Certified) |
| Motherboard | Systemboard with NVIDIA® nForce® 680i LT Chipset |
| Mouse | Soft-touch USB Optical Wheel Mouse |
| Power Supply | 700 Watt Power Supply |
Comments
Not bad. I'd look into buying an aftermarket video card though. Otherwise it looks like a solid system
D.
yep, agree
I too was looking at this same system. In your opinion (anyone who knows more about pcs than me.... so anyone really) how long would this system hold up to new mmos? For instance if a high end mmo came out in say 4 years, would i still be able to use it? Of course i'm just asking for opinions since no one knows what will happen in technology... well hell maybe you do, i sure as hell dont.
The main reason i'm asking is that i spent about the same amount of money on my "gaming pc" 4 years ago and it only held up to new games for like two years. I really only play mmos, and maybe a turn based strategy game every now and then.
And maybe, if you have absolutely nothing better to do, you could tell me what, if anything, i should upgrade on the system to make it last 4-5 years. Again by last i mean hold up to new mmo releases years from now.
Any input would be appreciated.
There is no best MMORPG, only favorites.
The thing is, pretty much no PC out there will be set for games 4 years from now, with the possible exception of buying some insanely high priced pc.
The key is to ensure all of your components are easily upgradable. I.E., will I be able to drop a higher end video card in here in two years? Will I be able to add more RAM? Will I be able to upgrade the processor to a newer version?
With all that said, these things that need to be taken into consideration
mostly have to do with your motherboard. I.E. with the pcie slot (slot you stick your videocard in) be able to take newer video cards with the pcie 2.0 format? Will my motherboard support DDR3 ram as well as DDR2?(most pc's use DDR2 RAM at the moment, but the market is slowly shifting to DDR3) Can the slot that takes the processor on my motherboard take a newer processor in a year or two? Will the motherboard chipset support the features of newer hardware if I want to upgrade?
These are all very important things to ask yourself, which involve knowing the motherboard going into your pc, and a simple google search/reading some reviews.
You need to find the bottom line between performance right now vs. future performance, and upgradability vs. money spent.
You can build/buy a pc with new enough hardware(i.e. motherboard) to be able to upgrade later to the newest stuff, but it will cost a bit more.
You can build/buy a pc right now that Won't be as feasible for the latest and greatest in a couple years that still allows you some headroom for upgrading to a higher processor, without quite hitting the latest and greatest processors.
Most games at any given time will be playable on the current midgrade system. So what you are really shooting for, a couple years down the road is to be able to upgrade one or two components cheaply to put your pc back into that upper midgrade category.
For example, the cheapest pc upgrade is typically upgrading your memory(RAM). Next is the videocard, last is usually the processor.
Between upgrading those items periodically you should be able to make your pc last several years.
The kicker comes with advances in technology. AS long as they are building on the current architecture you're good with simple upgrades. They tend to upend everything every few years and totally redefine the way everything works..then you're screwed and need a whole new system.
If you are lucky, when they do that you can just get a new motherboard and processor, which while a bit pricey, is still a LOT cheaper than buying an entire new computer.
Hope that helps.
By the way..this system you guys are looking at should be good for a couple years, but I don't know after that. It would most likely depend on what kind of performance you demand from your PC.
D.