Pecobians.com :: New Computer Help

aceman · 31 Mar 2006

Hi .I want to buy a new computer .Should I buy branded or assembled .If assembled then what should be the configuration .

Lord PEC · 30 Jan 2005

Welome to the forums, aceman.
I am sure a lot of people here would love to help you out once you provide some basic info... i mean whats your budget like, you gonna build a gaming rig or a normal one.. Smile

aceman · 31 Mar 2006

Hi sir .Budget is around 40000-45000 .
I am confused about the configuration .Some friends have told me to buy Intel ,some suggested to buy AMD .

dcsastudent · 10 Jan 2006

Dude, with that kinda budget, you can buy the best.... My choice has been and will be intel always...but depends on person-to-person. If you wants a PC that looks funky and works godd, then try the HP one, which is the latest one in the market....that looks really awesome....I think its called the pavillion or something....

Lord PEC · 30 Jan 2005

You'll be able to get a pretty decent system within that budget.
First points first, don't go for a branded PC. Technology is advancing at such a rapid rate thesedays that within 8-9 months, you might hefta upgrade and then u'll say.. 'yaar kahaan phas gaye'.. A properly assembled system is just like any branded PC. Plus you can add/remove devices without voiding any warranty.

Configuration:

I'd suggest you go for an AMD based system.
Thats coz they out-perform their intel counter-parts in almost all the tests. Run a lot cooler, consume less power & are great overclockers. Check out anandtech, tomshardware to know for yourself.

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice Core (Socket 939)
Cost: 7.5 k

Motherboard: ASUS A8N-E
Cost: 6.2k
This is a rock solid board by ASUS. Based on the nForce 4 Ultra chip.

RAM: 1 GB TwinMOS PC3200 (2 sticks of 512 MB each)
Cost: 4.5k
Get the one with CAS 2.5.

Video Card: XFX GeForce 6200 TC Edition (PCI-E 256 MB)
Cost: 3.5k
You'll be able to play almost all the games at medium detail.
If you are into gaming bigtime, then get XFX 6600 GT 128 MB for about 8.5k. But I suggest that if you wanna go for hi-end gaming, then its better to wait for Direct-X 10 based cards which are expected to ship by this year-end.

Hard Disk: Seagate/Samsung 160GB SATA 2
Cost: 3.8k

DVD-Writer: BenQ DW1650 (or higher)
Cost: 2.6k
From experience, I'd suggest you add a cheap CD-ROM. It'll cost no more than 600 bucks but prolongs the life of your DVD Burner.

Sound Card: Creative Audigy ZS 7.1
Cost: 2k
Although the motherboard has on-board 7.1 audio but trust me, this 24-bit card will add a lot of punch to the audio output of the system.

Speakers: Creative/Altec Lansing 7.1 or 5.1 system
Cost: Depends (anything above 4.5k is quality stuff)

Monitor: Samsung 17-inch Flat
Cost: 5k (add about 2k's if you wanna go for true-flat)

Keyboard/Mouse: Logitech Multimedia Kit
Cost: 1k

PSU: Powersafe 450W or ColorSit 450W
Cost: 1.5 - 2k

TV-Tuner Card: Pinnacle
Cost: 2k
I have one myself & have to say that Pinnacle is a clear winner when it comes to watching cable on your PC.
Good solid card and it comes with a professional recording software.
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PS. Feel free to message me in case you need to source this stuff. Know a few vendors that can arrange it for you. Good luck..

Whacko · 09 Jul 2005

The specs given by Lord Pec are really worth gold.
I'll just suggest u 1 thing. Go for a writer from SONY rather than of BENQ.this is a suggestion based on personal experience.nothing of expert talk.
And yes definately get a simple CD-ROM fitted.That will fullly optimize the use.
This is one thing u shld not miss.

Lord PEC · 30 Jan 2005

Well, the Sony DVD-Writer is a rebadged BenQ DW1640. Wink

So you can go for any of these. The one by BenQ costs about 200 bucks less.

aceman · 31 Mar 2006

Thank you sir for the detailed configuration. Very Happy