Hi All,
I want to get my old son an entry-level desktop gaming rig for his 16 b'day - hopefully something he can upgrade but who knows if he will ever want to do it. Originally we discussed him building his own computer but this plan never got off the ground because 1. he has few financial resources and 2. he's TERRIBLE at making decisions. So - I have decided to take the bull by the horns and get him at least started for his b'day. He needs a full setup, including monitor, as currently he is using a laptop with integrated graphics. I would expect this to last him till he goes off to college in 2 ½ years.
Right now he is playing WOW and doing some video editing on his current computer - I think with a newer rig he will expand his gaming, but again who knows. My budget is about 1000 bucks for everything, including a monitor if possible.
Here's the dilemma - in my budget there are a few mainstream systems that will meet his needs FINE for now, may or may not be upgradable, come with operating systems and support. They are the HP d449t, the Dell Vostro 400. I have configured them as follows:
HP - Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit), Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q6700 (2.66GHz), FREE UPGRADE to 3GB DDR2-667MHz dual channel SDRAM (2x1024,2x512) from 2GB, 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT, TV-out, DVI-I, HDMI, 802.11 b/g USB Wireless LAN card, 500GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive, LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive, 15-in-1 memory card reader, 3 USB, 1394, audio, Integrated 7.1 channel sound w/front audio ports
– Norton Internet Security(TM) 2008 - 15 Months, Microsoft(R) Works 9.0, HP keyboard and HP optical mouse
This comes in at $900 with no monitor – and is billed as “very expandable†with lots of bays, etc.
Dell - Intel® Core™2 Quad Proc Q6600 (2.40GHz,8MB L2Cache,1066FSB), Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium, 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz - 2DIMMs, Dell 22 inch Widescreen E228WFP Analog Flat Panel Display, 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT, 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache, Dell 19-in-1 Media Card Reader, Single Drive: 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive, cheapest Dell keyboard and mouse
This comes in at $1050 with a 22†monitor – other than adding memory and another hard drive this is about as good as it gets, however it does have the best video card (by far I think?) and a decent big flatscreen.
After doing a ton of research on the web, my third option is to buy a pre-built stock parts rig from a seemingly well respected vendor called AVADirect. Their lowest end system that appeals to me comes in as follows:
CUSTOM COMPUTER, Coreâ„¢ 2 Duo Extreme Performance Series System
COMPUCASE (HEC), 6C28 Black/Silver Mid-Tower Case, 485W PSU, ATX
• ASUS, P5B, LGA775, Intel P965, DDR2-800 8GB/4, PCIe x16, SATA 3Gb/s /5, Audio, GbLAN, ATX, Retail
• INTEL, Core™ 2 Duo E8400 Dual-Core, 3.0GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 6MB L2 Cache, 45nm, 65W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
• OCZ, 2GB (2 x 1GB) Gold GX XTC PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz CL 5-5-5-12 SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
• GIGABYTE, GV-NX85T512HP, GeForce® 8500GT 600MHz, 512MB GDDR2 800MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, VGA+DVI, HDTV-Out, Retail
• SEAGATE, 250GB Barracuda 7200.10, SATA II 300MB/s, 7200-RPM, 16MB cache
• RAID, No RAID, Independent HDD Drives
• SONY, CRX320EE Black 52x32x52-16A DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive, OEM
• LINKSKEY, LKA-CR15B Black 19-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Drive, 3.5" Bay, Internal USB
• MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32-bit, OEM
• WARRANTY, Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty
This comes in at about $900 with no monitor – all of this is highly configurable, I made a few changes (upgraded the processor and added an operating system and a card reader, but every option is changeable, for a price of course).
OK – so, sorry about the length of this post but I have to make a decision soon in order to get this here in time for his b'day. Do I go for the “expandable†HP system? Or the Dell Vostro with a 22 inch monitor and the best graphics card, but little space in the case for upgrades? Or do I buy what is fundamentally a bare bones system for him to perhaps learn and tweak and overclock on? Thanks for your help.
I want to get my old son an entry-level desktop gaming rig for his 16 b'day - hopefully something he can upgrade but who knows if he will ever want to do it. Originally we discussed him building his own computer but this plan never got off the ground because 1. he has few financial resources and 2. he's TERRIBLE at making decisions. So - I have decided to take the bull by the horns and get him at least started for his b'day. He needs a full setup, including monitor, as currently he is using a laptop with integrated graphics. I would expect this to last him till he goes off to college in 2 ½ years.
Right now he is playing WOW and doing some video editing on his current computer - I think with a newer rig he will expand his gaming, but again who knows. My budget is about 1000 bucks for everything, including a monitor if possible.
Here's the dilemma - in my budget there are a few mainstream systems that will meet his needs FINE for now, may or may not be upgradable, come with operating systems and support. They are the HP d449t, the Dell Vostro 400. I have configured them as follows:
HP - Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit), Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q6700 (2.66GHz), FREE UPGRADE to 3GB DDR2-667MHz dual channel SDRAM (2x1024,2x512) from 2GB, 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT, TV-out, DVI-I, HDMI, 802.11 b/g USB Wireless LAN card, 500GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive, LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive, 15-in-1 memory card reader, 3 USB, 1394, audio, Integrated 7.1 channel sound w/front audio ports
– Norton Internet Security(TM) 2008 - 15 Months, Microsoft(R) Works 9.0, HP keyboard and HP optical mouse
This comes in at $900 with no monitor – and is billed as “very expandable†with lots of bays, etc.
Dell - Intel® Core™2 Quad Proc Q6600 (2.40GHz,8MB L2Cache,1066FSB), Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium, 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz - 2DIMMs, Dell 22 inch Widescreen E228WFP Analog Flat Panel Display, 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT, 250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache, Dell 19-in-1 Media Card Reader, Single Drive: 16X (DVD+/-RW) Burner Drive, cheapest Dell keyboard and mouse
This comes in at $1050 with a 22†monitor – other than adding memory and another hard drive this is about as good as it gets, however it does have the best video card (by far I think?) and a decent big flatscreen.
After doing a ton of research on the web, my third option is to buy a pre-built stock parts rig from a seemingly well respected vendor called AVADirect. Their lowest end system that appeals to me comes in as follows:
CUSTOM COMPUTER, Coreâ„¢ 2 Duo Extreme Performance Series System
COMPUCASE (HEC), 6C28 Black/Silver Mid-Tower Case, 485W PSU, ATX
• ASUS, P5B, LGA775, Intel P965, DDR2-800 8GB/4, PCIe x16, SATA 3Gb/s /5, Audio, GbLAN, ATX, Retail
• INTEL, Core™ 2 Duo E8400 Dual-Core, 3.0GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 6MB L2 Cache, 45nm, 65W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
• OCZ, 2GB (2 x 1GB) Gold GX XTC PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz CL 5-5-5-12 SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
• GIGABYTE, GV-NX85T512HP, GeForce® 8500GT 600MHz, 512MB GDDR2 800MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, VGA+DVI, HDTV-Out, Retail
• SEAGATE, 250GB Barracuda 7200.10, SATA II 300MB/s, 7200-RPM, 16MB cache
• RAID, No RAID, Independent HDD Drives
• SONY, CRX320EE Black 52x32x52-16A DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive, OEM
• LINKSKEY, LKA-CR15B Black 19-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Drive, 3.5" Bay, Internal USB
• MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32-bit, OEM
• WARRANTY, Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty
This comes in at about $900 with no monitor – all of this is highly configurable, I made a few changes (upgraded the processor and added an operating system and a card reader, but every option is changeable, for a price of course).
OK – so, sorry about the length of this post but I have to make a decision soon in order to get this here in time for his b'day. Do I go for the “expandable†HP system? Or the Dell Vostro with a 22 inch monitor and the best graphics card, but little space in the case for upgrades? Or do I buy what is fundamentally a bare bones system for him to perhaps learn and tweak and overclock on? Thanks for your help.
