What brand of PC?

[Danase]

Originally Posted by gnahc79

Danase, the world of building your own PC can get kinda crazy . If you don't already know, anandtech.com has GREAT guides for this sort of thing:
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/
Their buyer's guide is a great starting point, they build a system and price it for you. Their latest guide is for a mid-range PC, ~$1400 with monitor
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=2753

Thanks for the links!

[adept]

Get a Macintosh

[Danase]

Originally Posted by adept

Get a Macintosh

Originally Posted by Danase

I even looked in MACs but most of the software I use can only be used on a PC, such as AutoCAD

That is why I don't get one.

[andyman]

Originally Posted by Danase

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129155
I think I like Andyman's suggestion for this case.

Like others have said (and you already know), you can't go wrong with new egg. If you don't like the sonata, send it back. They'll take care of you. HOWEVER, I doubt that'll be an issue. It's a great case

[tustah]

I usually build my own computer but I figured I would chime in on a Dell Deal just to get a 24" monitor:

Description: Dell XPS 700 Intel Pentium D Processor 920 (2.8GHz,800FSB) w/Dual Core Technology and 2MB cache

Order Group Quantity Item Description
1 1 222-2570 Intel Pentium D Processor 920 (2.8GHz,800FSB) w/Dual Core Technology and 2MB cache
1 1 311-6082 1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
1 1 310-7963 Dell USB Keyboard
1 1 320-4362 24 in (24.0 in viewable) 2407FPW Wide Aspect Digital Flat Panel Display
1 1 320-4806 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS
1 1 341-3666 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/ DataBurst Cache
1 1 341-3764 No Floppy Drive
1 1 410-0792 Microsoft Windows XP x64 Edition
1 1 310-7965 Dell USB 2-button mouse
1 1 313-3607 No modem requested for Dell Dimension
1 1 313-4304 16X DVD+R/RW CD-RW CombinationDrive
1 1 420-5780 Sonic Cineplayer
1 1 420-5791 Roxio Creator Basic/MyDVD Basic
1 1 313-4339 No Optical Drive
1 1 313-2758 Integrated Audio
1 1 313-4514 No Speaker Requested
1 1 313-3471 Symmantec AntiVirus x64 Edit
1 1 412-1397 No Productivity Software requested
1 1 950-3339 3 Year Limited Warranty
1 1 412-0359 Soft Contracts - Qualxserve
1 1 960-3642 Warranty Support,2 Year Extended
1 1 960-8680 Warranty Support,Initial Year
1 1 984-0927 Dell Hardware Warranty, Initial Year
1 1 970-5200 Type 15 - Third Party At Home Service with Nights and Weekends, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year
1 1 984-0928 Dell Hardware Warranty, Extended Year
1 1 960-9502 Type 15 - Third Party At Home Service with Nights and Weekends, 24x7 Technical Support, 2 Year Extended
1 1 960-2697 Dimension XPS, Specialized Support
1 1 465-4663 Windows Vista Capable
1 1 464-9572 No Preinstalled Software

Original Total: $1913 or something like that
30% off coupon
12% off for choosing extended warranty
2% off for DPA (Dell Prefered Account)
$50 off coupon

After tax, came out to $1200

[Danase]

Ok, I think I have decided to just upgrade my current system. I am going to go with upgrading it to 1 gig of ram, replace my two burners with two new Samsung Lightscribe burners and add a 250 gig hard drive. Then reinstall windows and that should be a nice setup for me I think.

[Danase]

Another question. Can I buy a new case and take all of my comments formt he Dell and put them into the new case without problems? I really don't like the case my Dell is in.
Thanks.

[gnahc79]

It's been years since I've built a desktop, but:
- You need to make sure the form factor is compatible. For example, if the Dell motherboard is an ATX form factor, so you need an ATX compatible case. Make sure the power supply is the same or greater in the new case.

RAM and a hard drive upgrade is is a good idea IMO. For basic use you don't need the latest processor or graphics card anyways.

[PrinzII]

Originally Posted by Danase

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129155
I think I like Andyman's suggestion for this case.

Check out the Silverstone TJ-07 or TJ-05. Another case to look at is the Antec P180.

[PrinzII]

Danase:

The key to determining what you want to build is what you are going to use the computer for and your budget. For my last build, I kind of wanted a machine that will last me a few years since I don't upgrade boxes that often and be able to handle whatever I dish out since I do things like tinker with Photoshop or make mixes.

To give you a rough idea, this is what my build consists of currently:

Abit KN-8 mobo: $82.99 (Price has dropped on Newegg)
AMD Opteron 165 (Denmark) processor: $327.00
Lite-On DVD RW w/LiteScribe: $45.99
Antec TP II 550 W power supply: $89.99
XFX 7900 GT PCI-X 16 256 MB Video Card: $299.00
Lite-On Combo Drive: $26.99
Case: $50 (Bought from a buddy of mine)
Mitsumi Floppy Drive: $7.99
Sound Blaster Audigy ZS 2 Platinum Sound Card: $100 (Bought from a buddy of mine)
Hard drives: I already had them lying around.

You are taking the best approach possible by asking questions here and talking with your friend. Everyone will be glad to help you.

[Danase]

Ok, I ended up with two Samsung LightScribe DVD/Burner Drives. I was going to go with a 320 gig harddrive but I decided on a 160 just to save some dough. Plus my 60 gig drive is only half full so I will have plenty of space with the two. Then I am adding 1 gig memory on top of the 512 I have now. It all should be in tomorrow.

[andyman]

Sweet. Bumping up the memory should help out with some problems. A re-installation of the O/S may also be in order. I usually re-install annually. Althought with XP, I am not noticing the severe performance degradations associated with a long running install like with previous versions of Windows.

At any rate, I DOUBT that you'll be able to switch your dell hardware over to another case. Mass marketers of PC's generally are somewhat proprietary. They may or may not conform to the current ATX form factor.