Shopping for a new desktop

[DaveHo]

Wife just called saying the computer seems to have died. Based on what she's told me, I'm guessing the graphics card bit the dust. It's 8-9 years old, so I'm not interested in fixing it. It's been time for a new machine for a while anyway.

What do you think of this one Woot has today?

http://www.woot.com/

I'm not a gamer. Will use it for web surfing, photo/video editing, & just general household use. I also plan on getting a Squeezebox in the near future & will use this as the server. The music will probably be stored on a couple of external USB drives, one to use, one for backup.

The comments on Woot seem to be generally positive if not being used for serious gaming. I'll need to yank the HD out of my current machine to retrieve some stuff off of it, but other than that I don't plan to expand the new machine beyond what it has.

Oh, & they also have this monitor on deals.woot.

http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/...r-with-hdmi#21

Any comments on that?

Thanks.

-Dave

[ryanjoachim]

Both the screen and the monitor are great deals for what they offer. The savings on the desktop really isn't as much as it may seem, but it is still a good product.

[Sherardp]

If you know how to build it, you will come out cheaper than that price. You can probably get away with something faster also.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...HPE570t_series


http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...PE560z_series]

[cokewithvanilla]

If you know how to build it, you will come out cheaper than that price. You can probably get away with something faster also.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...HPE570t_series


http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...PE560z_series]

True. Also, if you plan on keeping it as long was your previous one, you might wanna step up to the i5-650's replacement, the i5-2400... it's pretty much twice what the i5-650 is (and the exact same price on newegg).

[cokewithvanilla]

Another advantage to building your own is quality of parts. A lot of times, you don't get a whole lot more speed, especially if you don't do a whole lot of shopping around/waiting. Thing is, most manufacturers put crappy PSU's, crappy mobos, and run of the mill ram in their computers. Selecting the parts allows you to know exactly what you're getting. Here's a build that's nearly identical w/ a faster cpu, slightly better vc, and better quality parts (you might be able to do better if you do a little research):

[txcoastal1]

I am with Coke when you by a Dell or HP your stuck with service because their chasis's only hold their mobo's, and PSU other than RAM you are limited to upgrades and replacement parts its like buying a HTIB system. Put it together yourself its pretty much a no brainer plug, play, load software...if you need help chime in...you wont regret it.

[Sherardp]

That would be a nice build Coke. The only thing I would change out is the HDD and swap it for a Caviar Black or Samsung Spinpoint F3/4.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136742

[cokewithvanilla]

That would be a nice build Coke. The only thing I would change out is the HDD and swap it for a Caviar Black or Samsung Spinpoint F3/4.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136742

Good point. those would definitely be worth the few extra dollars. He might even want to consider a smaller, separate boot drive all together... I like separating my data from my OS by more than just a partition.

[Sherardp]

Good point. those would definitely be worth the few extra dollars. He might even want to consider a smaller, separate boot drive all together... I like separating my data from my OS by more than just a partition.

Agreed....I just starting doing that when I went SSD. I just upgraded to a Crucial C300 using Sata III and it smokes bro.

[Ron-P]

Wife just called saying the computer seems to have died. Based on what she's told me, I'm guessing the graphics card bit the dust. It's 8-9 years old, so I'm not interested in fixing it. It's been time for a new machine for a while anyway.

What do you think of this one Woot has today?

http://www.woot.com/

I'm not a gamer. Will use it for web surfing, photo/video editing, & just general household use. I also plan on getting a Squeezebox in the near future & will use this as the server. The music will probably be stored on a couple of external USB drives, one to use, one for backup.

The comments on Woot seem to be generally positive if not being used for serious gaming. I'll need to yank the HD out of my current machine to retrieve some stuff off of it, but other than that I don't plan to expand the new machine beyond what it has.

Oh, & they also have this monitor on deals.woot.

http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/...r-with-hdmi#21

Any comments on that?

Thanks.

-Dave

Too funny, I'm in the same exact boat as you. My graphics card is on it's way out and my PC is 9 years old. It's time for a new one. I've started shopping, priced some Dell stuff but nothing beyond that.

No way do I want to build something either. Just a packaged deal and all I have to do is plug it in.

[DSkip]

Building is not difficult in the least. Its like putting a 10 piece puzzle together. I was lucky and built mine with a 22" HP monitor and wireless keyboard/mouse for right at $400 2 years ago. The only thing you need to build is an IQ above the average 8 year old.

I understand the draw of a packaged deal, but I like knowing that I can troubleshoot myself and replace whatever might break and still use 90% of the components I already have.

[cokewithvanilla]

Building is not difficult in the least. Its like putting a 10 piece puzzle together. I was lucky and built mine with a 22" HP monitor and wireless keyboard/mouse for right at $400 2 years ago. The only thing you need to build is an IQ above the average 8 year old.

I understand the draw of a packaged deal, but I like knowing that I can troubleshoot myself and replace whatever might break and still use 90% of the components I already have.

A ten piece color coded puzzle.... with instructions. It's amazing how many people are scared to open up a computer and see what's on the inside... cause if they did, geeksqaud could never charge 100-200 to install a component... more like $10

[kappclark]

You can build a respectable mini-box for under $200..I did this for my daughter and will do another for a mythbox..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856119038

..add the HD, memory and maybe a wireless card...ubuntu compatible..

Very quiet as well..

[cokewithvanilla]

You can build a respectable mini-box for under $200..I did this for my daughter and will do another for a mythbox..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856119038

..add the HD, memory and maybe a wireless card...ubuntu compatible..

Very quiet as well..

If he's doing photo/video editing, an atom processor probably won't suit him. It is also not a very future proof idea. I actually checked the passmark score on that atom and it is worse than a laptop I bought 5 years ago for $750. Sure, that doesn't tell you everything, but it gives you a decent idea of the processing power of those things. The i5-2400 has a score 8.5 times higher.

[phipiper10]

Don't forget to consider open box, refurbished etc. Just got a refurbed HP from Tigerdirect last week. My last two PCs each lasted about 7 years.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...99971&csid=_21

Good luck!

[Sherardp]

A ten piece color coded puzzle.... with instructions. It's amazing how many people are scared to open up a computer and see what's on the inside... cause if they did, geeksqaud could never charge 100-200 to install a component... more like $10

So very true. I do this on the side, I charge $50 an hour and get it easily. It's just too simple to do. Save a ton of cash while doing so as well.

[DaveHo]

Thanks for the input guys. I had her power down the machine when I spoke to her yesterday. Got home last night, fired it up, & it's working fine. I thought maybe the CPU cooling fan had died again & things were too hot, but that wasn't it. I blew the dust out & everything is still OK.

I'll take this as a warning sign, & start shopping. I wouldn't mind building my own, but with everything else I've got going on right now, I'm not sure I've got the time to dedicate to doing that. Plus 'til I buy the OS & Office or something else for Word & Excel files how much will I really be saving?

-Dave

[txcoastal1]

We are not saying you will save much money but you will have a better system and managment for upgrades and parts replacement in the long run

[ryanjoachim]

So very true. I do this on the side, I charge $50 an hour and get it easily. It's just too simple to do. Save a ton of cash while doing so as well.

I do this too, but mostly because 90% of my "troubleshooting" time involves sitting at some command prompt waiting for another program to finish doing what it does.

[ryanjoachim]

...I wouldn't mind building my own, but with everything else I've got going on right now, I'm not sure I've got the time to dedicate to doing that. Plus 'til I buy the OS & Office or something else for Word & Excel files how much will I really be saving?

-Dave

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Wind.../dp/B002DHGMK0 - $179.99 for Home Premium on Amazon right now

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Offi...4434222&sr=1-1 - $114.99 for the Home & Student version of Office (most recent)

For most any PC under $500, I've found that pre-built (proprietary) PCs are really the most cost-effective way to go after you factor in what you will pay on the side for software.

Focus on getting the best CPU possible at your price point. Everything else important (video card, memory, hard drive) are all user-replaceable and relatively cheap (except for the vid card sometimes).

[Ron-P]

Building is not difficult in the least. Its like putting a 10 piece puzzle together. I was lucky and built mine with a 22" HP monitor and wireless keyboard/mouse for right at $400 2 years ago. The only thing you need to build is an IQ above the average 8 year old.

I understand the draw of a packaged deal, but I like knowing that I can troubleshoot myself and replace whatever might break and still use 90% of the components I already have.

Oh, I completely agree, very easy to build. I've done it before. I remember have to configure a ton of jumpers on mother boards back in the day. I've built plenty and replaced many parts in my older machines. Even with this one now I've gone in a updated parts.

...but now, I'm over it. Desktops are basically throwaway machines now. Dirt cheap for what you get...and what you get with a pre-assembled setup is plenty for what I and the family do. Now, if I were a gamer I'd build my own, but I'm not and have no desire to ever build another rig again.

[WilliamM2]

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Wind.../dp/B002DHGMK0 - $179.99 for Home Premium on Amazon right now

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Offi...4434222&sr=1-1 - $114.99 for the Home & Student version of Office (most recent)

For most any PC under $500, I've found that pre-built (proprietary) PCs are really the most cost-effective way to go after you factor in what you will pay on the side for software.

Focus on getting the best CPU possible at your price point. Everything else important (video card, memory, hard drive) are all user-replaceable and relatively cheap (except for the vid card sometimes).

Why pay that much if building your own?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986

And just download Open Office for free.

Although you are right, in the lower price range, it's hard to beat Dell or one of the other OEM's. They probably won't come with office either though.

[cokewithvanilla]

I'll take this as a warning sign, & start shopping. I wouldn't mind building my own, but with everything else I've got going on right now, I'm not sure I've got the time to dedicate to doing that. Plus 'til I buy the OS & Office or something else for Word & Excel files how much will I really be saving?

-Dave

you are definitely right there, if you pay for software, you really can't hang with OEM's ....that's their biggest strength. If you're looking at price only, I guess you may as well buy a prebuilt one. If you are looking at quality, just about every piece will be better if you build it yourself.

Buy a mobo you can easily flash w/ slic 2.1 bios (ami or award, try asus) and you save yourself $100+