Buying a new computer - LF opinions.

[Furious]

And no, I'm not interested in building one.  With tax returns closing in ( should be getting mine within the next week or so ) I'll be looking at updating my POS.  Glancing around newegg at their gaming section, what would you recommend?  Price isn't *so* much an issue, but I don't need overkill - I play games pretty casually and would like something that will last awhile with minimal upgrades.

[deadly7]

And no, I'm not interested in building one.  With tax returns closing in ( should be getting mine within the next week or so ) I'll be looking at updating my POS.  Glancing around newegg at their gaming section, what would you recommend?  Price isn't *so* much an issue, but I don't need overkill - I play games pretty casually and would like something that will last awhile with minimal upgrades.

What kind of games do you play? If you play Crysis casually and are looking at playing future-Crysis casually, you won't find a computer like that. If you play WoW casually and want to play SC2 or something, that's not an issue.

[Furious]

And no, I'm not interested in building one.  With tax returns closing in ( should be getting mine within the next week or so ) I'll be looking at updating my POS.  Glancing around newegg at their gaming section, what would you recommend?  Price isn't *so* much an issue, but I don't need overkill - I play games pretty casually and would like something that will last awhile with minimal upgrades.

What kind of games do you play? If you play Crysis casually and are looking at playing future-Crysis casually, you won't find a computer like that. If you play WoW casually and want to play SC2 or something, that's not an issue.

Right now it's really just WoW that I play.  SC2 / D3 will more than likely be added when released.  I'd like to be able to start dipping into things like video editing and whatnot.  I've been looking at this HP.  It has a lot of mixed reviews ( most of the bad ones are from when it was first released ), but it seems like it would make for a good all around computer.

inb4 HP haters

[deadly7]

Right now it's really just WoW that I play.  SC2 / D3 will more than likely be added when released.  I'd like to be able to start dipping into things like video editing and whatnot.  I've been looking at this HP.  It has a lot of mixed reviews ( most of the bad ones are from when it was first released ), but it seems like it would make for a good all around computer.

inb4 HP haters

Computers that are good for gaming are not necessarily going to give you the same level of performance in doing video editing, 3D rendering, and things of that nature. How important is that stuff to you?

Edit: And you probably won't find something 100% satisfying out-of-box. Have you considering customizing a computer on a manufacturer website (e.g. Dell, HP, Asus, etc?)? That would ensure you get the hardware you want even if you don't want to build it yourself.

[rabbit]

Right now it's really just WoW that I play.  SC2 / D3 will more than likely be added when released.  I'd like to be able to start dipping into things like video editing and whatnot.  I've been looking at this HP.  It has a lot of mixed reviews ( most of the bad ones are from when it was first released ), but it seems like it would make for a good all around computer.

inb4 HP haters

Computers that are good for gaming are not necessarily going to give you the same level of performance in doing video editing, 3D rendering, and things of that nature. How important is that stuff to you?

Edit: And you probably won't find something 100% satisfying out-of-box. Have you considering customizing a computer on a manufacturer website (e.g. Dell, HP, Asus, etc?)? That would ensure you get the hardware you want even if you don't want to build it yourself, and will cost $fuckton more than if you just made it yourself.

Fixed.

[Furious]

CPU: ~$300
RAM ( 9g ): ~$200
Mobo: ~$175
Power Supply: ~$75
1TB HD: ~$100
Computer Case: ~$100
1xFan: ~$15
CD/DVD Drive: ~$100
OS: ~$100

$1165 for a non-complete desktop if I were to just toss one together with parts off newegg.  Mind you, they are estimated prices ( I glanced through and grabbed average prices on lower end parts ), but they don't add up to a whole computer.  No, I don't want to run *nix, no I don't want to get bootleg copies of X operating system - yes, I am lazy :>

Edit:  It's not all that important to me, it's something that I may be interested in toying with when I get a newer computer.  I've had a lot of older computers with slight upgrades ( RAM, video card, etc. ) and am just trying to grab something decent out of the box.

[warz]

You left off probably the most expensive item - the video card. (if you got a new, good one) I guess you can get the older generation Radeons for pretty cheap now - the 4870s, etc. I used to have one and it played everything I wanted to play. Just recently upgraded, though.

[Sidoh]

CD/DVD drive $100?  hahaha, the last one i got was under $20.

I'm sure bluray drives are significantly more expensive, but that's not what you said.

[rabbit]

I got a 16x DVD-RW burner for $30....4 years ago.  Why are you spending $100?

[Furious]

Drive(s), regardless, like I said that's not a complete system - and Bluray drives run $100+.  So tossing in a video card, network card, etc still puts me over what I'd be paying for the setup I'm looking at.

[Sidoh]

Drive(s), regardless, like I said that's not a complete system - and Bluray drives run $100+.  So tossing in a video card, network card, etc still puts me over what I'd be paying for the setup I'm looking at.

The box you're looking at doesn't have bluray, so i hope it's exceedingly obvious that it's silly to quote an optical drive at $100.

as long as all the hardware in the HP box checks out, it looks like a good deal.  how do warranties work through newegg?  to me, that seems the only advantage of buying a prebuilt.

[Chavo]

Here is my build from about a month ago.  Your needs will be different than mine, but all of these components are solid and reach the goal I wanted.

Benefits of this machine:
- SILENT (seriously, thats why I have the added CPU and VGA heatsinks and why I chose that particular case + PSU)
- Cool, will last a long time because the heat is well controlled (my goal is 6 years with minor upgrades only)
- Plays any game I play on max settings (HoN is really the only one I play, but I tested Dragon Age: Origins at max settings and it didn't struggle)
- Responsiveness, focus on multitasking (why I chose the 860 i7 instead of the 920).  I did a lot of research into this. This is also why I shelled out for the SSD (not just any SSD either) which I loooove.

Thermaltake Silent 1156 CLP0552 92mm CPU Cooler For Intel Socket LGA1156 - Retail
Item #: N82E16835106139
$29.99
     
PLEXTOR 24X DVD/CD Writer Black SATA Model PX-880SA LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827249054
$46.99

PNY VCGGTS2501XPB GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814133266
$149.99

Crucial CT64M225 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail
Item #: N82E16820148318
$224.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136320
$69.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129021
$89.99

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115214
$279.99

Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7/Core i5" ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817371007
$69.99
   
2x CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145260
Memory Standard Return Policy
$189.98
($94.99 ea)

ASUS P7P55 LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131604
$104.99

ZALMAN VF1000 2 Ball VGA Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835118037
$51.99

[Furious]

Drive(s), regardless, like I said that's not a complete system - and Bluray drives run $100+.  So tossing in a video card, network card, etc still puts me over what I'd be paying for the setup I'm looking at.

The box you're looking at doesn't have bluray, so i hope it's exceedingly obvious that it's silly to quote an optical drive at $100.

as long as all the hardware in the HP box checks out, it looks like a good deal.  how do warranties work through newegg?  to me, that seems the only advantage of buying a prebuilt.

Yeah.  I quoted $100 while quickly selecting differnt hardware tabs, apparently it decided to bring up bluray drives ( and I didn't notice ) when I clicked on the CD/DVD section. ( or I misclicked /shrug )

Edit: @ the warranty, 1yr and can be extended another 1/2yrs ( $79 / $125 respectively ).

[Furious]

Updates because I'm stoked

Picked up this HP, similar to the one I posted but it's sporting Windows Vista Premium versus Windows 7.  Has a bluray player too! ( Not that I have a desire to buy blurays :X ).  Also bought a new 25" monitor.  Tell you what, booting WoW up and putting the graphics on Ultra while maintaining 60FPS is nice.