Best computers!

Okay im trying to find some of the best computers for Doom3 with price in mind. We all know that Alienware and XPS would be great but not to many of use would have the resources to spend 3,000 bucks for a computer. So if you have a really good computer that will run games of the future yet still be a multifunction system.

I recommend building your own. It's not as hard as you think it might be, and it's cheaper. Building computers can be better than factory pre-built ones IMO. Plus, you can make your computer look nice when choosing a case.
The case I bought has a side window, 2 free fans, 4 spaces to put extra fans and a temperature display on the front of the computer. I also put in an LED fan and a green cold cathode light which both is around $20.00. The case cost me only $45.00!
My computer is partly pre-built. I had an old Dell computer, kept the disk, hdd, and cd-rom drives. Had to buy a new motherboard, which only cost me $70.00 and it's a nice one too.

An estimate of how much a built pc could cost.
Pentium 4 3.2GHz - $286.00
160GB hard drive - $80.00
54x24x52 CD-RW drive - $26.00
Case - $50.00 - $70.00
Video card - $100.00
Disk drive - Who uses disk drives these days? - $0.00
Power Supply 450-550 watt - $70 - $100
Motherboard - $80.00

total is around $710.00

get one of those area51 alien computer thingies

Well I don't think you will always save money by building your own PC; providing that you catch a bargain in the right place at the right time. At a supermarket near to where I live a friend of mine saw a P4 with 1GB of RAM and a Geforce FX (9000 I think) for around £600 (that's about $1200 or so). No monitor, mind, but that's still pretty cheap over here in the UK (though going by Skeletor's price list PC components seem to be a lot cheaper for you guys in the US, so this probably seems very expensive).
But I suppose building your own gives you the freedom to put exactly what you want into it, rather than ending up paying for crap that you don't want. And if you're 'on the inside' you'll be able to pick up components cheaper still anyway.

"On the inside" = buying online.

does anyone know of a good place to buy wholesale computer parts (a costom built computer)

Pricewatch.com, newegg.com, etc.

Skeletor said:

An estimate of how much a built pc could cost.
Pentium 4 3.2GHz - $286.00
160GB hard drive - $80.00
54x24x52 CD-RW drive - $26.00
Case - $50.00 - $70.00
Video card - $100.00
Disk drive - Who uses disk drives these days? - $0.00
Power Supply 450-550 watt - $70 - $100
Motherboard - $80.00

total is around $710.00

This is way off.

1) Get a 2.4 or 2.8 and OC it, you'll save a ton of money and get past 3.2 ghz.

2) 160 gig hard drive is not needed for Doom 3. I'd like to konw where these 7200 rpm ide 160 gig drives are being sold for $80 as well? Exactly, they aren't.

3) Considering this is a very graphically enhanced game, do you really think a $100 video card is going to cut it? For $100 you will probably get a ti4600, or a low end fx card. I'd say $200-300 should be dropped into there on a video card, that can get him a 9800 pro.

There's many more faults but I won't list them, I've covered the major ones.

I got all the prices at pricewatch. Yes, there is a 7200RPM 160gb hd for 80 bucks, and yes, there are nice video cards around 100 bucks, like Radeon 9600 PRO or geforce Fx 5700. Hell, there is even a Radeon 9800 for 128 bucks.
There is something called wholesale retailers.

And nowhere did I say 7200 RPM 160GB is needed for D3. Goliath asked about nice computers so I'm giving him a list of what I thought was nice for cheap.

Alientank, can you try to give a first nice response instead of subtly attacking the first time? I'm pretty sure I never said anything offensive toward you or anybody else.

How about waiting a month or two or three until the game actually comes out and buy the computer then? That way you'll get the same hardware for less money, or better hardware for the same money.

Skeletor said:

I got all the prices at pricewatch. Yes, there is a 7200RPM 160gb hd for 80 bucks, and yes, there are nice video cards around 100 bucks, like Radeon 9600 PRO or geforce Fx 5700. Hell, there is even a Radeon 9800 for 128 bucks.
There is something called wholesale retailers.

And nowhere did I say 7200 RPM 160GB is needed for D3. Goliath asked about nice computers so I'm giving him a list of what I thought was nice for cheap.

Alientank, can you try to give a first nice response instead of subtly attacking the first time? I'm pretty sure I never said anything offensive toward you or anybody else.

1) There may be however what brand is it? Probably some no name piece of crap. Maybe even an IBM Deskstar AKA DEATHstar.

2) A 9600 pro is not a card for "Best Computers!", maybe "Best low end Gaming computers!" and it's not that good of a card, it's decent nothing special. And that radeon I guarantee is an SE which is pretty much crap.

1.) No, its Western Digital. A nice company.

2.) People who had 9600 cards and who tried the alpha have gotten around a constant 40fps. I'm sure it'll be fine for D3.

Skeletor said:

1.) No, its Western Digital. A nice company.

2.) People who had 9600 cards and who tried the alpha have gotten around a constant 40fps. I'm sure it'll be fine for D3.

Oh really? With AA/AF off and 1024x768 I've topped out at 60 fps or so but there are times it's well below 30. So I doubt a constant 40 fps with a 9600. BTW I have a P4 2.4 OC'd to 3.1 ghz, 1 gig of hyper-x pc3500 memory, 9800 pro 128 mb, abit IC7 mobo, audigy 2, blah blah.

Whatever is considered the "Best Computer" now is most likely going to be considered "Low-End Piece of Junk" in about 2 months or so anyways, so it doesn't really matter.

My brother works for pugetsystems so i get really good deals on computer parts, however AgentSpork is right the only way to get a "best computer" i have found over the last month is to go over kill like i have posted in misc...

but if you don't have a bro like me just go to ABS cause they dont rip you off as much and any one else

btw edit wouldn't work

here is a really good system for a little amount of money, as close to building it yourself as you can get..
http://www.abspc.com/app/Config.asp?mono=1601&view=2

Goliath said:

btw edit wouldn't work[/url]

This is probably pretty obvious to you, but clicking the Edit/Delete link in your post WILL work, all you have to do is click it. But you knew that already, right?

right, for some reason the link wasn't working or taking to long.

ABS is the best

http://www.abspc.com

maybe if he has the money an alienware?

Or he could save a lot of money and get something that performs better anyway, just without the "cool looking" case.

A Voodoo 3 3000 card will be more than enough to run Doom 3. Doom 3 isn't going to be as graphically advanced as some people are making it out to be. Its a slight step above Quake III, but that's it.

As far as sound goes a Sound blaster card will be enough to hear all those awesome sounds. Just be sure to update your dos drivers to the latest version.

Ultraviolet said:

Or he could save a lot of money and get something that performs better anyway, just without the "cool looking" case.

With ABS you save money and get a nice case. I spent about $1500 and got a great system from them.

Alientank said:

2) 160 gig hard drive is not needed for Doom 3. I'd like to konw where these 7200 rpm ide 160 gig drives are being sold for $80 as well? Exactly, they aren't.

we have had them for that before, during a promotion or sale, however with mail in rebate.
i remember they had to get rid of 80GB drives just because they where changeing box art on it, so they marked them down to $45. that was 6 months ago.
i avoid drives off pricewatch and such. many are rebuilt, which are complete junk if you ask me. never get your stuff from ebay. unless you can find a NEW name brand Hard drve i would not buy. basicly it is watching for deals, not just on web sites.
example i work at best buy, i usally dont buy stuff here for computers. however sometime they have prices that match pricewatch. mainly in the RAM catgory. its funny cause they will have the 'sale item' of the week, a stick that is at or below cost. then a stick of the same type jacked up to some rediculous price.

insertwackynamehere said:

With ABS you save money and get a nice case. I spent about $1500 and got a great system from them.

I could do better for $1000 getting stuff off of NewEgg.

You guys should come to miami, My friend got a stole 9800 for 40 dollars lol. Right of the back of a truck and he found it still in a unopened box and the owner of the shop didnt really no what it was and my friend talked him down from 70.

I herd those Alienware computers are excellent for games, but just really for games. And i have no clue on what they cost (too lazy to look right now).

Rob McKai said:

A Voodoo 3 3000 card will be more than enough to run Doom 3. Doom 3 isn't going to be as graphically advanced as some people are making it out to be. Its a slight step above Quake III, but that's it.

Oh you character! That was a joke right?

$224 for a Sapphire Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB on NewEgg