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New computer

smith#29

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hey guys,

i know there is alot of 'computer smart' people out there so some input/help would be awesum.

seen as our old computer (desktop) decided to **** it self, we are at the moment using the laptop which isnt all that good lol, we need to get a new computer.

my questions would be:

should we buy a new desktop or another laptop? and please tell me why you said with ever you chose.

the computer will be used for bit of everything really, fair bit of Call of Duty online, word processing, movies, etc. and dont want it to be slow and crappy like the old one was becoming, so if you know of any good computers to buy, could you please tell me which one is good, and what i should look to buy. sorry ive got no idea really about computer parts and that so stay with me on this lol.

thanx guys,
 

STEALTHY™

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I know a good place for a decent computer for less than what the franchise store pay, but its in SA (you didn't give a location so not sure where you are)
 

Tom_1569

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Lappy vs Desktop......
My recommendation is if you dont take it out of the house go a desktop, cheaper, better bang for buck, and easier to repair. Laptops are great, but they are expensive, generally not as up-spec, expensive to repair, and are prone to breaking more often in my opinion.

What sort of budget you working with? Preference of Operating system.
Do you want a brand name computer or custom built, also is there anything specific it has to have?
 

Goon

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Shop jobs usally dont run allot of games, but custom jobs do, depending what u want, dont forget to get a good power supply if your going custom!!

my old boy spent almost 4gs on his comp and its the bomb, can run any game u want..and its kept up with the games for the last 3 years **the recent mod his done was an 850w power supply**

i spent abit over 1 g for my studio pc from a shop and it can just handle nfs carbon lol, but i didnt buy it for games...

laptops are crap...

know what u want mate and you can get it built, just dont think about car mods for awhile lol
 

vy_storm

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Question is, how old is the dead one and can it be upgraded easily. If its not too old it might be worth saving.
 

joshtaylor87

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Yeah mate, I wouldn't get a laptop unless you REALLY want/need portability. If you don't mind having to use your computer in the same spot every time definitely go with a Desktop. As mentioned by others you get a lot more for your $. A lot simpler to fix meaning a lot cheaper to fix.

You've mentioned that you have another laptop that you've been using. I would suggest to get a new Desktop, and if you want to do some work or whatever in the lounge room for example or you want to take a computer with you on holidays etc use the older laptop...Desktop pc is definitely the way to go. And I would get one custom built to your needs by a reputable specialist PC shop. Don't go to one of of the big retailers like Harvey Norman etc. And don't order one from Dell either, they may look cheap but you get what you pay for. They (and most big brand computers) use cheap components which may technically have the same spec as a better more expensive product eg 2gb of cheap ram still holds the same amount of data as 2gb of dearer better quality ram but the cheaper ram will most likely fail a lot quicker that the better quality one. And as soon as you start adding on extras/upgrades that's where they hit you.

So my recommendation would be to go a custom built Desktop. Haha that turned out to be a big post just to say that didn't it lol.

Oh and as far as upgrading the old one, even if the motherboard in it has the latest cpu socket etc you will probably find it won't be compatible with the latest FSB speeds meaning you won't get the best out of a new cpu and ram combo anyway. And it would be near impossible to find a BIOS update for the motherboard presuming the computer was a brand name computer like hp/compaq/dell/acer etc. And it wouldn't be worth putting a new M/B CPU and RAM in, you may as well spend a couple hundred more and get new everything. Just my opinion though.
 

50LTRv8

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Shop jobs usally dont run allot of games, but custom jobs do, depending what u want, dont forget to get a good power supply if your going custom!!

my old boy spent almost 4gs on his comp and its the bomb, can run any game u want..and its kept up with the games for the last 3 years **the recent mod his done was an 850w power supply**

i spent abit over 1 g for my studio pc from a shop and it can just handle nfs carbon lol, but i didnt buy it for games...

laptops are crap...

know what u want mate and you can get it built, just dont think about car mods for awhile lol

HAHAHAHA 4Gs on a PC, thats just wasting money, why not just light it with a match.

The best advice I can give you is to have a look at some of the previous threads on here for some online shops. If you go a desktop to play games then I wouldn't spend any more than about $1800 which will get you a good graphics card, 4GB RAM, 1 terabyte hard drive, decent case/power supply and a nice monitor.

Come back with a budget and we can suggest some stuff from there.
 

MovieDude

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If you want to play games with high graphics demands then I would avoid laptops and notebooks. Their video cards are either built-in or low spec. and you may find it hard to use the undersized keyboard. RAM (main memory) upgrades will be limited to one or two slots (one of these will be in use when you buy it), the hard drive will be small in comparision to desktops and most run slower at 5400rpm (all desktop drives run at 7200rpm). As has been said only consider a laptop if you need to move the computer regularly and/or have a very small room.

Desktops have all the advantages bar portability. You will get more bang for your buck in choosing a desktop over a laptop. As for brands I have built several for myself and friends and though fairly easy you need to remember that the warranties are only on the individual components and not on the computer as a whole; what this means is that you have no one to call if your computer fails to start or develops a strange problem. If you are computer savvy then go for it. Otherwise go for a good brand within budget. Dell do make exceptional systems. They use the latest components and have great cases (unlike custom jobs). Their warranties can be trusted and their service top notch. Take a look at their website and catch their weekly deals.
 

Tom_1569

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and have great cases (unlike custom jobs).

huh? I dont what custom cases your buying but nearly any custom case is better then the crap cases OEM's supply, they are small cheap and are there to cram everything in using the least materials. Custom cases are definitly the way to go, look at the Cooler master cases, for 50 bux (without PSU) they have some of the best cooling for a cheap case, Im running my server in a RC330 never once have I have had a problem with cooling, everything fits perfectly, and is a great case to work with especially with simple cable routes which most oem cases dont offer.
Beside that, good post mate.
 

MovieDude

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Sure Cooler Master cases are excellent and there are other great specialist case makers too. But most custom-built computers are from shopping malls or similar and at the budget level they will likely use cases at the lower end. These will use a large amount of plastic, have difficult to remove covers, poor fitting panels, fewer bays, poor ventilation and no sound proofing.
Another point to note is that a branded off-the-shelf system will have the operating system (Windows Vista) installed and fully set up. A custom job may not include this in the sticker price and if installed for you it may have been done under time contraints with little or no testing. The brand name system will also likely have a restore facility should you have a serious software problem further down the line.
 
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