need some quick advice

[ikariiiii]

I'm in the market for a new desktop and I'm wondering if BG can halp.


I got an e-mail from Tigerdirect offering this bundle:

Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H X-Blaster Barebone Kit - Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H MOBO, AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ CPU, 4GB DDR2, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, ULTRA Case & 500 Watt PSU at TigerDirect.com



Would it run FFXI decently? And possibly FFXIV when it comes out?

They also posted a "gamer" bundle :

Intel DP55WB Core i5 X-Blaster Barebone Kit - Intel DP55WB MOBO, Intel Core i5 750 CPU, 4GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, 1GB XFX Radeon HD 4670, DVDRW, ULTRA ATX Case & 650 Watt PSU at TigerDirect.com


any information would be appreciated. thanks!

[fishstix]

The first bundle doesn't have a video card and I doubt FFXIV will play well on integrated if it'll be anything like Aion's specs. The second isn't totally terrible, but I'd like the option to pick and choose parts. I'd go with a WD Caviar Black HD rather than Green, the bundled videocard is an economy type and also might have average performance. It does come with windows 7, so you are saving a little bit of money, I'll give them that. Bundled barebones kits aren't always cheaper than if you pick parts seperately also, gotta double check on what you're getting exactly.

If you're just looking for something easy because you're lost on what parts to get, myself and others here are willing to help you out on that. Like here is a newegg wishlist that I made for a friend a month back for an i5 build

[Zeshra]

Definitely not the 1st one...

[Isiolia]

If you want to do a build, do it proper, instead of a bundle from TigerDirect. The video card, as mentioned, is lacking in the second one, and they're making out a no-name case/PSU as being worth something. Not that it wouldn't work, mind you, but their "value" is dependent on the parts actually being worth what they list there.

The point of building, IMO, is to get what you want (or, at least, the best you can for your budget). A bundle is kind of contrary to that.

[ikariiiii]

thanks everyone for the responses... i'm not very tech saavy so i'm sorry for that.

i looked at that newegg wishlist you posted, and it looks good, but is there anything that i can sacrifice to drop the price a bit and still be able to play my addictions?

what i really mean is im looking for suggestions on relatively cheap but durable replacements for items on that list, considering i'm a broke college student with a budget of 350-600 max.



again, thank you all. i'd be so lost in a sea of gimp computers without you

[Isiolia]

Looking at the Newegg list, you could cut a little of the cost by simply using the stock cooler and perhaps a different case/PSU (ie, Newegg.com - Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Computer Cases). It wouldn't save a -lot-, but perhaps enough to cover Windows 7 from your school (it's $38 here). It still would need a video card though.

IMO, you won't be going much cheaper and still keeping an i5 in the mix. Personally I'd say it'd be worth it to dig a little deeper (or wait a little longer) to buy one over going with a more budget-conscious build. However, if you really need something cheaper now-ish, then an AMD build is probably something to look at. They're doing better in the $100ish CPU bracket, which is where you'd need to go in order to fit in a good graphics card and keep quality parts in.

[Weeks]

Whoops, meant this to be a new post.

[ikariiiii]

Thanks Isiolia, I'm probably going to stick to your build. Very much appreciated!

[Zeshra]

Whoops, meant this to be a new post.

nvm

[ikariiiii]

<call14>

so ive decided to sell my old computer parts minus the gfx card (a bfg9600), so i've upped my budget to about 800.

sorry for the waste of time on asking for cheaper parts lol

now what i'm looking for is if anyone can help me with deciding what from isiolia's list : wishlist
i can upgrade to maximize efficiency/durability

[fishstix]

Yea, I agree with Isiolia, for a budget build, I'd go for AMD. Personally, I have the Phenom II x4. I love making builds, it's like window shopping lol. I made a new build for you, just missing an OS. -AMD wishlist- It came out to $580 and then $50 in rebates, so $530. The ATI 4870 should be able to max out the graphics of most modern games, but if you can spend a little more, the newer ATI 5770 is also dx11 compatible. Or alternatively, can upgrade the dual core in the wishlist to the quad for $60 more.

//edit was my wishlist, but not a big deal
but umm... I forgot to include a video card, so after you do, the price goes up to about $770ish depending on what card you want

[ikariiiii]

doh lol, thank you for that, though im in the market for something higher range now <_< sorry

[fishstix]

yea, in the edit, I was referring to the original wishlist for the i5 system. All it was missing is the OS and a video card. Add something like the ATI 5570 for $175 and the total will be $788

[ikariiiii]

so i'm back here after two years, looking to upgrade parts in the computer that i bought using fish's wishlist!

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...Number=8295529

am i completely retarded for mostly looking at upgrading cpu to something i5 (gaming/some music production, mostly), ram to 8gb, and maybe something for the video card which is a pretty old 9800 gt? it runs great still (so thanks again for that fishstix!) but I have some funds to improve on it. any suggestions?

my main concern is getting something incompatible, so even things to avoid would be great as well! thanks everyone~

[Cyn]

With that mobo there's not really anything you can do other than put a quad core AM3 processor and swap the video card. To get 8gb RAM you'll need to scale the speed back to 800Mhz (that mobo will only run 2 DIMMs at 1066). If you go with a beefy video card you may need to replace the power supply as well.

It would run games decently, but the memory speed limitations would probably hold it back a little.

[ikariiiii]

any possibility for suggestions towards a new mobo/processor combo around 400 total?

[JetEnduro]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115072
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157229

$380

[Cyn]

If you have a $400 budget, your best bet is to replace the video card first. I'd look for a good deal on a GTX560 (or a GTX 570 if you want to go all out) and a 750W power supply for the first upgrade. Then, when you have the cash, swap out the motherboard and CPU, and put in 8GB of DDR3.

The main issue is that replacing the motherboard and CPU and keeping that old video card won't help your overall performance as much, and you'd have to buy new RAM on top of it. If you buy the video card first, you won't have any issues with your current rig, and you can still use it when you upgrade the rest.