[kjlambert]

Hey all,

A friend is looking at a new computer and asked for some advice so I'm doing what I would do - asking people who know more than me. This is the system:

NCIX.com - Buy Acer Aspire AX3200-EF9100A Desktop PC AMD Phenom X4 9100E 4GB 640GB LAN DVDRW Vista Home Premium X64 - PT.SAT0X.036 In Canada.

Also, not sure about the video card - there's not a lot of info on the 9300GE.

Any comments?

Thanks much

Kev

[Evolv]

Well that is not a good system. You could build a way better system for that much. I didn't even know that a 9100 X4 processor existed. And that 9300GE is more low end. Could be used for a media pc, but not for regular gaming.

[kjlambert]

Thanks for the reply, I agree that it doesn't look like the best system. I was just messing around on the same site and came up with this for about $1,000.

1 x PC ASSEMBLY AND TESTING (PRE-CONFIG OS IF PURCHASED)
1 x AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Dual Core Processor AM2 2.7GHZ 2X512KB 65W 65NM Retail Box
1 x Please Use The Heatsink Included with My CPU -NOT Available with OEM Processors
1 x ASUS M3N-HD/HDMI SLI ATX AM2+ Nforce 750A 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI HDMI Video Sound GBLAN Motherboard
1 x Corsair XMS2 Dominator TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF 4GB 2X2GB PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Memory Kit
1 x GeForce 9600GT 512MB OEM 650MHZ GDDR3 1.8GHZ PCI-E Dual DVI-I *Systems Only - 1YR NCIX Warranty*
The 3rd party brand name for this product may vary
1 x Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio
1 x Corsair TX650W 650W ATX 12V 52A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan
1 x Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive 5YR MFR Warranty
1 x Samsung SH-S223F Black SATA DVD+RW 22X8X16 DVD-RW 22X6X16 16X/12X DL INT DVD Writer OEM
1 x ASUS 16X DVD-ROM Drive SATA Retail Box W/ Black & Beige Faceplates
1 x Please Use The Onboard Sound Card Integrated On My Motherboard
1 x Please Use The Network Card Integrated On My Motherboard


Kev

[Evolv]

That build is probably worse than the Acer. If you are gonna spend $1000, do not get a Athlon X2.

This would be an ideal $1000 build:
Intel E8500
Biostar I45
4gb DDR2 800 Ram
HD 4870
Corsair 650tx PSU

Then all you need is hdd, optical drive, case and a OS.

[kjlambert]

Thanks for the help, I'll check that out.

Kev

[Algorithmus]

Originally Posted by gt7sanremo

That build is probably worse than the Acer. If you are gonna spend $1000, do not get a Athlon X2.

This would be an ideal $1000 build:
Intel E8500
Biostar I45
4gb DDR2 800 Ram
HD 4870
Corsair 650tx PSU

Then all you need is hdd, optical drive, case and a OS.

Ehh, I wouldn't go as far as getting a Biostar (RMA support is a pain). For a GPU I would get probably a 8800GT and flash it with the 9800GT's firmware (Zotac GPUs do support this). Intel CPU I would get the Intel Q6600 ( I OC it to 3+, depends on the one you get they all vary). Most important is your budget.

[ricanflow]

Originally Posted by Algorithmus

Ehh, I wouldn't go as far as getting a Biostar (RMA support is a pain). For a GPU I would get probably a 8800GT and flash it with the 9800GT's firmware (Zotac GPUs do support this). Intel CPU I would get the Intel Q6600 ( I OC it to 3+, depends on the one you get they all vary). Most important is your budget.

The Biostar I45 is one of the highest rated and best boards out there....highly recommended on this forum.

No need to flash an 8800GT to 9800GT bios...doing so you can destroy the card and void all warranty in the process.

E8500 can go past 4ghz on that board as well.

[Redmo0n]

Also the 4870 is a ton better than a 9800gt.

[devil_dog]

Dude,

Your Friend doesn't need all of that! Besides, the point he probably had to buy that computer was to save and use it as much as he could.

The truth is with all the SPECS of that Acer, its merely a marketing tool for those looking for something cheap and "Powerful", the Problem, it seems powerful, but it also runs on Vista which uses a lot of RAM. It may not the type of computer you would expect it to be, worse you'll just regret it. It does take sometime out of our busy schedule to look for more information about what we could get, should get, etc. What matters more is what your friend can afford to spend with no regrets. It sucks for sure. Your doing the right thing, asking around and finding more info for him, but seriously, you should let him do most of the work man... he's just going to pester you with questions.

Anyway,

Here's is one set up you may want to consider....

If he had already purchased the unit: Try to return it if they would still accept it back provided you change it for another unit.
That unit could be an - HP Pavillion a6550d, Its packaged with great hardware for the price, you could easily upgrade its video card, I suggest for the price, with the same specs as high classed video cards without the useless HDMI connection (Seriously, how do you plan to use the HDMI port?... not really a good way to utilize it since you have your PS3 to do most of that anyway) Get a Sparkle 9600 Geforce nvidia, and your computer would be steaming with perfection for games, grab good Headphones for gaming, music, and what ever else your into, and sell your extra video card on ebay t earn extra cash. You'll make some money back to buy you Call of Duty 4 and your friend will worship you for it.

Don't forget, update your drivers before commenting back!


All that for just $750.

You don't need to super set up your computer with cloneware or buying the over priced computers when you can get some really good ones if you be more creative.

Think about it: $1000 what can that buy you!


:eek:

Late!

[Puddle Jumper]

Originally Posted by devil_dog

Dude,

Your Friend doesn't need all of that! Besides, the point he probably had to buy that computer was to save and use it as much as he could.

The truth is with all the SPECS of that Acer, its merely a marketing tool for those looking for something cheap and "Powerful", the Problem, it seems powerful, but it also runs on Vista which uses a lot of RAM. It may not the type of computer you would expect it to be, worse you'll just regret it. It does take sometime out of our busy schedule to look for more information about what we could get, should get, etc. What matters more is what your friend can afford to spend with no regrets. It sucks for sure. Your doing the right thing, asking around and finding more info for him, but seriously, you should let him do most of the work man... he's just going to pester you with questions.

Anyway,

Here's is one set up you may want to consider....

If he had already purchased the unit: Try to return it if they would still accept it back provided you change it for another unit.
That unit could be an - HP Pavillion a6550d, Its packaged with great hardware for the price, you could easily upgrade its video card, I suggest for the price, with the same specs as high classed video cards without the useless HDMI connection (Seriously, how do you plan to use the HDMI port?... not really a good way to utilize it since you have your PS3 to do most of that anyway) Get a Sparkle 9600 Geforce nvidia, and your computer would be steaming with perfection for games, grab good Headphones for gaming, music, and what ever else your into, and sell your extra video card on ebay t earn extra cash. You'll make some money back to buy you Call of Duty 4 and your friend will worship you for it.

Don't forget, update your drivers before commenting back!


All that for just $750.

You don't need to super set up your computer with cloneware or buying the over priced computers when you can get some really good ones if you be more creative.

Think about it: $1000 what can that buy you!


:eek:

Late!

Buying a prebilt and upgrading it isn't as good as building your own. With a pre built you get a cheap motherboard that can't overclock, cheap ram, a cheap psu that is barely powerful enough to run the stock system not to mention any upgrades, and a small case with poor airflow.

The build gt7sanremo posted uses great components and will beat any prebuilt system you can buy for the same price.