But I WILL need a budget you want to work with, and what you want said computer builds to do.
I can even do customs if you want to build your own.

My desktop is dieing. I can hear it wheezing and occasionally grinding. The family bought it at Best Buy three years ago come this September, so the warranty is almost done for and apparently so is the longevity.. kinda on borrowed time. Until I can get a job and save up some paychecks, even a replacement computer is going to be a dream. Already it has gone through three (3) Video Cards and one hard drive.

How much would it cost to replace a desktop with these specs?
Vista Home Premium
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
500 GB SATA II Hard Drive
3 GB DDR 2 memory.
NVIDIA GeForce 8500GT video card.

The Samsung Monitor is still good. I still have the driver for it. I don't know what my power supply has for stats or any real details about the motherboard.

>>1897
First off, how much did you even pay for this?
Second, the prices I have come up with to top your, and let you do pretty much SUPR GAMING YO, it will be around $799-1000+. I can easily go cheaper and drop certain specs. Now what would you like to do with your computer? What games and such? SO on and so forth.
But here is a quick example.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229196

Hey I really appreciate you linking to those three PCs. Buuuut... I was thinking about just doing a build myself, since I've wanted to learn how for a long time. Care to pick it apart, tell me what I could improve or change?

Be gentle I am so ultra new at this.

Vorked you so awesome

>>1900
This is a bit more expensive, but not by much. Plus, with this, everything is sure to work perfectly with each other, and it will be cooooool. Literally, this heatsink will make sure NOTHING overheats.

ALSO LOOK MATCHING COLORS

This is going to be very long and very pointless.

I'm going to study computer science, I want to build a computer and I need some help.
I'm mostly going to play older games like TF2 or retro games because many games I can also play on my Xbox. But I'd like the computer to be able to run a couple of recent PC only games (pretty Shogun 2 would be really sweet), video editing software, emulators and dvd rippers.
Will that be possible with 750€ ($1000)? If not how much more would I have to pay?

My first problem is the processor. I was told AMD is cheaper but some things are just confusing.

I'm considering "AMD Phenom II X6 Black 1090T" for about 250€ which seems pretty good with six cores and 3,2 GHz.

"Intel® Core™ i7-860" cost about as much, it has four cores and 2.8 GHz. So it seems worse however some tests (http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/prozessoren/2010/test_amd_phenom_ii_x6_1055t_1090t_be/6/
- The article is in German, but the results should be obvious) do confuse me, because the Intel processor is better or about as good at many things.

3DMark: It's better at DirectX.
Cinebench: Slightly worse.
SiSoft Sandra 2010: better at aritmetics and storage bandwidth but fails at AES (even as a computer science student I won't need that, will I?).
x264 HD Benchmark: it's slightly worse at video encoding.
wPrime: It's worse at calculating square roots
winrar: faster
Autodesk 3ds Max 2010: faster at 3D rendering.
Lame: faster at MP3 encoding
MainConcept: slightly worse at video encoding
SPECjvm2008: worse at Java
TrueCrypt: terrible at encryption
800x600 games: sometimes the same, sometimes superior, sometimes far superior
1680x1050 games: worse, slightly worse, the same

Why?

I'm probably going to get the AMD processor.

Now my next problem is the motherboard. Asus M4A79T Deluxe, 790FX in combination with the above processor had the best test results although it's cheaper than the Asus Crosshair IV Formula. Why? Now to make it even more confusing the ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 is a cheaper motherboard than the Asus M4A79T Deluxe with better stats. Yet its results are worse. Why?

I'm probably going to get the ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3.
I don't see any significant difference between this model and the ASUS Crosshair IV Formula one which costs 50€ more.

I'm going to get 2x2GB DDR3-SDRAM 1866MHz for pricy 100€.
The motherboard supports max 16GB, yet I can not find a single stick with more than 2GB - at least not for 1866MHz or faster. Why?

SATA-III 7Pin 6Gb/s 1TB 7200u/min 64MB Cache for 80€ or maybe less as I already have 1TB external drive.

I'll also get a dvd burner and cooling device but I have no idea which size the tower needs to be and I don't know what kind of power supply I need. The most important question is: graphic cards, how do they work? I have no idea if I need one and if I have the right motherboard for one as it apparently isn't SLI capable which supposedly is the future.

So... help?

>>1906
Okay lets see... This may take a few posts.
Six cores is very unnecessary as for now. Nothing really needs that many cores running at that high.
You'd be better off getting an AMD four core that runs around 3.0GHz and up.
Here are some good Processors to get.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103809
Cheap, reliable, and FAST. Plus, most games and programs only rely on one or two cores to run, bleh bleh bleh.
This is a real nice Intel;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115130

If I were to go with one of these, based on speed AND price, I'd go with this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
Five awards won this year ALONE. 3.4GHz, four cores.

Next post will deal with the motherboard.

>>1907
Going with an ATI/AMD CPU means it is best to get an AMD motherboard. ASUS seems to have some of the best.
Here are three motherboards, each HD, supports top of the line material, and blah blah blah.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131655
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131654

Now, if I were to go with one, for what you want to do. This would be my top pick.
HD, PCI, 8 audio channels...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131655

There. Two down.
Now lets see. What all do you need? An entirely new build, or just certain parts?
Oh well, let me continue next with the graphics card.

>>1908
From what we have so far selected, going with an ATI card is best.
A RADEON HD 5000 series would best fit working with 3D rendering and DirectX/3DMark
Now lets start with three, once again. First off, this is what I use, myself.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102872

Now, I can't just go on opinion here, else I'd pick mine.
Comparing to price for what you get, the SAPPHIRE would not be a smart choice. It may be a 5870, but that isn't much above the 5850 with comparison to price. The MSI R5770, compared with its price for what you get, is a great deal.
Now this is all down to what you want here, a better deal, or better card.
Go with this if you want a faster, stronger card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477

Go with this if you want a better deal:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490

Next I deal with your HDD.

Sorry I am not answering your questions. Too busy trying to get through the better quality hardware. Going through ifs and buts about different cards, trying to compare each is pretty tough, to a point.

>>1909
For the HDD, I have two that I found to be amazing deals for what you are getting. They have pretty big differences, so I will let you choose for yourself.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148590

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

Price, or power?

Now time to actually go through your questions and answer them to the best of my power.

>3DMark: It's better at DirectX.
Well yes, it is. But most things use DirectX now, like how some games and programs use NVidia's physics drivers.
>800x600 games: sometimes the same, sometimes superior, sometimes far superior
NO NO NO! Not anymore. If you want good looking graphics, and you have a computer that can easily handle it, 1680x1050 is the way to go.
If you want beauty in games, like actually seeing an explosion across the map or good looking decals and textures, as well as edges not being sharp and tacky, go with the higher resolutions.
>1680x1050 games: worse, slightly worse, the same
The newer the game, the better they look in the resolution.
>I'm probably going to get the AMD processor.
Good!
>
Now my next problem is the motherboard. Asus M4A79T Deluxe, 790FX in combination with the above processor had the best test results although it's cheaper than the Asus Crosshair IV Formula. Why? Now to make it even more confusing the ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 is a cheaper motherboard than the Asus M4A79T Deluxe with better stats. Yet its results are worse. Why?
Motherboards have different prices for when they were made. They will make a more powerful motherboard at the same time as a lesser model. One is newer than the other. As well as better. Just go with the best pick.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131363
In my opinion, it is this.
The motherboard supports max 16GB, yet I can not find a single stick with more than 2GB - at least not for 1866MHz or faster. Why?
The speeds are insane, currently there is no reason to actually have more than 4gigs of 1866, just get two of those. No more is needed.
Now for your other questions, see my earlier posts.

Anything else? Anything I miss?

Hi, it's me again, the guy with the thousand dollar budget.

Thus far you have suggested the:
Sony Vaio E Series (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834127171)
and the:
Acer Aspire (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115792)

I was wondering if there was anything else you'd like to toss my way?

>>1913
One last one for the night.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227283

Great, and made specifically for gaming.

>>1906 again
Thank you very much for your recommendations and answers. I'll post again when I've looked through them.

>>1917
No problem bro.

>>1914
That's a desktop - I'm looking for a laptop.

Thanks for the help, though; I appreciate it.

>>1925
Any more suggestions, Vorked?

>>1935
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115795
Here is a nice bit of LAPTOP.

Hey Vorked, can you help me out with this?

In a fit of rage involving megaupload blocking, I removed McAfee completely from my computer. (Dad put it on here about a year ago after buying it for himself and the whole family.)

So, do you know of any good anti-virus programs that don't act like a virus itself?

>>1947
Get the best of the best, Avast.

>>1945
I use Avast, myself. Along with AVGfree and Spybot S&D, because I am paranoid out the wazoo.

Vorked, I don't want to sound unappreciative, because that's far from the case. I really appreciate the help and advice you've given me.

Unfortunately, I don't feel right about buying an Acer. Everyone else that I talk to has bad things to say about them.

So, right now, I'm pretty settled on buying the Sony laptop you linked me to earlier (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834127171).

If you manage to come across a better laptop, or an equally good laptop for a cheaper price, please let me know.

Thanks again!

>>1949
Oh hey I found this.
Better?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114809

>>1950
Better, yes! Thank you.

What do you think about this one, Vorked?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220696

Five eggs and it's close to what I was thinking in terms of my original spending limit.

>>1953
I forgot the price-range you were going with.
BUT I will look for a better one around that price, IF I can find one.
This is really nice.

>>1954
Thanks a lot, Vorked. You're good people.

In my quest to get the components for a new computer, I quickly started to notice that the... chassis? I was being recommended were kind of... ugly.

Yes, yes, I know functionality is what I'm aiming for here rather than looks, but considering I'm going to have this thing for another eight years or so, (based on my past computers,) I think I'm going to want to get something that doesn't look like a big black mesh tower of junk.

Got any aesthetically pleasing cases you could recommend?

>>1956
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119202

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

>>1954
Don't bother, Vorked. I head back to school in a few days, so I had to gather up my courage and make a decision. I just ordered the Asus. I'm really excited about it and it's a huge weight off my chest to finally have it done. Thanks so much for all of your help; I really appreciate it and if I have any other computer-related questions in the future I'll be sure to come to you.

>>1959
Good choice. And I shall answer any future questions.

I need a good cheap laptop harddrive

Any particular recs?

>>1962
Well what is your budget?

>>1963
bits of twine and lint
not really much

I suppose it'd also be good to mention I have 500GB external HD about half filled and a 320GB portable with only 45GB taken up

>>1964
Externals are nice.
If you want something nice and INCREDIBLY CHEAP, let me show you this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145257

Hey, it's very possible that I will be employed in two months and I've always wanted to build myself a gaming/general entertainment rig with a good amount of disk space. Not looking for anything big or special, but still reliable. Hoping to keep it at $600 or lower if possible. Help me, Vorked!

>>2003
I found two, take your pick.

For price AND what you get, I found this to be one of the best.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229194

>>2004
Well I guess I only found one.
Derp herp

>A DIY PC combo with assorted parts. The only certainty is that I want a Phenom II X4 and a GeForce 460.

>A decent netbook that is $300 or less, with a gigantic battery life and the ability to run Windows 7 Home Premium.

>An Android or Blackberry smartphone with a very good battery life, preferably under $200.

>>2007
BUDGET BUDGET BUDGET.
WHAT IS IT.

>>2008
$1,000 for the netbook and the PC parts altogether. I'll probably end up spending $300 on the netbook and $700 or less on PC parts.

>>2009
This is a good netbook.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157369

For cellphones, I suggest the Droid or iPhone, or that Windows phone coming out.

With the money you saved from the netbook, you can get this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227267

Even BETTER than what you wanted, the parts you specified are nothing compared! Each of these are at lest two steps up.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227267

Aaaaaugh.... So my husband decided to pick all the parts without really letting me do my own research before confirming the order.

This.... it's not so bad, right?

- Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

- Antec Nine Hundred + EA650 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 650W Power Supply

- EVGA 01G-P3-1372-TR GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video

- G.SKILL Flare 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model F3-16000CL9D-4GBFLS

- ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

- AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT90ZFBGRBOX

>>2019
That is pretty decent, no need to worry.

>>2019

Other than the case which is okay that looks fucking delicious. Don't worry, Hubby done right by you.

Bluhh, don't want to step on your toes Vorked but do you mind if I help KTripfag on a build here? GT 220's not that great; it's basically the successor of the 9600GT which I have and TRUST ME IT'S PRETTY SHIT.

>>2031
What's wrong with the case? I didn't like the fact that it came with a stock PSU, but it sounds like we can upgrade that if necessary.

>>2019
I heard the EVGA 460 card burns a lot of energy and gives a lot of heat, though. Still, I'm looking to get a 460 when I finally build my PC sometime this season.

>>2033

Nothing but it's not especially good either. I just... I have a thing about cases. Pretty srs bsns to me.

>>2034

It's an Antec Earthwatts so I think it'll be fine. About the EVGA 460s, the temps aren't actually that bad. Around 66 Celsius load and 34 idle in the reviews I've seen, all air cooled as far as I remember. Power consumption? ~295W load, ~182W idle. Around the same as a 5830. I didn't look at any reviews specifically using the model Dent has but between the 1GB External Exhaust Superclocked and 768MB Superclocked, those figures look pretty par for course.

Hey Vorked,
I got 2000 to work with and I need something I can use for CS5 and games (TF2 and the like).
Don't know if I should go for a laptop or a desktop.
Current computer's an Acer who I've had for six years, reliable bastard that it is. Can't run any of the newer games through without giving it a heart attack.

>>2043
Gonna go with the fact that you just want an easy already-built system.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229184

This is one of the best computers ever.
Well not really but it is amazing.

>>2044
No, Vork. No. That's OD.

>>2043

So are you willing to assemble it or do you want prebuilt?

You know what I'm gonna make my own thread with blackjack and hookers respond there please so I don't fuck up Vorked's thread.

>>2053

Assembling's no problem, either way works for me.

>>2062

go to >>2064