New desktop: build or buy?

[ChuckV]

I am looking into a new desktop. I was thinking about building my own, but the amount of research required is daunting. I was hoping to shortcut some of that by getting some forum input to trim the number of things to look at.

If you have purchased or built a machine recently, could you post what you got and how it worked out?

I'm looking at $700 - $1000 US.

I want decent graphics - good enough to play the occasional 3D game, but that is not the prime purpose. 2D performance and video/flash display is more important.

I've read in other threads that NVidia is much better supported than ATI. Please let me know if this statement agrees with your experience.

I don't care about the look of the case. A beige box is as good as anything for me. As long as it has good airflow. In fact I prefer dark to glowing.

I already have a 20" LCD monitor, so don't include that in the price - this is just for the box.

[doas777]

i would build, if I were you (assuming you are comfortable with the process).
you can build a beautiful Intel box for that money.

yes, nvidia is much prefered. if you want wifi, make sure your wnic is compatible. also google ubuntu <nvidia card model> as I've had one or two cards that just wouldn;'t work right (GeForce 8500 for instance).

also stay away from stuff like soft raid or SLI. it doesn't work out a lot of the time, and can be brittle even if you get it working.

[GoldenSun]

at that price range I would do a amd/nvidia build.

Amd for 1k is best bang for buck.
Nvidia always for linux. Since you don't play alot of games I would stick around a 9600 gt since they are kindof cheap at times.

Building your own isn't hard. If it doesn't fit. it doesn't go there.

[ChuckV]

I forgot to mention ability is not a problem, it's just the time involved.

Figuring out which motherboard, video card takes a long time. What cases go with what motherboard, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

[dagrump]

I like build my own, but if time is a constraint I would look at the cheap power spec systems at Micro-center if you have one locally. My neighbors machine went south, we got him a box for about $550.00 US. C2D, 2G ram, & 320 Gb hdd. Of course he only needs a basic box, but it could have goodies added.
I had some parts laying around so I built a new toy last week. 1997 Gateway2000 G6 case with about 2 +/- year old hardware. A Dermel & a cordless drill are your friend.
It is a very odd looking old case that I kept just because I liked it. It worked fine, so I decided it deserved the hardware update.
So unless your in a hurry, most of us always are, I'd do the research & build your own. I think you will enjoy it more.
Now to cut to the chase! ATI is owned by AMD, ATI doesn't work worth a flip, therefore no coins to AMD. That leaves Nvidia.
SLI is not hard nor fragile, I have 2 boxes running SLI & they work just fine.
ATX mobos need a larger case & mATX mobos fit in smaller cases. I have the tendency to prefer the larger cases, as mATX mobos don't have enough expansion slots. Wow, didn't mean write a short story here.
Well, thats my $0.02.

[DownTown22]

You gotta build! It's the only way to go.

And for that kind of budget you could easily build a kick-as* machine.

My desktop runs an Intel Core 2 Duo with an nVidia 8500GT and 2GB of RAM all on an ASUS P5KSE motherboard and it all works wonderfully.

My media center runs an AMD PhenomII X3 710 with an nVidia 9600GT and 4GB of RAM on a DFI motherboard and again, all works without a hitch.

If you want full specs I can give those to you too. Or if you want some other part suggestions I'm up for that too.

FYI...I love designing and building computers!

[ChuckV]

Well, I started poking around at newegg just to price out a system and I really got into it. I'm a little over my original plan at $1100, but I think it is sweet.

You guys were right. BYO is a great deal.

If anyone is curious, this is what I have selected so far:

GeForce GTS 250 1GB
West. Dig. 1TB 7200
Lite-ON DVD burner
8GB DDR3 1600 (4x2GB)
Random case
AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz
950W PSU
MSI 790FX-GD70 ATX AMD motherboard

I think that is everything I need. If someone sees that I have done something stupid, please let me know.

[doas777]

looks good overall. I don't particularly like msi for mobos, but it'll prolly work. I stick with asus and gigabyte, now that abit is out of the game.

[ChuckV]

My original worry was that it would take days and days of looking at this and that and the other thing. I was able to go through most of the stuff in a few hours. Much easier than I expected.

[DownTown22]

That's quite the build there.

Personally, I find Samsung hard drives to run a lot quieter than the WD's. I have a couple of these: Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB

Also, nice choice with the Thermaltake case. I find them, along with Coolermaster, have some of the best airflow going.