Getting a new computer - advice needed!
Avalikia:
Okay, so my parents are finally thinking about getting a new computer because the ten year old one I've been using finally gave out. Since I'm the only one in my family that wants more out of the computer than the ability to use the internet, they're leaving the specs up to me. However, I don't know hardware. At all. Especially since I'm largely unaware of the advances in computing since we got the old one.
So, here's what I do know:
- My budget is ~$1,000. This number is extremely flexible at this point.
- It will be a desktop, not a laptop.
- The most important thing is that I want it to run The Sims 3 very, very well.
- The second most important thing is that I want it to run The Sims 2.
- If it can do both of those, I know it'll probably be able to handle everything else I want it to do.
Here's what I don't know:
- I know I'll want a good processor. What's a "good processor" nowadays?
- I know I'll want lots of RAM. Same question as above.
- Is there anything else that I'll want to meet a certain standard?
- Since I'm skeptical at best about anything made by Microsoft (death to Vista!), I'm wary of Windows 7. Is that feeling justified?
- Is there anything (features, brands, etc.) that I don't know that I want or that I should avoid?
Any advice is greatly appreciated (unless you're stupid), especially if anyone knows any links to good sources of information.
witch:
Quote from: Avalikia on 2009 December 14, 21:41:08
Any advice is greatly appreciated (unless you're stupid), especially if anyone knows any links to good sources of information.
Google is a surprisingly excellent place to research information about computer parts.
Marq:
So are you building or just buying? If you're building you can use newegg.com. Usually, when you select something important (i.e. a motherboard), it'll list other PC parts that are compatible with that part. If you're buying check out any retail sites that offer user reviews of products (i.e. newegg.com, bestbuy.com). If it's a retail site with a physical location then you can select "ship to store" or "store pick-up" to see if there's a store near you with the product. If you're buying and don't want Windows 7 you're SOL unless you have a different OS laying around.
My advice, try going to some retail sites and exploring their Computers section. Most let you narrow down what kind of PC you're looking for by price, amount of ram, processor, hard drive size, etc. Do that and look at user reviews and you'll be fine.
Hegelian:
In your stated price range, with keyboard, mouse, 21.5-inch widescreen LCD monitor (but no printer), you might take a look at the HP e9250t series. You can play around with the on-line configurator to see how different upgrades affect the price (faster CPU, faster graphics board, etc).
For example, for US$950 (including shipping in the US), you can get the following, which certainly should be good enough for TS3.
* • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* • Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-750 processor [2.66GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
* • FREE UPGRADE! 6GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs] from 4GB
* • 500GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
* • 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4350 [DVI, HDMI, VGA adapter]
* • HP 2159m 21.5-inch 16:9 Full HD Widescreen Monitor
* • LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
* • Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet (No wireless)
* • 15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
* • Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
* • HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse
* • Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
nanacake:
Do you want this computer to last more than a year and not pay over 1000 dollars for it? Find the best motherboard at your price range that has all the extra slots and processor compatibility for the next 5 upgrades you'll probably get for it. Everyone is getting a terrible deal with these Dell Compaq, HP etc scams, they're made to not be upgradeable by default! - That's why they won't tell you what motherboard it is.Quote from: Hegelian on 2009 December 14, 22:33:38
• 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4350 [DVI, HDMI, VGA adapter]
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
>for US$950
* nanacake P&L @ holiday scam price
That card sells for 37 dollars google says.
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