What is the best computer out there?

TrueLightGuild · Post by **TrueLightGuild** » Wed May 12, 2004 6:31 am

I would like to know what the fastest and best computer on the market is.

I have an HP that runs great but I am thinking of getting a new one, but I want to get the very very best this time.

Diedel · Post by **Diedel** » Wed May 12, 2004 7:18 am

Build your own computer from selected components.

captain_twinkie · Post by **captain_twinkie** » Wed May 12, 2004 7:25 am

Diedel wrote:Build your own computer from selected components.

So true!

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Wed May 12, 2004 7:31 am

Yep, build your own.

roid · Post by **roid** » Wed May 12, 2004 8:06 am

HemorROID. Go back to being an idiot in the cafe' where it is welcome. This person has a legitimate question and you are crapping in his thread.
-Stress

Avder · Post by **Avder** » Wed May 12, 2004 8:16 am

Build.

Your.

Own.

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Wed May 12, 2004 8:18 am

Lothar · Post by **Lothar** » Wed May 12, 2004 10:16 am

OK, so... "build your own" is generally the best, and "buy the top-of-the-line Cray" also works, but I don't think either of those answers is helpful to TLG. I recall the last time I asked a similar question, even though I explicitly stated "I don't have the time to build my own" I was still met with 90% "build your own" responses. It's like a religion for some of you :P

Let me ask the question in the way I think he intended it, and in the way I think the rest of you interpreted it but chose to ignore:

What company sells the fastest and best pre-built PC's for the best price? (Note that "PC" = "personal computer" which excludes supercomputers, and "pre-built" excludes "build your own".)

STRESSTEST · Post by **STRESSTEST** » Wed May 12, 2004 11:33 am

TLC, Alienware, Falcon Northwest are a a couple of companies that build nice machines. Dell's are cheap and reliable if you just need a basic desktop for doing things other then gaming.

If you can give us an idea of what you will be doing with it and a budget we can get a little more accurate for you.. Just the box? Or new monitor/kb/mouse also?

Testiculese · Post by **Testiculese** » Wed May 12, 2004 12:09 pm

Try calling the local compushops in your area and ask how much it would cost to build a machine with the specs you want. It sure beats getting screwed over with a Dell/Gateway/HP.

If you want a throw-away machine, get a Dell/Gateway/HP. But it will never run right until you format and reload the OS.

Aggressor Prime · Post by **Aggressor Prime** » Wed May 12, 2004 2:55 pm

Can you say, "I love Athlon 64 FX-53"?

Mr. Perfect · Post by **Mr. Perfect** » Wed May 12, 2004 7:54 pm

I tried but it came out as "Overpriced".

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Wed May 12, 2004 8:06 pm

Not your thread ace. Chill out.

As you have said in so many words recently, either make a post that is helpful or stfu..

-Stress

Capm · Post by **Capm** » Wed May 12, 2004 9:04 pm

edited

Asrale · Post by **Asrale** » Wed May 12, 2004 10:40 pm

Of the boutique vendors, I've found Vicious PC to offer lower-cost systems if that's what you're after. My next desktop might be from them, Alienware is just too expensive. And they offer case mods too...

roid · Post by **roid** » Wed May 12, 2004 11:09 pm

how much are you planning on spending?

WarAdvocat · Post by **WarAdvocat** » Thu May 13, 2004 7:32 am

I bought a fairly high-spec Dell a few years back, and as a gamer I can honestly say that I wish I'd spent the extra $500.00 for an Alienware or equivalent.

If you're just doing desk-top type stuff, a Dell is a good computer at a reasonable price.

For a pre-built gaming rig, I've heard good things about http://www.voodoocomputers.com/ in the areas of price:performance ratio compared to some of the other vendors (Alienware, FalconNorthWest etc), so you might want to check them out.

Now to brass tacks:

You can build your own from components for a substantial savings. I configured a P4 3.0 HT/1gb RAM/160GB Raid 0/Geforce 6800 system on voodoocomputers for around $2,900.00 (before shipping).

Now, I can build the same exact machine, with components that are slightly higher in spec (minus the voodoocomputers proprietary case), for around $1850.00 INCLUDING SHIPPING.

Which is why people will tell you, BUILD YOUR OWN.

I'll go one step further. Build your own and just send me the $1050.00 difference, please.

Plebeian · Post by **Plebeian** » Thu May 13, 2004 7:51 am

My Windows desktop is an eMachine. Flame away.

Reason: Needing something fairly inexpensive. The price was right, the specs were good though not up to any of your standards (though that doesn't say much, I don't think any pre-built would be). It's run really well, and plays games pretty well, especially since upgrading to a dedicated -- though "outdated" -- video card and adding a 512MB stick of RAM.

In any case, with a general idea of what sort of usage you're looking at, and how much you're willing to spend, ideas will be able to hone in better on what you want. For extreme gaming, the choices usually get down to Alienware or BYO, depending on budgetary constraints and whether you abhor pre-built or not. For a general "desktop", probably anything will work, the "best" will depend on exactly what you want to do on it.

(You mention "fastest", but at a point, you shouldn't really notice any speed differences. All depends on what you'll be doing most of the time.

)

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Thu May 13, 2004 8:25 am

One thing to keep in mind on configuratons, a single WD Raptor 74 GB will destroy any other boot drive or RAID array for single user performance, even highend SCSI drives cant match it. Atricle: here

I am seriously considering setting up my next series of drives as one Raptor 74GB (boot), and two 250+ GB IDE RAID0 (mass storage).

The hard drive is the slowest component in a system, so get the fastest one you can.

-Krom

WarAdvocat · Post by **WarAdvocat** » Thu May 13, 2004 8:32 am

NICE TIP Krom!

I'm in the process of putting the money aside to build my own system, and boot performance is definately one of my criteria.

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Thu May 13, 2004 2:15 pm

STRESSTEST wrote:TLC, Alienware, Falcon Northwest are a a couple of companies that build nice machines. Dell's are cheap and reliable if you just need a basic desktop for doing things other then gaming.

If you can give us an idea of what you will be doing with it and a budget we can get a little more accurate for you.. Just the box? Or new monitor/kb/mouse also?

I agree with Stress. For a pre-built gaming rig, you can't go wrong with Falcon or Alienware. However, if you want to save a few bucks by building it yourself, we're more than willing to help you out with choosing your parts and how to get everything setup.

Plague · Post by **Plague** » Thu May 13, 2004 3:48 pm

Building your own is cheaper and only takes about one hour for a first-timer to get a computer physically together. After that it gets real easy, just stick the Windows install disk in and press the buttons when it asks you to. I practiced piano for an hour while only stopping to press buttons here and there on the last computer I built. People say they don't have time, but it is seriously worth it. Even if you are going for a cheap box. If you don't want to build one because you don't know what parts to get... well... that's what the rest of us are here for.

If you are dead set against doing it yourself, then the suggestions above for a pre-built gaming machine or regular desktop will be fine. But do reformat and reinstall the OS when it comes in.

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Thu May 13, 2004 5:07 pm

You might want to check out the current or back issues of PC Gamer as they compare different high speed gaming rigs. Also, even Alienware has different price catagories and a mag like PCG will point them out and what the prices are. Good luck.

BfDiDDy · Post by **BfDiDDy** » Thu May 13, 2004 6:23 pm

www.outsideloop.com <-----those guys rock

TrueLightGuild · Post by **TrueLightGuild** » Fri May 14, 2004 5:40 am

I have a Dell, and a HP.
They are fine for regular applications.
I want something for games.
I would like to find a place that sells all the items to where you can build your own, but don't know if that is possible.
I like to just open the box and start using the computer, so a ready built one one be great.
I agree about the OS. Mine is really wierd.
I will look into the places and names you have suggested.
I was thinking of spending anywhere from $2000 to $2500
Thanks

Plebeian · Post by **Plebeian** » Fri May 14, 2004 6:41 am

TrueLightGuild wrote:I would like to find a place that sells all the items to where you can build your own, but don't know if that is possible.

There's lots of parts places out there, one of the big ones being NewEgg. Another is Directron. Directron will also be able to piece together the parts you order (as long as you order enough for a computer to be created), as will some other places. Just in case you'd like to specify which parts go into your computer, but really don't feel comfortable doing it on your own.

Otherwise, for gaming, probably Alienware. Just have to make sure to not be too upgrade-happy, or you can break your budget quite soundly.

WarAdvocat · Post by **WarAdvocat** » Fri May 14, 2004 7:33 am

Yeah, I was going to recommend NewEgg. I'd steer away from Alienware, based on price:benefit ratio, but if you can get credit from them, for instance, It might work better.

I was turned down for a $2,500.00 line of credit by them, despite the fact that banks are willing to lend me hundreds of thousands of dollars, so go figure.

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Fri May 14, 2004 1:26 pm

TrueLightGuild wrote:I have a Dell, and a HP.
They are fine for regular applications.
I want something for games.
I would like to find a place that sells all the items to where you can build your own, but don't know if that is possible.
I like to just open the box and start using the computer, so a ready built one one be great.
I agree about the OS. Mine is really wierd.
I will look into the places and names you have suggested.
I was thinking of spending anywhere from $2000 to $2500
Thanks

Oh ★■◆● man, with that kind of a budget you'd have a KILLER rig. Thats way more than you need to spend though.

Case: Foxconn CasEdge Model "TH202" $88
CPU: AMD XP 2800+ (2.08GHz) - $121 (stock heatsink is plenty if you're not planning to overclock. My processor never goes over 49C at full load.)
RAM: Crucial 512MB PC2700 DDR $98 (Unless you're doing alot of video editing or HEAVY gaming, half a gig is all you need.)
Motherboard: Asus A7N8X - $92 (Motherboard has integrated 6 channel audio so no PCI sound card is needed.)
Hard drive: 2x Maxtor 120GB with 8MB cache (7200RPM) - $94 each (I put two here because you'll always need more drive space, and its ALWAYS good to have a backup of some kind to fall back on.)
Video card: Gainward GeforceFX 5900 (256MB DDR/AGP 8x) - $272 (This should be MORE than enough power for your rig, and should keep you happy for some time.)
CD-ROM/RW/DVD-ROM: Lite-On 48X24X48X16 Combo Drive - $44.50 (You'll be able to play games, burn CDs, and watch DVD movies with this drive.)
Monitor: Samsung 955DF 19" CRT - $199 (I saw this monitor at Office Depot and it has a BEAUTIFUL display! I recommend buying this locally though, to save yourself the cost of having it shipped.)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1a - $139

Grand total: $1242.49 + s/h (just for an example, it would cost $15 to ship all of this to Tennessee via Fedex Express Saver, which is 3-day business.)

(OPTIONAL to replace or include with your other burner) DVD +/- RW: Lite-On 8x $84 (burns at 8x for both + and - R media)

Now I don't know what type of internet connection you have so I left that out of the specs. If you've got broadband, the motherboard has a built-in network adapter so you'd be good to go in that area. Granted, the specs above aren't exactly for a budget gaming rig (I admit I went a little overboard when I saw your budget, but its still well within it and then some...), but it should be more than enough to satisfy your needs.

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Fri May 14, 2004 2:05 pm

I agree with MD on the samsung. I have one and it is nice.

Kyouryuu · Post by **Kyouryuu** » Fri May 14, 2004 2:23 pm

The thing that ticks me off about Dell is that there is so much proprietary nonsense inside of one. Even the adaptor where the cooling fan plugs into the motherboard is proprietary (and it's a pretty cruddy fan to boot, meaning you'll be on the hook for future repairs). The components inside aren't that great either. Other than the Intel Pentium and motherboard and the Samsung DVD-ROM drive, I haven't heard of a single brand in there. They put cheap components inside and charge a premium price. I'd ignore them; I wouldn't buy from them again unless I needed a laptop.

You'd be better off building one yourself (which I'll probably wind up doing for my next machine) or going with Alienware or Falcon Northwest. I've heard good things about the latter.

Krom · Post by **Krom** » Fri May 14, 2004 2:34 pm

Just for fun on newegg I configed a very fast athlon 64 system (with the exception of the video card because nothing new was out) for $4300.

kurupt · Post by **kurupt** » Fri May 14, 2004 3:01 pm

If you are looking to save time and spend money, go Alienware. if you are looking to save money and still have an Alienware-esque rig, and learn something in the process, see MD's post. or here is an alternative, higher quality (and higher price right here in my own post

)

Abit IC7 Max3 $184 free shipping also comes with sound and onboard LAN (though if you're gaming you don't want to use the onboard sound)

Intel Pentium 4 3.0ghz "c" with 800mhz fsb and Hyper Threading (fast!) $209 free shipping

Corsair value Select RAM, 1gb (512x2) of pc3200 $198 If you aren't overclocking, you'll be fine with value select. you'll want 2 sticks of 512 rather than 1 stick of 1gb to take advantage of the hyper threading in the processor. basically its tricking windows into thinking you have 2 processors when you use hyperthreading. not much of an effect on gaming but for applications it doubles your speeds. 1gig for gaming, 512 for non gaming rig. i reccomend 1gb regardless, but its something to cut $100 off the price if you dont think you'll use it.

MD's hard drive reccomendations i wholeheartedly agree with.

Same with the monitor. its a beauty.

for a video card i have to reccomend ATI's Radeon 9800 pro for $279 or if you really want the best and care to spend an extra 200ish bucks, the Radeon 9800 XT $449. i reccomend the 9800 pro for price reasons, but the XT is a more powerful card. I have a 9800 pro with 128mb of ram and it absolutely murders every game out there. the 9800 pro 256mb should be plenty for awhile.

if you want a cd burner and dvd player, MD's suggestion is great. however if you want a DVD burner, lite-on's are lacking.

try this one if you want a good dvd burner. Plextor 708A $155 8x burner, very nice, never burns coasters. its more expensive, but its a better drive.

for cases i reccomend Antec, the power supplies they put in their cases are magnificent. try this one out, its a decent price at $106, Antec Performance Plus, 430w

this part is optional, as your motherboard has a built in sound card, but if you're gaming this is a good thing to have instead of onboard sound. Sounblaster Audigy 2 $72.

for gaming, you might wanna pick up a joystick or a racing wheel, or perhaps a gamepad. for gamepads i reccomend this one Logitech dual action $20. its basically a ps2 controller for the pc. performs better than getting an adapter to use with your current ps2 controller if you have one. if you like ea sports games this is the one to get.

if you're playing first person shooters, get one of these. Logitech mx 310 $25. or if you want an even better mouse, get an mx 510 at best buy when you get that monitor. it'll cost you 50 bucks, but apparently newegg does not have them

i have a 310 and it absolutely blows away any mouse ive ever used (havent had the good fortune to use a 510 yet).

plus windows xp pro, as MD reccomended.

if you go all out and get the highest of quality, my suggestions run at $1994. if you get the cheaper video card, cd-rom drive, use onboard sound, no gamepad, and get 1 stick of ram instead of 2, it knocks the price down to $1473.

still more expensive, but a higher quality alternative.

i hope we could help you out a little. and dont worry about building it yourself, its very simple. the pieces only fit into 1 place

read the manuals and you'll be fine. i didnt even have to use it when i built my first, i just snapped pieces in where they fit and it worked like a charm. if you're dead set against building one and want a sweet gaming rig, i'd go alienware.

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Fri May 14, 2004 11:15 pm

Krom wrote:Just for fun on newegg I configed a very fast athlon 64 system (with the exception of the video card because nothing new was out) for $4300.

I wouldn't go Athlon 64 if I were you. They're changing socket designs very soon, so you'd be screwed over if you built a 64-bit AMD system right now.

MD-2389 · Post by **MD-2389** » Fri May 14, 2004 11:19 pm

Kyouryuu wrote:The thing that ticks me off about Dell is that there is so much proprietary nonsense inside of one. Even the adaptor where the cooling fan plugs into the motherboard is proprietary (and it's a pretty cruddy fan to boot, meaning you'll be on the hook for future repairs). The components inside aren't that great either. Other than the Intel Pentium and motherboard and the Samsung DVD-ROM drive, I haven't heard of a single brand in there. They put cheap components inside and charge a premium price. I'd ignore them; I wouldn't buy from them again unless I needed a laptop.

You'd be better off building one yourself (which I'll probably wind up doing for my next machine) or going with Alienware or Falcon Northwest. I've heard good things about the latter.

Just to add to this:

The labs on campus are Dells and they're crapping out left and right. They just can't take the abuse of actual heavy use. They need to bolt the damn heatsinks down because a good bump and you've got yourself a doorstop.

TrueLightGuild · Post by **TrueLightGuild** » Sat May 15, 2004 4:38 am

Thanks,
I am looking into all of this.
I am going to add it all up and see what I come out with.

I gave my Dell to my wife because the fan sounds like an air conditioner.
The HP I have is not as bad but its bad enough.
When I am lighting a level all night,

she sleeps on the couch because she can't stand the noise, except in the summer when I can actually turn on the air conditioner and it all sounds the same.

kurupt
So, if its isn't too much trouble, could you just give me a 1,2,3 list of everything I need on the $1994.00 Deal.
I may just start ordering in a week or so, if I am certain that I can put it all together and it will work.

md2389
Actually, the HP cost me around $2000 when I bought it.
I did have an AMD, but it went on a blink, so I decided to go to P4 on the rest of my computers.( Not that AMD is bad but seems to be bad luck for me)Also I heard they are the best for gaming, but I hear a lot of things that I don't really agree on.
My P4 computer has only 1.8 gig and 512mem, 64meg video card ( NVIDIA) and it handles d3 like a charm.
We have 4 but I want a super computer for gaming.
I had thought about getting a better card but decided to wait until I bought a new computer or built one.
This one will go to the wife,(HP), the Dell will go to the kids, and the kids computer will go in the basement. I should start a used computer store or something.

Waradvocat...
Dell turned me down, and I have over $500,000 dollars worth of property ( completly paid for ) and many, many thousands of dollars in the Astoria Federal Savings Bank here in Long Island New York. I told them to kiss my A.
I will just use cash, but if you are ordering over the internet then you need a card, and I have plenty of them with big lines of credit.
Now! If I lived back in Texas again, they would have probably approved it.
Just like here in New York, the civil war is still going on.
Wierd world.
The world is full of S... and they are just some more little T.r.ds....

kurupt · Post by **kurupt** » Sat May 15, 2004 1:35 pm

sure, no problem. i reccomend getting them all from newegg since they ship right away, use fedex, and generally get you your stuff in about 2 days. thats where i'm gonna post all of the links.

ok, i'll go straight down the line.

Antec Case
Abit IC7 MAX3 Motherboard
P4c 3.0ghz Processor
Corsair RAM
ATI Radeon 9800 XT 256mb Video Card
Western Digital 120gb Special Edition Hard DriveI reccomend 2 of these
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Sound Card
Plextor DVD Writer Make sure to upgrade the firmware on any DVD writer you purchase, they improve these things all the time
Samsung 19" Flat Screen Monitor

optional stuff:

Logitech Mouse
Writable DVD's 50 pack
Logitech Gamepad

As far as keyboards go, it depends on if you want one of those media ones or just a basic board. you may already have one to use as well, same with the mouse.

All of the above including the optional section shipped to New York comes out to be $1911 as of 3:45 eastern today (saturday).

Enjoy

Lothar · Post by **Lothar** » Sat May 15, 2004 2:23 pm

With respect to keyboards, I really like Key Tronic keyboards. My wife tested hers with a keypress-testing program against her Descent config, and it was taking at least 6 keypresses at a time (3 movement directions, rolls, and cycling 2 weapons) in all possible combinations. The touch is pretty good, as well.

You can get them at www.keytronic.com if you're in the US. You can spend anywhere from $12 to $40 on a KB from them.

kurupt · Post by **kurupt** » Sat May 15, 2004 4:25 pm

ditto on keytronic. i'm using one right now. great for gaming. its basic though, no media buttons, no internet explorer buttons, no reset, standby, suspend etc that ive seen. just a keyboard.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Sat May 15, 2004 4:30 pm

TrueLightGuild wrote:We have 4 but I want a super computer for gaming.

www.cray.com <-- excellent Super Computers

Capm · Post by **Capm** » Sat May 15, 2004 4:57 pm

I recommend Chieftec-based Cases. Excellent quality of construction.