Time for a new PC, any help appreciated.

Alright chaps, if you read anything from my previous thread, my PC (more precisely the mobo) is dead. Im taking the expensive yet easy way out and buying a pre-built, fancy nancy system with a warranty and a nice shiny copy of XP.

So i was looking around, the first place i checked out was Alienware.co.uk, because they look so perdy. But then i stumbled across this system on powerc.com:

http://www.powerc.com/cgi-bin/psearch.cgi?code=X64DW03&rn=247&aid=&uid=ssrGA8YIiuXX.bg&sid=&cid=1&act=gpage

All those numbers and words seem to be telling me, thats a really nice set up. 2gb of 3200 RAM sounds like heaven in comparison to my 256mb of pc2100 RAM i currently have.

I figured that since theres nothing wrong with my current monitor, i'll keep that. Along with the other bare essentials.

So what do you think? Good for the money? Its hitting the 1k budget barrier. Obviously a little over isnt the end of the world. If anyone can show me anywhere with systems to match this for power etc for a good price, do tell

Looks like a solid system although I have to always recommend building your own PC since it is cheaper and much more customizable.

Looks like a very nice System Unit.

I fully agree, but i really do not have the confidence the build the thing.

I wont be ordering until August, so this wont be my final decision. But as it stands, i will be going for a pre-built system.

I do have one friend that i know built his own PC from ground up and he had no troubles, so i may think about talking to him about helping me build one.

Either way, im looking for a future proof (to an extent) PC. And these specs seem to be just that.

I'll keep an open mind from now until August however.

well, consider this, by august, there will be a lot more advanced standards in hardware. if you are looking for amd, they have released dual core chips [virtually two processors on one] but they are relatviely expensive. another thing that is going to be more standard sata 2 hard drives [they have a feature called ncq (native command queueing) that allows certain commands to be run faster] and pci-express will also become more standard. aside for that, amd has announced that they will go straight to support for ddr3 instead of ddr2.

what im trying to say is, hardware evolves as fast as you can earn the moneey to buy the computer. basically, its when you feel comfortable buyign a computer.

17.5% sales tax?!?!?! Yikes!

Although certain states here are almost getting that high....

Its not enough that they steal 38% of your paycheck, they wan't to get their grubby hands in everything. And then plunder it on saving the humpback whale or rather make us thing its to save the humpback whale or the dodo bird, but it actually goes to build their $50M compound in California. Darn Hippies!
</rant>

anyway... back to the topic...

Looks like a good system, if its a reputable company its a good price.
But by August a plethora of other options will be releaved. So either that current PC's price will drop, or new ones will come out for relatively the same price (maybe a little more).

Ive just been browsing ebay and discovered numerous people selling XP Pro for cheap prices.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7161438220&category=41888

The feedback score is all fine, should i trust it? I havent even got an account on ebay (always scared me really) but if this is genuine, i think i'll have to sign up!

If its for real, thats an £80 saving or there abouts.

Anyone ever bought XP from ebay? Should i believe what im reading?

Purchasing software off of Ebay has always scared me as well. It's too easy to create disks that look legitamate or sell stolen copies. Windows XP Pro costs at least $130.00 USD, thats about 70 british sterling.

Although, that particular seller has 100% positive feedback.

It states that it comes with an unused product key. I am pretty tempted at the mo.

Even if it doesnt work etc, its only £10 wasted. Which would be annoying, but certainly isnt the end of the world.

Pay with paypal then. And verify after recieving that the key and the disk are legit. If they are not, Paypal will refund your money no hassle.

Looks like a great system. I prefer to build my own, and I don't see anyone being able to keep up with technology in the computer field as fast as it's moving unless you have a bank account like Donald Trump

It doesn't take a lot of money if you have the right timing and the right places.

You can build a nice system with your tax return nowadays.
Heck, my 3000+ 32bit Athlon still rockets past most new P43.2 - P43.4's.

It's all in the build, and matching the right stuff. Especially memory to motherboard and processor to motherboard. Just because a motherboard can "support" a chip doesn't mean that its the right chip for that board. And sometimes buying the most expensive processor won't work either.

My advice, stay on a budget with stuff like the video card and processor but go for the better motherboard with the latest socket and architecture. This will enable a longer life for upgrading. Even if you have a processor that runs a 333 FSB and the ram runs at 333 FSB go for the board that can do the dual channel 400. Today thats obsolete, but bakc in the day when it wasnt, its was the best example of what I am trying to explain. You don't need to build the dream system right now, you can di it piece by piece over time. Sure it will cost more money in the long run, but so will getting a loan to buy it. Or you can do what my friend does, lease a computer. He leases a gaming system for a set amount per month and every 6 months he gets a new computer or an upgrade to his current one. He's very happy and in the long run, even though he might not have bleeding edge, he's up there and the cost isn't as high.

ask if the first 5 characters of the product key are FCKGW