Should I buy this computer?

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hammocksleeper

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Jan 3, 2008
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I really want to play Call of Duty 4. But my current laptop doesn't have the graphics to do it. So, I took it upon myself to build a computer within a $400 budget, utlizing as many sweet deals, coupons, rebates, sales, etc as I can to build the best possible machine within the budget. Here's what I came up with. And after I get bored with CoD4 I plan to sell this computer on craigslist or ebay and recoup some of the cost.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor (Black Edition)
Leadtek PX8600GT Extreme GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) 240-Pin DDR2-800 SDRAM (PC2 6400)
Antec earthwatts EA380 ATX12V v2.0 380W Power Supply
Sony NEC Optiarc Black SATA DVD Burner
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB Hard Drive Serial ATA-300, 7,200 RPM, 16MB
Biostar TF560 A2+ Motherboard (AMD Socket AM2, nForce 560, ATX, 8GB DDR2, 1000MHz Bus)

Total damage: $390 (would retail for much more I figure)

Question is, should I pull the trigger? Is it worth it? How much can I sell it for in three months? Thanks for your help!
 
How much per part? And don't include rebates.
 
And the prices per part without any rebate included?
 
hammocksleeper said:
there is no monitor, i will use one i have already.
Click to expand...

... and you still didn't list it's size. lol, why do people type useless answers and force us to ask the same question again?!?!?

I know you'll be using the monitor you already have, but I still have no clue as to what size it is. SO... what size is the monitor you already have?

Don't forget Danny's question(s).
 
what does the size of the monitor have to do with anything? figure 17". and all parts would probably retail for $500 or more i'm guessing.
 
So they can answer whether or not he can run CoD4 at his native resolution comfortably...
 
hammocksleeper said:
what does the size of the monitor have to do with anything? figure 17". and all parts would probably retail for $500 or more i'm guessing.
Click to expand...

The size monitor determines the max resolution that you can play at and thus tells us which video card will do well at that resolution. So with your 17" monitor, that means that you can play at a max resolution of 1280x1024. At 1280x1024, the 8600GT will perform pretty well as long as you keep the settings down to medium or so.

In addition, do not count rebates as part of the final cost of a PC until the rebate check is actually in your hands. Yes rebates do have a high probability of coming back, however they are not a guaranteed discount since there is a good chance that the rebate is lost, is not properly filled, won't get processed at all by the rebate company or never seen again.

So again, what are the exact prices of each of those parts before rebate? The reason why I've asked this question three times is because you still have to pay upfront more money before the rebate checks comes back. As such, you can possibly get better parts for that upfront price. I mean, if you're going to pay more money anyway, why not just get better parts while you're at it?

Also, that AMD Black Edition CPUs do not come with a HSF, so pick up the Artic Cooling Freezer 64 HSF.
 
I feel you on the rebates-are-a-risk thing.

before rebates, but including shipping costs:

memory & cpu $137
6800GT 256MB DDR3 $100
dvd burner $26
250gb hd $70
mobo $67
case w/fan $68
psu $50

total $518. a lot of these prices are sale prices or after instant coupons.

thanks for the tip on the HSF as well.
 
hammocksleeper said:
what does the size of the monitor have to do with anything? figure 17".
Click to expand...

LCD monitors look like crap if you don't use them at native resolution. Here, I'll just post these graphs for you... figure if you buy a shitty card but have a large lcd monitor, you'll get shitty performance at native resolution.

Cod4.png

Cod4AA.png


Benchmarks from Anandtech.com.
 
Here's a revised base setup:

Antec NSK4480 (with EarthWatts 380W PSU) - $70
Lite-On LH-20A1S - $28 (with free 3-day shipping)
A-DATA 2x1GB DDR2 800 kit - $43 (with $15 MIR and free 3-day shipping)
BIOSTAR TF560 A2+ - $67

Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates) - $208

Now, is your budget still $400 or is it actually $500? Based on the video card that you want -- the 3850 is the better card but it costs at least $170, while you could purchase the 8600GT for around $100, but you won't get great frame rates with it -- you would have to cut some corners to fit it into your budget. (The easiest two corners to cut would be the hard drive and the processor.)

Also, what is the specific make/model of the monitor that you have? And what is its native/max resolution? As Danny and enginurd have mentioned earlier, this information will help determine whether the 8600GT or the 3850 would be the better choice for you.
 
Do you already have a case and operating system license that is transferable(as oem licenses are not)?

Anyway if you just want to play cod4 and already have a notebook for other things why not just get a 360 or something for games?
 
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