SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Well, I am getting pretty tired of having lag problems on my computer, so I have decided that in a few months, I will be buying a real computer. I say a real computer because I play on a Dell Inspiron 6000(laptop) with ATI Mobility Radeon x300, 1gb ram, 80gb hard drive, Intel Pentium 1.86GHz Processor. Of course, within a few months, I am sure that a lot will change with technology, so I may change my mind, but (not being 100% computer literate) I would like your advice on purchasing my next comp.

So far, I have found two choices that I like;
The first is an HP
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/product_detail.do?product_code=RK569AA%23ABA&tab=detailed_specs&storeName=storefronts&landing=rts_desktops&category=rts_desktops&subcat1=rts&catLevel=3#defaultAnchor

And because someone said that HP stinks and suggested dell...
The second is a Dell Dimention E520 with these stats:




PROCESSOR
Intel ® Core™2 Duo Processor E6400 (2.13GHz, 1066 FSB)
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OPERATING SYSTEM
FREE Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/1GB memory
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MEMORY
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz- 2DIMMs
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HARD DRIVE
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
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OPTICAL DRIVE
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW
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MONITOR
17 inch E177FP Analog Flat Panel
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VIDEO CARD
256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE TurboCache
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SOUND
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

I am not looking for a full flegged gaming computer like an XPS and so on, because I like to believe that I am not a nerd...even though I really am

Not to sound stuck up, but money is really not my biggest concern at the moment, so suggest whatever you like

Thanks again, and any and all opinions are welcome
Nate

Rob

Where did you go through to make your own comp, alienware?

www.xfire.com/profile/zamming are my specs (at the bottom).

I heard Vista is nice but sucks for gamers cuz it's a resource sucker. Other then that, it all looks good.

So I take it you're just going to glue all this stuff together or do you plan on getting a motherboard? I don't see a motherboard on there ~_~

Also I have a 19" that was about $200 and I LOVE it.

It is a confusing thing buying a new comp or upgrading, but stick with it and do some reading and you'll get a good idea of what is going on.

I wouldn't recommend either of those comps you mentioned as the gfx cards are not that good. Tomshardware.com is a great place for finding out about, er well, hardware. Here's their recommendations for the best gfx cards for your money:

http://tomshardware.co.uk/2007/02/06/the_best_gaming_video_cards_for_the_money_uk/index.html

It is the uk site so it's in £, but I'm sure there is something similar on the US site. This also shows that there is not much to choose between Radeon and nVidia, you just need to find a good deal.

It might be an idea to post how much you are willing to spend then we can get down to recommending specific components.

Ghost, the comps you have selected are both somewhat lacking in the GPU (graphic card) department. You can't go wrong with Intel's dual core right now, especially if you're willing to spend a little extra cash (relative to AMD's mid tolower-end dual cores). I would recommend possibly looking for a computer that had at least a GeForce 7600GT graphic card. This card has 256MB of memory and a pretty high core-clock speed. It also is only about $100 bucks at Newegg.com. With that card (and a worse processor than you, I've got a dual-core AMD 5200+) and a gig of ram, I get about 70-110 fps in Source with my visual settings cranked pretty high. Also, you should turn HDR off in order to lend your GPU a helping hand, it doesn't really do anything for your aesthetics and you'll find your fps will jump significantly.

Ghost i noticed you live in MA, if your Western Mass, let me know where your from. I run my company www.isdhq.com, make custom gamer computers. I get real good prices on parts, and can beat Dell, HP and several retail prices.

A "real" computer as you put it goes for under a 1000$ Which if you build right for cheap, can look like this or better, depending on time of order.

AMD X2 5600+
MSI K9N Series (with HD sound)
GeForce 7950GT XFX Extreme Edition
2GB DDR2 PC6400 (800MHz)
Raptor X 10,000RPM HDD 150GB (x2) SATA
Sony Light Scribe DVD Burner
Aspire 600w PSU
I can build custom cases, to any shape, any mod, any lighting, as many fans windows u wud dream of. Or you can get a retail one for cheap too.

That PC exactly wud cost you around 900$

i run something similar, a little better, but that PC will run ANY game, max'd settings. For awhile too, including Quake Wars, which i beta test, and its running smoothly.

well the computer that 10xsniper posted is very nice and will give u great gaming for a long time, but if the price is a little high for u there are a few things u could replace to dramaticly reduce the price. the raptor hard drives while very nice and extreemly fast are also extreemly expensive and there are far more economical choices that will be fast enough but provide far more hd space for the rest of your stuff. also the video card could be dropped back alittle to save some more money. really what it comes down too is your budget

Thanks for the help guys

I actually just spent all my extra cash on a truck today, so the computer is going to be put off for a bit, but I will absolutely contact a few of you guys again when that time comes. Compared to you guys, I am clueless when it comes to computers; Compared to my friends and family, I am a genious;)

10x, I tried to run your site but it would not load

Thanks again
Nate

To tell you the truth I dont think ordering a prebuilt computer is such a smart idea.
It is cheaper and you can get a better computer if you build it yourself order seperate parts and what now.
I would try www.newegg.com if you want to do that it will cost alot less trust me.

It comes down to this. If you wanna play with the big boys you either build your own computer or have the cash to have someone build it for you.

Since you don't know much about computers, I suggest looking up computers you think are good and do a hect of alot of research. Search every part of that computer on a hardware review website and see how they compare to others.

The problem with buying any name brand computer is that they cut corners on parts to make more money. So they might have a decent lets say for example processor or ram, but a shitty MB.

From my point of view the only good thing about name brand companies are the support they give you, which is why Dell excels very well.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not a hater of named companies. I think they are excellent for the average Joe who just doesn't quite understand the hardware end of a machine.

So in conclusion once again your best bet is to research hard.