What's the best configuration for an assembled computer, primarily for gaming, and not too expensive?
481776
i have a 160 gig sata seagate drive, it works awesome, i have a hard time just getting it to 1/4th filled\nthe AMD 64 series are awesome, even though they are "slower" than the pentium chips, their architechture is different, making it better for gaming, in my opinion.\ni have an NVidia Geforce 6600gt pci-express, it works awesome, i can run bascially any game out there, i play halo all the time\ndon't get anything less than 1 gig of ram, it will just slow down a lot\ni have a samsung syncmaster710n, it works so beautifully, it's great, i game and watch movies all the time\nlogitech x-530 speakers are great, music comes out awesome\nthe keyboards and mice are basically personal preferences, and the case too, they're all basically usable\nthe motherboard is very important, i have one from asus, the  A8N-e, it has never crashed on me yet\ni know u asked for the "best" configuration, but to me, this is the best configuration, a year ago, it cost me around 1500, now, it's bound to be cheaper\ngood luck
1043322
stuff you'll need\n\nmotherboard\ncpu\ngraphics card\nram\nhard drive\ndvd rom drive\npower supply\ncomputer case\nmonitor\nkeyboard\nmouse\nspeakers\n\nhttp://newegg.com is the most popular store among people who build computers.  they are inexpensive and get your order processed quickly.
570307
depending on your case and CPU you caould get a better MB and use your memory, harddrive CD rom power ect to build another computer for less then £40.00
904168
This would definately be best for under $200:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130056 only problem is that it requires a 400W power supply, so you need to make sure that your power supply is big enough to handle it.  That info should be in the manual that came with your PC.  If you need further assistance, feel free to email me, it is in my profile.
502847
Minium System Configuration for you mother\n\n\nProcessor\nAMD Sempron 3100+ 1.8GHz\nBus Speed\n1600MHz\nCache\n256KB L2\nChipset\nnVIDIA GeForce 6100\n\nMemory\n512MB DDR SDRAM\nexpandable Memory up to\n2GB DDR SDRAM\nMemory Speed\n400MHz DDR400/PC3200\nMemory Slots\n184-pin DIMM (2 Total/1 Free)\n\n\nHard Drive\n120GB 7200 rpm\nOptical Drive\nDVD-Writer (Double-layer) - DVD?R/?RW\nOptical Drive Speed\n\nDisplay Screen\n17" Flat CRT\nGraphics Controller\nnVIDIA GeForce 6100 Up to 128MB Shared DDR SDRAM Integrated\nDisplay Resolution\n1280 x 1024 @ 60Hz - Monitor\n\nAudio\nSound Card\n6-channel\nSpeakers\n\n\nNetwork\n10/100Mbps IEEE 802.3u Fast Ethernet\nModem\nV.92 56Kbps Fax Modem\n\nI/O Expansions Bays\n\n3 x 3.5" Drive Bay(s) Free\n1 x 3.5" Drive Bay(s) Occupied\n1 x 5.25" External Removable Media Bay(s) Free\n1 x 5.25" External Removable Media Bay(s) Occupied\n\nExpansion Slots\n\n1 x PCI Free\n1 x PCI Occupied\n1 x PCI Express x1 Total\n1 x PCI Express x1 Free\n1 x PCI Express x16 Total\n1 x PCI Express x16 Free\n1 x Flash Memory Card\n\nStandard Multifunction Keyboard \nPointing Device\n2-button Scrolling Wheel PS/2 Mouse\n\nWindows XP Professional\nMicrosoft Office 2003\n\nAll this will run you under $600. And it will suit you just find. What the guy told you above will run you at least $800-900.\n\nThis will be more than enough if your mother just wants to check her e-mail, surf the net, and download pictures.
773483
Laptop or Desktop, it solely depends on your choice. Laptops have great flaunt value and mobility, whereas Desktops do not need to depend on batteries. I will give you the list of the components you should be getting and their prices. I think this configuration is good .Check it below:                                          \n        \nCPU           AMD 939 pin Athlon 64 3200 Rs. 7500\nMotherboard         MSI K8NGM2 Rs.6500\nRAM                       512MB DDR 400 Hynix    Rs.3500\nMonitor                   17" Samsung DF793  Rs.6500                                                                                                                                                                                                    \nKeyboard               Logitech                                            Rs.300\nHDD                      120 GB SATA Western Digital Rs.2650         \nMouse                    Logitech Optical                               Rs.300\nCabinet                  Any                                                     Rs.500\nPower Supply       Antec 350 W                                     Rs.2000\nOptical Drive        Lite-On /Sony DVD-Writer               Rs.2750\nSpeakers             Creative Inspire 2.1                           Rs.2400\n\nTotal                                                                                  Rs.34900\n\nGraphics Card     XFX Geforce 6600 or 7600 GT     Rs.12000
233368
Covering the basics you will need an ATX case, Power Supply then the motherboard, processor and well, everything else you listed.  I'll get to the memory and Tuner Card in a second.  You didn't say what type of processor you wanted AMD or Intel, either way I recommend an Athlon 64 at least 3200+ or better which would require a Socket 939 motherboard.  Since I too am building a system I will give you the components I selected (I already have a GPU and memory so those are not in the list).\n\nCase, Thermaltake V7000C, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133134\nProcessor, AMD Athlon 64 3700+, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103539\nPower Supply, 500W DynaPower, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817255010\nMotherboard, Gigabyte GA-K8U, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128307\n\nSince the motherboard I have selected does not have an integrated graphics chip you will either need a GPU or a GPU/TV-Tuner card combo and since you aren't playing games you don't need to spend too much in this area.  I would go with a cheap GPU and a TV-Tuner card, you will need that to connect your VCR or at the very least a capture card.\n\nInstead of having one 500GB hard drive, I would go with two 250GB drives as that offers you some redundancy and you can use one for backups if you so choose.  As far as the CD and DVD drives go, get one that's cheap, reliable and will match the case and since black will suit that blue case nicely... get black drives.\n\nI think you are going to spend A LOT on memory as you will need to buy either PC2700 or PC3200 in 1GB sticks and that will not be cheap.  I don't know why you want 4GB of memory as that is overkill for even the most dedicated gamer and you aren't even going to play games but to each his own.\n\nFrom the parts I listed and you can find everything else you need there too, just sort by price for each thing you want and make sure the item has favorable reviews.  Also, if you have ANY problems at all, such as a DOA (dead on arrival part) as happens sometimes, Newegg will send you out a new part usually within 24 hours.  That's why I buy from Newegg, second to none customer service.
725626
Are you planning on building it yourself?  Or are you buying a factory built one from a reseller/retail?  I suggest, at the very least, 1gb of RAM.  Simply because, it means you won't be limited to being able to run only a few high demand processes at once.  Also, consider no less than a 2.4Ghz processor (I suggest that if you are going to be buying this computer for real media use, get a 3.2 Ghz processor).  Make sure that you grab a graphics card with 256mb RAM (simply because if you watch dvds and tv, you'll want good quality).  Make sure your graphics card has a TV-in/out plug so that you can hook it to your tv or plug in your cable/satellite to it.  Other than that, it's up to you.  Although, I suggest you buy one with PCI-e slots instead of regular PCI since recent hardware has been made for PCI-e slots.  (and it's much faster)
751686
250 to 300 bucks tops! Things to consider....your system was almost obsolete 2 days after you built it, you cant compete with factory systems in price!
562992
Well that depends on your budget and if you want a desktop or laptop.  I think the cheapest thing you can do is to purchase an off-the-shelf system and then add what you need to it if it does not have everything you want.  Rule #1, never go with a Sempron or Celeron processor, I don't care what you're doing, they're slow for the even most basic tasks.  Rule #2 is slightly harder to avoid and that is never get an integrated graphics chip and again, I don't care what you're doing, integrated graphics are not only slow they also steal from your primary memory.  Rule #3, don't listen to a word the sales people tell you, chances are they don't know about the product they are selling and are poorly informed on how to help you decide what is best for you, fortunately, you have me.  But, you probably knew a good deal of this already, being young and all.  Rule #4 is to try to find one with at least 1GB of memory, however it may not be possible at lower price points and it may end up being cheaper to purchase more memory and install it yourself.\n\nI took the liberty of looking up some desktops under $500 (I'm assuming a limited budget) and the only one with 1GB of memory is this Acer Aspire which has a 200GB SATA hard drive and not too bad for being $500.  The only problems I see are that it claims nVidia graphics and my assumption on this matter is that they mean the Geforce 6100 IGP which isn't horrible but isn't that great either, it will run older games like Doom 3 fine but not games like FEAR or GRAW.  If you need to upgrade the graphics in that (since it has a PCIe x16 slot), go with a Geforce 7600GS or 7600GT depending on your budget.  But all in all that PC should suit your needs quite nicely, provided you don't do heavy gaming or multitasking (like me).  Here's the link, http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Acer-Aspire-trade-Desktop-PC-AST160-UA3402-/sem/rpsm/oid/149055/catOid/-12962/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do\n\nIf you're looking for a laptop, options become narrower and prices go up significantly.  I'm not saying this is the cheapest laptop with the features to look for but if you want one with 1GB of memory, a large hard drive at 100GB (which is large for a laptop) and a dedicated 128MB Geforce 7400 Go graphics card and an Intel Core duo processor at 1.83GHz you will end up spending nearly $1400, http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/149457/originURLEncoded/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.circuitcity.com%252Frpsm%252FcatOid%252F-12963%252FNtk%252FAll%252FNtt%252Ftv%252520tuner%252Frpem%252Fccd%252Fcategorylist.do/rpem/ccd/productDetailSpecification.do#tabs\n\nRule #5 is to buy an AMD processor whenever possible, in some cases it is not like with the laptop.  I would rather get an Intel processor + dedicated graphics than an AMD processor with integrated graphics.  I think I covered everything, good luck with your choice.
660216
agreed, building it on your own will give you the most bang for the buck. at $1,000 the performance companies like alienware are out of the question. so you're left with dell or build.\n\nif i were u, i'd choose build for higher quality components and every dollar's worth of performance.
319031
I second that, WOW!  But, I'm guessing you are ordering this system and not building it yourself, for shame.  Build it yourself, get better quality components and save yourself some money.\n\nSpeaking of building one yourself, I put together a pretty nice system as part of one of my answers I'll list it below:\n\n600W Power Supply ($42.50), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817167010\nAMD Athlon FX/64/x2 Motherboard ($54), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813186085\nAthlon 64x2 3800+ ($297), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562\nGeforce 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 Graphics card ($320), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130015\nOptical Drives (dual DVDRW drives $80), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101642\nWestern Digital 320GB SATA drive ($130), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136003\n2GB PC3200 Memory ($134), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820150011\nWindows XP Professional ($145), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102062\nCase, Cooler Master Centurion 5 ($50), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102062\nCreative X-Fi Sound Card ($107), http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188\n\nA few notes, I went with a plain case and I cannot gaurantee that the holes with the power supply will line up with the case (it's always best to buy a power supply and case made by the same company but NEVER buy a case with a power supply).\n\nAnd all of this comes to about $1360, feel free to substitute any of the components I listed for something similar.  I picked the least expensive ones possible (but by no means cheaply made), these are top quality components that you WILL NOT get in any off the shelf system, custom or not.\n\nOh, those prices don't include shipping but I don't want to add $1300 of merchandise to my cart to find out.  But you can, you're under no obligation to actually buy it.
112232
Sold thru Tigerdirect.com. Excellent value. Use quality components.\n\nhttp://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1416&Nav=|c:1307|&Sort=0&Recs=10\n\nSelect the system that you want to start with then click "configure" and add what you want.
728262
Let us know what the closest main city is for help.  I find local computer places are much better than the big box stores.  Especially price-wise.  Look in your yellow pages for a store that services computers and sells re-furbished ones.  They're the ones that will use the parts they have on hand instead of trying to sell you special order stuff, or a whole new computer for that matter.
765552
Get a dual core CPU\nI don't like the case\nI don't like the power supply\n\nGo to this forum to get some great help and advice on your build before plunking down the $$$
1112334
one the greatest you can find is silicon graphic workstation you can check it in www.sgi.com\nif you want configure your own you can use a doul core prossesor AMD (X2) with a quad sli support motherboard and 4 sli 512MB video card with at least 4-8GB ram , 4*SataII hdd configured as strip raid (from 250GB to 1TB)
823997
depends on what games you are looking to run. Overall not a bad machine, should run most games out there fairly well.