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Posted: Sep 29 2011 12:45 pm

So, I finally have some money to spend on a new pc and I am looking to purchase something in the range of 500-1200. It has been a while since I have bought a new pc and I am not sure what I should be looking for. I want something I can use to work and play games, preferably. Work consists of Adobe CS programs and the like and games basically means I want to be able to pay Diablo 3 when it comes out.

Any input on what I should look for or get would be greatly appreciated.

Posted: Sep 29 2011 02:21 pm

If you need some input, I have a keyboard.

Posted: Sep 29 2011 03:16 pm

Well, if Diablo 3 is the only game you care about, let's base your system of that. Here's the system specs that Blizzard was using when they showcased Diablo 3 at Blizzcon:

CPU: Intel Core i7 870 (45nm, Soket 1156, 2.93GHz)
Motherboard: Intel DH55HC (intel H55)
RAM: EK Memory DDR3 10600 2GBx2EA
Video Card: GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 460 1GB WindForce or ZOTAC GeForce GTX 460 1GB
Hard Drive: Seagate Momentus XT 500GB
Power Supply: Acbel iPower 500
Case: Bestech Guardian
Monitor: Orion TopSync 24

So, if we build you something comparable, then you should have no issues, and we might even save you some money.

If you are comfortable building your own, then it will be cheaper to buy the parts. If you want pre-assembled, might I suggest something like:

ibuypower.com:

Case 1 x NZXT Gamma Gaming Case-Black
Processor 1 x Intel® Core™ i7 960 Processor (4x 3.20GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
Motherboard 1 x ASUS Sabertooth X58
Memory 1 x 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1600-Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card 1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 - 2GB-Single Card
Case Lighting None
Power Supply 1 x 750 Watt -- Thermaltake TR2 TRX-750M-FREE Upgrade to Thermaltake 850 Watt
Processor Cooling 1 x Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1366]-[Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan
Video Card Brand 1 x Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA
Primary Hard Drive 1 x 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive
Data Hard Drive None
Optical Drive 1 x 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive-Black
Sound Card 1 x 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Speaker System None
Network Card 1 x Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Keyboard 1 x iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard
Mouse 1 x iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse
Operating System 1 x None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only
Warranty 1 x Standard Warranty Service-Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support
Free Stuff 1 x [Free Game Voucher] - Batman Arkhan City-Free with Purchase of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or above
Free Stuff 1 x [Free Game Voucher] - Dungeon Siege 3-Free with Purchase of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 or above
Free Stuff 1 x [Free Game Download] - Just Cause 2-Free with Purchase of NVIDIA Video Card

Subtotal $1,110.00

Pushes close to your max price range, but this would be a far beefier system then your needs, plus you get three great games for free! (Well, 2. I didn't really like Dungeon Siege 3.)

You could cut some cost by going the AMD route. Perhaps something like:

Case 1 x Azza Triton Gaming Case-Black
Processor 1 x AMD Phenom™ II X4 965 CPU (4x 3.40GHz/6MB L3 Cache)
Motherboard 1 x Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 -- AMD 970
Memory 1 x 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module-Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card 1 x AMD Radeon HD 6870 - 1GB-Single Card
Power Supply 1 x 700 Watt -- Standard
Processor Cooling 1 x Liquid CPU Cooling System [AMD]-[Free Upgrade] Standard 120mm Fan
Video Card Brand 1 x Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA
Primary Hard Drive 1 x 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s-Single Drive
Data Hard Drive None
Optical Drive 1 x 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive-Black
Sound Card 1 x 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Speaker System 1 x iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System
Network Card 1 x Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Monitor None
Keyboard 1 x iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard
Mouse 1 x iBUYPOWER Internet Mouse
Operating System 1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel)-64-Bit
Warranty 1 x Standard Warranty Service-Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support
Free Stuff 1 x [Free Game Download] - Total War: Shogun 2-Free with Purchase of AMD Phenom II Processor + Radeon HD 6000 or Higher Video Card
Free Stuff 1 x [Free Game Download] - Deus Ex-Free with Purchase of AMD Phenom II X6 Processor / Radeon HD 6850 or Higher Video Card

Subtotal $936.00

Saves you about $200, and gets you a slightly better Video Card. As long as the programs you use don't take advantage of the Intel Hyperthreading, these chips are pretty good side by side.

Also, with the free liquid cooling and this being a Black edition chip, you should be able to easily bump this chip up to 4GHz by changing one setting in the BIOS (CPU Multiplier)

GPF and I could also get you cheaper systems if you build them yourself.

Posted: Sep 29 2011 03:58 pm

I forgot to mention that since I will be using the computer for work it will have to be a laptop, which also means I am probably not building it myself. Thanks for the advice, though. I will keep it in mind in case I decide to get a desktop, which I may in the next month or so.

Syd Lexia wrote:

If you need some input, I have a keyboard.

Should have seen that coming.

Posted: Sep 29 2011 05:49 pm

Then I suggest you look at the ASUS "G" series.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230099

This is right at the Max of your price range, but this is the best bang for the buck by far.

Posted: Sep 30 2011 03:29 am

Thanks for those recommendations Knyte. I'm looking to get a new desktop soon at around the same price range as Atom and those two systems look great. I'd like to think I could build my own, but I don't think I have the hardware skills to do so.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Knyte's Intel recommendations are definitely good solutions for the initial request, however it is worth noting that they are using one or two generation old technology.

My personal philosophy has always been to be on the most up to date chipset and then adjust the system from there. It isn't a cheap philosophy, however I have found that it usually adds some longevity to a system.

Given how amazingly well a i7-2600k performs on a z68 chipset, I would actually be looking to fill those components as the base and then adjust the rest of the system accordingly.

Posted: Sep 30 2011 11:42 am

The K series Intel is a wise investment.

So, too, may be AMD Bulldozer. It won't stomp Intel's best, but it will be a great new technology, and expand AMD platform abilities. It is due very soon, (Oct 15th is the rumored date) and will release for a very competitive price.

However, if it can't match the 2600K in performance, then I would suggest the 2600K.

Posted: Sep 30 2011 02:36 pm

Pandajuice wrote:

Thanks for those recommendations Knyte. I'm looking to get a new desktop soon at around the same price range as Atom and those two systems look great. I'd like to think I could build my own, but I don't think I have the hardware skills to do so.

same here

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Knyte wrote:

The K series Intel is a wise investment.

So, too, may be AMD Bulldozer. It won't stomp Intel's best, but it will be a great new technology, and expand AMD platform abilities. It is due very soon, (Oct 15th is the rumored date) and will release for a very competitive price.

However, if it can't match the 2600K in performance, then I would suggest the 2600K.

I want to believe... I am having a very hard time though.

Posted: Sep 30 2011 03:07 pm

Yeah, I know.

I haven't been so pumped (and cautiously hopeful) for an AMD CPU since the Opteron 165.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Many enthusiast magazines and websites have been saying that if Bulldozer fails to impress, it could kill AMD's CPU business for desktops.

Posted: Sep 30 2011 04:08 pm

On a slightly related note, does anyone know where I can acquire a Window Vista home premium 32 bit OS disk? I have the key, I just don't have the disk and I have no idea where to find one where there are not charging me some ridiculous amount of money.

Posted: Sep 30 2011 05:05 pm

Borrow someone else's disc. It's legal, as long as you use your own key.

You really only pay for the key/license to begin with, and get a free disc with it.

Posted: Sep 30 2011 11:21 pm

Yeah, the only problem there is that I do not know anyone who has the disc. Maybe I should try posting an ad on craigslist.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Product Name:
* Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (x86) - DVD (English)

Download Site:
* http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/downloads/default.aspx

You need to find someone who has a subscription to MSDN to do this.

Posted: Oct 01 2011 05:13 pm

GPFontaine wrote:

You need to find someone who has a subscription to MSDN to do this.

Yeah, that is probably not going to happen. Thanks for the help, though.