# So I need a new computer
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 13, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324 "2010-03-13T03:16:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/1 "2010-03-13T03:16:52Z")
My husband has carefully put together this package. Please pick it apart and tell me what, if anything, I should change. I only use my computer for playing games, using the internet, or playing games on the internet.
```
Item Description Qty Rate Total
```
CAMDTANNSK4… =CASE= 1 85.05 85.05T
Antec Mid/Mini Tower NSK4482B Black 380W 80+
USB/AUD
ACCF52 =COOLING FAN= 1 4.50 4.50T
Antec Ball Bearing 80mm
MB1156DP55WB =MOTHERBOARD= 1 119.00 119.00T
Intel® DP55WB mATX i7/ DDR3 1333-1066
Audio/PRO 10/100/1K LAN Video PCI-e 2.0 X 16
CPI1156Ci7.860 =PROCESSOR= 1 295.00 295.00T
Core i7 860 LGA1156 2.8GHz 8MB Enhanced
SpeedStep Hyper-Threading Virtualization
ME2048D3DD13 =MEMORY= 4 55.00 220.00T
Kingston DDR3 2GB/DDR1333 PC3-10667
DRHWD500SA3… =HARDDRIVE= 1 75.00 75.00T
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS SATA2
500Gb/7200 RPM/32Mb
DRDVDWLGGH… =OPTICAL DRIVE= 1 39.00 39.00T
LG Electronics 22x SATA DVDRW
VCPCIEEV220 =VIDEO CARD= 1 85.00 85.00T
eVGA® GeFORCE 220 PCIe 2.0 1GB DVI, VGA,
HDMI
SOOSWIN7PRO64 =OPERATING SYSTEM= 1 159.00 159.00T
OEM Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
MSLABOR01 =LABOR= 1 35.00 35.00T
SYSTEM ASSEMBLY AND TESTING
UPABR1300LCD =UPS= 1 185.00 185.00T
APC® UPS BR1300LCD BACK-UPS RS 1300VA
780W
TERMS AND CONDITIONS Subtotal $1,301.55
---
### Author:  [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/2 "2010-03-13T03:29:23Z")
Have you gone to Dell’s web site and compared? I got a fast computer for half of that. You can customize it and build it right on the website to your specs and price range. I like to comparison shop before I buy.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/3 "2010-03-13T04:06:53Z")
Maybe I missed it, or it’s on the mother board, but I think you will need an ethernet card/network adapter.
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### Author:  [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/4 "2010-03-13T04:09:14Z")
Line 8:
Audio/PRO **10/100/1K LAN** Video PCI-e 2.0 X 16
Sorta snuck it in there…
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/5 "2010-03-13T04:10:20Z")
I’d double the ram to 4 gigs.
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### Author:  [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/6 "2010-03-13T04:12:49Z")
Oh, and **Lynn** :
WAY overpriced. Especially running Windows 7 with only 2GB RAM. You want a good Windows 7 experience, plan on at least 4GB.
Does that include a monitor? It had better, at that price. A 22" LCD flat screen or better.
You could probably find a comparable machine by shopping around for under $1000.
---
### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/7 "2010-03-13T04:21:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> I’d double the ram to 4 gigs.
> [@Rico](#):
>
> Oh, and **Lynn** :
>
> WAY overpriced. Especially running Windows 7 with only 2GB RAM. You want a good Windows 7 experience, plan on at least 4GB.
>
> Does that include a monitor? It had better, at that price. A 22" LCD flat screen or better.
>
> You could probably find a comparable machine by shopping around for under $1000.
She’s getting 8GB.
Copied from the OP.
> [@](#):
>
> ME2048D3DD13 =MEMORY= **4 55.00 220.00T**
> Kingston DDR3 2GB/DDR1333 PC3-10667
---
### Author:  [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/8 "2010-03-13T04:25:42Z")
Thanks, **Pat**. Missed that there were 4 RAM sticks.
**Lynn** : I put this together quickly on the Dell website.
Intel® Core™ i7-860 w/VT (2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, with Media, 64-bit
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz
16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® G310 (DVI + VGA + HDMI)
**21.5 inch Widescreen E2210H Analog Flat Panel Display**
Dell 1525 Wireless-N Network PCIe Card
19-in-1 Media Card Reader
Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio
Price: $1,152.00
Difference - Include a monitor, a media card reader for your digital camera, and a wireless card. No UPS - you can get that aftermarket.
For only wanting to surf the web, play games, and read email, this is WAY overkill.
---
### Author:  [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/9 "2010-03-13T04:36:48Z")
I agree with **Rico**. Way overpriced. His setup is more bang for the buck.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/10 "2010-03-13T04:53:59Z")
> [@Rico](#):
>
> Line 8:
>
> Audio/PRO **10/100/1K LAN** Video PCI-e 2.0 X 16
>
> Sorta snuck it in there…
Got it. I just upgraded my 4 year old dell. Bit behind the times.
**Lynn B** - I purchased a router for my Dell and an Acer net book. It’s just great. Anywhere anytime I can be on line. I can use my BB Storm as a modem for it.
It’s not a gaming computer of course, but it sure is nice and light, and takes up very little room. Wonderful for cruising the SDMB, looking for facts and email. It’s great to have an ‘on the go’ computer that is so much lighter and smaller than a laptop, and so much more capable than a smart phone.
Just something to consider when you look at your budget. We rarely boot the desktop these days. No need when the net book is right there.
I do a little gaming, and my 2.5gb ram 2.4ghz p4 dell seems fine with Modern Warfare 2. Though I do not play online (sat system).
A different take on your question perhaps. Just a thought.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2010, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/11 "2010-03-13T09:51:57Z")
I’ll pick up on the video card: the Geforce G220 is no good for games. And I’d avoid the G3xx series as well.
For a cheap and decent graphics card, go for a Geforce 260-216, but better would be to go for an ATI 58xx card, because they support DX11. That said, you may care to wait a week or three because Nvidia are releasing their next generation of cards at the end of this month.
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### Author:  [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/12 "2010-03-14T01:03:29Z")
There isn’t much of a price jump between a 500Gb and a 1Tb hard disk drive. If possible you might as well upgrade to 1Tb.
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### Author:  [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/13 "2010-03-14T04:30:39Z")
> [@Rico](#):
>
> Thanks, **Pat**. Missed that there were 4 RAM sticks.
>
> **Lynn** : I put this together quickly on the Dell website.
>
> Intel® Core™ i7-860 w/VT (2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache)
> Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, with Media, 64-bit
> 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz
> 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive
> 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
> 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® G310 (DVI + VGA + HDMI)
> **21.5 inch Widescreen E2210H Analog Flat Panel Display**
> Dell 1525 Wireless-N Network PCIe Card
> 19-in-1 Media Card Reader
> Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio
>
> Price: $1,152.00
>
> Difference - Include a monitor, a media card reader for your digital camera, and a wireless card. No UPS - you can get that aftermarket.
>
> For only wanting to surf the web, play games, and read email, this is WAY overkill.
Most of those parts, assuming they are purchased separately to assemble, carry 3 year warranties, factor that in too. She also has a rock solid board, not the foxconn crap dell uses, as well as a good name brand case.
My only concern on her bid is 380w psu?
---
### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/14 "2010-03-14T12:11:46Z")
I’m going to send a link to this thread to both my husband and the salesman. I appreciate all the feedback, even if most of it is going completely over my head (except for the comments about price).
I mostly want a desktop. Laptops just feel too flimsy for me. If I have to travel, or have to stay in the hospital again, yeah, I’d want a laptop…but I’d need one that I can play Civilisation or Fallout on.
My husband is constantly bemused that I will frequently have half a dozen windows open. I started this habit back in the days of dialup, when I’d open up the SDMB back on AOL, and also have several IM conversations going. I still frequently have a solitaire game going while I am shopping and browsing various sites.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/15 "2010-03-14T14:22:47Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#):
>
> My husband is constantly bemused that I will frequently have half a dozen windows open.
Only half a dozen? I’ve got 18 open right now. That’s not counting tabs inside my browsers. And I can easily run 50+.
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### Author:  [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/16 "2010-03-14T14:35:52Z")
> [@Quartz](#):
>
> I’ll pick up on the video card: the Geforce G220 is no good for games. And I’d avoid the G3xx series as well.
>
> For a cheap and decent graphics card, go for a Geforce 260-216, but better would be to go for an ATI 58xx card, because they support DX11. That said, you may care to wait a week or three because Nvidia are releasing their next generation of cards at the end of this month.
Geforce 220 is fine for games right now. It’s what I have in my rig and most games I can play a near max settings. It just won’t be fine for very long.
Getting something cheap now and upgrading once the next generation is out might be a good idea.
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### Author:  [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/17 "2010-03-14T17:28:04Z")
Unless you have need for a huge Hard Drive, why have so much at 7200 RPM?
Yeah, 1000 hours of songs, 5000 movies you will never watch and a bazillion RAW images from your Nikon D super duper camera and all must be saved in 47 different sizes… ::: sheesh::: :rolleyes:
So you need a spare Hard Drive to have a safe detachable Hard Drive for your fireproof safe. 2 X 150 GIG at 10,000 RPM dives ( One a back up) clone FAST…
I don’t do games but a butt load of RAM, a good processor, MB, a great graphics card & what seems to get skipped a lot is a lot of front side buss speed. If you play interactive, then a fiber optic line to your modem is a good idea. LOL
So, now that I have been silly, the main point is who takes care of your machine? $1000 or $1400 and your IT department, (I assume your husband) likes and works on on willingly vs one he hates, parts are more difficult to get, etc… (No brainier for me but I am the IT department at this house.)
As suggested, bump the RAM a bit more, make sure you have a blazing fast Front side buss speed, unless dual processors and 64 bit have made this a moot point, I have neither so have no opinion on on that, a better graphics card and a good LCD flat screen of decent size.
I personally like 10,000 RPM Hard Drives but I’m in the minority on that…
Just stay online because I for one would miss you…
Gus
---
### Author:  [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/18 "2010-03-14T19:55:01Z")
Here is an excellent link, giving options for many price points:
> **[hardware-revolution.com](http://www.hardware-revolution.com/)**
>
> This domain may be for sale!
It`s geared towards gaming PCs, but there is good advice there.
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### Author:  [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/19 "2010-03-14T21:48:09Z")
I agree that you’ll definitely want a case with a better power supply (and that’s an area where Dell frequently skimps.) You might want to consider looking for a full size case rather than a midi/mini case. Graphics cards these days are approximately the size of Hadrian’s Wall and if you’re thinking of upgrading in a few years, you’ll want to make sure you have room for a bigger card.
Just something to think about.
---
### Author:  [@HardlySanguine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HardlySanguine)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-need-a-new-computer/532324/20 "2010-03-16T00:32:04Z")
Tom’s Hardware (the oft-cited PC-enthusiast website) published a nice little list of PCs today.
Depending on what you mean by “playing games”\* (MMORPGS v. solitaire) [this configuration](http://www.tomshardware.com/system-configuration-recommendation-52.html) is pretty good for the price.
\*In this rig, GPU (graphics processor) is part of the CPU. [ComputerShopper.com](http://computershopper.com/components/reviews/intel-core-i3-530) had no problems with 1080p movies.