So, does anybody want to help me pick out a new computer?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about computers. Well, I probably know more than the average person, but I know nothing when I am compared to my MIT-attending, gaming nerd friends.

A little background: my current computer is a Gateway Profile 4 and, although the computer is cool looking, the design is pretty much useless. I can’t upgrade anything, I can’t change anything, and none of my nerdy friends really know how to work on it (so I have to gasp PAY gasp! to get my computer fixed). The CD drive has gone and died and I’m currently using a USB CD drive, since I was told it’d be damn near impossible to change the current one.

Anywho, the computer is just slowly dying. I’m guessing it’s 3-4 years old (most of the software on there is dated 2003, but I honestly can’t remember when we got it), it’s slowing down a ton (even after cleaning the stupid thing out, reformatting, etc and so forth), and is just becoming a general pain in the ass. Of course, this has nothing to do with me just wanting a new toy :D.

Anyway, my needs aren’t anything particularly exciting. I want to be able to surf the internet with ease, play music and videos (dvds would be a super plus), do my school work (so just basic Microsoft Works or something of that nature. . . I’m a poli sci/ history major, so I’m not really in need of any crazy programs), and something that can run my most favorite game with out freezing- The Sims 2. Yes, I know, I’m a lame. It’s ok ;). Both my current desk top and laptop will crap out after about 30 minutes of the Sims (everything gets very slow) and I’d really like a computer that I don’t have to worry about that happening.

Price isn’t too terribly important (being a college student rules!), but I want to keep it reasonable. Reasonable to be seems somewhere about or below $1500.

I’m really asking because I don’t know anything about the numbers (memory, etc). I honestly have no idea what is good for my needs.

Any suggestions?

2

Can you get one of your MIT gaming friends to put one together for you? Because that’s probably your best option.

For your needs, I’d stick with something about a year old:

  • CPU: socket 939 Athlon 64 3000-3500
  • video: Geforce 6800 GT or maybe the next level up
  • 2 gigs dual-channel DDR ram
  • a few hundred gigs of hard disk
  • DVD burner

(Incidentally, this is pretty much my current setup. A bit long in the tooth for playing the newest games, but more than enough power for everything else, including the Sims 2.) Without a monitor, you could probably put something like this together for $500-$800. You can get a nice Dell 20" flat panel for a few hundred bucks, or a smaller, cheaper monitor elsewhere.

If you don’t want to build your own, I’d probably just buy a Dell. They’re reliable and reasonably cheap.

3

Your needs are mainstream so stay away from any high-end stuff. The price penalty near the top of the performance curve is steep and generally unnecessary for most people. For the average use, the difference between say, a 3.4 ghz CPU and a 3.6 will be negligible at best. Calculate the percentage difference and then realize that the real-world results will probably be much closer than that.

What Giraffe said about components is about right. A Dell would be cost effective and pretty hassle free. I would go for a flat panel monitor if I were you. Get a 19" or bigger. The cost has really dropped on those and they are in the low $200 range now for some. You might want to pick up some decent ($50 or so) speakers too. Those types of things are really what make a system these days rather than eeking out things in the individual components.

4

Have you considered a Mac? The new Intel iMacs are insanely fast. You can get an educational iMac since you’re in college for $900. It’s similar to the Gateway you own (all-in-one deal) but way better and faster. It’ll do all the Word stuff you need to, and documents you make on the iMac will be able to open on a Windows machine. And don’t forget that now you can run Windows on a Mac.

Just an alternative to the run-of-the-mill Dell. I picked up my MacBook for $1500, and I’m absolutely in love with this litte guy. Highly recommended.

5

I’ve only ever used a MAC once in a computer lab, will it make my pretty little head explode? I mean, I think they are cool, but is everything really easy to transfer and set up?

Thank you all for the advice. Getting a computer made is out of the question, everyone is too busy. So far Dell does seem like the best bet, as they are currently running a special where you can get $300 of a new desktop, along with free shipping.

6

Nah, for the most part the conversion is quick and easy. There’s a slight learning curve to jump over to a Mac, but nothing too crazy hard. After tinkering around with mine for an hour or 2, my girlfriend is anxious to ditch her 7 month old Dell laptop for a MacBook like mine. She wants the white version though.

7

MAC is just light years ahead - so it’s much easier and quicker to use.

8

Can the Mac run those games- without having to go into Windows mode? Macs are fine machines, but overpriced and can’t run even a tenth the software Windows PC’s can.

9

Oh, well, I’m convinced by that. I’ll just throw out my PC now. I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!!
:rolleyes:

10

The Dell special of the day will handle most of your needs for WAAAY less than $1500. Might be able to aim for a little higer model or go for a few upgrades. RAM is going to be one of the good things to go for.

You don’t need any serious power for what you’re doing, so look for the $600-$800 range to optimize bang for the buck, Get a minimum of a 1Gig of RAM if not 2 to give your apps plenty of breathing room and minimize caching to the hard drive ( a huge speed theif). Also you can save some decent cash skipping on office suites and such and installing open office.

Some of the best overall deals you can get may involve a local shop, shop around a bit and do some research on wiki or the like so you understand what they are trying to sell you. One of the nice things about a custom build from a local shop is that they are going to be using standard expandable/upgradable/easily aquired parts. No odd shaped power supplies, ducting that will not fit around another heat sink, etc, etc.

Insist on SATA hard drives, they are not really any more expensive (at least wholesale they aren’t) but they are much faster, make sure any hard drives you get are 7200RPM or better.

Make sure your motherboard has expansion slots open for upgrades and if possible get your ram as a single stick and leave a slot or two open for later upgrades.

11

The MacOS X environment can’t hold a candle to Windows for running games. But it will run Sims 2, though, it’s a “universal binary” meaning that it has Intel-native as well as PPC-native code for MacOS X, so if that’s the OP’s only gaming addiction, no Windows environment is necessary.

Macs aren’t overpriced. There are no true entry-level cheapie machines, but the cheapest Macs are solid midrange PCs that are price-competitive with other PCs of similar capabilities, and the more expensive ones similarly look good toe-to-toe with Windows-only PCs.

Macs are no longer non-PCs, they run Windows natively and well (for for people who do want to play lots of games, switch-booting to Windows is the way to go). Macs just happen to be also able to run the MacOS X operating system and for a non-computer-geek owning and operating a computer at home, the MacOS is a very good choice for most everyday tasks. Saving Windows for use solely as a gaming environment will allow Windows to shine, too.

12

Don’t bother insisting on SATA drives. I mean, odds are that’s what you’ll get, but it makes absolutely no difference on performance right now. Today’s drives don’t yet saturate the IDE bus, so having a higher maximum bandwidth won’t have any impact whatsoever. The smaller cables are nice, though.

13

They sure are.

If you install or change the drives yourself, SATA is a godsend. Simple attachments, and no worrying about master and slave settings and all that. Now that SATA drives are basically as cheap as regular IDE drives, i can think of no reason not to go SATA. Most newer motherboards support it.

14

I’ve actually thought things over and realized that getting a new laptop might be the best idea.

I currently have a newer laptop, but my dad takes it half the month for work. Because of that, he’d be willing to purchase me a new one for my exclusive use. And, although my desktop is failing me, it seems like it will be ok if it isn’t used much.

Here’s the problem (and why I’m thinking laptop): we have cable internet. There is a cable outlet in the living room and my roomie’s room, but not my room. I’ve called and there really isn’t anything we can do to fix that. So, even if I get a desktop, I would have to set it up to receive wireless from the living room. If I’m going to do that, I may as well just get a laptop and set it up to receive the wireless in my room. (The wireless will come from the router that is connected to the computer in the living room, which is connected to the cable. . . if that makes sense).

Anyway! I’ve been looking at Dell, since my other laptop is a Dell and seems to be holding up well. Of course, because it is a laptop, the price goes up quite a bit.

So, not to change the topic mid thread, but. . . any suggestions for the laptop?

Someone told me to get 2 gigs of Ram to make sure the computer wont freeze mid Sims (and to have more for the future, since it isn’t too easy to upgrade laptops). The video card with the particular one I’m looking at is (and I quote), “256 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 Turbo Cache.” The harddrive is “120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive”. There are two more harddrive options, would either make a difference?

80GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive

100GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
Does the processor really matter? Like I said, I know nothing about this stuff, but the options are:

Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2500 (2GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache)

Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2400 (1.83GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache)

Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2050 (1.60GHz/533MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache)

Is there a difference that I will notice? Should I just go with the cheapie one?

I say this quite honestly: thank you guys for your help. I’m not kidding when I say I’m in the dark on this stuff. :slight_smile:

15

I would go with the Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2400 processor because it is likely the best value.

Now, on the hard drives, I think that the 5400 rpm one is not ideal. It is hard drive speed that limits many operations and that is as slow as they make them. The 80gb 7200 rpm sounds a little small so I would shoot for the top and get the 100 gb 7200 rpm. I think that will be money well spent.

16

Basic desktop wireless NIC’s can be had for less than $30. I have seen little USB ones for $15 on sale. If you are dea set on a laptop, knock yourself out. Personally I see too much crying when it comes to laptops. Unless you have a true NEED for it, I always advise against it.

17

I have purchased 2 Dell laptops in the last month, both from the Dell outlet store. They were scratch and dent models and the savings wasa suprise to me.

My gaming laptop has 2 gig of ram (667 hz), 256 9800GS nvidia car, T2400 processor, 100 gig 7200rpm drive, 17 inch ultra wide screen and came with Microsoft Small Business and other perks for just under $1400. My daughter’s was $900 with slower processor and less ram and a raedon 128meg video card.

Check the outlet store it is a good deal.