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All right. All I could salvage from my comp was the hard drives and a couple RAM sticks. The motherboard and power supply are both shot. Hence, I need a new computer.

I'd like to spend under $800, but I can push it up to a grand. A large hard drive is not an issue, since the 200 GB slave drive from the old one is fine; I can also add RAM myself.

What I do with my comp is gaming, word processing, and sound editing. Decent speakers are a must; I need to be able to hear bass.

Right now I'm thinking of doing what my brother did and ordering one of these from HP, but if anyone has any better ideas I'd be glad to hear 'em. Thanks in advance. I might be longer than usual answering to this thread, as I don't get a whole lot of online time at the moment.

There's always something better just around the corner, but in this case you can literally save hundreds by waiting a few weeks. Massive processor price cuts are in the works, as well as the introduction of Intel's seemingly all-conquering new line of processors, the Core 2 Duo, which include entry-level models. If you can get by until then, that's what I'd recommend.

Okay, thanks. I'll look into it. Still looking, though; I have several reasons for getting a computer fairly soon. Unless the savings would be absolutely phenomenal, I'll probably not wait it out for a month.

Rogue 9 wrote:Okay, thanks. I'll look into it. Still looking, though; I have several reasons for getting a computer fairly soon. Unless the savings would be absolutely phenomenal, I'll probably not wait it out for a month.

If you need a computer for basic word processing and other such things, spend some pocket change on a used old clunker with a P2, original Celeron or early P3 processor and similar hardware. They can run Windows XP just fine and get your office work done. You'll only be able to run old games, but if it takes only 50 to 80 bucks and saves you a crapload of money later, it'd be worth it.

Edi

If you do decide to limp along with an old PC for awhile, I highly recommend you check with your friends and see if they have any spare SDRAM they're not using. Having at least 256MB of RAM really makes 2K/XP quite a bit smoother.

The problem is Core 2 Duo is coming out a couple of weeks, a far superior CPU that will bring with it price cuts to exsisting models. Whether you can wait is up to you. The thing is, the speed upgrade is phenomenal. I don't think Intel's had an upgrade this substanial since Northwood (2002), it's hard to find a comparison. For example, the first P4's didn't show much, if any, of a performance advantage over the P3, but the first Core 2 Duo's blow the P4 away.

On the other hand, the offical pricing for the Intel D805 2.66x2 CPU will be knocked from $130 to $90; exact pricing will vary to market forces.

Have you considered looking into iBuyPower or Cyber Power Inc.? Both sites have fairly decent rigs for under a grand, and relatively good quality.

Ypoknons wrote:The problem is Core 2 Duo is coming out a couple of weeks, a far superior CPU that will bring with it price cuts to exsisting models. Whether you can wait is up to you. The thing is, the speed upgrade is phenomenal. I don't think Intel's had an upgrade this substanial since Northwood (2002), it's hard to find a comparison. For example, the first P4's didn't show much, if any, of a performance advantage over the P3, but the first Core 2 Duo's blow the P4 away.

On the other hand, the offical pricing for the Intel D805 2.66x2 CPU will be knocked from $130 to $90; exact pricing will vary to market forces.

Yes. It would be like buying a 486 two weeks before the launch of the Pentium. Depending on which processor you get, you can either spend the same amount and get a far superior Core 2 Duo, or you can get an existing processor for 30-50% less.

Okay, I have several friends with various old computers laying around, and I salvaged all of the RAM out of my old one. I'll see if I can borrow a junker and wait a couple weeks.