I need a new computer

[Shard O'Glase]

I want a new computer, something good enough to run say WoW at the least. Any suggestions on what to get, where to go. I'm thinking of just getting a dell since I've had no problems with my last computer but I don't know for sure.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I just went to dell and gateway and I'm a bit irritated. I'll freely admit ignorance in computers, but lets say I want a good graphic card well I try to add it to computer X, um not an option. lets see do they have good graphic cards well yes, but its only an option on there really snazzy and expensive computers. Why can't I get a cheaper computer but slap on a good graphics card?

 

[bullseye]

There's a few possibilities. One, if you want a dell or gateway, you can probably get the combo of low end PC with high end card by calling them up and being insistent (you'll probably have more luck with Dell on that.) The other options are go with a more gaming specific vendor like Alienware or just buy the lower end PC with the cheapest video option and slap in a high end card of your choice when you get it. I haven't seen the specs on WoW, but I'm betting you can at least run it with the basic setup (anything being sold today should handle it, since they are designing for the larger market of older PCs) though you'll probably have a better graphic experience and smoother play, as well as handle future games, with a better setup.

 

[cybertalus]

Don't know exactly how low you're wanting to go on price, but you might check out tigerdirect.com. They sell loads of brands, but I know a few people who've been quite pleased with their Systemax computers. They've got an Intel-based system that you can customize which starts at just under $900.

Or if you wanna go the DIY route, Tiger also sells bare bones cases that are usually just a case, motherboard, and processor. Though if you're gonna do that, might as well shop Newegg instead and build the whole thing.

One thing to watch out for if you go ultra-cheap, like the $299 Dells, is that they often have video built in to the motherboard and don't have an AGP slot so you can upgrade later.

 

[Thanee]

I don't know if you can choose components, but here are some tips what to look for:

The graphics card is the most important part, basically. The ATI 9800 Pro or GeForce 6600 GT are both quite good and not overly expensive (guessing about $250), for example. Don't go too low here, but you won't need the highest top end card, either (they cost easily twice as much).

Processor speed is not overly important, any processor you can buy these days will do fine, tho the mid-range ones are usually not much more expensive than the lowest ones. Just get one with a good cost-performance ratio (cost should be around $100~150 for a CPU with about 2~2.5 GHz). High end CPUs are a waste of money pretty much.

Motherboards are not so different as they were a while ago, tho I'd still stick to a manufacturer with a name, like ASUS. Can't do much wrong there, tho you should look out for what stuff comes onboard with the motherboard, they often have soundcards installed, for example, while they are not as good as seperate soundcards they usually do their job quite well (if you want surround sound, you'll need a seperate card, of course).

RAM is very important. 512 MB is a bare minimum, 1 GB is better.

Then just look for the accessories you need (like CD/DVD Burner, HardDisk size, etc).


So, a system with an average CPU, good RAM and a good graphics card is what you need.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Psionicist]

The graphics card is the most important part, basically. The ATI 9800 Pro or GeForce 6600 GT are both quite good and not overly expensive (guessing about $250), for example. Don't go too low here, but you won't need the highest top end card, either (they cost easily twice as much).

Bye
Thanee

Hell, you can get a Geforce 6800 LE with better performance than Geforce FX 5950 Ultra (Nvidia's 9800 XT) for $200. Video cards are rediciously cheap right now.

 

[Thanee]

Heh. Those prices drop faster than a block of adamantine sometimes... but as I said, it was just a rough guess with the price, I have really no idea about the prices in the states.

Anyways, there are really a lot of good upper middle class graphic cards available.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Krieg]

In regards to video cards be sure to check on whether the card is AGP or PCI-X, and ensure that your mobo supports it.

 

[Krieg]

*click*

 

[Psionicist]

*cough* PCI-Express and PCI-X are two different things. *cough*