I Need To Buy A Computer QUICK!!

Like the topic says, I need to buy a computer quickly, as in before Feb. 22.

I have $2200 put toward the purchase of one, but don't know if I should go with a Toshiba P25-S609 or a desktop with similar features. Here's the specs.

I don't know much about computers (almost nothing), but I would like it to have at least;

3GHz or more process speed
512MB RAM
80G or more HDD space
DVD-R/W, CD-R/W
WXP
Windows Media Center
P4 or equivalent
a really good graphics card (don't know any)
a really good sound card (don't know any)

A switchable Win98/WinXP OS (is this even possible? I heard it was.)

does this setup sound like something that will cost $2200?
Also, please list some good stores, chains, whatever that I can buy this at.

And yes, I could just do the research myself, but b/w work and school, my time is REALLY limited, but I'm doing what I can on my own anyway.

please try not to get too tech on me, I'm not very literate when it comes to computers and the jargon.

TIA

EDIT: oh yeah, and I'd like a widescreen flat monitor.

I don't know about the Dual OS thing (you can do it, but I've never heard of it coming from the factory that way) but check out Alienware. $1829.00 for what you're asking. Customizable, too. Don't listen to the people who will tell you to build one yourself.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and buy my avatar, dammit. :)

I built my PC for under $1000, and I haven't had problems running anything yet.

Plus it's pathetically easy with XP.

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Originally Posted by Mzo

I built my PC for under $1000, and I haven't had problems running anything yet.

Plus it's pathetically easy with XP.

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Originally Posted by bloodyarts

I don't know much about computers (almost nothing), but I would like it to have at least;

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I hate people that learn to use a computer, but still don't know better about making one of their own. http://www.neomega.net/forum/images/smilies/nonono.gif

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A switchable Win98/WinXP OS (is this even possible? I heard it was.)

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Very, very easy. Just install 98 first, then XP.

I've got three OSes on this machine.

OK, didn't see that.

Find someone that does. A friend of a friend or whatever. Buying Alienware is like bending over and taking it in the ass, then paying $2000 extra for it.

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Originally Posted by Tain

Very, very easy. Just install 98 first, then XP.

I've got three OSes on this machine.

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Tain is correct.

I am not sure why you would want to do this, though. XP handles pretty much everything 98 does; DOS games can be tricky, however.

That laptop is going to be rather large. You may not like taking it to school, using it on the plane, taking it to the coffee joint or meetings, etc. Get a 15" or smaller if you're concerned about portability.

Don't bother with Alienware. A similar rig from Dell costs $1528:

P4 3GHz 800Mhz FSB Processor
XP Pro (don't get Home, get Pro)
1 GB DDR 400 MHz RAM
120 GB Serial ATA hard drive (Serial ATA is the new thing, IDE is being phased out)
Floppy Drive
250 MB Zip drive
16x DVD-ROM
8x DVD-RW
Keyboard
Mouse
Wordperfect
MS Money
17" CRT monitor (Dell monitors are usually good)
DVI-VGA adaptor in case you decide you want two monitors
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB (best value for graphics)
Creative Audigy 2 sound card w/IEEE (firewire)
56k Modem
10/100 Intel network card

Im a Do-It-Yourself type of guy personaly, but I would suggest a pre-built as well..

That Dell is a pretty good deal, don't bother with the dual boot, if its REALLY important to you add a second HD. Partitioning and re-formatting for 98 seems like it may be a bit above your skills...

$2200 is alot for a computer, you're basically throwing your money away for a level of performance you likely don't need. After a certain point, prices rise tremendously for tiny gains in power. I'd suggest cutting your budget in half or buying both a desktop and notebook.

Whatever you do, be sure you're not stuck with crappy video. Alot of the namebrand machines are totally bottlenecked in this respect, so pick up a Radeon 9600 card or something similar with any system you buy. Creative has some nice audio cards in their Audigy line, however many motherboards have 6 channel sound already, so you may not need anything greater.

Hope this helps!

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Originally Posted by voltz

I hate people that learn to use a computer, but still don't know better about making one of their own. http://www.neomega.net/forum/images/smilies/nonono.gif

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Becuase unless you already have some parts you intend on carrying over, it'll come out most likely costing more, and then you have to build it.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com

With $2200 you could make a retarded good computer.



ps never ever spend $2200 on a computer. No more than like a thousand, maybe at most $1500. Seriously, you will hate yourself for ever in less than a year if you do. Obviously that monitor is going to cost you a bit, but do no spend $2200 on a computer.

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I am not sure why you would want to do this, though. XP handles pretty much everything 98 does; DOS games can be tricky, however.

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Bingo. The only real reason I have it on here.

98 is the devil. =(

If you're going to pre-built I would suppose Dell is the answer but as always - shop around. The diffrence in names means nothing. Compaq is, however, the one to avoid. I hear e-Machines have beefed up some of thier line and are inexpensive and without any proprietary parts.

If you will build your own, and I really do suggest it because it really isn't hard, then you can make that money go a LONG way.

If you just want to spend though. www.overdrivepc.com

OPC has free shipping in the USA, they're a TX based operation like Dell and Compaq and they're flashy as all hell. Built mostly for gaming so they're all performance based, like Alienware. Thier i. and a. series are virtually interchangeable. If you want raw Mhz go with the i. (intel) or if you want better surrounding features... a. (AMD) has you covered. You'll pay less for the same if you build em yourself but the custom options are nice if a bit unnessisary. That, however, is the price of getting a nice PC rig without making it yourself.

Laptops, I don't know much about them except that I like Apple and Dell for those.

A Sony flat screen will do you better than an Apple one. They last longer and you won't need an adapter.

I used to think that no thread could be more repetitive and stupid than the "What's your favorite game soundtrack" thread.

I was wrong.

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Originally Posted by Tracer

Laptops, I don't know much about them except that I like Apple and Dell for those.

A Sony flat screen will do you better than an Apple one. They last longer and you won't need an adapter.

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Agreed, and agreed. My PowerBook is sexy, but if I ever need a Win laptop, I'd probably buy a Dell or a Toshiba, though, I learn toward Toshiba. My friend has one of these, and got something like $1000+ of rebates on it, so it was around $1500, and damn, it's amazing. 17" widescreen, runs cool, sturdy as hell, Bluetooth and 802.11 built in, and activated by a button push. If I thought I'd be able to enjoy using a Win machine all the time again, I'd buy one. Best laptop ever. The speakers are mindblowing.

Apple's LCDs rock, but they're also super-expensive. You can get a good LCD a lot cheaper these days.

Do not buy an Alienware machine, whatever you do. You might not even get your custom setup for a long time, either. I know people who ordered a machine and they didn't get what they wanted for months, and when they did, it was wrong (they got ripped off in terms of some parts) and needed to send it back for them to give them what they needed. Ridiculous. Also very overpriced.

Building is of course the best option, but if you can't do it, are there any local places that can for you? You still might pay a lot less.

Also, for those of you dual-booting 98 and XP just for DOS games, have you ever tried Virtual PC for Windows? Before it came out, VPC was an x86 emulator for Macs, but the PC version can run other versions of Win under XP and DOS, too. I assume the PC version runs faster, and it might run the DOS games you need over XP. Worth a try.

cyberpowerpc is not teh win.

Check out www.resellerratings.com to see why.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

I used to think that no thread could be more repetitive and stupid than the "What's your favorite game soundtrack" thread.

I was wrong.

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I used to think that one day you would make a constructive post.

I was wrong.

Thats why I recommended OPC over Alienware. OPC is at least trustworthy.

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Originally Posted by Rich

I used to think that one day you would make a constructive post.

I was wrong.

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I used to think you weren't an assclown.

I was wrong.

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Originally Posted by Kidnemo

cyberpowerpc is not teh win.

Check out www.resellerratings.com to see why.

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Agreed. Bought my newest PC from them without researching. All in Wonder 9800 Pro was DoA.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

I used to think you weren't an assclown.

I was wrong.

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Brilliant. But you've been a biggot so long, I doubt the validity of that.

How is diffusion a biggot?

And, more importantly, what does that have to do with buying a computer?

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Originally Posted by FirstBlood

Agreed. Bought my newest PC from them without researching. All in Wonder 9800 Pro was DoA.

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Well it does have an 8.47.

My two computers from there have been perfectly fine.

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Originally Posted by Rich

Brilliant. But you've been a biggot so long, I doubt the validity of that.

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Your last post got the job done, but you blew it right there.

Know when to say when.

On topic, building your own generally is the way to go but not when you don't know what you're doing and don't have time to learn.

Otherwise...you'll get better advice here if you tell us what you need your PC to do, instead of listing a bunch of specs you think you need.

Thanks for the replies (most of 'em anyway). That Dell looks like the way to go. I was seriously considering Alienware earlier today.

I just want a decent gaming rig. I'm taking a Game Art and Design course starting Feb. 22, and they recommend a powerful hardware setup. It's going to be graphic-intensive, so going by the latest laptop builds, I came up with the list of specs I think I need.

I don't need the absolute BEST graphics card, but a really good one is needed. A DVD-R/W is always nice, and I assume I'm going to need plenty of memory and plenty of speed. My wife and her mom are thinking about starting an e-business, so I want it to be able to handle their needs quickly and efficiently as well.

The Dual OS was for emulation, of course. Most of my emulators were given to me by friends (some of them who I have very limited contact with), and I wanted to make sure I'll still be able to play them on the new computer. As far as I know, NeoRage has a WXP version, but I don't know about Kawaks, Nebula, KGEN and SNES9x (the only other emulators I have).

EDIT: I have a friend who builds computers, but I thought pre-built might be quicker and faster. I can always learn how to build on the computer I'm using now at some later point. So I guess voltz will have to hate me for a little while longer. :(

Well, ZSNES rocks and has a WinXP version which runs smoothly. Snes9x is okay, but the Mac version is better. The Dell is probably the way to go. You could probably even finance it and use some of the money for the flat panel display you want.

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Originally Posted by Grave

My friend has one of these

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Yeah. I got one too... its pretty nice.

It has its problems... but nothing earth shattering.

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As far as I know, NeoRage has a WXP version, but I don't know about Kawaks, Nebula, KGEN and SNES9x (the only other emulators I have).

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Replace KGEN with Gens. There's a Win32 version of Snes9x out there, and Nebula and Kawaks are fine, I'm pretty sure.

order parts from Newegg and build it. I did it. It's easy.

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Originally Posted by Tain

Very, very easy. Just install 98 first, then XP.

I've got three OSes on this machine.

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I gotta agree, I'm twinning with 98/XP on my computer and aside from Recycling Bin hiccups (having them set as shared for all drives fucks up the format in 98 if XP is on NTFS, but it's no big deal) they run great together.

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Originally Posted by Mike

How is diffusion a biggot?

And, more importantly, what does that have to do with buying a computer?

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nothing but what does diff's initial post have to do with buying a computer or being constructive at all? nothing.

post+1

These type of threads show up constantly, and they are all the same. It's just like the "Favorite game music" threads that were at GG! - happened constantly and they were all exactly the same and bloody awful to boot.

Do some fucking research on your own. It's not hard, and there's not that many options. I spent about 15 minutes today "researching" a comp and got like 80% of it figured out. Oh no, what a time commitment. Oh, and learn some of that "tech jargon" - if youre spending $2200 on something you should know what the fuck youre dealing with.

And there are some great websites that have people writing a hell of a lot more than anybody on here knows. Im sure there have been thousands of articles written about the ideal computer for a person who wants to play games and do some art. Plus, every person who posts this wants it for exactly the same thing, so it's not like the information dissapears off this forum either.

I second the Newegg recommendation. That's where I got 90% of my parts.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

These type of threads show up constantly, and they are all the same. It's just like the "Favorite game music" threads that were at GG! - happened constantly and they were all exactly the same and bloody awful to boot.

Do some fucking research on your own. It's not hard, and there's not that many options. I spent about 15 minutes today "researching" a comp and got like 80% of it figured out. Oh no, what a time commitment. Oh, and learn some of that "tech jargon" - if youre spending $2200 on something you should know what the fuck youre dealing with.

And there are some great websites that have people writing a hell of a lot more than anybody on here knows. Im sure there have been thousands of articles written about the ideal computer for a person who wants to play games and do some art. Plus, every person who posts this wants it for exactly the same thing, so it's not like the information dissapears off this forum either.

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i completely agree (especially with what i made bold). i was just answering mike.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

These type of threads show up constantly, and they are all the same. It's just like the "Favorite game music" threads that were at GG! - happened constantly and they were all exactly the same and bloody awful to boot.

Do some fucking research on your own. It's not hard, and there's not that many options. I spent about 15 minutes today "researching" a comp and got like 80% of it figured out. Oh no, what a time commitment. Oh, and learn some of that "tech jargon" - if youre spending $2200 on something you should know what the fuck youre dealing with.

And there are some great websites that have people writing a hell of a lot more than anybody on here knows. Im sure there have been thousands of articles written about the ideal computer for a person who wants to play games and do some art. Plus, every person who posts this wants it for exactly the same thing, so it's not like the information dissapears off this forum either.

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*sigh* I'm spending this money on a computer to serve an immediate purpose. Not to know the ins and outs of how a computer works. For that, I'll use my old computer, on my own time, which I already said I was planning to do.

When you buy a car, a house, a (good) stereo system, a fucking jet, anything that can be considered expensive, do you know the ins and outs of those items? Can you fix anything that goes wrong with these things yourself? Do you know how to build a car? A house? A jet? Can you fix what's wrong with your fucking pet? If the answer to these is yes, good for you. If not, shut the fuck up.

I also said I was doing what I could on my own (and I've done more besides). I did enough research to decide on what I wanted my computer to have. I just needed a push in the right direction as to where I could get all these things for the money I'm spending.

It's entertaining and even amusing being the resident Simon Colwell wannabe when it's called for, but even he knows when not to be a dick. You're annoyed that this thread is like those dreaded gaming music threads, yet you post the same type of pissant comments in every one of them. Learn to ignore and move on. It's not hard. Are you really helping change what you don't like, or are you helping these threads thrive? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. If this thread is beneath you and your infinite wisdom, please feel free to pollute some other thread more your liking.

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Originally Posted by burg

Your last post got the job done, but you blew it right there.

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big·ot ( P ) Pronunciation Key (bgt)
n.

One who is strongly partial to one's own group... and is intolerant of those who differ..


Diff hates everyone that doesn't agree with him, maybe not in this thread specifically, but alas, he carries feelings over from other threads and as such, I don't believe he would have ever thought of me as something other than an 'assclown.'

Also, I seriously doubt there are websites containing people who know a 'hell of alot more' than the people here. It's pretty obvious diff hasn't talked to some of the people here.

On a more on topic note; again, I don't think it's too smart to build such an expensive PC when it can be had same price/cheaper prebuilt at sites such as ibuypower/cyberpowerpc if you're not going to reuse pieces from a last PC. As well, you can easily fuck up such an expensive computer by doing something stupid...like not grounding yourself.

Everyone on here hates everyone that doesn't agree with them, though. :)

I hate you, even though we agree that Macs suck.

Yeah, but you're also a member of the NRA. We're mortal enemies.

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Originally Posted by Rich

On a more on topic note; again, I don't think it's too smart to build such an expensive PC when it can be had same price/cheaper prebuilt at sites such as ibuypower/cyberpowerpc if you're not going to reuse pieces from a last PC. As well, you can easily fuck up such an expensive computer by doing something stupid...like not grounding yourself.

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Thanks, Rich. Your entire post is more along my lines of thinking, no matter how unpopular.

I checked out the two sites you recommended and I'm definitely going with them. From the computer I've built on cyberpowerpc, the total came to $1817, nearly $400 less than I was prepared to spend.

Thanks also for the Dell recommendation, Lhadatt. I seriously considered it, but then I got greedy and started adding things that went over-budget.

I should be good to go from here on out. Thanks very much to those who actually tried to help.

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Originally Posted by Hero

Sounds like when we got my dad his new comp, the place sent us a faulty PC, then asked for a credit card number 'for warantee purposes' or some junk, and then started stealing hundreds and hundreds of dollars in pay-porno accounts.

Never shop www.cyberpowerpc.com EVER.

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... And my video card was DoA...

I just think you should steer clear of cyberpower. Although the price is right, it is a gamble (you very well may have no problems... i dunno)

I've never used either, but Omni used ibuypower and had no problems with 'em. I plan on gettin' my next PC from 'em--free 19 inch monitor too. :)

It looks like, despite CyberPower's ratings on that site, that the problems people keep reporting are the same. I definitely wouldn't risk buying from them. The problems that people have with Alienware seem to be similar, too. I didn't know Alienware had gone so far downhill. Stone had bought a PC from them and he actually got to talk to the guy who built the computer for him. Hrm.