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Custom Computer Help Needed!
deathinthereaper
Member Posts: 3
Hi all! I'm very new to using this forum so hopefully I'm in the right place. I was recommended to come here by my brother for help in getting my next PC so here it goes..
I'm looking into getting a custom built Desktop computer tower (not an all-in-one) and I would like for it to be able to handle games as well as my art and business (for photoshop/photo editing software purposes). I've had a custom built computer in the past and it finally gave out on me after 6 years of use sometime in the beginning of this year. Anyway, the last time I was looking for a computer was back when 2GBs of RAM was a big deal and I was needing a computer for college. Now I'm no longer in college, I don't have a ton of cash (and will likely need to do some saving before I can purchase a new custom tower) but I need some help on where to start.
My brother had me visit a website that has custom tower building options, but I'm at a loss as to what is good/bad or just uneessary for my current needs. I would like to get something that won't break the bank but that will have the potential for me to upgrade in the future.
Here is a link to one particular website with a somewhat cheaper model to build off of: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/AMD_Fusion_APU_Configurator
I don't want to spend more than $500 and am trying to aim closter to the mid to low $400 range. Here is a very short list of the things I'd like to have (a wish list so to speak) but I'm very open to knowledgable input which is why I'm here in the first place. 
- I'd like to have at minimum 4GB of RAM to about 8GBs of RAM
- A Nividia graphics card is prefered (it's the only kind I've used in the past and I've come to trust it, but I'm open to other kinds if there is a better one to look for)
- I'll only be using one monitor so only one graphics card is necessary at this point
- 500GB Hard drive (1TB is also fine, but I have an external harve drive of over 600GBs already so an internal drive over 500GBs isn't necessary)
- Good sound card
That's all I can think of at the moment. Basically I'm looking to gain a little knowledge here so I can make a smart purchase. Any help is greatly appreciated! The website I lised above is just an example of what I've been shown. I'm terrible at google searches and finding reputable sellers/companies. I had a pretty terrible experience with my last custom built computer and I'm hoping to have a much better experience this time around.
I would also like to get a new keyboard, mouse, and speakers as the ones I have are pretty shot. As far as keyboards go I'm really partial to the kind with flatter keys (closer to how laptop keyboards are). And for speakers I'd like something decent that will last me a few years. I've basically been running on hand me down computers/laptops/accessories for the last year or so and I'm dying to get my hands on something new to make it mine.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions for me just ask and I shall answer. The sooner I know the price range a new custom tower (built to my specs) will cost me, the sooner I can start saving.
Comments
What you're asking for can't be done on your stated budget. If you want to get something viable for gaming for under $500, you'll have to build your own and use integrated graphics. You're also going to use integrated sound, not a discrete card. And if you want to push the budget very far under $500, you'll have to go with some Llano parts on clearance. Which actually makes a ton of sense at the right price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1134152
Motherboard, quad core processor, and viable graphics for $95, including shipping and before a rebate.
But if you're not ready to build now, then wait until you've got the money and come back. Price will change, so what's a good deal today won't be a good deal a few months from now. In the case of some Llano parts, they'll probably be off the market entirely.
Also, there's rarely any reason to consider multiple video cards on a sub-$1500 budget. (No, the 1 in there is not extraneous.) You mention multiple monitors, but most modern video cards can handle at least three monitors, and some can take as many as six.
going to sleep sry, but more help will come.
At that price onboard audio is fine (its much better than it was 6-8 years ago). So skip a dedicated sound card.
"Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine
It's going to be tough to get a machine that'll last a few years for that price. I'm all for building your own rig, I do it all the time, but honestly, with black Friday coming up, I'd probably just check the sales and see what you can get premade.
What I do is go to Newegg or Amazon, and start looking at motherboards. I find one in my price range, read reviews from all the internet, and decide if that's the one I want. If not, I move on. Just use the onboard sound capabilities of the motherboard, most are pretty good at this point. You can even get one with onboard video and after you save up enough money, get a better video card later. Then just track down some memory, a power supply, a case, a dvd drive and a hard drive and you should be good.
Hm...but what about the options on the website link I listed? NONE of that is any good at all? I just find it hard to believe that two of you say it can't be done when the website I linked says otherwise. Is nothing on that example I gave any good?
I was looking at premade stuff (a laptop really but only because I just happened to find it while looking up XBox deals for a friend). Best Buy has a wide screen one that's pretty basic but would be light years ahead of the piece of junk I have right now.
I actually have two towers, the one I'm currently typing this on and the one custom job that died on me (which I suspect needs a new motherboard).
You're all basically confirming my suspicions that I should just forget getting a brand new custom tower and see about getting a temporary pre-made stand in for the mean time. I would honestly prefer to upgrade the custom tower that died on me.
I'm not looking for something super all powerful. I don't need it to run games on their maxed out settings and I've run games and photoshop on that old custom of mine just fine in the past. 2GB RAM and it's Nividia processor and a sound card worked fine for what it was. And my wish list was just that, a list of things I'd like to have, mostly based off of what I'd seen on that site. I was able to select options to make a custom build and it came in at around $450-ish which is why I'm so super confused as to why I'm being told it's not possible.
But back to that Best Buy laptop deal, here it is: https://blackfriday.bestbuy.com/online+only+deals/product/6952832/toshiba++satellite+173quot+laptop++4gb+memory++500gb+hard+drive++satin+black
It says "HOT Price" right now, so I looked up the regular price and it's listed at $400 so I'm not sure what the sale will be for Black Friday. My brother suggested that for $400 I could just as easily get a custom tower built with better specs. And that's why I came here as I figured I'd ask what you guys think of this site: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/AMD_Fusion_APU_Configurator and others like it.
I apologize if I was not more clear. I'm currently running off of 3 hours sleep after working last night so thoughts are starting to run together. >_>;
I looked at the cyberpower link.
For a low budget computer its not terrible IMO.
Two things I would change. Drop the liquid cooling, why do you need liquid cooling for a low end computer? save that $20.
Get a better Power supply. The one you have is a crappy 350watt. At least spring for a decent 500-600 watt one, so when the time comes to add a video card you can at least.
That is not a gaming computer at all, you may can play some games at low settings. For office type programs or photo editing I think it would be ok.
That's $479 without an operating system. Add Windows and it's $583, which is way over your stated budget. If you want to spend $600, then getting something built to order becomes an option, but not at $500. Unless, of course, you're a huge Linux fan and willing to forgo all Windows-only games, which is most of them.
That doesn't have a price tag on it, so I have no idea if it fits your budget. You said you found somewhere that says $400, but I wouldn't trust that unless you get it in writing from Best Buy. Intel charges $225 for the processor alone, and making the rest of a laptop for $175 isn't terribly practical.
Even so, Intel integrated graphics is not what you want for gaming unless you have no alternative. Even recent AMD integrated graphics would be vastly better.
That link won't let me share any of the upgrades and things I'd put in myself. It's at it's default setting and I can't share any of the changes I made. So the liquid cooling isn't something I chose, that's the default option.
I also would be getting Windows (and I know it won't come pre-installed). The $479 option is the default setting, as I've stated above. I don't know anything about Linux so that's definitely not an option.
Also, here is a link to that Toshiba laptop on BestBuy's website. It says "coming soon" so maybe that $400 price tag is what the Black Friday sale will be. I don't really know and the website doesn't say anything about it. But for $400 (or a little more) would it not be better to look into getting a custom tower build even with the added cost of the OS? At least that way I'd be able to pick the parts that go into it that suit me best.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+-+Satellite+17.3%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Satin+Black/6952832.p;jsessionid=64D1792D858074DCE2211D8DBE1AD9B4.bbolsp-app06-24?id=1218816233087&skuId=6952832&st=Toshiba%20-%20Satellite%2017.3%22%20Laptop%20-%204GB%20Memory%20-%20500GB%20Hard%20Drive%20-%20Satin%20Black&cp=1&lp=2
Anyway, I do appreciate all the help you guys are giving me.
It's not likely that you'll actually be able to buy that laptop for $400. New Egg has basically the same thing for $580. Amazon has something similar except a 15" monitor for $560. The cheapest that either of them have a Core i3-3110M in any laptop, regardless of the other cut corners, is $480. And those sites are usually quite a bit cheaper than Best Buy.
If Best Buy actually sells that laptop for $400, they'll lose money on it. The $400 might be a placeholder price that will change once they get it in stock. They might only sell a few at that price, trying to get some publicity. But they're not going to sell large volumes at that price.
And even if you could buy it for $400, that's not what you want for gaming. Intel integrated graphics are pitiful to begin with. And then they get clocked lower to fit in a laptop. And then clocked lower yet for the Core i3 version.
If you want to get something decent on your stated budget, you'll need to build your own. Is there some reason why you're unwilling to do that? It's easier than you might think. Paying someone else $100 to use a screwdriver for you isn't a very good idea on a $500 budget.