Where is the last "help me buy a new computer" thread?

[Boris Godunov]

So is an Athlon 3500 better than a Pentium D 830 3.0 GHz Dual Core? If so, in what way? Would I really notice?

I can get this at Dell:

-Pentium® D Processor 830 with Dual Core Technology (3GHz, 800FSB)
-1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs
-19 inch E193FP Analog Flat Panel monitor
-256MB PCI Expressâ„¢ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
-250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cacheâ„¢

Free shipping, all for under $1800.

Now, for about $100 less than that, I can get a machine from Sava's site that has most of the same features, except an Athlon 3500 (which says it's only 2.2 GHz), and a 17" LCD monitor. That price also includes shipping, which ain't free.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
So is an Athlon 3800 better than a Pentium D 830 3.0 GHz Dual Core? If so, in what way? Would I really notice?

I can get this at Dell:

-Pentium® D Processor 830 with Dual Core Technology (3GHz, 800FSB)
-1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs
-19 inch E193FP Analog Flat Panel monitor
-256MB PCI Expressâ„¢ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
-250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cacheâ„¢

Free shipping, all for under $1800.

Now, for about $100 less than that, I can get a machine from Sava's site that has most of the same features, except an Athlon 3500 (which says it's only 2.2 GHz), and a 17" LCD monitor. That price also includes shipping, which ain't free.

Sounds like you know how to shop for a good computer.

[Urban Ranger]

Go with what JimmyCracksCorn and Flubber said. Find a local shop, tell them what you want and ask them to put the box together for you.

Go with an Athlon 64 FX, these are the fastest processors on the market. That should be combined with a top quality mobo - I recommend Asus. Don't skip on the CPU cooler, go with something such as Coolmaster or Thermaltake.

Get a display with DVI input, if your display card has DVI output.

[Asher]

Ugh. Only a ****** or someone really stupid with money would buy an Athlon 64 FX. The FX series is a ripoff, especially for a computer under 2 grand.

Boris: Athlon 64s are more efficient, a 2.2GHz is more like a 3.4-3.8GHz P4 in games.

Athlon 64 chips are faster for gaming, Pentium 4s/Ds are better for media encoding/decoding.

Be aware that the dual-core Pentium Ds will only use a single core in the vast majority of application, including games. The applications that use both cores are things like video encoding mostly.

If all you're going to be doing is internet/gaming stuff, there's not much use to having a dual core over a single core processor.

[Boris Godunov]

Yes, but it was my understanding that the dual cores helps tremendously with multitasking, as it reduces slowdown on that a great deal over a single core processor. True? Because I definitely do a lot of multitasking.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Yes, but it was my understanding that the dual cores helps tremendously with multitasking, as it reduces slowdown on that a great deal over a single core processor. True? Because I definitely do a lot of multitasking.

Is it intensive multitasking? It might help in that case.

If you're tabbing between Winamp and Firefox, not so much.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
So is an Athlon 3500 better than a Pentium D 830 3.0 GHz Dual Core? If so, in what way? Would I really notice?

I can get this at Dell:

-Pentium® D Processor 830 with Dual Core Technology (3GHz, 800FSB)
-1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs
-19 inch E193FP Analog Flat Panel monitor
-256MB PCI Expressâ„¢ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
-250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cacheâ„¢

Free shipping, all for under $1800.

Now, for about $100 less than that, I can get a machine from Sava's site that has most of the same features, except an Athlon 3500 (which says it's only 2.2 GHz), and a 17" LCD monitor. That price also includes shipping, which ain't free.

You're being overcharged.

What city are you living in, Boris?

[RGBVideo]

Portland, OR?

[Sikander]

Re: Re: Where is the last "help me buy a new computer" thread?

Originally posted by Oerdin

Wait until next year. Seriously, a new version of windows will be coming out so you can get that when you buy the new machine.

That sounds like a good reason not to wait. Let them patch up the new O.S. first.

[Urban Ranger]

According to PriceWatch, the Athlon 64 dual core 3800 is at USD350, while the Pentium D 830 is at USD310.

That's such a no-brainer - the Athlon dual core is a better choice any day of the week.

[Datajack Franit]

ZOMFG a wannabe computer that is just pretty and sold to gullible fags and arty fartsy poets!

LMAO

[Boris Godunov]

I have to say I'm still leaning towards the Dell. I bought my current Dell 4 years ago and have had nary a problem with it. The peace of mind that brings over an unknown vendor is big. Anyone know if their quality has declined in the past few years?

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
I have to say I'm still leaning towards the Dell. I bought my current Dell 4 years ago and have had nary a problem with it. The peace of mind that brings over an unknown vendor is big. Anyone know if their quality has declined in the past few years?

I have been happy with the last Dell computer I bought.

[Flubber]

Any opinions out there on the AMD sempron processor? A couple of machines seem to have that while the intels in my price range seem to be celerons a lot.

[Asher]

They're comparable to Celerons.