rotaryspirit
Member
I'm moving on August 12th, and the computer I built in Vancouver is being turned into my mother's/family computer when I leave. It's was a semi-decent rig for gaming when I put it together 3 years ago, but quite a bit underpowered now in terms of processing power so I really don't want to be taking it with me. Factoring in shipping costs it just is more feasible to buy myself a new computer instead of shipping this one and buying her a new POS, I'd rather have something I know. I won't go into the specs, but it's more than my mom really needs and I'm going to basically wipe everything that she doesn't need before I leave. That means I'm in the market for a PC, and there are really only two options.
Option #1: Buy a laptop that costs roughly the same as the PC I'm building for similar performance.
Pros: Portable, no need to carry parts with me, all finished in one shot, no need to buy case/monitor when I arrive.
Cons: If something breaks I'm fucked, relatively poor performance compared to a desktop, uninstalling pre-installed applications is a pain in the ass.
I'm really worried about if something goes wrong how much it will set me back. With a desktop I'm very used to diagnosing and can get replacement parts cheap; laptop parts are still very unique and expensive which is a problem where I'm going.
Option #2: Build my own computer.
Pros: It's fun, the PC build will be more stable, replacement parts are much easier to come by.
Cons: Have to bring parts with me, no mobility.
I like building computers. I've built super gaming PCs, home office PC's and everything in between for friends and family. I'm used to them and very comfortable without bothering with carrying around a laptop all the time. Basically, unless someone points out a great deal on a nice spec'd laptop, I'm desktop for life. My number one concern is reliability. Portability is pretty low on my list but it would be nice to have, although I'm not sure exactly how great wifi will be where I'm going.
Projected Setup: The Fun Stuff
I won't be taking the LCD Monitor or the case with me, because I can't fit it inside of a carry-on suitcase so I'll be buying those when I get to Japan. Unfortunately they will wind up actually being by far the most expensive products after all of the discounts and savings I get.
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
I was originally looking at this motherboard for its WiFi abilities, but I decided against that in the end because of the reviews, saying it was a bit more difficult. The P5Q also offers better support for the video graphics card I'm including. It's got a ton of features that I actually want and even though I won't be overclocking, it looks to run real smooth. I've built my computers primarily using ASUS motherboards with very few exceptions and they've always been extremely reliable.
I do like to make my motherboard be one of the more "expensive" pieces, simply because I find it better to go with a higher quality motherboard or a dirt cheap one for a budget rig. The mid-range stuff around $100 doesn't always have the best quality and sometimes has strange placement of connectors.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
From what I've read, if you aren't going Intel you must be an AMD fanboy. If you aren't running a hundred different processes at once, don't bother with the Quad-cores. And if you aren't buying the E8400, you might as well go home. It looks to be hands-down the most impressive CPU on the market today even right out of the box. The 8400 still trounces AMD's 6400+ in benchmarks rountinely by 15-20%. In all the years I've been building, CPUs have been second to only graphics cards when it came to deciding what you wanted. But with the price point fairly low and the benefits enormous, the 8400 just seems like the perfect chip until some amazing quad-cores come out.
It also has one of the best names ever - Wolfdale.
Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100242L Radeon HD 4850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747
For a long while I didn't like ATI's video cards. Their drivers were always a bit off and the performance for your money just didn't seem to stack up when dealing with the hassle of not being able to play your games. Now though they seem to have fixed the driver problem, they are making great chips. This one comes on the recommendation of a friend I built computers with together, and although some reviews say it runs a bit hot I think it will be fine.
Also, thanks to newegg, I'm getting 25 dollars off the Processor/Video Card due to a combo. I literally couldn't believe my luck.
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
Wow. I was all set to buy this Seagate 750 MB until I started writing this. I was trying to make an argument for price per gigabyte against the 500 MB drives and going on Seagate's reputation for excellent drives. After reading reviews I became a little bit worried, as the drive doesn't have excellent scores and people complained about overheating, so I searched around a bit more...
... and found this baby. The Western Digital is just as fast, but although being slightly smaller (still 3x the size of my current HD) it is much quieter, cooler, and has insanely good reviews. I just don't think you can beat under 0.14 cents a gig. Amazing. Not only is the hard drive pretty much exactly what I am looking for but I'll also be saving almost 35 bucks opposed to if I got the Seagate.
Memory: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184
Just a great deal on memory that will work in my motherboard. I don't really have product loyalty towards memory so much but the Corsair still gets great reviews. Why 4 gigs though?
Of course I'll need it for operating Vista 64-bit.
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD Burner with LightScribe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151154
Good deal, good reputation, it's black.
The Case: Antec Sonata III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024
I currently have a Sonata II and this is just a straight better version. No more silly blue LCD on the front with the roll-over faux metal. A large, smart looking case with a pretty decent power supply right out of the box. Very nice, although I can't take it with me and the case gets a bit more expensive, it's still worth it.
The Monitor: Acer X193W+BD Black 19"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009127
Pretty much the best 19" on the market. I'm not in for anything bigger and it will be costing a little bit more where I am, all of the monitors do. Acer has been reliable for me as my current model, the 1916W works great.
That's pretty much it. I'm going straight budget with the mouse and keyboard. Thoughts on everything? Any ideas where I can possibly get something cheaper or better value? I'd appreciate any hands-on experience that GAF has with any of these parts.
The Grand Total (including shipping): $841.43
Option #1: Buy a laptop that costs roughly the same as the PC I'm building for similar performance.
Pros: Portable, no need to carry parts with me, all finished in one shot, no need to buy case/monitor when I arrive.
Cons: If something breaks I'm fucked, relatively poor performance compared to a desktop, uninstalling pre-installed applications is a pain in the ass.
I'm really worried about if something goes wrong how much it will set me back. With a desktop I'm very used to diagnosing and can get replacement parts cheap; laptop parts are still very unique and expensive which is a problem where I'm going.
Option #2: Build my own computer.
Pros: It's fun, the PC build will be more stable, replacement parts are much easier to come by.
Cons: Have to bring parts with me, no mobility.
I like building computers. I've built super gaming PCs, home office PC's and everything in between for friends and family. I'm used to them and very comfortable without bothering with carrying around a laptop all the time. Basically, unless someone points out a great deal on a nice spec'd laptop, I'm desktop for life. My number one concern is reliability. Portability is pretty low on my list but it would be nice to have, although I'm not sure exactly how great wifi will be where I'm going.
Projected Setup: The Fun Stuff
I won't be taking the LCD Monitor or the case with me, because I can't fit it inside of a carry-on suitcase so I'll be buying those when I get to Japan. Unfortunately they will wind up actually being by far the most expensive products after all of the discounts and savings I get.
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
I was originally looking at this motherboard for its WiFi abilities, but I decided against that in the end because of the reviews, saying it was a bit more difficult. The P5Q also offers better support for the video graphics card I'm including. It's got a ton of features that I actually want and even though I won't be overclocking, it looks to run real smooth. I've built my computers primarily using ASUS motherboards with very few exceptions and they've always been extremely reliable.
I do like to make my motherboard be one of the more "expensive" pieces, simply because I find it better to go with a higher quality motherboard or a dirt cheap one for a budget rig. The mid-range stuff around $100 doesn't always have the best quality and sometimes has strange placement of connectors.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
From what I've read, if you aren't going Intel you must be an AMD fanboy. If you aren't running a hundred different processes at once, don't bother with the Quad-cores. And if you aren't buying the E8400, you might as well go home. It looks to be hands-down the most impressive CPU on the market today even right out of the box. The 8400 still trounces AMD's 6400+ in benchmarks rountinely by 15-20%. In all the years I've been building, CPUs have been second to only graphics cards when it came to deciding what you wanted. But with the price point fairly low and the benefits enormous, the 8400 just seems like the perfect chip until some amazing quad-cores come out.
It also has one of the best names ever - Wolfdale.
Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100242L Radeon HD 4850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747
For a long while I didn't like ATI's video cards. Their drivers were always a bit off and the performance for your money just didn't seem to stack up when dealing with the hassle of not being able to play your games. Now though they seem to have fixed the driver problem, they are making great chips. This one comes on the recommendation of a friend I built computers with together, and although some reviews say it runs a bit hot I think it will be fine.
Also, thanks to newegg, I'm getting 25 dollars off the Processor/Video Card due to a combo. I literally couldn't believe my luck.
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
Wow. I was all set to buy this Seagate 750 MB until I started writing this. I was trying to make an argument for price per gigabyte against the 500 MB drives and going on Seagate's reputation for excellent drives. After reading reviews I became a little bit worried, as the drive doesn't have excellent scores and people complained about overheating, so I searched around a bit more...
... and found this baby. The Western Digital is just as fast, but although being slightly smaller (still 3x the size of my current HD) it is much quieter, cooler, and has insanely good reviews. I just don't think you can beat under 0.14 cents a gig. Amazing. Not only is the hard drive pretty much exactly what I am looking for but I'll also be saving almost 35 bucks opposed to if I got the Seagate.
Memory: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184
Just a great deal on memory that will work in my motherboard. I don't really have product loyalty towards memory so much but the Corsair still gets great reviews. Why 4 gigs though?
Of course I'll need it for operating Vista 64-bit.
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD Burner with LightScribe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151154
Good deal, good reputation, it's black.
The Case: Antec Sonata III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024
I currently have a Sonata II and this is just a straight better version. No more silly blue LCD on the front with the roll-over faux metal. A large, smart looking case with a pretty decent power supply right out of the box. Very nice, although I can't take it with me and the case gets a bit more expensive, it's still worth it.
The Monitor: Acer X193W+BD Black 19"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009127
Pretty much the best 19" on the market. I'm not in for anything bigger and it will be costing a little bit more where I am, all of the monitors do. Acer has been reliable for me as my current model, the 1916W works great.
That's pretty much it. I'm going straight budget with the mouse and keyboard. Thoughts on everything? Any ideas where I can possibly get something cheaper or better value? I'd appreciate any hands-on experience that GAF has with any of these parts.
The Grand Total (including shipping): $841.43
