Need New computer suggestions

[RainRaven]

I have had a Sony VAIO computer that I bought about 2 plus years ago and have pondered getting a new one. My intial idea was to upgrade the one I have but I have heard that isn't an option with my VAIO. I have looked online at a few sites and I would like to spend no more then a 1,000 dollars on a new system and would like this one to be easily upgradeable by putting in a new motherboard , processor etc. as needed years from now. Basically I want as much bang for my buck but I want a quality product that won't show up with a thousand problems to resolve :)

Also if it helps any my current system is a 1.6 GHZ Intel, 768 MB DDR 2100 Ram, 4600 GeForce Card 128 MB, Combined 60 GB Hard drive space, intergrated sound.

[sabotai]

Well, the obvious answer is that you'll get the most bang for your buck if you buy all the parts sperately and put it together yourself. That's basically what I've been doing for the last few years (built my own and have just replaced parts as needed).

[sterlingice]

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but I'd wait about a year. The system you're running is pretty good unless you're running high end games.

The problem is that "the next big thing" is 64-bit computing. But there's no sweet spot for that right now in pricing. The sweet spot is hanging around at Barton 3000s and P4 Prescotts in the mid 2 Ghzs. But that's the highest that things on that architecture are ever going to be. I'd suggest waiting until middle-late next year when 64-bit stuff starts falling into the sweet spot and then you'll have something that is tested (i.e. some of the inevitable mobo and CPU kinks for the 64 bit generation will be worked out) and more reasonably priced.

SI

[sterlingice]

Also, if you already have a monitor, printer, cable modem, stuff like that which won't change. Then you can build a decked out rig these days for $800 if you build it yourself.

SI

[the_meanstrosity]

Rainraven,

I agree with sterlingice in that your current pc is fast enough at this point. You do have a couple of options though.

Your video card, ram, and hard drive can all be transferred to a new system...if you elect to go that route. You'll need a new case, motherboard (nforce2), processor(Athlon XP 2800), and heatsink with fan(Thermalright ALX-800) most likely. Those items right there can be had for less than $300. You would have to build this system yourself, but it's actually not too difficult. I've had two friends who are new to PC's build them with help from technical friends. They learned a lot and saved a ton of money.

You could also purchase a system, but that would certainly be the more costly approach IMHO.

[RainRaven]

I already have a monitor, printer etc. I know I could transfer some of the parts but my concern is the hard drive. Would a store bought computer such as my Sony VAIO have a hard drive that could be transferred to a new system? I would love to spend less money, get a upgrade and not put more money then is needed into it. My concern was how easy it could be done and hence my orginial plan to buy a new system and sell the old rig to my best friend to offset the cost. Also to note that while my friends have equal interest in gaming and computers I would't call us techinically able to build a computer, I can follow directions but I would be afraid of making a mistake and wasting money in that reguard :)

[sterlingice]

I already have a monitor, printer etc. I know I could transfer some of the parts but my concern is the hard drive. Would a store bought computer such as my Sony VAIO have a hard drive that could be transferred to a new system? I would love to spend less money, get a upgrade and not put more money then is needed into it. My concern was how easy it could be done and hence my orginial plan to buy a new system and sell the old rig to my best friend to offset the cost.
Yes, you can transfer it. No, you can't move your operating system over on it. You'll have to format the OS partition and start over (after burning what you want to keep to CDs). The cost of hard drives these days, tho, you might want to just keep it intact if you want to sell the entire box. You can get an 80 for about $60 or 160 for about $100.

SI

[sterlingice]

Just spec'd out a quick machine at Newegg. You can tweak these a little, of course (for instance, a 2500XP Barton goes for $87 vs the 3000 for $146). Also, if you only want a CD burned instead of a DVD burner, knock off about $30 or $40. Or you can drop down the RAM from 1 gig to 512MB for $80 off. If you have an OS sitting around, that's $80 you also don't have to spend.


<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="700"> <tbody><tr><td height="17" valign="top" width="51"><input value=\"Find Shipping\" name=\"submit.modify\" src="http://secure.newegg.com/images/delete1.gif" border="0" height="16" type="image" width="41"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="29"> <input name="ITEM.11-129-122" value="1" size="2" maxlength="2" type="text"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="292">One Day Sale, Ends 7/27/2004 4:00 PM PST
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</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffecc6"> <td colspan="6" height="1" valign="top"> Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset) </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17" valign="top" width="51"> <input value=\"Find Shipping\" name=\"submit.modify\" src="http://secure.newegg.com/images/delete1.gif" border="0" height="16" type="image" width="41"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="29"> <input name="ITEM.11-999-114" value="1" size="2" maxlength="2" type="text"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="292">Thermaltake "Blue-Eye" High Performance 80mm LED Case Fan -RETAIL
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</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffecc6"> <td colspan="6" height="1" valign="top"> Hard Drives </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17" valign="top" width="51"> <input value=\"Find Shipping\" name=\"submit.modify\" src="http://secure.newegg.com/images/delete1.gif" border="0" height="16" type="image" width="41"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="29"> <input name="ITEM.22-144-140" value="1" size="2" maxlength="2" type="text"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="292">Western Digital 160GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD1600BB, OEM Drive Only
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</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffecc6"> <td colspan="6" height="1" valign="top"> Memory (System Memory) </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17" valign="top" width="51"> <input value=\"Find Shipping\" name=\"submit.modify\" src="http://secure.newegg.com/images/delete1.gif" border="0" height="16" type="image" width="41"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="29"> <input name="ITEM.20-145-480" value="1" size="2" maxlength="2" type="text"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="292">Corsair Value Select Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - OEM
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</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffecc6"> <td colspan="6" height="1" valign="top"> Processors </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17" valign="top" width="51"> <input value=\"Find Shipping\" name=\"submit.modify\" src="http://secure.newegg.com/images/delete1.gif" border="0" height="16" type="image" width="41"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="29"> <input name="ITEM.19-103-381" value="1" size="2" maxlength="2" type="text"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="292">AMD Athlon XP 3000+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
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</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffecc6"> <td colspan="6" height="1" valign="top"> Software - Operating Systems </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17" valign="top" width="51"> <input value=\"Find Shipping\" name=\"submit.modify\" src="http://secure.newegg.com/images/delete1.gif" border="0" height="16" type="image" width="41"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="29"> <input name="ITEM.37-102-141" value="1" size="2" maxlength="2" type="text"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="292">**This item is NOT REFUNDABLE, exchange for same exact item only!!**
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</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#ffecc6"> <td colspan="6" height="1" valign="top"> Video Cards </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17" valign="top" width="51"> <input value=\"Find Shipping\" name=\"submit.modify\" src="http://secure.newegg.com/images/delete1.gif" border="0" height="16" type="image" width="41"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="29"> <input name="ITEM.14-102-326" value="1" size="2" maxlength="2" type="text"> </td> <td height="17" valign="top" width="292">SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600XT Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -BULK
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Product total: $777.49
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[RainRaven]

I already have an XP disk sitting around I can use, or at the least I can buy one through school at a greatly discounted price (one of few cheap things at college). Hmmm, very interesting and a hell of a lot cheaper.

[the_meanstrosity]

Sterlingice,

He should be fine with his current RAM and video card.

I would also skimp on the XP3000 cpu and instead go for either the XP Mobile 2500 or 2600 for under $100. You may also want to look at OEM cpu instead of retail since a quality heatsink can be had for under $15. The retail heatsinks are usually garbage.

You're also not including a motherboard. What's your reasoning on that? He may need a new motherboard since the Vaio mobo may be for the Pentium.

Here's what I'd look at with Newegg prices:

CPU
AMD 45 Watt Mobile Athlon XP 2400+, 266FSB, 512K Cache - OEM
$77
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-400&depa=1

MOTHERBOARD
ASUS "A7N8X-E Deluxe" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
$92
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-478&depa=1

HEATSINK
Thermalright ALX-800
$15 at SVC
http://www.svc.com/thal.html

FAN for heatsink
80X25MM PANAFLO 32CFM FAN (12M) (currently out of stock)
$6.99
http://www.svc.com/80pa32fan1.html

[sterlingice]

Oops. Forgot a mobo. That would be a pretty big deal. D'oh

SI

[the_meanstrosity]

Hehe, those motherboards are kind of useful, lol.

I'm rebuilding my pc currently so I know what he's going through. I was able to grab some great deals this last month on a motherboard, ram, heatsink, and power supply. I'll be upgrading my cpu soon and I'm shopping around for a new case. Thus far it's going well and I've saved a TON of money.

[Ryan S]

Seagate are now offering 5 year warranties with their hard drives. It might be worth picking up a Seagate drive or trying to find a Western Digital with a 3 year warranty.

[RainRaven]

Thanks guys for the optons and information. meanstrosity you say that my Ram is fine, the motherboard that you pick out is that only good for my type of ram or in the future could I get better RAM and just click it in. (that at least I know I can do) :)

[Crapshoot]

just fyi- from past experience with a Vaio, you can't reuse the monitor(LCD) with a non-Vaio system (if you bought a Sony monitor without its own power cord- one that just plugs into the back of the computer) - its a bitch.

[RainRaven]

I have a completely different monitor so that that is not a issue at the least.

[the_meanstrosity]

Rainraven,

DDR 2100 ram can be used in most new motherboards. I will warn you that motherboards can be particular and sometimes won't accept certain types of Ram. But I'd take the chance on saving the money first unless you don't mind shelling out the extra $80-$90 for a stick of 512.

And whenever you're building a pc from scratch...always try 1 stick of RAM for the first time just to make sure you can get the PC to start up. That will get rid of a lot of your headaches, lol.

[sterlingice]

That's for sure. Then again, I have the worst luck with memory. My current mobo has 3 slots and I had two sticks of (256MB) RAM and both were partially faulty, I think. Mine only works on the right speed and right denomination if I have stick 1 in slot 1 and stick 2 in slot 3. If I have stick 2 in slot 1 and stick 1 in slot 2, it only sees 256. If I put stick 2 in slot 1 and stick 1 in slot 3, it sees a baffling 384 (how can you only see half a stick of RAM?!?). But you get the idea. http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/confused.gif

Still, I'd recommend getting as fast of RAM as you can. If you get a decently new chip and new mobo, the bottleneck will certainly be at the memory unless you get 3200.

SI

[the_meanstrosity]

Sterlingice,

My first few days with my new motherboard and processor was with a DDR PC2100. And to be honest, I haven't seen a big speed difference between the PC2100 and the PC3200. Now if I were overclocking...then PC3700 or higher would be the way to go. But since I'm not trying to overclock the ram it's not a major issue for me. So unless you're overclocking, you're not going to see a big bottleneck between PC2100 and PC3200 or higher ram.

[dacman]

Cas Latency: 3

That WILL bottleneck you a bit with an AMD setup. You might try to find CAS 2.5 or even CAS 2.