Pre-made PCs

[Saga]

I'm looking to get a desktop around early July, using some of the graduation money I got to put towards it. I'm not at all confident in building my own PC, and I know it's "easy" to do, but I'd just rather avoid the hassle. I just wanted to see what would be a good deal for a pre-built gaming PC that would last me for several years. My budget is around 1000 to 1200 dollars. If we can keep it lower, then great. Here are a couple ones I'm looking at:

Edit: nixed the first computer cause of poor reviews.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...939&CatId=1886

If anyone knows any other deals or has experience with pre-built PCs, I'd really appreciate the input. Thanks.

[Agito]

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/
CyberPowerPC You can customize everything about these computers.

Make sure you customize one though. An idea would be the Corsair 750w PSU, Phenom II x4 955 CPU, ATI 5850 video card, Asus Crosshair IV formula motherboard. Something with options like those is what you should be aiming for.

[SephYuyX]

Dell will have some good deals, minus a high end video card usually.

[dejet]

only thing with dell, is they are somewhat high priced, and their Motherboards suck... or some im told. Iv never run into anything with the new one they sent me. It runs nice and for the price of free it rocks ~_~

Little story about dell that you should know. I bought a 2,000 PC from them some 5 years back. (maybe more now lost track) it worked darn good dull GPU with 6 GP of ram CPU was decent for its time as well. anyways it played everything very well, never ran into a game it could not play. About a year into it the PC ran into some things that could not be fixed.

one of the GPUs fried. then the motherboard somehow got messed up and screwed with all the ram, following that the TV tuner would blue screen the PC.

After about 2 years of this off and on(dell paid for everything) the PC just blue screened never ending. so they came in and replaced everything, new MB, new ram, new power, new cords... and still it would not start lol. took them 3 months to replace and send me a new one.

Guess what I should say is that their CS blows really bad. the new PC they send be works just fine and is much better. They did make good but took a year almost of off and on of the PC not working sometimes and other times.

In closing I wont buy anything from dell again.


edit: now this is one time and I bet that most of the time it works out, however that does not make their CS any good, it really blows go read up on it, I bought from them thinking their CS was great and the best. It seems that it has changed a lot in the last ten years or so.

[SephYuyX]

I never understood the Dell CS argument. How are they expensive btw? Theyre usually the same price, or less.

Anyway, ive never had anything but great experiance with Dell's CS or their PCs, both on a corporate level, and individual. Ive ordered 1000s of Dell PCs for corporations, with about 6 of those ever having something wrong with it, but they either had a Dell rep with a replacment part/PC on site to replace within the same day, or shipped to be at the business by next day. Granted this was with gold support, and not everyone has this.

On a individual level, If im not putting togther one for a family member or friend I point them to Dell (with no paid Dell support), and that totals up to be around 20 or so. Never had a problem with those aside from one having a bad CPU about a year later, and all I did was call them up, and they sent a new one out about a week later.

Shrug. Not really sticking up for them, I know a lot of people that hate Dell with a passion, just like to give another perspective. The best/worst companies can have some bad/good days, just depends when you catch them.


One thing though, stay away from BestBuy and other outlets, they will screw you over, however if you have a Microcenter near you, that would be a great place to buy, or try their website.

[Agito]

If you want to get your mom a computer then sure, Dell is a great choice. However, if you want a gaming computer then Dell is the most retarded choice you can possibly make. Dell's Alienware gaming computers are pretty much overpriced pieces of shit.

[Gredival]

ibuypower is usually priced nice but the CS leaves a lot to be desired. If it's working fine when it arrives you're probably golden. But if you need repairs or something you might have to send it back repeatedly.

[Kayu]

how about this one http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...HPE180t_series

$979 USD

Operating system 
The main control program of your system. See Productivity Software category for Office applications.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Processor 
A faster processor supports more efficient operations and applications performance.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-930 quad-core [2.8GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-950 quad-core [3.00GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-975 quad-core Extreme Edition [3.33GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-980X six-core Extreme Edition [3.33GHz, 1.5MB L2 + 12MB shared L3 cache]
Memory 
Use more programs at once and make them run faster with more memory
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
8GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [4 DIMMs]
FREE UPGRADE! 9GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [5 DIMMs] from 8GB
12GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
16GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
18GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
24GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
Hard drive 
Store your applications, data, digital music and digital photos on your hard disk drive
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
FREE UPGRADE! 1TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 640GB
750GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
1TB RAID 0 (2 x 500GB SATA HDDs) - performance
500GB RAID 1 (2 x 500GB SATA HDDs) - data security
1.5TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
2TB 5400 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
2TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s - two 1TB hard drives
3TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s - two 1.5TB hard drives
300GB 10K rpm & 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s - two hard drives
Graphics card 
Bring your favorite applications and games to life
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
1GB ATI Radeon HD 5450 [DVI, HDMI, VGA adapter]
1GB ATI Radeon HD 4650 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
1GB ATI Radeon HD 4850 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
1GB ATI Radeon HD 5770 [2 DVI,HDMI,DP,VGA adapter]
1.8GB NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
Primary optical drive 
Optical drives can be used to store data, play music and movies, and burn your own CDs or DVDs
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
Blu-ray writer & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
Secondary optical drive 
Optical drives can be used to store data, play music and movies, and burn your own CDs or DVDs
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
16x max. DVD ROM (player)
Blu-ray ROM (player)
Networking 
Go wireless with our wireless card!
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
External modem
Wireless-N LAN card
Premium Wireless-N LAN card
Premium Wireless-N LAN card and Bluetooth(R )
Front Productivity Ports 
Get the ports you use most frequently up front for easy access
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio, video (for TV Tuner)
TV & entertainment experience 
Includes online Program Guide. Review the TV schedule, record a single episode or an entire series.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
No TV Tuner
TV tuner, ATSC-NTSC with PVR, remote
Sound Card 
Music and games truly come alive in your stereo or computer speakers with the help of a sound card
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Speakers 
Enhance your PC with high-quality powered speakers - PC requires powered speakers to generate sound
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
No speakers
20% OFF! HP USB 2.0 stereo speakers
20% OFF! HP stereo speakers with subwoofer and remote 30W
20% OFF! HP stereo speakers with subwoofer and remote 50W
20% OFF! Logitech X-540 5.1 stereo speakers
Keyboard and Mouse 
Upgrade to our internet keyboard to make surfing the web a breeze
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse
HP wireless keyboard and HP wireless optical mouse
HP deluxe wireless keyboard & wireless mouse
Portable Media Drives 
Portable storage. Back up, store, and share data, photo, video files. Versatile USB connectivity
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
25% OFF! 320 GB HP Pocket Media Drive
25% OFF! 500 GB HP Pocket Media Drive
25% OFF! 640 GB HP Pocket Media Drive
Productivity software 
Get the tools you need to save time and improve your productivity
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
Microsoft(R) Office Basic Edition 2007
Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student Edition 2007
Microsoft(R) Office Small Business Edition 2007
Microsoft(R) Office Professional Edition 2007
Security software 
Stay protected from the latest online threats when connecting to the Web.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Norton Internet Security(TM) 2010 - 15 month
Norton 360(TM ) - 15 month
Norton Internet Security(TM) 2010 - 2 year
Norton Internet Security(TM) 2010 - 3 year
Photography software 
Software that helps you make the most of your digital cameras and brings your pictures to life!
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Roxio PhotoSuite 9 Deluxe
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
Adobe(R) PhotoShop(R) Elements 8
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 + MediaOne Plus
Learning & reference software 
Libraries of information. Great for students, parents and educators
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Encyclopedia Britannica Children's Learning Suite
Britannica Visual Dictionary
Britannica Desktop Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia Britannica Student & Home Edition
DVD/CD burner, movie software 
Feature-filled upgrades from the basic software included with your system
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Upgrade to Cyberlink DVD Suite Premium -- Special Deal
muvee Reveal
Roxio PhotoShow
SAVE $40! Roxio Creator 2010
Adobe(R) Premiere Elements 8
Adobe Premiere Elements & Photoshop Elements 8
Finance & accounting software 
Track your income and expenses with a financial software package for your home or business
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Quicken Deluxe 2010
QuickBooks Pro 2010
Back-up & media management 
Protect your valuable files. Synch up with mobile devices and convert media.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Roxio BackOnTrack 3 standard edition
ArcSoft MediaConverter 3.0
Type 	  	Top performance PC, 2-year hardware warranty
Usage 	  	Home
Chassis 	  	uATX
Memory card reader 	  	15-in-1 media card reader
Total memory slots 	  	6 DIMM DDR3
Ports 	  	7 USB (3 front, 4 back), 2 eSATA (back), 1 IEEE 1394
Audio 	  	Front headphone, line-in, mic (7.1 speaker capable)
Total slots 	  	2 PCIe (x16), 1 PCIe (x4), 1 PCIe (x1)
Energy Star Qualified 	  	No
Power supply 	  	460 watts
Storage bay 	  	HP Pocket Media Drive Bay
Dimensions 	  	16.85"(L) x 7.05"(W) x 15.79"(H)
Modem 	  	Optional
Network interface 	  	Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps (Ethernet)
Software kit 	  	HP Pavilion bundle with MediaSmart Software Suite
DVD/CD burner software 	  	Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe
Tools 	  	Desktop icon for built-in desktop Help and Support Center
Warranty 	  	2-year In-Home limited hardware warranty
Support 	  	1-year limited software, 2-year limited hardware support

or this one
http://www.frys.com/product/6060268?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

$899 USD

Detailed Description  	Product Info from Windows 7Product Info from Windows 7


Specifications:
Processor
Model: 	Intel® Core™ i7-920 Processor
Speed: 	2.66GHz
# of Cores: 	4
Cache: 	2MB L2 Cache + 8MB Shared L3 Cache
Hyperthreading: 	Intel® Hyperthreading Technology
Chipset: 	Intel® X58 Express
	 
Memory:
Size: 	9GB
Type: 	DDR3
Speed:  	PC3-8500
Total Slots: 	6 DIMM
Open Slots:  	0
	 
Storage
Hard Drive: 	1TB, 7200RPM, SATA
Optical Drive: 	SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology Write: 16x max DVD?R, 12x max DVD?R DL, 8x max DVD+RW, 6x max DVD-RW, 12x max DVD-RAM, 40x max CD-R, 32x max CD-RW. Read: 16x max DVD-ROM, 40x CD-ROM
Media Drive: 	15-in-1 memory card reader: supports SmartMedia, xD, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital (SD), Mini Secure Digital, Compact Flash I, Compact Flash II,
IBM Microdrive, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, RSMMC, MMC Mobile, MMC+
	 
Graphics
Type: 	PCI-Express x16 Video Card
GPU: 	nVidia GeForce GTX-260
Memory: 	1.8 GB DDR2
Ports: 	DVI & HDMI
	 
Sound
Type:  	High Definition Audio
Channels: 	8 (7.1)
Front Ports: 	Headphone, Microphone
Back Ports:  	Optical Audio Out; Microphone/Line-in/Line-out; Rear speaker-out; Side speaker out; Center (subwoofer)
	 
USB
Front USB: 	3
Back USB: 	4
	 
Networking
Wired: 	10/100/1000 Base-T
Wireless: 	802.11 a/b/g/n
	 
Accessories:
Keyboard: 	HP USB Keyboard
Mouse: 	HP USB Mouse
	 
Expansion:
Slots: 	1 PCI Expressx1 (Occupied)
	1 PCI Expressx4 (Open)
	2 PCI Expressx16 (1 Open)
	 
Bays: 	2 External 5.25" (1 Open)
	2 Internal 3.5" (1 Open)
	1 External 3.5" (1 Open)
	1 External PMD bay (Open)
	 
Size
Dimensions: 	16.85"(L) x 7.05"(W) x 15.79" (H)
Weight: 	13 Pounds (approx)
	 
Software
Operating System: 	Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit - makes everyday tasks simple — and makes new things possible.
	 
Photo/Video: 	HP MediaSmart Software Suite: Your one stop multimedia & entertainment center to create photo slideshows, share personal videos, listen to your favorite music playlists and watch DVD movies.
	 
Entertainment: 	Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe: Automatically fix and edit videos and create CDs and DVDs. Edit, burn and archive data to discs.
	 
Productivity: 	Microsoft Works 9:  Includes a word processor, spreadsheet, database and calender
  	Microsoft Office Home & Student Edition 2007 - 60 day trial version
  	HP Total Care Advisor 3.2: HP Advisor makes your PC easier to use -view your status at a glance, access support, discover more ways to use your PC, and navigate easily to your favorite software and services.
	 
PC Security: 	Norton Internet Security 2009:  Protect your PC out of the box. (60 days of complimentary live updates)
	 
Warranty/Support
Warranty: 	1 Year Limited
Tech Support: 	1 Year, 24x7 Support online or Toll Free Phone

[dejet]

I never understood the Dell CS argument. How are they expensive btw? Theyre usually the same price, or less.

Anyway, ive never had anything but great experiance with Dell's CS or their PCs, both on a corporate level, and individual. Ive ordered 1000s of Dell PCs for corporations, with about 6 of those ever having something wrong with it, but they either had a Dell rep with a replacment part/PC on site to replace within the same day, or shipped to be at the business by next day. Granted this was with gold support, and not everyone has this.

On a individual level, If im not putting togther one for a family member or friend I point them to Dell (with no paid Dell support), and that totals up to be around 20 or so. Never had a problem with those aside from one having a bad CPU about a year later, and all I did was call them up, and they sent a new one out about a week later.

Shrug. Not really sticking up for them, I know a lot of people that hate Dell with a passion, just like to give another perspective. The best/worst companies can have some bad/good days, just depends when you catch them.


One thing though, stay away from BestBuy and other outlets, they will screw you over, however if you have a Microcenter near you, that would be a great place to buy, or try their website.

If this was pointed at me then need to say a few things back

1) never said they are over priced(but hay maybe they are dont know them to well only one PC)

2) their CS blows, there is no way for you to change my mind on that. When I have logged over 100 hours on the phone talking to their tec reps and over 30 house calls there is something very wrong. It took a letter and email to their main office to their CEO(or whoever reads his emails) to get the ball moving. If I had not done that I am willing to bet 3 months more of talking/house calls that would fail would have happened. After that 3 months I am willing to bet that they would have said "screw you your plan is up to bad"

If that is not bad CS and out of hand I do not know what is. It sucks, blows. You could tell me they gave you gold and I still would never buy a thing from dell after this PC.

They did make good and give me a PC that is very strong in place of my old one, I will say that. But again 2 years after the 1st blue screen? and months of it not working at all, what if this PC was my main PC for my job? how can they amend for that? no way in my book

[Olo401]

I never understood the Dell CS argument. How are they expensive btw? Theyre usually the same price, or less.

Because they charge 500 bux for a fucking Celeron, that's how.

Dells are expensive because they sell you the least amount of computer for your money. Slow processors, small case that can't fit most of today's larger graphics cards, VERY small power supply, crappy integrated graphics that are only good for Excel charts.. then when you add an upgrade they charge 2-3x the market price for something shitty like a GeForce 9400. The ONLY advantage you get is that your software is included thanks to the hardworking monopoly drivers at Microsoft.

[Isiolia]

Because they charge 500 bux for a fucking Celeron, that's how.

Dells are expensive because they sell you the least amount of computer for your money. Slow processors, small case that can't fit most of today's larger graphics cards, VERY small power supply, crappy integrated graphics that are only good for Excel charts.. then when you add an upgrade they charge 2-3x the market price for something shitty like a GeForce 9400. The ONLY advantage you get is that your software is included thanks to the hardworking monopoly drivers at Microsoft.

For $500 they'll sell you a Core2 Duo E5400 with an 18" flat panel. http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...en&s=dhs&cs=19

I'm not going to disagree that adding in better components will raise the price rather quickly...but c'mon. It's very hard to beat Dell (or HP, or most big companies) at the low end and still include a legit Windows license. Doubly so if you stick with quality components.

You can do better than Dell, but you can certainly do worse as well. As an enthusiast, I wouldn't buy one, but I probably wouldn't buy a prebuilt machine from anyone. Most of those complaints ring true of basically any company putting together PCs. Even the boutique sellers put crap in low end models.


Frankly, their CS - at least if you pay for the better warranties - tends to be some of the easier to deal with. I have parts/techs/whatever here typically next-day if I need them.
Seriously, I've logged hundreds of support tickets with 'em; there are certainly worse companies out there.

[dejet]

May their xs is better when you buy 100+ pcs? Lol I do not knnow but what happened to me should never happen.

[Isiolia]

Shit happens. Just sayin', the vast majority of my dealings with Dell service have been good. I can think of horror stories for most any vendor I've dealt with, but on average Dell isn't too bad. My experience for DOAs n' all is significantly worse than SephYuyX's...hell, I've had that many out-of box problems out of a batch of 60...had a bad server out of a shipment of three not too long ago... but nothing that's taken months or even weeks to resolve.

Now, you want bad in my experience... Gateway. If you recall, they split a few years ago. Acer bought the consumer side, Micron the corporate/support side. After a few months of bleeding money supporting their crappy products, Micron had that unit declare bankruptcy (or something)...the end result being that the stack of machines I had waiting on service for months (did I mention that their products were shit?), that they'd kept promising was coming and was just waiting on backordered parts, officially had no more support. Despite that we'd paid for extended warranties, accidental damage, etc.
No replacements, no compensation, nothing.
Thankfully, we'd bought them through a third party, and that company went out-of-pocket to replace defective motherboards n' things...at least, until they could no longer buy them.

[Saga]

how about this one http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...HPE180t_series

$979 USD

Operating system 
The main control program of your system. See Productivity Software category for Office applications.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Processor 
A faster processor supports more efficient operations and applications performance.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-930 quad-core [2.8GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-950 quad-core [3.00GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-975 quad-core Extreme Edition [3.33GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-980X six-core Extreme Edition [3.33GHz, 1.5MB L2 + 12MB shared L3 cache]
Memory 
Use more programs at once and make them run faster with more memory
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
8GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [4 DIMMs]
FREE UPGRADE! 9GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [5 DIMMs] from 8GB
12GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
16GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
18GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
24GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [6 DIMMs]
Hard drive 
Store your applications, data, digital music and digital photos on your hard disk drive
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
FREE UPGRADE! 1TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 640GB
750GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
1TB RAID 0 (2 x 500GB SATA HDDs) - performance
500GB RAID 1 (2 x 500GB SATA HDDs) - data security
1.5TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
2TB 5400 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
2TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s - two 1TB hard drives
3TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s - two 1.5TB hard drives
300GB 10K rpm & 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s - two hard drives
Graphics card 
Bring your favorite applications and games to life
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
1GB ATI Radeon HD 5450 [DVI, HDMI, VGA adapter]
1GB ATI Radeon HD 4650 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
1GB ATI Radeon HD 4850 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
1GB ATI Radeon HD 5770 [2 DVI,HDMI,DP,VGA adapter]
1.8GB NVIDIA Geforce GTX 260 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
Primary optical drive 
Optical drives can be used to store data, play music and movies, and burn your own CDs or DVDs
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
Blu-ray player & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
Blu-ray writer & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
Secondary optical drive 
Optical drives can be used to store data, play music and movies, and burn your own CDs or DVDs
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
16x max. DVD ROM (player)
Blu-ray ROM (player)
Networking 
Go wireless with our wireless card!
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
External modem
Wireless-N LAN card
Premium Wireless-N LAN card
Premium Wireless-N LAN card and Bluetooth(R )
Front Productivity Ports 
Get the ports you use most frequently up front for easy access
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio
15-in-1 memory card reader, 1 USB, 1394, audio, video (for TV Tuner)
TV & entertainment experience 
Includes online Program Guide. Review the TV schedule, record a single episode or an entire series.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
No TV Tuner
TV tuner, ATSC-NTSC with PVR, remote
Sound Card 
Music and games truly come alive in your stereo or computer speakers with the help of a sound card
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Speakers 
Enhance your PC with high-quality powered speakers - PC requires powered speakers to generate sound
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
No speakers
20% OFF! HP USB 2.0 stereo speakers
20% OFF! HP stereo speakers with subwoofer and remote 30W
20% OFF! HP stereo speakers with subwoofer and remote 50W
20% OFF! Logitech X-540 5.1 stereo speakers
Keyboard and Mouse 
Upgrade to our internet keyboard to make surfing the web a breeze
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse
HP wireless keyboard and HP wireless optical mouse
HP deluxe wireless keyboard & wireless mouse
Portable Media Drives 
Portable storage. Back up, store, and share data, photo, video files. Versatile USB connectivity
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
25% OFF! 320 GB HP Pocket Media Drive
25% OFF! 500 GB HP Pocket Media Drive
25% OFF! 640 GB HP Pocket Media Drive
Productivity software 
Get the tools you need to save time and improve your productivity
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
Microsoft(R) Office Basic Edition 2007
Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student Edition 2007
Microsoft(R) Office Small Business Edition 2007
Microsoft(R) Office Professional Edition 2007
Security software 
Stay protected from the latest online threats when connecting to the Web.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Norton Internet Security(TM) 2010 - 15 month
Norton 360(TM ) - 15 month
Norton Internet Security(TM) 2010 - 2 year
Norton Internet Security(TM) 2010 - 3 year
Photography software 
Software that helps you make the most of your digital cameras and brings your pictures to life!
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Roxio PhotoSuite 9 Deluxe
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
Adobe(R) PhotoShop(R) Elements 8
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 + MediaOne Plus
Learning & reference software 
Libraries of information. Great for students, parents and educators
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Encyclopedia Britannica Children's Learning Suite
Britannica Visual Dictionary
Britannica Desktop Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia Britannica Student & Home Edition
DVD/CD burner, movie software 
Feature-filled upgrades from the basic software included with your system
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Upgrade to Cyberlink DVD Suite Premium -- Special Deal
muvee Reveal
Roxio PhotoShow
SAVE $40! Roxio Creator 2010
Adobe(R) Premiere Elements 8
Adobe Premiere Elements & Photoshop Elements 8
Finance & accounting software 
Track your income and expenses with a financial software package for your home or business
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Quicken Deluxe 2010
QuickBooks Pro 2010
Back-up & media management 
Protect your valuable files. Synch up with mobile devices and convert media.
 Help me decide
	  	Choices:
Roxio BackOnTrack 3 standard edition
ArcSoft MediaConverter 3.0
Type 	  	Top performance PC, 2-year hardware warranty
Usage 	  	Home
Chassis 	  	uATX
Memory card reader 	  	15-in-1 media card reader
Total memory slots 	  	6 DIMM DDR3
Ports 	  	7 USB (3 front, 4 back), 2 eSATA (back), 1 IEEE 1394
Audio 	  	Front headphone, line-in, mic (7.1 speaker capable)
Total slots 	  	2 PCIe (x16), 1 PCIe (x4), 1 PCIe (x1)
Energy Star Qualified 	  	No
Power supply 	  	460 watts
Storage bay 	  	HP Pocket Media Drive Bay
Dimensions 	  	16.85"(L) x 7.05"(W) x 15.79"(H)
Modem 	  	Optional
Network interface 	  	Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps (Ethernet)
Software kit 	  	HP Pavilion bundle with MediaSmart Software Suite
DVD/CD burner software 	  	Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe
Tools 	  	Desktop icon for built-in desktop Help and Support Center
Warranty 	  	2-year In-Home limited hardware warranty
Support 	  	1-year limited software, 2-year limited hardware support

Really liking this one, customized it a little bit. There's one I did on cyberpower too that's similar specs, only 6GB RAM but has the i7 -975 extreme edition 3.33 GHz processor instead of the i7-930 quad core on the HP, and I'm at about $1310 with the cyberpower one versus $1,139 with HP. is the extreme edition worth it? will i notice that much of a difference?

[Isiolia]

The performance per dollar for the EEs are not that good at all. There's little reason to go past the i7 920/930 or i5 750. You can overclock those to meet/beat a stock EE, and the much bigger factor for a lot of games is the video card.

Speaking of which, the options for the HP there are pretty meh, considering the price point. Not that they're terrible cards, but they're something you'd expect in an $800 build, not a $1200 one.

[Saga]

Could I upgrade the GFX card in the future if I wanted? I have selected now the NVIDIA GT 220 1GB card, it goes up to the 1.8GB GT 260 though, but one of the reviews I read said the PC only has a 400-watt power supply and the card needs something more like 450-watts to run. What kind of a GFX card should I be looking for in customizing these PCs?

[Saga]

Alright, how about this build from Cyberpower, $1,088:

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-930 2.80 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366
HDD: 1.5TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 32MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+35] (Single Hard Drive)
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) MSI X58 Pro-E Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFire DDR3 Mainboard
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [+74] (Corsair Dominator)
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 1GB 16X PCI Express [+94] (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA [+5])

[Agito]

You should definately aim for something like an ATI 5850 or Nvidia GTX 470 video card as GPU is the most important in a gaming computer.

I threw this together on the Cyberpower website:
Nzxt M59 case
AMD Phenom II x4 955 processor
ATI 5850 video card
1TB hard disk drive
GigaByte GA-890FXA-UD5 motherboard
2x2GB 1333Mhz of Corsair Dominator memory
Corsair CMPSU-750w power supply
--$1,243.00--

Something like a 550w-600w power supply is perfect for all the video cards but a quality power supply like the Corsair brand is always wise.

[Saga]

between the quad core Phenom II and an i7, what are the benefits and disadvantages of each?

[Agito]

The Phenom II x4 955 and Intel Core I7 920/930 are pretty much even for gaming but the Intel is better for other stuff. The $140.00 saved by using a Phenom II x4 955 would get you a much better video card and that in return will give better gaming performance. I don't really know to much about processors, i only know that they're about even in most games through looking at a few benchmarks.