Shoutbox

Well, i'm getting a new computer and I need some information about what computers to look into. My price range is about $600 to $800 Canadian. I'm looking for a computer with mainly a good graphic card cause no good computer games work for me. And I don't really need any sort of combo, oh and a Dvd burner doesn't sound to bad either. Please and thanks

You won't get much with 800 CAD (about 520€). I don't know how much hardware costs over there, so I'll go with Finnish prices (which are a bit higher I suppose, but it shouldn't differ by that much).

-You wanted a good graphics card, and those are quite expensive. A top of the line card, like the GeForce 8800, is a bit less than 400€ (600-ish CAD), and a bit older one, like the Radeon X1950 (which I think is kinda popular), is around 200€ (around 300 CAD).

-1GB of memory is about 70€ (100 CAD).

-Now, for games you don't only have to have a good graphics card, but also a decent processor. You can get good ones for around 150€ (230 CAD), better ones are naturally more expensive.

-The hard drive isn't cheap either, but if you have a old computer you can salvage it from that one.

-Motherboards range from 50 to 150 euros (80 to 230 CAD).

At this point you are at the 700 CAD mark, but you still need a power source, DVD-drive, case, maybe a HDD, monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers (those can also be salvaged of a old computer). Then you would have to build it together yourself or let a company do it for a fee. You might also need a operating system.

It seems that it is possible to get a new computer for around 800CAD, but it won't be top-notch. I don't know about the prices over there, so there is a good chance you can get components cheaper than I said. Make and model also make a difference. My advice to you would be waiting some time (or maybe negotiating with your parents for some extra money). There might also be some ready build solutions, but those are usually more expensive than assembling the computer yourself.

Perhaps some other Canadian can give a bit more details?

Why not just buy a prebuilt computer?

quote:

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Originally posted by Ryxpia
Why not just buy a prebuilt computer?

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Those are more expensive and you don't have the same freedom of choosing what to get.

The mistake quite a few people make is to say "Okay, I'll spend (insert quantity here)". The thing with this is if you get some average computer, it'll be fine for a while but then it'll start to be outdated pretty quickly; and there's only so far they can be upgraded. The most successful PC builds if seen are people who put off buying for quite a while, and then having saved up for ages they splash out on something that's going to be good for years to come. =]

Consider it.

quote:

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Originally posted by Vilkku
Those are more expensive and you don't have the same freedom of choosing what to get.

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Actually, now it's around the same price to build a computer as it is to buy a pre-built one, companies know that people think building a computer is cheaper, so they're going to lower the prices, so he may aswell just buy a computer from mesh computers or something.

If you really do want to build one, then save up for a while, I saved up and I have quite a nice computer for someone my age (very low income btw):

AMD Athlon 64-Bit 4000+
1Gb RAM
400Gb HDD
nVidia GeForce 7900GTX (superclocked)
DVD-ROM
DVD+RW

it's fit, basically. I feel as if i wasted my money now though, as i've bought a xbox 360, and it completely owns my pc, so think about getting a work pc and then a 360 or something.

I never think someone should decide his budget when buying a computer. You chose your need and then try to find the best price for it.

If you are searching for a 800$ computer in Canada (which I supose you are since you are talking about canadian dollars), you will find many. Yet, I don't know if they will have so good of graphic cards.

This is a quick find : http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_...7&logon=&langid=EN

I don't know if the video card is as good as you wish though..

Amazing how most people on this forum talk about hardware and rarely know what they're talking about..

Case : Nox Coolbay 25
Description :
Good airflow, quality and style
Price : 59.95 Euros

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Power Source : Super-Flower Aurora 600W
Description :
Good Enough modular power source, 2 x 12V rails = 43 Amp
Price : 94.50 Euros

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Motherboard : Asrock ConroeXfire-eSata2
Description :
Budget Motherboard, 775 Socket, DDR2 Support (Up to 667 Mhz), 1 x PCI-E x16, SATA II support, Onboard 7.1 SoundCard..
Price : 86.95 Euros

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Processor : Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.80 GHZ
Description :
Solid processor that won't outdate so quickly, plus it is cheap.. Stable for overclocking
Price : 179 Euros

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RAM : Gskill PC2-4200 LA Dual Channel 2 x 512 Mb
Description :
Good memory for your budget, 4-4-4-12 timings
Price : 149.95 Euros

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VGA : XFX 7600 GS 256 MB
Description :
Budget graphics card inside the nVidia 7xxx, will run most games but not with high quality standards for sure. However, since you'll have a good processor and decent RAM supporting it, you won't be disappointed
Price : 107.50 Euros

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Optical Drive : LiteOn LH-18A1H 18X LightScribe
Description :
Good Optical drive, DVD-RW / +RW / Double Layer / LightScribe technology which allows you to "draw" on the Cd
IDE interface though
Price : 37.50 Euros

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Hard Drive : Maxtor 160Gb 8 Mb Cache SATA II
Description :
Good & Fast Interface 160 Gb hard drive with 8 Mb Cache Memory
Price : 62.50 Euros

Total : 777.85 Euros

So meh, according to google, that is 1 195 CAD, and surely that's how much you've got to spend these days to have a stable computer that won't outdate "just-like-that"..

If you are having a computer custom built or building it yourself, you may want to go with something like this.  Without a monitor (which you may not need too badly) it would be right in your price range, only slightly over with one.

To everyone who might look at that and say "X is better" or "Y is old, now Z is out":  I suggest that you don't, unless you are willing to price your suggestions out and back them up with some benchmarks.   Ars System Guide has been around for years and is quite good. While not the greatest gaming machine in existence, this configuration is quite reasonable for playing most games -- and within budget.

Hey adeptus

The system you posted is

927 $ CAD (Converted Through Google)

While the one I posted costs

1 195 $ CAD (Converted Through Google)

They have big differences..

The one I posted is a Dual Core processor with better clock and more recent technology..

When it comes to RAM, 1 Gb won't cost you 100 (US) $ unless it's a value edition, with high timings.. Mine, on the contrary has low timings..

The graphics card is better, but are the components behind it support the difference of performance against the one I posted?

Last but not least, the case you picked has got a considerably bad airflow in comparison to Nox's Coolbay 25 (Which features a 250 mm side and a 80mm frontal)..

With all those differences, that will surely endanger performance, aren't those extra 268 $ CAD really make a difference?

To the thread poster : I really think you should save up more and then buy a decent pc, instead of buying a more budget one that will outdate..