Is this a good deal?

[Big Lou]

I made a custom package on CyberPowerSystem and came up with the following. I'm not 100% a computer whiz... especially on hardware. Am I getting a good deal, and will this equpiment satisfy my need? What I plan on using this PC for is Graphical design (just recently started my own online graphics shop) and video/audio production (I make HIGH quality machinimas). I plan on using this computer professionally, which is why I am willing to spend $2000+. Also, I should let you know, I'm not getting graphics cards (which I will probably get two for nice dual monitor support) or monitors (2 19" widescreen monitors) because I can get a phenomenal deal on them. Here is the product detail list:

# *BASE_PRICE: [+1355]
# CAS: CoolerMaster Praetorian 730 RC-730 Aluminum Tower 420W Case (Silver Color)
# CASUPGRADE: NONE
# CPU: (939-pin) AMD Athlon™64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+484]
# CD: (Special Price) LG GWA-4161 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER [+24] (SILVER COLOR [+9])
# CD2: (Special Price) LG GWA-4161 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (SILVER COLOR [+9])
# CABLE: None
# FLOPPY: 1.44 MB FLOPPY DRIVE [+10] (SILVER COLOR [+7])
# FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer [+10] (SILVER COLOR)
# FAN: CoolerMaster Liquid CPU Cooling Fan System Kit + 2 EXTRA CASE FANS
# HDD: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive [+246]
# HDD2: NONE
# IEEE_CARD: NONE
# KEYBOARD: Logitech Deluxe 104 PS/2 Keyboard (Black Color)
# MOUSE: PS2 INTERNET MOUSE W/ WHEEL [-16] (Special!!! BEIGE COLOR MICROSOFT USB INTELLIMOUSE)
# MODEM: NONE
# MONITOR: NONE [-259]
# MONITOR2: NONE
# MOTHERBOARD: (Sckt939)ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI Chipset SATA RAID Dual PCIE MB w/GbLAN,USB2.0,IEEE-1394,&7.1Audio [+135]
# MEMORY: 2048 MB (512MBx4) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY [+120] (Corsair Value Select)
# NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
# OS: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional X64 Edition [+31]
# PRO_WIRING: None
# PRINTER: None
# PRINTER_CABLE: None
# POWERSUPPLY: **Cyberpower Recommended** NZXT PF-500 500Watt Power Supply [+49]
# RAID: NONE
# RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
# SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY PLUS ONE-YEAR ONSITE SERVICE
# SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
# SPEAKERS: NONE [-95]
# TEMP: THERMAL TEMPERATURE LCD DISPLAY WITH 3X FAN CONTROLLER [+12] (SILVER COLOR)
# TVRC: None
# UPS: None
# USB: Build-in USB 2.0 Ports
# USBHD: NONE
# VIDEOCAMERA: NONE
# VIDEO: NONE [-185]
# VIDEO2: NONE
# WNC: PCI Wireless 802.11g 54Mbps Network Interface Card
# WAP: NONE
# ZIP: NONE
# _PRICE: (+1946)

In your oppinion, am I getting a good deal?

 

[aliasaid]

no monitors, no vid card... and still $2000... no this doesn't seem like a good deal. even the ram is value ram. i can see that the processor is an expensive one.... but still that comp is not worth $2000.

unfortunately, if you really want bang for your buck, you're gonna have to build the computer yourself... and buy the parts from places like newegg.com

 

[Static_11]

dont spend that much on a prebuilt p.o.s.

 

[alexsabree]

??... i would think if u had 2000 to spend u could have the best, but well i think thats not the case here 8(

 

[Big Lou]

Ok, thank you. Like I said I'm not very knowledgeable about comp hardware. So, besides the price, is this equipment good? If so, I could shop around newegg.

 

[Ridlyn]

For $2000

X2 4400+
2x1GB Ram
WD 250Gb Sata2 16mbcache
Thermaltake armor
Antec Truepower 2.0 550w
evga 7900gt/ati radeon x1900xt
dfi lanparty ut nf4

 

[slick_tech15]

You don't want the onboard high definition audio. Instead, get the Creative X fi xtrememusic or 2 ZS. But you really should build instead of getting it prebuilt.

 

[Big Lou]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! Here is what I have based on your input.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4400CDBOX - Retail

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model Twinx2048-3200c2pt - Retail

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail

Thermaltake Armor VA8000SWA Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

[2 qty] LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model SHW160P6S05 - OEM

LINKSKEY LKA-CR15B 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader/Writer - Retail

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

Total: $1852.95

On top of that, around $500 for 2 19" widescreen WestingHouse lcd monitors. Good deal? No? Any changes?

 

[slick_tech15]

That looks good now! Im jealous . Umm, 2 westinghouse monitors for 500 bucks, doesnt sound like a bad deal to me. Of course, you could get 19 inch LCD's on sale for around 200 bucks.

 

[john3]

Do not waste the extra money on a Expert, let alone SLi-DR, sli is waste of money. just get the regular DFi Lanparty Ut Ultra-D, save a lot of money, and get everything you need. as for Optical drive, get the NEC 3550A, its a great one. and thats about it, that should bring you down to about $1800 or below. Also if u are going to get the armor, get the black one, because the silver armor looks pretty ugly, and since it is aluminum, it will get scratched very easily, which will make it look worse, granted the black armor weighs more cause its made mostly of steel, but it will look better, PLUS it costs less than the silver. but if u want something that looks good, i would consider the Thermaltake Kandalf Series, again same goes for both black and silver, but the silver is about half the weigth of the black.

EDIT: The reason why expert is not good, is because it is known to be buggy and not work so great. the only difference is that 1 extra pci slot whic doesnt really matter. and the SLi-DR is also not worth it, also it has those extra SATA ports which gives it a higher price.