What to buy if you want to build a PC

[Andrew2382]

Being that almost no game out there uses 4 cores...its overkill. By the time 4 cores processes are going to be used newer and better chips will be out.

Intel chips are twice as expensive and you won't get twice the performance.

I am speaking from a gaming perspective only. Quad cores are usually clocked slower too. I for for best value for my dollar. If I could throw 800 bucks on a processor I could...but most people can't and thats why to me AMD's are superior. You get more for your money

 

[DiveCon]

ati & amd are garbage. you could get a better machine for cheaper/same price with intel proc and nvidia card so it doesn't suck. you could also then buy an evga card and step up in 90 days to get whatever the best is then for $100.

also tigerdirect is crap compared to newegg. everything about your post is backwards

you need to check out the pipeline differences between the Intel and AMD chips
unless some MAJOR changes have happened since the last time i looked, the AMD CPU has twice the pipeline the Intel CPU's do
that means the the AMD chip can process twice the data as an intel chip at the same speed

pipeline? seriously? Those were maxed out along time ago (same with proc speed), what matters now is number of cores and how they share L2 and 3 cache between each other and Intel's core 2 * series has this done very well. AMD has been dead since the core 2 series and will stay that way along time with the release of the 32nm nehalem architecture next year.

 

[Ringel05]

I just picked up a Asus M4a98Pro and Phenom ii x2 (black edition) from Newegg, shipped for $185. I'll upgrade to a x4 later. The board has 1 gig built in graphics with 1/2 gig shared. Ultra L 650watt power supply for $45 (E-bay, new, open box), Corsair or otc 4gig ddr2 for $45 (E-bay) and a WD Caviar blue 320gig HD for $49. Everything else I already have or don't need/want.

 

[xsited1]

I don't build my computers anymore because the cost savings have evaporated. Software companies provide subsidies to the hardware manufacturer that can greatly lower the cost of the overall system. The last computer I built was a P4 box. I saved about $350 off the cost of a comparable Dell or HP. My current computer has an Intel Core I7, 8G RAM, 2-1TB hard drives, a blu-ray drive, 24" wide-screen monitor (included), high-end video card, 3-year warranty, blah, blah, blah. I saved about $450 buying the system from Dell rather than building it myself. I did a clean install of the OS to get rid of all the crap. The time it took for me to buy all the parts and assemble it myself? Zero.

 

[blu]

I don't build my computers anymore because the cost savings have evaporated. Software companies provide subsidies to the hardware manufacturer that can greatly lower the cost of the overall system. The last computer I built was a P4 box. I saved about $350 off the cost of a comparable Dell or HP. My current computer has an Intel Core I7, 8G RAM, 2-1TB hard drives, a blu-ray drive, 24" wide-screen monitor (included), high-end video card, 3-year warranty, blah, blah, blah. I saved about $450 buying the system from Dell rather than building it myself. I did a clean install of the OS to get rid of all the crap. The time it took for me to buy all the parts and assemble it myself? Zero.

list the parts with manufacturer and model, there is no way you get the hardware cheaper from dell. you might have got something with the same specs, but its going to be crappy parts.

 

[xsited1]

I don't build my computers anymore because the cost savings have evaporated. Software companies provide subsidies to the hardware manufacturer that can greatly lower the cost of the overall system. The last computer I built was a P4 box. I saved about $350 off the cost of a comparable Dell or HP. My current computer has an Intel Core I7, 8G RAM, 2-1TB hard drives, a blu-ray drive, 24" wide-screen monitor (included), high-end video card, 3-year warranty, blah, blah, blah. I saved about $450 buying the system from Dell rather than building it myself. I did a clean install of the OS to get rid of all the crap. The time it took for me to buy all the parts and assemble it myself? Zero.

list the parts with manufacturer and model, there is no way you get the hardware cheaper from dell. you might have got something with the same specs, but its going to be crappy parts.

Crappy parts? No, most are high-end. That was a requirement. The only thing I don't like is the case. I'll try to dig-up the manifest later. It's been a couple months so give me some time.

 

[Shogun]

i'm pretty dubious as well but I look forward to seeing specs.

 

[Ringel05]

I don't build my computers anymore because the cost savings have evaporated. Software companies provide subsidies to the hardware manufacturer that can greatly lower the cost of the overall system. The last computer I built was a P4 box. I saved about $350 off the cost of a comparable Dell or HP. My current computer has an Intel Core I7, 8G RAM, 2-1TB hard drives, a blu-ray drive, 24" wide-screen monitor (included), high-end video card, 3-year warranty, blah, blah, blah. I saved about $450 buying the system from Dell rather than building it myself. I did a clean install of the OS to get rid of all the crap. The time it took for me to buy all the parts and assemble it myself? Zero.

list the parts with manufacturer and model, there is no way you get the hardware cheaper from dell. you might have got something with the same specs, but its going to be crappy parts.

Crappy parts? No, most are high-end. That was a requirement. The only thing I don't like is the case. I'll try to dig-up the manifest later. It's been a couple months so give me some time.

Yup, I'd like to see the specs also plus the initial asking price and what you actually payed for it.