First time builder

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Ok so, my wife pointed out this..

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+DX4300-11+Desktop+with+AMD+Phenom%26%238482%3B+II+X4+Processor+%26+20"+LCD+Monitor/9999124200050006.p?id=pcmprd124200050006&skuId=9999124200050006&st=dx 4300&lp=3&cp=1

And it obviously has integrated graphics. So, if I got the combo you listed in the post above me (if that would even work in it) it will put me at 998 total.

In your opinion would you buy the gateway and upgrade the graphics and power supply or build the one you listed (keeping in mind that I do need a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
 
hmm... that gateway might not be a completely bad deal. it comes with 8gigs of ram and a 1tb hdd, which when i try to include as separate parts in a build end up coming over budget.

thing is that the case looks small and idk if the gfx card would fit.

if you were to get a card like this one, it would fit
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
although that card isnt as powerful.
 
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! DX4300-11 Phenom II X4 805(2.5GHz) 8GB DDR2 1TB ATI Radeon HD 3200 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Is the link to the pictures of what is inside. You can manually click the one of the case. Not sure if it helps at all with question of whether or not the card will fit.

As long as I can play games with decent settings (low will not do) I am good. I do like idea of making my own computer from scratch so that way I know everything in it. I also like the price of the gateway mixed with how good the insides are. If the good video card will fit then I may just get the gateway. Totally on the fence here.
 
oh, didnt think to look on newegg for it.

from other pics i had seen, it looked like the hdd cage would cause a clearance problem, but now looking at the newegg pics that show the inside at an angle, im pretty sure that although a snug fit, the gfx card would fit in.

but just to let you know, you wouldnt be able to use the tv tuner card that comes preinstalled because the gfx card uses a dual-slot cooler which blocks whatever slot maybe be right beneath the pcie x16 slot.

also, it only comes with one case fan so if you do get it, i would add another fan or two.

the 5850 should be able to max out (or get close to maxing out) just about any game currently out but if you dont want to spend as much for it, the other gfx card i listed is also a good card.

usually, its better to build yourself just because you usually get more for your money, you know exactly what goes in, and its a good experience IMO. thing is, i tried different ways to compile some parts to compare to the gateway, but even cutting back to just 4gigs of ram and a 500gb hdd, the total came to like $960 something and that wasent including little things like a mouse + keyboard, speakers, media card reader, etc.. compared to the gateway that would total just under $1000 but has 8gis of ram and a 1tb hdd, it seems like a better deal.

but some downsides i see in the gateway are that it doesnt come with the best cooling but you could just add some fans and if something happens like if something breaks, you need to send the entire pc back whereas if you build it yourself, you just send back that one part. and also, i dont know if you would be able to OC (well if you ever wanted to anyway) because the manufacturers of these prebuilts sometimes lock the bios, so you might have very limited or no options as far as OCing goes.

if this were for me, i would buy the parts and build it myself just because i like building ****, lol, but its not.

i guess ive kinda listed some pros/ cons so you can decide for yourself.

(wow...sry for this long *** post >.<)
 
the case is listed in muffinman's post on the top of this page. I watched a couple reviews and see that there are two slots for 120mm fans on the front so I would order 2 and put them in there when I order everything else. I didn't look too hard on the gateway to see if there were any extra places for fans.
 
the case i listed at the top already comes with 4 case fans (2 front, 1 rear, 1 top).

the gateway comes with 1 rear fan, and it has some holes/vents on the side panel but i cant really see any fan mounting holes. you could do a little ghetto mod and just strap some fans to the side panel with cable ties or something :p

edit: some info i came across thx to another member might mean that the psu in the combo with the 5850 is crap.
http://www.techist.com/forums/f75/gaming-rig-first-time-builder-223758/index2.html
since i had suggested this combo to you too, i didnt want you to end buying a possible crap psu just for it to possibly damage your new system later on. i guess it was just too good to be true, sry.

you can still get the 5850 but to be on the safe, get a psu from a more reputable brand; antec, ocz, corsair, seasonic, pc power & cooling. more can be found here http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/read-first-updated-power-supply-guide-221778/ although i know this is probably going to really push your budget.

other options for gfx/psu

the one i posted earlier
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.319292

or this one that has a faster gfx card than that ^ one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.319505

sry.
 
Ok so best buy has 2 different packages in their ad for next week. One is the gateway package that I listed earlier. it's the dx-4300.

For those that don't want to click here are the specs. 2.5 ghz quad core phenom, 5400 rpm 1 tb hard drive, 8 gigs of ram. It also comes complete with a monitor and printer and is 829.97.

The other one is http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668380.php

2.93 ghz i3 dual core. variable speed 1 tb hard drive, 6 gigs of ram. It comes complete with a monitor but no printer (not that big an issue).

If i get either I intend to replace the power supply and drop in a better video card. The video card needs to be able to run all games at max settings without issue. I know the 5850 is rediculous and awesome but is there a cheaper card that will do the trick?

So, 2 questions. Which of the two computers I have listed would you get and what video card/psu would you recommend?
 
I have been reading reviews of the gateway computers and ppl are just saying that for a multimedia living room computer that the 4300 is good but if you want to game then you need to build one. Now, i'm not sure if that review takes into consideration the fact that I would drop a 5850 with a good psu into that box.

anyway, I was looking up combo deals and came across

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

I know i've driven this thread into the ground. I honestly expected to have bought something by now. Leave it to my school to screw around with disbursing financial aid. I was looking that over and it looks to be pretty nice. I would just drop a 5850 and windows and call it a day unless someone can throw up some links to a better system for around the same price or lower.
 
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