Prices: Check out http://www.PriceWatch.com Fry's and Newegg would be a couple of the best places to check out. Also check out CompUSA they can have some good deals.
1) I have an external DVD burner right now, no need to waste money on a new one 2) I don't feel I need blow-me-away speakers, but nothing too basic either. 3) I was thinking of a hard drive in 100 range, 120 etc.
If you decide to build one then you will have a nice amount of cash left over. For the speakers you may want to look at the Klipsch Promedia line. They may seem to be a tad pricy but as far as far as i know they are still the best computer speakers around. I have their 2.1 system and really enjoy them.
If you already have the dvd drives, and your harddrive space is only about 100...You can get hooked up within a grand... And what about a monitor... Leave any money for the new 21" samsung flip lcd....
Do you want an LCD monitor or a CRT? For gaming, you're usually best-served by a CRT, but some of the newer, high-end LCDs have good enough response times to work for gaming.
As it stands, I have an 18" LCD ViewSonic that works like a charm. I'm not worried about accesorcies outside of what's in the case.
hey LTF, for every dollar this thread saves you by helping you make a system insteada wasting it on alienware..., a dime goes in the Tip Jar... eh
I know, soon... high school without parents support is a tough place to be... soon enough Clutch'll see the bling bling on his doorstep... when that day comes, i dunno....
I loved it. Man highschool was so fun. I miss those years. Oh yah, LTF....I would get a 10,000 RPM drive. Since your system is going to be high end, you might as well get a fast harddrive.
You could build a "better than top-of-the-line" computer for a lot less money (if you know how to properly shop for parts). I just built a new home machine for $760 as follows: Asus P4P800 Deluxe motherboard 800mhz bus (has on-board NIC, firewire, RAID, & audio) Intel P4 3.0 Ghz processor 1 gig of Infineon RAM (PC3200) two 160 gig Western Digital hard drives (320 gig total) DVD -R/+R burner (8x-4x-8x-4x with 3x DVD-RAM) very cool new case (mid-size) that system did not include video card, monitor, or floppy drive (I already had those), and the on-board sound is good, but not high-end. Only drawback I've found so far is that it's not as quiet as a Dell or other name brand (their cases are better designed for reduction of fan noise). -- droxford
you can get quiet fans like Vantec Stealth which are incredibly silent, in fact I'm next to mine and I can barely hear it. I've got 4 Vantec 80mm stealths: -2 Exhausts -2 Intakes I've got a Thermaltake Volcano 7+ with speed control (I always keep it on low) and my temps run around 42C Load
Hey LTF 2000-2500 is way too much for a high end system nowadays. You can pretty much get the fastest computer within $1500. just do some wise shopping and yeah, better to find any clutchfans poster in you area who know how to build a computer. I guess 90% of them know how to build one Just give you an idea how cheap computer nowadays have become. just last week I built this machine I am using right now: Pentium IV 2.4Ghz / 512 MB Ram / 60GB Harddrive. all together I spent around $250. granted that it's not a top system nowadays. and it does not have the fancy graphic card for gaming. but it suffices to say that a high end system wont cost that much nowadays.
Make it quite is VERY easy. just replace your Powersupply and CPU heatsink/fans with top brand SILENT/QUIET models. there are tons of manufacturors providing quiet part nowadays. or, and get a Barracuda IV harddrive which also does not make noise. It will be most likely quieter than a dell.
I know I can buy better fans, but it wasn't at the top of my priority list; with limited funds, I would rather buy a DVD burner and have a loud computer than have a quiet computer with no DVD burner. Are you guys talking about case fans, CPU fans, both, or what? Where's a good site to get latest reviews about fans and noise? -- droxford
I do not really know any single good source about silent/quiet pc. informations are abound but they are all scattered around the web. but anyway this could serve as a starting point: www.silentpcreview.com and ofcourse www.tomshardware.com etc. and I find this online shop interesting. www.directron.com which is located in Houston? I guess.
DVD burners have gotten real cheap now, the only reason I didn't want to get one was because of the high price tag (around 300) but now I'm thinking of picking this up http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-152-012&depa=0
I bought my chassis at Directron and I didn't know it was located in Houston, they shipped it and it arrived the next day. If I knew it was in Houston I would have gone and picked it up
