Help Choose My PC

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B16RacerN2NR

B16RacerN2NR

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Ok, it's time to update my old ass computer lol.

This is what I got, don't laugh lol... HP Pavilion 510n Desktop PC (US/CAN) - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

So as you can see, damn near anything would be an upgrade at this point lol.

I'm completely computer illiterate when it comes to reading specs and such. I know what GB and RAM is but it pretty much stops there lol.

I don't do much on my PC other than surf the web and watch movies, occasionally. I still play Counter-Strike every now and then but I haven't tried for a while since this PC is so damn slow.

So can you guys help me choose a PC from here: Pricewatch shopping comparison | Find and Buy all types of Computer Systems - With OS at the lowest prices Unless you know of another website...

I'm not looking to spend more than $300. Like I said, I don't need anything fancy or crazy fast but I would like the best my $300 can buy as of right now lol. Even though $300 might not buy me much, but like I said above, anything is an upgrade from what I got now.

I got a newer LCD monitor already so i'm good there.

EDIT: Would a PS3 as a PC work ok? Or is it not the same as a PC? :shrug2:
 
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A ps3 isn't really a viable computer alternative. I mean you can browse the web on it. But you can't do pretty much anything else that a real computer can. For 300 your best bet is going to be building your own. Your can probably get a nettop or maybe a lowend tower for like 300 but it's not going to play any games besides solitare.
 
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contact hp and see if u can send it in for a rebuild it ususally cost less then a new computer. i got a dell xps and it the shit. paid 2300 for it but its loaded and will never have to have another one
 
ctalley44 said:
contact hp and see if u can send it in for a rebuild it ususally cost less then a new computer. i got a dell xps and it the shit. paid 2300 for it but its loaded and will never have to have another one
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Uhh... no. Go look at the specs. The only things reusable from that system with current generation components would be the case and power supply. Your Dell XPS will probably be out of date by the time you finish reading this sentence. Computer hardware moves WAY too fast to ever be future proof.
 
GSRCRXsi said:
A ps3 isn't really a viable computer alternative. I mean you can browse the web on it. But you can't do pretty much anything else that a real computer can. For 300 your best bet is going to be building your own. Your can probably get a nettop or maybe a lowend tower for like 300 but it's not going to play any games besides solitare.
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For what he wants to do- surf, watch movies, play CounterStrike- pretty much any Atom 330 nettop will work fine. The D510 systems will work well, are cheap, tiny and extremely power efficient.

Buying:
Newegg.com - eMachines ET1831-01 Celeron 420(1.60GHz) 3GB DDR2 320GB NVIDIA GeForce 7050 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - Desktop PCs
Newegg.com - Acer Aspire Revo AR1600-U910H Intel Atom 230(1.6GHz) 1GB DDR2 160GB NVIDIA ION LE graphics Windows XP Home - Desktop PCs (then add an external USB DVD drive)

Building (just one example):
Newegg.com - Linkworld A617-01FFU+P08 Beige / Silver MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners
Newegg.com - JetWay JM26GT4-LF AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
Newegg.com - AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAJS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Newegg.com - WINTEC AMPO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model 3AMD2800-2G2K-R - Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - Palit NEAT2400FHD01 GeForce GT 240 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

$281.93 + $13.99 shipping to wherever for $295.92 total. That would play most modern games at a respectable resolution and speed, but not break the bank. Delete the last line to bring it right to $220 shipped if you're not worried about playing anything more modern than CounterStrike.

That setup basically gets you a solid motherboard, the cheapest current AMD processor which is still pretty damn fast for a "normal" desktop that most people would use and ridiculously overclockable, 2GB of memory, 250GB of hard drive, a DVD burner and a video card that will do pretty well with most games at a good price point.

Install Windows XP Home onto your new setup with the CD key that's probably printed on the outside of your HP computer's case. You own that Windows XP license- you might as well use it with the new build. If you can't find an installable copy of XP Home (your HP might not have come with one), you can actually get a copy of the disc from someone else. It's technically legal as long as you use your CD key.
 
did you look on craigslist for a new setup?
 
OP it looks like you live in So Cal, they have a bunch of Fry's down there. If its not to far, I strongly suggest you make a trip down there and pick up parts if you want to build a system.

Just some pricing I saw in the ads lately that would be a killer rig good until tomorrow:

ad for Frys.
http://newspaperads.contracostatimes.com/ROP/ads.aspx?adid=8870938&advid=18196&type=

AMD Athlon II X4 Quadcore 2.8ghz + Biostar 785g Motherboard = $99
500gb hard drive = $50
2GB RAM = $50
Antec 380watt Power Supply =$30

then youll have around $70 for a case and burner. any case will do as long as you can mount a front and back 120mm fan, but if you can spend the extra pennies, the Cooler Master Scout for $69.99 is a pretty rad case. if not, chiefvalue, zipzoomfly and newegg should have a few cheapy cases for around $20-40 and burners are about $25 for newegg.

the good thing with this particular combo is you can easily run CS and 1080p because of the modest onboard graphics and quad-core.

if youre lazy, you can order this

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

basically the same minus 2 cores and youll need to buy a heatsink. but still got to get hard drive well and burner too.

lastly, i have a half-assed guide somewhere in this section of the forum for a DIY Guide. it should get you through the build. i havent had the time to update because because of time constraints and i still need to my trip down to Frys =). but PM or post and Ill gladly help you out as much as I can.
 
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Or right now they have an Antec Earthwatts 380w for $30 straight up. Every week Newegg/Chief Value or Tigerdirect/CompUSA put up a free shipping case with no power supply for about $20-30.

You could check this thread on Slickdeals every morning:

Fry's B&M CPU & Motherboard Combo Thread - SlickDeals.net Forums

That thread posts up the combo deals to be had at Fry's... and they are GOOD deals.
 
you mean like this Mike:

Rosewill R226-P-BK 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $19.99 with Free Shipping - SlickDeals.net Forums

=P

but yeah the antec 380watt power supply is really good. its made by seasonic and it should easily run most graphics card youll add later on.

but seriously, Frys is the freaking sh*t. They been having huge discounts on CPU+Mobo combos lately. I mean just a browse through that page and you can see you get a free P55 motherboard that can do crossfire and SLi that costs $135 at the "egg" with a rad ass Core i7 750.
 
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ripperbone said:
did you look on craigslist for a new setup?
Click to expand...
No I haven't... But building one seems like the route i'm going to take :)

Calesta said:
Links all work fine for me.
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Not for me :(

endlesszeal said:
OP it looks like you live in So Cal, they have a bunch of Fry's down there. If its not to far, I strongly suggest you make a trip down there and pick up parts if you want to build a system.

Just some pricing I saw in the ads lately that would be a killer rig good until tomorrow:

ad for Frys.
Contra Costa Times | Contra Costa Shopping - Computers & Electronics - Fry's Electronics

AMD Athlon II X4 Quadcore 2.8ghz + Biostar 785g Motherboard = $99
500gb hard drive = $50
2GB RAM = $50
Antec 380watt Power Supply =$30

then youll have around $70 for a case and burner. any case will do as long as you can mount a front and back 120mm fan, but if you can spend the extra pennies, the Cooler Master Scout for $69.99 is a pretty rad case. if not, chiefvalue, zipzoomfly and newegg should have a few cheapy cases for around $20-40 and burners are about $25 for newegg.

the good thing with this particular combo is you can easily run CS and 1080p because of the modest onboard graphics and quad-core.

if youre lazy, you can order this

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

basically the same minus 2 cores and youll need to buy a heatsink. but still got to get hard drive well and burner too.

lastly, i have a half-assed guide somewhere in this section of the forum for a DIY Guide. it should get you through the build. i havent had the time to update because because of time constraints and i still need to my trip down to Frys =). but PM or post and Ill gladly help you out as much as I can.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was talking it over with my girlfriend's brother and were going to make a trip down to Fry's on a Friday within the next two weeks. He says Fridays are the days they have killer deals. He's a PC nerd so i'll take his word for it lol.

I'll let you guys know what i end up getting to build a PC :)

Thanks for the help...
 
just some deal info as ive been stalking frys for a while =).

usually on or the weekend of a holiday, they have big sales. next one is president days on feb 14th. and besides black friday, frys anniversary sales are the biggest; its usually around mid to end of may.

anyway hope you score big. im patiently waiting for an amd x4 with 785g ddr2 board as i have some spare ddr2 lying around. if the one i posted was dd2, id be all over it.
 
Ok, try this... just go to Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! and paste these part numbers into their search field. The product page will come right up.

Computers to buy:

N82E16883114077
N82E16883103228

Parts:

N82E16811164138 case and power supply
N82E16827136167 burner
N82E16813153120 motherboard
N82E16819103698 processor
N82E16822136113 hard drive
N82E16820161172 memory
N82E16814261061 video card (optional)
 
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