Want to buy a $1500 gaming computer on the internet

[Logato]

I am looking for a gaming computer for $1500 or so but can't build it myself. Which company on the web, that has a pretty good track record, should I go with to get the most bang for my buck?

I don't want to use Dell, I dislike their custom components, a lot.

Thanks for any help.

[Giledorm]

Alot of the time if you're looking under the "gaming" moniker, you're going to be paying a premium for components you probably don't need.  

That said, my choice would be Alienware.  They do good work, and they're reasonable (speced out a decent system for about $1400 after shipping).  Just watch what you click, since they do have systems that'll go up to ~$7000 if you tweak them out fully.

[Skarx]

heh was just playing around with one.. Got that baby up to 20k selecting the best out of each option,  sept i skiped a few things well just cause if i mutli functional printer.. i would not need a normal printer.. if i could have pick everything no telling how much that sucker would have cost... but  promise you i would have had fun on the 20k system

[Hrann]

I have an alienware system.  I love the company and the customer support, but... they do usually cost a bit more than a similar Dell or other non-gaming system would, even with the same basic components.

[Koullyn]

There are tons of laptops out there these days that play games very well. I am using a Dell D600 and it plays everything except for EQ2 of course. The Alienwares are horribly overpriced when you can buy similar laptops from Toshiba for half.

[Iskandar]

It's far cheaper to use a site like http://www.pricewatch.com and buy the individual parts (I also suggest using http://www.resellerratings.com to check up on any vendors you are unfamiliar with). If you are comfortable building it yourself, the parts are all you need -- or take it to a local shop, and they should have it assembled in a couple of hours (typically $75-150).... either way, you save a ton of money over buying a preassembled machine. When I built my gaming machine, it was superior to Alienware's top machine at the time, and cost me a little over $1000 less than they were charging -- $1k for a green case and a goofy logo... pass  :lol:

[Shille]

I am building my first machine (I mean, I have 3 comps now, this is first one I am building) and the cost is far less. So far I have spent $1050.00, and have an Asus P4P800 MB, 3.2 gig 800mbfsb Intel P4, GForce 4 5500LE 256mb Video, Audigy 2 Sound, Memorex DVD-R/RW, Corsair 3200 Platinum Memory, and a 200 gig Western Digital HD. The only part I regret is I did not get SATA hard drives, as my MB supports 2 of them.  The Network interface supports Gigabit Networks.

The sad part is, once I get it up and running, I will still lag in PoK I bet.

I got to go now, the soup kitchen closes in 10 minutes...............

[DiosT]

here is something i wrote up a good while ago (about 2 months), priced out a gaming system, and saved it in a text file for cases like these... I DID just do a quick run through the prices to double-check them, they are still fairly accurate, and i corrected some for price fluxes...


Athlon 64 Computer Idea...

Some of this is techie-intense, meaning you might need to call one of your geeky friends to set up, but once it's up and running, you'd have an amazing system, for low cost (compared to how much you'd Pay Alienware, or even Dell, for something close)

Price is based off Newegg and pricewatch..

RADEON 9800 256MB     $184
GEIL DC-DDR400(PC 3200) (2x512)     $160   (Cas Latency: 2.5 7-4-4) (Newegg)
Athlon64 3200+     $227   (Socket 939, 2.0GHz, 512kB)
GA-K8NSNXP-939     $160
Maxtor DiamondMax PLUS (4x80GB)     $240 Total (For RAID 0+1--or other options)
-Any CD-RW Drive   ~$70
-Any Network Card     ~$15
-Any EIDE 40-80GB drive     $60 (For System Partition)
-Any Case will do (can buy one for $60, I recommend one with at least 4 fans, hopefully all the exact same size/type--all 80mm or 120mm)

-Gigabyte (in my experiences) had some *amazing* On-board sound... fiber optic ins/outs, surround sound, lots of channels.. I've been a -lot- happier with on board (remarkably) then creative's cards---also a lot less of a ***** to install!


Note 1: I did NOT do a -lot- of research, but the Motherboard has 4 Serial ATA ports, I'm not sure if it uses all 4 -only- in RAID 0+1 mode, or if you can set up two RAID-0 arrays... the later would be amazing, or even just 2 SATA drives alone, with the other 2 on RAID-0 -- would remove the need for the EIDE drive for the system (1-System, 2-Page, RAID-Games/data) -- Do more research if you like this setup

Note 2: I'm going far against my Norm of nVidia and Intel because they are weak in the market currently... Because I use mostly nVidia and Intel machines, my experience with ATI/AMD is rather old--so keep that in mind and do your own research on the subject

Note 3: Memory is only DC DDR 400 because that's what the MB supports, why spend $100 more for DC DDR500 when it cant support it?

Note 4: I don't know how good the Athlon64 processors are, except in benchmarks.



Hardware Cost: ~$1063 (rounded up) (Includes *all* prices listed above---Does not include Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, or OS)

I didn't include some basic parts because they are cheap, and they vary a -lot- on personal preference.. I personally use USB mice, PS/2 keyboards, and LCD screens, and my sound system is almost more expensive then my computer :-P I doubt you all have similar interests, and can pick those up cheaply enough at Best Buy or Circuit City


For comparison, a Dell computer that's roughly as good will cost ~$1,800 (No monitor) (though, that Includes Windows, hard drives choices were limited, and most importantly--it also has the 3yr. 'please wait' phone support plan)


Anyway, just wanted to give people an idea of what would be a good start... If you want you could switch out some SATA HDD's for more RAM, it's your call... but it costs more, and gives you less HDD Space... and HDD Read/write times is one of the larger, neglected, bottlenecks in most peoples systems who already have good processors/RAM

[Nusa]

It just so happens I just assembled a new system last Thursday, after buying the parts over a 3-week period. Newegg.com is a favorite site now...the specials change daily, so you can often find a special price with free shipping for what you want.

Antec SLK3700AMB - $62 newegg.com (wait for a free shipping special, else add $13)
NEC DVD-RW 16x - $65 newegg.com (on sale, free shipping)
MSI NX6600 256M DDR PCIExpress (with nice software bundle) - $152 newegg.com ($2 shipping)
Logitech Cordless Keyboard and Mouse - $30 amazon.com (on sale, free shipping)
Kingston HyperX 512MBx2 3200DDR Cas 2 (includes heatspreaders) - $169 outpost.com (on sale, $20 rebate, $7 shipping) [newegg lists for $230]
AMD64 3000+ 939 PIB (includes heatsink and fan) - $156  newegg.com (free shipping)
Chaintech VNF4/Ultra Skt 939 PCIExpress MB = $135 zipzoomfly.com (free shipping) [newegg was out of stock]
Samsung 120G 8M cache SATA drive - $81 newegg.com ($5 shipping)

Yes, AMD64 with PCIExpress motherboards are findable these days...two months ago, they were virtually impossible to get. That's under $900 (before tax, if any) without OS, monitor and speakers, just by looking for good price/performance ratios and watching prices for a while.

I paid a lot more attention to creating a quiet system this time around. The steel case has a quiet power supply and a 120mm fan (with provisions for a 2nd, but I've seen no indications I need it yet). The stock AMD heatsink and fan is quiet. I researched noise ratings on hard drives and made a point to buy a quiet one, with a multi-year warranty and good reviews. The whole thing is audible at 2 feet, but not annoying...I haven't felt the need to move it beneath the table yet, but I probably will later.

Oh, I don't recommend outpost.com...their CS sucks if you have any issues. The memory deal was the only part of my order which survived the chaos. The brick-and-morter Fry's stores seem a lot better than their online service.

As far as EQ performance goes with the Geforce 6600, I just turned on all the models and haven't noticed any lagging even in raids. Haven't turned on the shaders yet...should be interesting.

[Sorien]

Actually, if you go to www.hwextreme.com you will find better prices.  The web site includes newegg.com as well as a multitude of other vendors.  The web site is really user friendly and has extensive customer feedback forums for not only the vendors but the equipment itself.  You can even setup a free account which will allow you to stipulate the equipment that you want and the price that you want it.  When it reaches that price, you will get an e-mail saying to buy buy buy!  The web site has been very nice to me and I now go to that web site to buy all of my computer hardware.

[Lesstor]

I would say check this place out:

http://www.gotapex.com/

Notably:

Sunday, 6 March 2005   

HOT! Expires TONIGHT! DellSB - Dimension 4700 with 2.8Ghz P4, 256MB DDR SDRAM, 40GB S-ATA, CDROM, with FREE 19" LCD Monitor for $549 after Rebate with FREE Shipping! (Posted by: Brian)
This Dimension 4700 deal comes with the FREE 19" E193FP Flat Panel Display (worth $429) but it`s expiring TONIGHT! The option to upgrade to the very popular Dell 2005FPW Widescreen Digital Flat Panel LCD monitor for just $320. It comes with a 1 year warranty, the Intel 915G Express chipset based motherboard with 1 PCIe x16 slot (the replacement for AGP), 1 PCIe x1 slot, 2 PCI slots, a 2.8Ghz Pentium 4 520 HyperThreaded processor with 800mhz system bus, 256MB of DDR2 SDRAM, 40GB 7200RPM S-ATA drive, CD-ROM, 10/100 networking, Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio, and Windows XP Home.

    * Start here through the following link to Dell Small Business Outrageous Desktops: DELL DIMENSION 4700 COMPUTER DEAL
    * Now click on Customize It under Dimension 4700 $549
    * All of the options for the lowest possible cost should already be selected, including the rebate & freebies (but double check).
    * Upgrade whatever options you may want, though they may raise the cost. Here are a few that you may want to consider:
          o Pentium® 4 Processor 530 with HT Technology (3.00GHz, 800 FSB) [add $20]
          o 512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x256M) [add $40 or $1/month]
          o 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) [add $20]
          o 20 inch UltraSharp™ 2005FPW Widescreen Digital Flat Panel [add $320 or $9/month]
    * Scroll to the bottom and click on Continue
    * Scroll to the bottom and click on Continue
    * Scroll to the bottom and click on Add to cart
    * Finish checking out. Ground 3-5 day shipping for the computer is free. Send in your $100 rebate. Expires 3/6/05.

Dell is not the "best" gaming systems but they are pretty reliable overall ,and for the price you cant beat it. Hope that helps.

[zurdo]

http://www.falcon-nw.com/

http://www.powernotebooks.com/

Power note books for if you looking at a laptop.  Of course desktop is better for gaming but if mobility is an issue the right laptop can get the job done (for more money).  Laptops are about non upgradeable also. 

Powernotebooks are a good company tho, compare to alienware laptops

[Sorien]

Don't go Alienware.  They charge outlandish prices for their equipment.  It really isn't that bad building your own comp.  Takes a few hours out of your day to figure out the basics.  There are forums on the internet that you can post that you want to build a computer & get guidance from start to finish. 

Depending on your experience in maintaining your equipment & software, you could PM me and I'll be more than happy to step you through the process of making your computer. 

I could possibly make a comp for you.  I'm not in business & only make comps for friends, but do charge for my time.

Any way it goes, have fun with your new comp! :)

[Dakat]

I bought one off of EBay. When I was doing my research, I wanted the fastest thing on the market.

It took a month or so to find someone selling one that I was looking for. What I found was this:

AMD 64 3400
ASUS Kv8T800 MB adjustable to 1600 wifi,8usb,surr sound, the works )
Nvidia 5200 256mg
1gig ram
120gig HD
DVD/CD Burner
All for under $1,000.

I extra ordered a ASUS 9800XT 256 (was $600+ at the time, I got for under $400 separately off Ebay)
I also added 2 more gig of RAM from www.Pricewatch.com fairly cheap (roughly $200)
I remember going to many websites and online magazines like PCMAG and others getting Benchmarks. The AMD 64 3400 was outperforming the top-of-the line P4 3.4gig extreme edition which was over $3,000 at that time. The same goes for the video card, I put an ASUS card in an ASUS MB which helped, but the card was ranked higher the the NVidea 5900s at that time as well.

Needless to say, this machine is a monster. It's over 2 years old now and still outperforms most models being released.

In Everquest in zones like WOS, RSS, and new DoN zones I can 3 box on the same computer with graphics on high and models on w/o glitches/jerks/lag. If I were on a raid and 3 boxing on the same computer I would have to reset graphics down to low and turn some models off on at least 1 if not 2 accounts just to drop some lag. It used to scream before newer graphics were introduced with OOM, but is starting to slow down with DoN.