Stephen328 Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 Well, man like you said building your own would rock. But oh well. Tell your dad you built a tube amp it it works great. Tube amps are harder to build than comps. But if hes dead againts i guess youll have to buy a premade. I was never really fond of dell, gateway, HP and what not. I hate Compaq. But whatever works for ya. As far as the power $1700 will get ya these days.. I like Athlon, but Pentiums nice. Around 2.5 Gigahertz sounds good. ATI radeon 9700 does rock, ive got the 8500, its very spiffy. As far as ram, for that price I would really go for 512 mb of DDR. Sound card, Audigy Pltinum is nice. maybe even the EX. Mother board, I have an Abit, works great. Theres planty of good Bother boards out there. Flat Panel monitors are nice, but I really dont think they are worth the extra $$$$$. For the price of a flatpanel, you could buy a hell of a CRT. Like a viewsonic 19" or even 21". NOw thats a monitor. Oh yeah, and the radeon 9700 supports dual monitors, Which rock. I love my dual monitors. YOu should really look into it. Or if you wanted to go Matrox Parhelia, or maybe a preofessional card, you could go 3 monitors I know thats probably not worth it to you, but I would look into it. Dual monitors are really cool for playin around on Acid and what not too. God this is a long post. Hopefully we can talk online soon. Good luck with the comp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invidiosulus Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 I also have the radeon 8500(dual monitors rule) btw, my little tirade against the macs was not meant as anything personal. Peace, Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 www.falcon-nw.com www.alienware.com Falcon NW is the best. Alienware is also excellent. Their warranty/support kicks ***. I will say, with force, that Dell of the Bose of the computer world - they use propriotary components, so upgrades can be 100% impossible. If you call Dell's tech support, you will be calling India (I am NOT joking, they barely speak English at the Indian call centers) Please, don't buy a Dell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkl Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 "they use propriotary components, so upgrades can be 100% impossible" I see this being thrown around yet again. If you make this claim, please back it up with specifics. Do companies make some systems which are non-standard? Yes. But all you have to do is look at the specs (actually usually you can just look at the computer, do you think those all-in-one systems built into a flatpanel always use atx motherboards? ) Just look at the specs, is it an atx motherboard? Yup, then what else can you do to make it proprietary and non-upgradable? -mkl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 Generally speaking, these 'brand name companies' source Intel motherboards or conform to Intel specifications restricting the ability to control voltage, multipliers, and timings. As such, they prevent you from 'straying' from the path and overclocking your chip. The mice, keyboards, sound cards, etc. may use troublesome drivers but that is about it. Outside of that, if you can live with the components and case layout they provide, it is no different than building your own. "Proprietary" is giving them too much credit - they are simply fronts for the Intel marketing machine and assemblers of components. One could take any group of cheap, relatively untrained labor and perform the same function. Building your own is the ONLY way to go if you have any clue whatsoever and the 30 minutes required to assemble one. Regarding support, my machine has required nothing in the 4 years it has been running; in contrast, I make money on a weekly basis fixing the HP machine a local party owns. PS. Have to tease our friend just a bit. Which of the name brand offerings can pick up a bowling bowl via its intake fans? That is the one to choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted March 14, 2003 Author Share Posted March 14, 2003 k, I ended up getting an alienware, which is kind of a suprise to me. but anyway, the dell with the exact same specs was only about 100 bucks cheaper, which REALLY suprised me, so I went with aliewnare. the specs are as follows. 2.53 ghz Pentium 4 1 GB DDR PC 2700 RAM GeForce 4 Ti 4600 128 MB graphics card 60 GB HD 16/46 x DVD drive 24x CDRW drive 19 inch NEC flatscreen monitor Those are the basics I guess. cost for the computer was around 1,550 or something, than with the monitor about 1,800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 mca, I use an standard Asus P4PE,voltage boosted a bit(well within the safe limit)and the stock Intel POS cooler,dont even need my Swiftech! I tell ya,oh yes the Corsair PC3500 433MHz CAS 2 memory helps If you plan a massive overclock dont skimp on the power supply,get at least an Antec TruePower 430W or more. Not I need all this power,its still fun to know Intel has so much headroom.The AMD Barton has goo overclocking headroom too,get a 2500+ at least an SK6/Delta 38CFM and boost the beast,you should hit over 2900+ with little trouble.Again with the help of a slight voltage boost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 ---------------- On 3/14/2003 5:23:15 PM mkl wrote: "they use propriotary components, so upgrades can be 100% impossible" I see this being thrown around yet again. If you make this claim, please back it up with specifics. Do companies make some systems which are non-standard? Yes. But all you have to do is look at the specs (actually usually you can just look at the computer, do you think those all-in-one systems built into a flatpanel always use atx motherboards? ) Just look at the specs, is it an atx motherboard? Yup, then what else can you do to make it proprietary and non-upgradable? -mkl ---------------- Yes, their motherboards use different voltages. So, if your MB or PS go bad, you either have to buy new Dell ones (HUGELY expensive) or buy a new computer. The actual "cutout" in the case for the PS is DIFFERENT that ATX standards. The MB isn't a ATX design either. Sorry, but that is unacceptable for anyone who likes computers. prodj101 - THANKS!!! Thank you for buying a REAL computer. I hope you enjoy it and it meets your expectations. It should be a sweet SOB Good job on NOT getting a ATI, nVidia ownz ATI, so good job on that, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted March 14, 2003 Author Share Posted March 14, 2003 thanks ken. I just hate the wait you have to go through with alienware comps. oh well, that will give me time to get together some highly demanding games to see just how much this thing will be able to handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 "Good job on NOT getting a ATI, nVidia ownz ATI" Nvidia owns a few Nvidiots,nothing more. At this moment Nvidia's best the fastest FX lags behind the ATI Radeon 9800.Quality and pure speed And since the 9700PRO came on the market Nvidia is eating ATI's dust. LOL Until the new FX2 comes out ATI owns the High End segment. I have both the ATI(9700PRO,9500PRO) and Nvidia(Ti4600) based video cards and its clear ATI dominates.The FX is so far a no show,and cannot be found in any store! I hope Nvidia will bring the FX2 to the market soon,and force ATI to bring their R400. Competition is always good for the customer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_highlander Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 never buy pre-built system...Dell is a piece of junk...Alienware is pure hype...custom build your system is the only way to go... my latest system, running Windows XP Pro... Antec Sonata Black ATX Case W/ 500W PS (150) - Papst 120mm Intake Fan, Papst 120mm Exhaust Fan Asus P4G8X E7205 Deluxe Motherboard (200) Intel Pentium 4 3.06GHz W/ 533MHz FSB (550) Corsair XMS3200 DDR333 Dual-Channel 2GB RAM (580) 3Ware Escalade 7450 ATA RAID Controller (100) Seagate ST380013A 80GB ATA W/ 8MB Cache Boot Drive (97) 4 Seagate ST380013A 80GB ATA W/ 8MB Cache Data Drives (388) - In RAID 5 Configuration Toshiba M1712 16X48 IDE DVD Drive (35) Plextor PX-W4824TA 48X24X48 EIDE CDRW Drive (90) Iomega 250MB IDE Zip Drive (50) Teac 1.44MB Floppy Drive (10) ATI Radeon 9700 Pro Video Card (250) M-Audio Revolution Sound Card (75) Total ($2,575) Noise Level: 25dB System Idle Temp: 34 degree C (at room temp) Intensive Computation: 46 degree C (at room temp) System Up Time: 92 days 13 hours Pi calculation (using PiFast version 4.1) to 50,000,000 digits: 6 mins 54 secs 3DMarks 2003 Score: 4989 - no overclocking with test setting at defaults it's going to cost a lot more (two arms and two legs) for a Dell system (or any other brand name system) to match my system in speed, stability and reliability... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted March 15, 2003 Author Share Posted March 15, 2003 highlander, if you would have READ the post, you would know that DIY was not possible. also, you would have noted that the 2,500 you spent on your comp doesn't fit into my budget, especially when you throw in a monitor. and ears, I couldn't get the ATI to fit in my budget, or I would have . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_highlander Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 prodj101, I can custom build a better system then your inferior Alienware system that would fit well into your budget... Antec Sonata Black ATX Case W/ 380W PS (75) Asus P4PE-R-GBL 845PE Motherboard (125) - Onboard ATA RAID, Sound and Gigabit Ethernet Intel Pentium 4 2.53GHz W/ 533MHz FSB (185) Corsair XMS2700 1GB RAM (175) Seagate ST380013A 80GB ATA W/ 8MB Cache (97) Toshiba M1712 16X48 IDE DVD Drive (35) Plextor PX-W4824TA 48X24X48 EIDE CDRW Drive (90) Teac 1.44MB Floppy Drive (10) ATI Radeon 9700 Pro Video Card (250) M-Audio Revolution Sound Card (75) NEC MultiSync FE2111SB 22" Flatscreen Monitor (425) Logitech Cordless Elite Duo Keyboard & Optical Mouse (55) Total ($1,597) For slight more then $1,500 you get better quality components, bigger & faster hard drive, faster DVD/CDRW drives, premium video & sound cards and a bigger & better flatscreen CRT... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted March 15, 2003 Author Share Posted March 15, 2003 eh, I really don't care that much. it will work fine for what I'm using it for, so whatever. stop being such a snob you noob. I could easily build a pair of speakers alot better than RF-7's for a fraction of the cost, but sometimes you just buy stuff cause it's easier, or if you parents don't let you build . so with that in mind, keep your mouth shut. your boasting isn't really going to get either of us anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_highlander Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 prodj101, you know you're being ripped off by Alienware...man, that gotta hurt ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkl Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 Sometimes its easier to buy things pre-build, of course it will cost a little more. But really, do you spin your own thread (after shaving the sheep you raised ofcourse) to make your own clothes? No? OH MY GOD, then you're just mad that gap/abercrombie/dockers/jcrew whoever is ripping you off! You could have made your own shirt for a fraction of the cost! -mkl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_highlander Posted March 15, 2003 Share Posted March 15, 2003 "Sometimes its easier to buy things pre-build, of course it will cost a little more." pre-build for 40% more (and you call that a little more? what planet are you from?) with inferior components? thanks, but no thanks...a comparable system from Dell would have cost me over $4,000 (and over $5,000 from Alienware)...if you want to be dumb and crazy about pre-build brandnames, be my guest and fatten their pockets...they need people like you to carry out their corporate abusive power ...I could do a lot more with the extra $1,500 or so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted March 15, 2003 Author Share Posted March 15, 2003 ok, alienware basically just pissed me off.they said my moms credit card was declined for some reason, which I guess alot of people are having problems with. I couldn't find one I liked from dell or gateway or anywhere, so I was able to convince my dad to let me build so I guess it all worked out. I ended up getting something a fair amount better. here are the new specs. P4 2.4 processor 1024 mb DDR RAM 80 GB HD (20 more than before) ATI Radeon 9700 Pro Soundblaster Audigy Asus Motherboard American Media Systems aluminum case with acrylic clear front panel (which I like more than the alienware ones anyway ) than the dvd rom and cd burners and what not. so we have no beef anymore highlander! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_highlander Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 now you're talking ...the AMS is a great case...I have the special edition myself with 3mm thick aluminum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted March 16, 2003 Share Posted March 16, 2003 Highlander, You should reside in the two channel section of this site.You have tube preamps and amps why not contribute there too. Yep the ATI 9700PRO is the undisputed king at the moment,the 9800PRO soon,very soon to be on the market.And not a ghost product like the FX Ultra clocked at 500MHz. I use all Delta fans in my ubber system,no Pabst quiet but they move insane amounts of air.An anti audiophile solution but keeps my overclocked PC's 100% stable.I even run an old Celeron 950 at 1264MHz also 100% stable(1.9Volts)cooled by Thermalright SK6/Delta 30cfm combo. True to say you overpay with Dell,unless someone is looking at bottom end quality/performance PC's AlienWare,Voodoo and Falcon build great PC's but you pay for the workmanship BIG time. I all my systems have cables split and attached at least to the level the Voodoo has.Most cables run under the MOBO!I build high end systems most of the time so its no mistake my systems are showpieces inside too. Good to see you here Highlander. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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