$250 Quad Core DYI PC + s/h $13 rebate

[{Ru}EINHANDER]

$249.99 Quad Core DYI

AMD Quad CPU
1 ECS MOBO (ECS is ok.. I think they might be PC Chips now but they are nothing like the shit boards they used to be)
4 GB of DDR2 (slow.. but what do you expect for $250?)
1 PC case (the power supply unit (psu) is crap and will need to be replaced but it'll work until you replace it with a better psu)
1 heatsink/fan combo.. eh.. it should work but it's the el cheapo brand/type w/o overclocking potential but that's a moot point
1 Terrabyte hardrive
1 DVD+/- RW
1 PCIe video slot (has built-in video also which needs to be disabled)

Ok.. there you have it. One last thing.. the reviews are very positive but read through the feedback for people that know what they are talking about when building a box like this. I've hit some of the points worth mentioning. For the price, I'd almost be willing to put one together for other uses here at home besides my main rig.

LINK: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... tigeremail

[{Ru}Bubba]

still no os, but it has a 2.93 ghz dual core processor instead of the 2.1 quad core,would a 2,1 quad be better still? also it says the processor comes with a fan, is that the heat sink or just a fan? Would i still need to buy a heatsink?If so i can pick up a somewhat decent heatsink/fan combo for another $20 buck.let me know that you think please? it comes with 1 stick of 1333mhz ddr3 ram and has 1 empty slot for ram, If i add Centon R1333PC2048 2GB PC10600- 1333MHz, 1x2048MB(another 2 gb of the exact same ram it comes with) The total including all shipping costs comes to $262.91, Would that be a good deal for me to go with? A 2.93ghz dual core processor and 4 gigs of ddr3 ram? Like with the one ein posted they recommend ditching the power supply the first chance you get. but other than that is it a good deal?

http://www.compusa.com/applications/Sea ... &CatId=333

[{Ru}Lord_Slayer]

I dont know,my computer is so outdated but its still faster than both of those listed. I guess if I were to spend money on a computer,I would save up a bit more and get a computer that can actually play some modern games.

[{Ru}EINHANDER]

Humm.. better.. what does better mean these days. I have a Quad core Intel.. and would rather buy Intel except when comparing the AMD K6-III processors which are super rare (and super out-dated today). My requirements today are.. quiet, i7 Intel processor (low family cpu.. not the higher end), Top of the line PCIe video card that is around $250ish (or less) and a full sized case with an excellent 75% or higher energy efficiency rating.

To be honest.. Quad cores (even dual cores) are not being taken advantage of by programmers and from the looks of it it'll be years before that's addressed. Basically you have to break up instructions to multiple cores and most programmers just send all the instructions to one core. Now.. if you have 2 or 4 cores.. that means you have 2/4 lanes to send or dedicate processing power to. Think back when you first got a computer and tried to open every movie/mp3/webpage/game/program you had until it crashed. All of those programs were being feed to a single processor core.. now these days you have 2/4 cores that can do the work. Programs do *NOT* operate faster because you have more cores unless they are designed to use them and few programs are coded that way. Some Adobe programs like I think photoshop, some programs like Seti.. etc. do. Programs like GW2 or Farmville/Mafia (lol) do not but all of those programs can be dedicated to a single core in a menu so that one of the 2/4 cores isn't doing all the work. So ultimately, YES it does speed up the work but only because there are more people to do the dedicated work.. but not do the work faster unless you have a newer generation CPU.

Should you get the dual or quad? I’d get the quad because it’s a newer processor design. Just because the dual is faster in MHz doesn’t mean it’s faster than the quad with a refined design. My take is to always get the newer design when possible. Overclocking isn’t that big a deal these days since most applications do not pressure CPUs anymore. The place where the money is spent should be on the video card and mobo.

No OS sucks but that’s an added expense on top of the computer.. as it doesn’t come with one.
-EIN

[{Ru}Bubba]

Hmm well no os isnt THAT big of a deal... So if it was just a choice of 2 almost identical systems i'd want the newer quad core of the older dual core, but given the ddr3 over ddr2 ram is it still better? Does 4 gigs of ddr3 ram surpass the 4 gigs of ddr2 enough to make it a better choice? Im definitly leaning more towards the 2,1 quad core you posted now, just need to make sure the ram isnt going to be a deciding factor

On a side note lordy, i really wish i could save up the money to get a better system, but considering i have NO computer now im just trying to get something i can play on some til the months pass that its going to take me to try to save up for something better lol.

[{Ru}Lord_Slayer]

[{Ru}Bubba]

yea my computer had an accident. on the laptop atm but it cant play crap lol. Ok ein i found this one, $199, its a quad core newer processor design bout the same features as the one you posted, main diffrence i see besides the intergrated nvidea graphis, is that this processor has " unlocked multiplier" what the heck does that mean? lol. it doesnt have the fancy light up case but if its at least the equivilant of the one you posted, with have the hard drive space, but for 60 bucks cheaper imma get it let me know ?

[{Ru}Bubba]

yes? no? maybe? lol bump?

[{Ru}Lord_Slayer]

ein dont care about us anymore

[{Ru}EINHANDER]

I apologize to all of you. Between work and the class.. ah.. I'm just spread thin.

Short answer Bubba.. you get what you think is best. PCs these days you don't need top of the line but try not to pull from the bottom either. The main thing is that you need to get a box that is upgradeable. I would still rather have an Intel but the AMD's do a fine job these days as the slow down problem is video cards. Hell, I'm almost of the opinion that the PC market is dead but that's mostly because of MS's Xbox network and shit companies screwing over the PC players for gaming money. At this point, if GW2 doesn't deliver.. it'll be a long damn time before I even so much as look at a PC game.

Back to the PC.. you seem to have a good handle on the specs.. this is the only advice I'd give with regards to what you are talking about. For the CPUs.. whichever is the NEWest one.. get it. Newer CPU generations (i.e. 2 core versus a 4 core.. get the 4 core because it has a newer design to run faster.. 3 cores are just crippled 4 cores that cannot cut it). For memory.. only take less memory if you are left with open banks but you run the risk of buying newer memory sticks that don't work with your older ones. You know this already as you've dealt with it much too often already. Just do yourself a favor and get the slower RAM. If you run XP.. don't get less than 2GB.. Vista no less than 4GB.. and WIN7.. no less than 3GB.. 4GB if you plan to use virtual console at all.. Again.. the short answer at the top is get something that's upgradeable if possible. The motherboard is one of the most important pieces to consider. So what if you get a slower CPU or older CPU today and upgrade it later when the prices drop. This is ESPECIALLY true for AMD CPUs as they don't hold value as long as Intel chips do.

You asked about unlocked multipliers..these are CPUs that you can overclock at will. You don’t have to do the things I used to do like adjust the voltage, put bigger heatsinks/fans.. better transfer paste.. well actually you DO need to do the paste and heatsinks/fans but most of the other stuff is done for you automatically (i.e. it’s not LOCKED to say 4.5 x 100 = 4.5 MHz processor.. now you can change it to 3.0 x 200 = 6.0 MHz etc.) So you decide on what you can afford but getting something new today with more than a single core is probably going to do just fine for 2 more years. No one has written software to really take much advantage of this. It will change and I hope that gaming systems cannot keep up without using regular PC CPUs.

[{Ru}Bubba]

ahhhh cool