Build it yourself or Brand Name?

burncloud · March 28th, 2008

I was considering building a PC myself, but I took a look at some brand name 'gaming' pc's out there and I was impressed. Newegg doesn't seem to have many motherboards capable of 2gb+ ram, so I was wondering... build it yourself (considering possible pseudo-layman compatablity issues, ya never know) or go for something like a Vigor made gaming PC.

runawayprisoner · March 28th, 2008

I'll sell you my computer... quad-core 3.8GHz with 4GB of RAM dual-channel and with a 8800GTS G92 for $1600.

Ought to be able to handle anything you throw at it.

Phil · March 28th, 2008

build it yourself. definetly. you'll save money!

runawayprisoner · March 28th, 2008

But you'll lose time.

(Yeah, I'm THE one to talk!

) But you get better results and experience.

Fadingz · March 28th, 2008

Alienware:
$5,871.00 for

Quote:

[1] Area-51®

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX9650 3.00GHz 12MB Cache 1333MHz FSB
Alienware P2 Chassis: Alienware® P2 Chassis with AlienIce™ 3.0 Video Cooling - Space Black
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Astral Blue
System Cooling: Alienware® Standard System Cooling
Acoustic Dampening: Alienware® Acoustic Dampening
Power Supply: Alienware® 1000 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
Graphics Processor: Dual Graphics Cards - Dual 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT – SLI Enabled
Video Optimizer: AlienAdrenaline v1.0: Video Performance Optimizer - More Info
Memory: 4GB Patriot EP+ Low Latency Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 x 2048MB
Motherboard: Alienware® Approved NVIDIA® nForce® 790i Ultra SLI™ Motherboard
Includes PCI-Express 2.0, DDR3 Memory, and Support for Intel 1600 FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Ultimate – DirectX 10 Ready!
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 1TB (2 x 500GB) SATA 3Gb/s 7,200RPM 2 x 16MB Cache
Optical Drives : Single Drive Configuration - 20X Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW) w/ LightScribe
Enthusiast Essentials: Killer K1 Gaming Network Interface Card - Smoother Online Gaming! - More Info
Physics Processing Unit: Ageia PhysX PCI-Express Processing Unit w/ 128MB GDDR3 - More Info
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer High Definition 7.1 Audio - More Info
Monitor: 22'' Samsung 1680 x 1050 (2ms) SyncMaster Widescreen Flat Panel
Keyboard: Wireless Keyboard - Logitech® Desktop® MX™ 5000 w/ Mouse
Mouse: Gaming Mouse - Razer Lachesis™ Mouse
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Desktop Binder
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Internal Wire Management
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Self-built
$4500 for:
See my sig (and that's if I get a QX9650 as well...minus $700 without the QX9650 and with a Q9450 instead)
I also have 5 120mm fans, 1 200mm fan, 1 CPU cooler, 1 VGA cooler, and a 1000W PSU. Logitech Airmouse and diNovo Keyboard.

(but I don't think I even need all those lol, so the price will be lower than $4000 XD, then I probably can go for a duo FX4600 and still be cheaper than that Alienware comp

)

Phil · March 28th, 2008

well you get to brag about having an alienware, that's it

runawayprisoner · March 28th, 2008

Then gimme $2000, you will get SLI 8800GTS G92 and that 3.8GHz quad-core 45nm processor.

And you get some lasers for your case, too. I guarantee it!

Phil · March 28th, 2008

r.a.p, i thought i was your number one customer!!!! why you give him the discount!!??

skoreanime · March 28th, 2008

If you don't have the experience of building a computer yourself, now's the time to learn. The components have become much more beginner friendly and there are a ton of guides and what not and such on the web (Google of course).

Trust me, it's a skill everyone will eventually want to save a bucket load of cash if you know your PC will be your main source of entertainment. Plus, if you ever need help on something, all of us hardware junkies are here at your beck and call

Phil · March 28th, 2008

Skore...that avatar is freakin perfect

on topic, google is your friend...

Fadingz · March 28th, 2008

$8,214 for the best Alienware setup...

Quote:

[1] Area-51®

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX9770 3.2GHz 12MB Cache 1600 FSB
Alienware P2 Chassis: Alienware® P2 Chassis with AlienIce™ 3.0 Video Cooling - Space Black
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Astral Blue
System Cooling: Alienware® Standard System Cooling
Acoustic Dampening: Alienware® Acoustic Dampening
Power Supply: Alienware® 1000 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
Graphics Processor: Dual Graphics Cards - Dual 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GT – SLI Enabled
Video Optimizer: AlienAdrenaline v1.0: Video Performance Optimizer - More Info
Memory: 4GB Patriot EP+ Low Latency Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 2 x 2048MB
Motherboard: Alienware® Approved NVIDIA® nForce® 790i Ultra SLI™ Motherboard
Includes PCI-Express 2.0, DDR3 Memory, and Support for Intel 1600 FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Ultimate – DirectX 10 Ready!
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 1TB (2 x 500GB) SATA 3Gb/s 7,200RPM 2 x 16MB Cache
Optical Drives : Dual Drive Configuration - Drive 1: 20X Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW) w/ LightScribe
Drive 2: 4x Dual Layer Blu-ray Burner (BD-RE, DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Enthusiast Essentials: Killer K1 Gaming Network Interface Card - Smoother Online Gaming! - More Info
Physics Processing Unit: Ageia PhysX PCI-Express Processing Unit w/ 128MB GDDR3 - More Info
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer High Definition 7.1 Audio - More Info
Monitor: 30" Samsung 2560 x 1600 (6ms) SyncMaster Widescreen Flat Panel
Speakers: Logitech® G51 Surround Sound Speaker System
Keyboard: Gaming Keyboard - Logitech® G15 Keyboard
Mouse: Gaming Mouse - Logitech® G9 Gaming Mouse
Warranty: 4-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista® Edition
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Desktop Binder
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Internal Wire Management
Avatar: Alien Cyborg
Window Style: Teal Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Wallpaper: Alienhead Glow (Widescreen)
Wallpaper: Alien Cyborg (Widescreen)
Wallpaper: Alien Schematic (Widescreen)
Power Plan: High Performance
Automatic Updates: This personalization option is currently available for Windows Vista® operating systems only.
Sidebar Gadgets: Calendar
Sidebar Gadgets: Weather Forecast (default location)
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

but with $8,214 I can build dual X5460 ($2,494), dual FX4600 ($2,919.98), 2x 300GB SAS drives in RAID 0 ($939.98), 8GB DDR3 1600 ($748), 1000W PSU ($329.99), and $782.05 left for a mobo and what else LOL
And my prices for each part is a rough newegg search LOL, you can find cheaper parts ALL THE TIME! :]

Phil · March 28th, 2008

first of all my ram (Corsair Dominater) murders the ram in that alienware...and 2 8800gt's? why not 2 gtx's or 2 ultra's or 2 9800gx2's for nearly 9 grand?

burncloud · March 28th, 2008

Saving money is my number one concern.

Whats the video card scene like? 4-5 years ago 256mb was straight... I'm not going to need a 768mb anytime soon will I? I'd imagine investing in something with 768mb would be a waste in 2 years considering the possibility of ever increasing hardware enhancements (more efficient video cards possibly?).

Phil · March 28th, 2008

video cards are one of the pc's most volatile componets.......meaning they get upgraded alot......so you will be switching them in and out, often.

get the best you can afford....heres a simple rule...always buy 2 spots beneath the current top card.....because imo the top cards will always have the worst price to performance ratio..

Fadingz · March 28th, 2008

Hence I choose FX4600 instead of FX5500 or FX5600 XD
(but the funny thing is that FX4600 costs 2x less than FX5500 but out preforms FX5500 in rendering by A LOT)

Phil · March 28th, 2008

well the FX5500 probably has a much larger frame buffer..

skoreanime · March 28th, 2008

The video card market is always changing. Even more rapidly then the CPU market. The 8800GTX/Ultra was the king of GPUs what...not even half a year ago? The value of the card always depends on the consumer and what he wants/needs for performance. If you're a moderate gamer, the 8800GT or 9600GT will be sufficient for at least 2 years. But then again, it's always up to the user... I mostly play less intensive, aged old games so my x2900XT is actually overkill for my use

.

Fadingz · March 28th, 2008

1GB DDR2(5500) vs 768MB DDR3(4600)
well, here's the comparison chart: NVIDIA Quadro FX - Product Comparison

Phil · March 28th, 2008

skore it's probably overkill for your system too. how much power does that thing draws??

burncloud · March 28th, 2008

As for CPU? I was reading somewhere that Sun* was researching some sort of high powered 'laser' processors... close to production level prototypes. Nevermind the effing 'quantum' w/e the hell processors I heard about awhile back. Should I be worrying about some sort of new semi-defacto cpu breakthrough technology like dual/quad core technologies?

I didn't want to make an investment yet if a new technology was almost available.

March 28th, 2008	#1 (permalink)
burncloud the sky is burning Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: psilocybin forest Posts: 45	Build it yourself or Brand Name? I was considering building a PC myself, but I took a look at some brand name 'gaming' pc's out there and I was impressed. Newegg doesn't seem to have many motherboards capable of 2gb+ ram, so I was wondering... build it yourself (considering possible pseudo-layman compatablity issues, ya never know) or go for something like a Vigor made gaming PC.

March 28th, 2008	#2 (permalink)
runawayprisoner Google-translated Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 3,381	I'll sell you my computer... quad-core 3.8GHz with 4GB of RAM dual-channel and with a 8800GTS G92 for $1600. Ought to be able to handle anything you throw at it. __________________ My best friend: Kopu: Asus Eee PC 701 Next best friend: Gamu CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 @ 3.80GHz RAM: 2GB of DDR2 800MHz (brandless, and brainless) GPU: ATI Radeon HD 4850 @ 800/1100 Good for PCSX2: overclock, overclock, and even more overclock.

March 28th, 2008	#3 (permalink)
Phil PCSX3 Coder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland, where the big boys play. Posts: 3,093	build it yourself. definetly. you'll save money! __________________ Antec P182 Special Edition (Chrome Finish) : Intel e8400 : Thermaltake ToughPower 650 watt PSU : Corsair Dominater DHX 1066 DDR2 Ram : Asus P5K : 500 Gb Seagate : 74 GB Raptor : Samsung 20x DVD optical Drive : Samsung Syncmaster T220 22" LCD : Windows 95 : XFX 8800gt Cooling: Swiftech Apogee GTX Special Edition (Copper Finish) : Feser X-Changer Dual 120mm Radiator : XSPC Bay Resevoir : Danger den Chrome Barbs : Feser UV anti kink 1/2" ID tubing : Danger Den D5

March 28th, 2008	#4 (permalink)
runawayprisoner Google-translated Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 3,381	But you'll lose time. (Yeah, I'm THE one to talk! ) But you get better results and experience. __________________ My best friend: Kopu: Asus Eee PC 701 Next best friend: Gamu CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 @ 3.80GHz RAM: 2GB of DDR2 800MHz (brandless, and brainless) GPU: ATI Radeon HD 4850 @ 800/1100 Good for PCSX2: overclock, overclock, and even more overclock.

March 28th, 2008	#6 (permalink)
Phil PCSX3 Coder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland, where the big boys play. Posts: 3,093	well you get to brag about having an alienware, that's it __________________ Antec P182 Special Edition (Chrome Finish) : Intel e8400 : Thermaltake ToughPower 650 watt PSU : Corsair Dominater DHX 1066 DDR2 Ram : Asus P5K : 500 Gb Seagate : 74 GB Raptor : Samsung 20x DVD optical Drive : Samsung Syncmaster T220 22" LCD : Windows 95 : XFX 8800gt Cooling: Swiftech Apogee GTX Special Edition (Copper Finish) : Feser X-Changer Dual 120mm Radiator : XSPC Bay Resevoir : Danger den Chrome Barbs : Feser UV anti kink 1/2" ID tubing : Danger Den D5

March 28th, 2008	#7 (permalink)
runawayprisoner Google-translated Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 3,381	Then gimme $2000, you will get SLI 8800GTS G92 and that 3.8GHz quad-core 45nm processor. And you get some lasers for your case, too. I guarantee it! __________________ My best friend: Kopu: Asus Eee PC 701 Next best friend: Gamu CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 @ 3.80GHz RAM: 2GB of DDR2 800MHz (brandless, and brainless) GPU: ATI Radeon HD 4850 @ 800/1100 Good for PCSX2: overclock, overclock, and even more overclock.

March 28th, 2008	#8 (permalink)
Phil PCSX3 Coder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland, where the big boys play. Posts: 3,093	r.a.p, i thought i was your number one customer!!!! why you give him the discount!!?? __________________ Antec P182 Special Edition (Chrome Finish) : Intel e8400 : Thermaltake ToughPower 650 watt PSU : Corsair Dominater DHX 1066 DDR2 Ram : Asus P5K : 500 Gb Seagate : 74 GB Raptor : Samsung 20x DVD optical Drive : Samsung Syncmaster T220 22" LCD : Windows 95 : XFX 8800gt Cooling: Swiftech Apogee GTX Special Edition (Copper Finish) : Feser X-Changer Dual 120mm Radiator : XSPC Bay Resevoir : Danger den Chrome Barbs : Feser UV anti kink 1/2" ID tubing : Danger Den D5

March 28th, 2008	#9 (permalink)
skoreanime Insomniac in training... Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 3,628	If you don't have the experience of building a computer yourself, now's the time to learn. The components have become much more beginner friendly and there are a ton of guides and what not and such on the web (Google of course). Trust me, it's a skill everyone will eventually want to save a bucket load of cash if you know your PC will be your main source of entertainment. Plus, if you ever need help on something, all of us hardware junkies are here at your beck and call __________________ Born free, riding free, living free. Always be free. Q6600 @ 3Ghz, 333x9 Gigabyte DS3R, Rev1.0 Patriot Extreme DDR2 PC-6400RAM BFG 9800GX2 @ stock

March 28th, 2008	#10 (permalink)
Phil PCSX3 Coder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland, where the big boys play. Posts: 3,093	Skore...that avatar is freakin perfect on topic, google is your friend... __________________ Antec P182 Special Edition (Chrome Finish) : Intel e8400 : Thermaltake ToughPower 650 watt PSU : Corsair Dominater DHX 1066 DDR2 Ram : Asus P5K : 500 Gb Seagate : 74 GB Raptor : Samsung 20x DVD optical Drive : Samsung Syncmaster T220 22" LCD : Windows 95 : XFX 8800gt Cooling: Swiftech Apogee GTX Special Edition (Copper Finish) : Feser X-Changer Dual 120mm Radiator : XSPC Bay Resevoir : Danger den Chrome Barbs : Feser UV anti kink 1/2" ID tubing : Danger Den D5

March 28th, 2008	#12 (permalink)
Phil PCSX3 Coder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland, where the big boys play. Posts: 3,093	first of all my ram (Corsair Dominater) murders the ram in that alienware...and 2 8800gt's? why not 2 gtx's or 2 ultra's or 2 9800gx2's for nearly 9 grand? __________________ Antec P182 Special Edition (Chrome Finish) : Intel e8400 : Thermaltake ToughPower 650 watt PSU : Corsair Dominater DHX 1066 DDR2 Ram : Asus P5K : 500 Gb Seagate : 74 GB Raptor : Samsung 20x DVD optical Drive : Samsung Syncmaster T220 22" LCD : Windows 95 : XFX 8800gt Cooling: Swiftech Apogee GTX Special Edition (Copper Finish) : Feser X-Changer Dual 120mm Radiator : XSPC Bay Resevoir : Danger den Chrome Barbs : Feser UV anti kink 1/2" ID tubing : Danger Den D5

March 28th, 2008	#13 (permalink)
burncloud the sky is burning Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: psilocybin forest Posts: 45	Saving money is my number one concern. Whats the video card scene like? 4-5 years ago 256mb was straight... I'm not going to need a 768mb anytime soon will I? I'd imagine investing in something with 768mb would be a waste in 2 years considering the possibility of ever increasing hardware enhancements (more efficient video cards possibly?).

March 28th, 2008	#14 (permalink)
Phil PCSX3 Coder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland, where the big boys play. Posts: 3,093	video cards are one of the pc's most volatile componets.......meaning they get upgraded alot......so you will be switching them in and out, often. get the best you can afford....heres a simple rule...always buy 2 spots beneath the current top card.....because imo the top cards will always have the worst price to performance ratio.. __________________ Antec P182 Special Edition (Chrome Finish) : Intel e8400 : Thermaltake ToughPower 650 watt PSU : Corsair Dominater DHX 1066 DDR2 Ram : Asus P5K : 500 Gb Seagate : 74 GB Raptor : Samsung 20x DVD optical Drive : Samsung Syncmaster T220 22" LCD : Windows 95 : XFX 8800gt Cooling: Swiftech Apogee GTX Special Edition (Copper Finish) : Feser X-Changer Dual 120mm Radiator : XSPC Bay Resevoir : Danger den Chrome Barbs : Feser UV anti kink 1/2" ID tubing : Danger Den D5

March 28th, 2008	#15 (permalink)
Fadingz 大嘴巴 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 應許之地 Posts: 2,916	Hence I choose FX4600 instead of FX5500 or FX5600 XD (but the funny thing is that FX4600 costs 2x less than FX5500 but out preforms FX5500 in rendering by A LOT) __________________ My deviantART~ QX9650 stock \| G.Skill 2GB DDR2 1066 RAM x 4 \| Vista 64 Ultimate \| Quadro FX4600 \| X-Fi Elite Pro \| SAMSUNG 2253BW \| Cosmos S \| ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA \| Western Digital Raptor X x2 \| ThermalTake 850W

March 28th, 2008	#16 (permalink)
Phil PCSX3 Coder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland, where the big boys play. Posts: 3,093	well the FX5500 probably has a much larger frame buffer.. __________________ Antec P182 Special Edition (Chrome Finish) : Intel e8400 : Thermaltake ToughPower 650 watt PSU : Corsair Dominater DHX 1066 DDR2 Ram : Asus P5K : 500 Gb Seagate : 74 GB Raptor : Samsung 20x DVD optical Drive : Samsung Syncmaster T220 22" LCD : Windows 95 : XFX 8800gt Cooling: Swiftech Apogee GTX Special Edition (Copper Finish) : Feser X-Changer Dual 120mm Radiator : XSPC Bay Resevoir : Danger den Chrome Barbs : Feser UV anti kink 1/2" ID tubing : Danger Den D5

March 28th, 2008	#17 (permalink)
skoreanime Insomniac in training... Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 3,628	The video card market is always changing. Even more rapidly then the CPU market. The 8800GTX/Ultra was the king of GPUs what...not even half a year ago? The value of the card always depends on the consumer and what he wants/needs for performance. If you're a moderate gamer, the 8800GT or 9600GT will be sufficient for at least 2 years. But then again, it's always up to the user... I mostly play less intensive, aged old games so my x2900XT is actually overkill for my use . __________________ Born free, riding free, living free. Always be free. Q6600 @ 3Ghz, 333x9 Gigabyte DS3R, Rev1.0 Patriot Extreme DDR2 PC-6400RAM BFG 9800GX2 @ stock

March 28th, 2008	#18 (permalink)
Fadingz 大嘴巴 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 應許之地 Posts: 2,916	1GB DDR2(5500) vs 768MB DDR3(4600) well, here's the comparison chart: NVIDIA Quadro FX - Product Comparison __________________ My deviantART~ QX9650 stock \| G.Skill 2GB DDR2 1066 RAM x 4 \| Vista 64 Ultimate \| Quadro FX4600 \| X-Fi Elite Pro \| SAMSUNG 2253BW \| Cosmos S \| ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA \| Western Digital Raptor X x2 \| ThermalTake 850W

March 28th, 2008	#19 (permalink)
Phil PCSX3 Coder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Maryland, where the big boys play. Posts: 3,093	skore it's probably overkill for your system too. how much power does that thing draws?? __________________ Antec P182 Special Edition (Chrome Finish) : Intel e8400 : Thermaltake ToughPower 650 watt PSU : Corsair Dominater DHX 1066 DDR2 Ram : Asus P5K : 500 Gb Seagate : 74 GB Raptor : Samsung 20x DVD optical Drive : Samsung Syncmaster T220 22" LCD : Windows 95 : XFX 8800gt Cooling: Swiftech Apogee GTX Special Edition (Copper Finish) : Feser X-Changer Dual 120mm Radiator : XSPC Bay Resevoir : Danger den Chrome Barbs : Feser UV anti kink 1/2" ID tubing : Danger Den D5

March 28th, 2008	#20 (permalink)
burncloud the sky is burning Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: psilocybin forest Posts: 45	As for CPU? I was reading somewhere that Sun* was researching some sort of high powered 'laser' processors... close to production level prototypes. Nevermind the effing 'quantum' w/e the hell processors I heard about awhile back. Should I be worrying about some sort of new semi-defacto cpu breakthrough technology like dual/quad core technologies? I didn't want to make an investment yet if a new technology was almost available.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode