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New PC Purchase advice needed
I want to buy a new desktop but have an out-of-pocket budget of $400.00 MAX. I realize this would mean a lower end model, so my goal is to find one I can upgrade a little bit at a time until it becomes the high-performance pc I dream of! I don't care if it is new, used, or refurbished as long as it works & will run Linux.
Anyone got any ideas where to find such a computer? |
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I would recommend to build it yourself from parts, this way you can choose your parts with regards to the ability to upgrade later. You also avoid the to be forced to buy a system with Windows.
Pre-built systems almost always come with Windows and especially in the lower price-class often come with components that prevent you from upgrading without being forced to replace major parts of the system (if it is possible at all, for example with small form factor systems). At first I would have a look at the old system to determine which parts are worth to be kept for the new system (for example a high quality PSU, a good case or a decent aftermarket CPU cooler) and which parts you want to keep temporarily until you can afford a better part (for example an old but still working harddisk or an older PCIe videocard). You also should think about the purpose of the system. You state that you want a high performance system, but there are different kinds of that. Do you need a powerful CPU or a high performance videocard, are you planning to have large harddisk arrays, ... . Once you have done that we can begin to make recommendations that are aimed at the goal to be a solid base you can build a PC on that fits your needs and lies within your budget. |
Go with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811154068 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116775 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106289 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152244 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145357 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131860 Comes to $390 including shipping, and thats with 16gb of ram, nothing low end about that. Can upgrade the CPU/harddrive later, however I recommend spending about $80 extra now for an i5 CPU instead of the i3. |
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I'd drop the RAM and CPU a lot to get a better PSU/case and motherboard. Upgrading a CPU, RAM, HDD, video card etc. is easy. Pulling a motherboard from a case and installing a new one, or moving it into a different case, is a much longer and harder job (its more of a pain than doing the original setup). |
In replyto great advice
Some really great advice ya all! Thank you so much! My only fear with building my own pc is the cost. Buying all of the needed components would likely cost well over my budget wouldnt it? I already have several older but usable cases so that would save me some cash, but all of the other components I have are 5+ years old which would mean likely compatibility issues. I wouldnt need to buy a power supply since I also have these as well.
As for abefroman's suggestions, I like everything except maybe the motherboard. It says win8 ready which I assume means it has the new UEFI Secure Boot. While the Linux Foundation as released a workaround for that, it is still new & I am concerned about it's usability with Linux. The one Sycho sent me too is a little over my stated $400 budget, plus since Gateways compatability with Linux is kind of hit or miss, I think the risk is to high that I would by it & have Linux not run properly on it. TobiSGD: To answer your questions, I will use the computer for Gaming, as well as audio/video production. I am about to launch 2 podcasts: one will be weekly & live. The other daily & pre-recorded. So I need a machine that can handle these tasks well. Which means yes, I need a pretty powerful CPU & video card. My current system is 8 years old with a few upgrades 5 years ago. About the only parts I think I may be able to use are the case, dvd drives, & power supply. As for hard disk, my current HDD is 500gb & will be kept, but I plan to get a scond 1tb or bigger drive as one of the future upgrades. Again, thank you all for your advice & I would be grateful for further advice as well! |
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The only reason to ask this is because you may have a video card that will run in a new system (unlikely, but possible), and no-one wants to 'upgrade' to a slower CPU or GPU. Quote:
If your HDD and DVD are PATA, you might be able to use it with current Intel or AMD chipsets, but tis not worth it. Finding a current intel Z77 or AMD 9XX chipset with a PATA port is hard, and the boards with PATA ports tend to be 'everything including the kitchen sink' setups costing $200-250+. Cheaper to just get a SATA HDD and DVD-RW. Using an older ATX case works, but you can have airflow and overheating problems. |
You might consider looking at some bare bones kits. Personally I haven't tried any of the ones I am listing nor do I endorse any of the vendors. But I have purchased similar kits in the past with good results. IMO, generally, one gets better hardware in these type of deals than a name brand off the shelf PC for the same price. So the links below will give you an idea of some options.
http://www.cpusolutions.com/store/pc...t-140p2014.htm http://www.outletpc.com/bb10l01-giga...s-system.html# http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...=Combo.1094432 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...52709&csid=_61 And I am in a similar situation as you are where I don't want to spend a bundle but still get a decent PC. So I am considering something along the lines of those above. |
Last time around, I bought a complete computer rather than build my own. I really don't think that the cost difference is significant---the only real argument for building your own is getting the exact configuration you want.
Based on my research a few months back---and a current snapshot from Best Buy, I think $400 is a bit low---I would try for something closer to $500 |
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My current CPU is: AMD Turion(tm) II P560 Dual-Core Processor which has an integrated video card (Radeon 4200). This was actually my most recent upgrade. My HDD is SATA, but I will take your advice to get a new DVD drive. I found a pretty decent case that includes a PSU for $50. The items you referred me to seem like a very good starting point, though I did choose a different motherboard. |
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&Pagesize=20 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819106002 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138333 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144270 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103027 This entire setup comes to $316.49 after shipping! I have never seen a dell, hp, or any other brand wiith these specs fo that low. Have you? |
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...=Combo.1094441 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.956683 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...=Combo.1080497 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...=Combo.1072436 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...=Combo.1095765 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...=Combo.1080500 Bet ya could never find a pre-built with those specs for that price! LOL |
Try this. Use your own case and toss in a big slow case fan and you're good to go for about $300. The nice thing about this setup is the combined CPU+GPU saves the cost of a video card, and the system can be easily upgraded at a low cost as your finances allow. It will also run very cool, so you can have a silent system:
AMD A6-5400K Trinity APU + Biostar Motherboard Combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1076961 Seasonic Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151090 SAMSUNG 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147094 Western Digital 500 GB 7200RPM SATA-3 Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136769 ASUS 24X DVD Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135204 |
I highly recommend used Compaq 8710w workstations. You can usually pickup one with 4GB ram, 2.4GHz dual core Intel CPU for under $300 on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=..._osacat=175672. They are a 17" laptop (desktop replacement size), very well built, easy to repair and much more functional than a desktop. Anything new with equivalent hardware will cost double.
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The OP is searching for a machine that can easily be upgraded later and that is going to be used for gaming. A laptop is neither easily upgradeable, nor is this particular laptop good for gaming.
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