I have plenty of componets but an older processor. I will either
A. buy a complete system such as Gateway or something offered by the Big box stores.
B. Buy a bare bones system and put my components in it.
I will need a tower with a decent P4 processor , or perhaps the new Intel Pentium D
at least I gig of memory.
I have an AGP graphics card. Should I keep it or will I be shortchanging myself to buy a motherboard without PCI express?
The other option is to buy a complete box and use what I have now for backup and storage. If I can get a real good buy on a bare bones then that seems the better option. From a quick search a decent bare bones seems like it will be $500 or more. That seems real close to a complete system to me?
If you want a low-end system (not a bad one, just something Dell offers in a <$600 package deal), you are usually better off just buying it from a mass vendor. Their buying power makes it really hard for you to beat if you are paying near retail for every single component. If you plan on buying a somewhat higher-end system (say $1000 or more), you can usually do it somewhat cheaper and probably better. This becomes more apparent as the cost of the packaged system grows.
I built my computer and I like it. It took time because I carefully picked out each little piece, had it all delivered and then spent the better part of a day putting it together. You have to install the operating system and all software and the time adds up. It isn’t all that difficult to build one especially if you have upgraded components before. Building a computer is basically just a series of upgrade type tasks. However, all of the hardware and software tasks can eat into the majority of a weekend. It can also be frustrating at times.
Is this going to be a main-computer replacement? Or a second computer? If you just want a P4 w/ 1 GB memory, check out Retrobox.com. They sell refurbed computers and have a good reputation. I did a quick search on P4’s and the most expensive complete system was $227 (P4, 512MB, 80GB, DVD-ROM).
Finally, if you go with Dell, Gateway, etc. always check out there returns/refrub prices. These are basically systems that were returned, or orders that were cancelled before shipping, etc. The systems will vary by the hour. If you figure out what you want and then keep an eye on the list during the day – you could get a great deal. The links are sometimes hard to find on their pages, but they are often worth it.
Sorry, I don’t know about the AGP question, but it depends a lot on what you are going to use this computer for.
The last three computers I’ve bought were barebones systems, fromthis fine place. I haven’t paid more than $350, but you can make your choice of many different processors and motherboards and towers, etc. and the price goes up. Still, I recommend you at least give their website a look. I’m sure you could find something to your liking there. (They don’t have a cutomer referral program!)
I’m currently building my cpu because at the big box stores, mine would cost easily over $1000 (I forgot the exact total last time I looked), and that’s with mostly subpar components. I find that buying from a big box store, they will try to sell you on one component only, and cheap you on the rest. Case in point, I have a AMD 3700+ processor. The cheapest system I saw had that component, but everything else wasn’t as great (bestbuy currently has a gateway with my processor for $600, screen included). I already have a a better graphics card (geforce 7800 GT OC which is way better than the standard 6100 that is included); and better motherboard (I’m assuming, it isn’t listed). Ram, hard drives, dvd writer, and screen (depending) are cheap. So far, I’ve spent under $450 (I’ve done a lot of ebaying). There is a comparable machine for $1700 and I’ll be way under that (my new revised estimate is ~$790 (less if I can get some stuff for free from work).
The only downside, especially if you’re a cheap bastard like me, is that you will wait a long time looking for deals. When I started building, a AMD 3700 was considered to be near top of the line. There is at least 3 processors AMD has that are way better than that.