What computer should I get

[conrail6373]

I'm returning my new computer to get an even better one. What kind of computer should I get? I want a desktop that will be able to fill up Allentown yard and still be fully functional. I want a kick butt computer. Should I get an HP, a Dell alienware? What should I get?

 

[Euphod]

Not knowing what your current PC specs are, I really can't imagine one that is better. Your question is rather open ended and impossible to answer without knowing more.

What is your budget? What other games do you play? What other uses will the new PC be expected to fulfill?

 

[OMG_internet]

i feel like making a pudding comparison here:

Which pudding should i get?
i'm returning my new pudding to get an even better one. What kind of pudding should I get? I want a pudding that will be able to fill up me and still be really tasty. I want a kick butt pudding. Should I get a trifle, a cheesecake, cake? What should I get?

now, without knowing the current pudding, you cannot make a comparison to the alternative puddings.

 

[Captain_Collins]

i feel like making a pudding comparison here:

Which pudding should i get?
i'm returning my new pudding to get an even better one. What kind of pudding should I get? I want a pudding that will be able to fill up me and still be really tasty. I want a kick butt pudding. Should I get a trifle, a cheesecake, cake? What should I get?

now, without knowing the current pudding, you cannot make a comparison to the alternative puddings.

Or how much you can take before throwing up:hehe:

 

[scorpio48]

Try a Commodore 64:hehe: After-all, it might be better as we don't know your current specs.
Short answer, buy the best you can afford.
Cheers
Pete

 

[Zayphod]

I'm returning my new computer to get an even better one. What kind of computer should I get? I want a desktop that will be able to fill up Allentown yard and still be fully functional. I want a kick butt computer. Should I get an HP, a Dell alienware? What should I get?

Since I've never bought "off-the-rack" it's hard to say what brand, but here's some things to look for in a PC if you want to play games on it:

1. If you're using WinXP, you'll want either 2 or 3 gigs of ram in it (I think XP can only address up to 3 gigs of ram). If you're getting VISTA on it, you'll want to make sure it's got 4 gigs of ram installed. Vista is "heavy" (read "bloated") so 4 gigs is what I'd recommend.

2. HD - I got tired of always running out of space - you will, too. Layouts take big amounts of space - get a 500 gig. If you don't want to keep all your eggs in one basket, get two 250 gig HD's, or a decent size SATA drive.

3. Processor - At a MINIMUM: 2 ghz or faster (3 ghz is better).

4. Video - You'll get a lot of recommendations, but I'd probably recommend a GeForce 8xxx series. PCI-e type, and with 250 or 500 megs of RAM on-board, you can't go wrong. Mine is a 7800 GT OC (250 megs on-board), and every game I've run on it looks perfect (that would be Oblivion, Silent Hunter IV, The Witcher, Flight Simulator X, with Silent Hunter being the most demanding of the bunch - rolling waves of the ocean, etc).

5. Sound - If you're using VISTA, I understand the processing is by-passed and handled by the CPU, but I could be wrong there. For WinXP, if you want to go all out, get the Soundblaster Fatal1ty XFI card. Mine was $130, and when I blasted the heck out of a ship in Silent Hunter 4 (WW II sub simulator), the blast made my friend jump 2 feet in the air. Priceless.

I doubt you'd find that all accidently put into one PC's case. My guess is that you'd have to custom order it like that.

Anyway, since I can't recommend a brand, those are the most helpful suggestions I can make. Hope that helps.

 

[rweber95]

I've always got a better deal (faster computer for less money) by going to a computer parts store and selecting componts for a custom built one. Pick the best Motherboard, CPU chip and video card that you can afford.

Bob

 

[scorpio48]

Hi All,
Excellent tips on custom built machines, there is an alternative if you want to buy 'off the shelf'. Some large computer stores will customise an 'off the shelf' computer free of charge, you only pay for the components.
When I bought my comp, from a large UK/US store (2 years ago now) on my request, (at the time of purchase) they installed a new 256 ATI graphic Card, a higher wattage power-pack, and maximised the ram. They also give me a discount for the components they removed.
Another advantage of using this method is that your new machine, and new components are covered by the original warranty, if you installed the components yourself you would automatically void any cover you may have.
As a bonus, they give me a larger monitor free of charge, and extended the original warranty.
Ask at the store if this option is available before you buy.
Cheers
Pete.

 

[cascaderailroad]

Dell

Do not get Adell' ! If you didn't get adell'...You didn't pay enough. Adell' wants $600-$1000 for a low end 1 gig ram Desktop. You can get any other good desktop with 7 gig of ram for that price.

Laptops that will run Trainz... Adell' will cost you 2 grand and need a upgrded video card. Possibly a high end 2+ gig ram plus gaming laptop will operate Trainz fantasticly. Possibly a $800 2 gig ram laptop will run Trainz fairly well. A 1 gig ram laptop will need an upgraded video card and may not be powerful enough for Trainz. If you shop somewhere else than chain store you can get a great quality laptop, or desktop for $600-$700

Vista works great with Trainz...why's everybody knocking Vista ? XP will someday be totaly obsolete, then what are you gonna buy, just to buck the system, Amac' ?

You pay for...what you get

 

[Blackhawk0221]

Best Site To Use

/www.tomshardware.com/forum/252001-31-attention-computers-builders-ideal-build-updated

Build your own following the advice in this article. Has levels for all budgets. And I would recommend Newegg.com for your purchases...NOBODY can beat their prices.!!

I built my own and will never regret it!

Blackhawk0221

 

[robbiehanson]

I'll suggest either building your computer or waiting until your local store has a sale, as I did, and then ordering other parts to put in it. Brand really doesn't matter--I've got an HP and a Compaq, we have Dells at work that are bulletproof. I would, however, recommend buying an Alienware or the like--they're just too expensive for what they are.

If you can PM me with your price limit and some basic things you want(LCD monitor of a certain size, etc.) I'll be glad to see what I can find for you.

 

[scorpio48]

Snip

Vista works great with Trainz...why's everybody knocking Vista ? XP will someday be totaly obsolete, then what are you gonna buy, just to buck the system, Amac' ?

You pay for...what you get

Hi crr;
I think what puts XP users off upgrading to Vista is the bad press its received, not only from this Forum.
Personally I think MS brought out Vista to early, they were still updating XP with patches when Vista was released. I have now optimized XP, and it runs anything I throw at it, without any problems.
Right now, I am thinking of getting a new computer as mine has been updated to its max, no more physical room available (2 year old Compaq Presario). But the thought of tweaking Vista gives me nightmares.
Cheers
Pete

 

[stouthm]

not sure where you live but check this site out. http://www.jncs.com/ they built one for me and it's great. where i used to get 17 fraps i'm now getting 75 at the same area.

 

[Zayphod]

Hi crr;
I think what puts XP users off upgrading to Vista is the bad press its received, not only from this Forum.
Personally I think MS brought out Vista to early, they were still updating XP with patches when Vista was released. I have now optimized XP, and it runs anything I throw at it, without any problems.

My feelings exactly. Vista appears to be "bloated" to the max. One of the moderators on the elderscrolls.com forum is also an IT manager, and concluded that Vista takes tons of disk space, tons of RAM, way more than it should, i.e., too much "fluff", to the point where you need 4 GIGs of RAM (should an OS need that much memory???) just to run it well.

M$ seems to have hit the "sweet spot" with WinXP, and I tend to agree with that feeling as well.

I also agree that Vista was brought out before it was ready. The negative reviews they got, and the resistance to upgrading (to the point where people actually got new PC's and actually DOWNGRADED to XP) indicated to me that I'll skip over Vista this run.

My last PC at home ran WIN98SE just fine, and I skipped over Win ME, 2000, and WinNT based on the complaints about bugs, etc. Waiting until XP had SP2 out (and now SP3) was the right move.

Let "others" find the bugs.

 

[scorpio48]

Snip

I also agree that Vista was brought out before it was ready. The negative reviews they got, and the resistance to upgrading (to the point where people actually got new PC's and actually DOWNGRADED to XP) indicated to me that I'll skip over Vista this run.

My last PC at home ran WIN98SE just fine, and I skipped over Win ME, 2000, and WinNT based on the complaints about bugs, etc. Waiting until XP had SP2 out (and now SP3) was the right move.

Let "others" find the bugs.

Hi Zayphod,
You explained that better than me, an OS should be just that, silently running in the background and using as few computer resources as possible.
I think in the history of MS they have brought out two good Os's.
One was Win 95, which was the alternative to MS-DOS (very user friendly ), and XP.
Others will disagree, but hey! we're all entitled to our opinion. .
Cheers
Pete.

 

[greywolfretired]

Here is what I did. Bought an HP media edition, 3 ghz / ram 4 gigs , bought Nvidia ge force 8600GTS. Put in a larger power supply 500 watts, changed hard drive to a larger one, took out Vista and installed XP. To install XP, find model and serial numbers of built in sound card, and the chipset. I put these on a cd, loaded XP onto new hard drive installed SP for XP, then loaded drivers off cd. Works fine. Hp actually has a blurb on their web site on how to do it. Had to dig for it though but computer runs like a top. Hp has told me they will not support XP on an Vista machine. You can email me if any other questons.

 

[Captain_Collins]

Here is what I did. Bought an HP media edition, 3 ghz / ram 4 gigs , bought Nvidia ge force 8600GTS. Put in a larger power supply 500 watts, changed hard drive to a larger one, took out Vista and installed XP. To install XP, find model and serial numbers of built in sound card, and the chipset. I put these on a cd, loaded XP onto new hard drive installed SP for XP, then loaded drivers off cd. Works fine. Hp actually has a blurb on their web site on how to do it. Had to dig for it though but computer runs like a top. Hp has told me they will not support XP on an Vista machine. You can email me if any other questons.

Most companies will also not support you as soon as you open the case, especially if they have lots of those little "warranty void if removed" stickers.

 

[greywolfretired]

Captain Collins,
I know that most will not support you when you tinker with their product. My point when communicating with HP was they had instructions on how to install XP then they said they would not support it. Dosn't really matter as I always crack them open and change things around right off the bat.
I suppose my point is that when you purchase a new computer and its preloaded with Vista and you don't want Vista, there is a way around it and you can install XP.

 

[Captain_Collins]

Captain Collins,
I know that most will not support you when you tinker with their product. My point when communicating with HP was they had instructions on how to install XP then they said they would not support it. Dosn't really matter as I always crack them open and change things around right off the bat.
I suppose my point is that when you purchase a new computer and its preloaded with Vista and you don't want Vista, there is a way around it and you can install XP.

I understand, I was just posting to help anyone else who may be looking at this thread in the future.

 

[scorpio48]

Here is what I did. Bought an HP media edition, 3 ghz / ram 4 gigs , bought Nvidia ge force 8600GTS. Put in a larger power supply 500 watts, changed hard drive to a larger one, took out Vista and installed XP. To install XP, find model and serial numbers of built in sound card, and the chipset. I put these on a cd, loaded XP onto new hard drive installed SP for XP, then loaded drivers off cd. Works fine. Hp actually has a blurb on their web site on how to do it. Had to dig for it though but computer runs like a top. Hp has told me they will not support XP on an Vista machine. You can email me if any other questons.

Hi gwr, (not Great Western Railway )
That's interesting, but I was told that XP can't run more than three Gig's of Ram.
Obviously, there is a way around this. How did you overcome this?
Cheers
Pete.