I've been round the houses with my machines. Some had custom built, some I've bought of the shelf, some I've pushed the limits by buying a top end machine with the latest and greatest.

After my travels I've decided from now on instead of buying great machines, I'm just going to by mid level spec from a decent bulk provider, so yes maybe alienware. But it will be one of their more basic machines.

Simple reason being:

1: Even their basic is good.
2: Their top end will be basic in 6 months anyway.
3: If I spend under £1000 on a machine I won't mind buying a new one a couple of years later, that would not likely be the case if I bought one that was well over.
4: Rebuying basic machines more frequently will mean on average I have 'better' machine.

Right now I'm waiting for Quad cores to settle in and a vista service pack, and then I'll get something.

I did that three times. I found it frustrating, Here's why:

1.Everything runs fine, until Microsoft updates the OS

2.I am tired of becoming basic every three years.

3.I may not have money at the time to upgrade the thing

4.Programs begin to cease to function optimally, For instance: GalCiv2

5.What is a mid-range PC? Halfway between $200 and $32,000?


(and yes, this is just to get more feedback from other people, you know, bring it up on the recent list...)

I run Gal Civ II on

AMD thunderbird XP 2.0 GHz (cira 2000) running windows 2k sp4
1 GB of DDR 266 ram
ATI 9800 pro 128 MB

And a nice VP2030B Viewsonic monitor at 1600x1200

Seems to run fine you could get a PC far better than this for £200 here in uk ~$400 so unless you like games like crysis (that no pc can run on max settings) then you do not need to spend much.

I would say:-

AMD X2 4400+
2GB DDR2
250-320 GB HD
Ati 1950 pro if you want a cheap directx 9c card or nvida 8800 GT 512 if you want a decent Direct X10 card that runs 9.0c well
Windows XP pro 32 bit - far better than vista for games

If you have trouble finding a new box with Windows XP, I second the comment above about waiting until Vista SP1 is out.

Hi,

Right now, is the best time to buy new hardware. You can buy it from Gateway,
HP or Dell. You should be able yo get a good mid range system for under $800
with a LCD screen.

Those $800 Dell and Gateway computers with monitor included are really poor quality. You'll likely have component lifetime issues or just defects right out of the box. The big makers buy volume, often custom designed components as cheap as they can. They strong-arm their suppliers into meeting contractual price and quantity obligations resulting in poor quality control. They also broker deals for off-the-shelf hardware that is really bottom of the barrel. You *can* get a quality system from Dell or Gateway if you have it built to your specifications, but you'll pay more than if you just bought a system from a smaller, quality maker. Support those little guys and spend a little more for a much better system. Or, just build one yourself and support those component makers that cater to us enthusiasts.

Well you could spend $5000 on a brilliant computer but your freind who bought the $1000 dollar computer, who kept the change, then spends another $1000 in 6 months to upgrade will have a better computer than you already for only $2000 outlay!

Aye, but Dell bought Alienware. I do wonder if they are maintaining their quality levels under the new owners.

what is that, moore's law? computational power doubles every 18 months.



i will echo that 200%. i just upgraded from a less-than-2-year-old Dell that was almost totally dead, to a new PC i built myself. i spent $800 out of pocket, but this system is better than anything i'd get from Dell by paying twice as much. i would recommend a Dell monitor, but they're on sale right now. the $100 you'd save by buying it paired with a Dell PC isn't worth it; you'll save more money in the long run simply buying a Dell monitor on sale and getting a good PC somewhere else. just buy one of their monitors and let them market PCs to business consumers.

Craig (whom i quoted above) and a few others were an immense help in my decision-making process as i bought the components for my new PC. one warning about building your own: zero bundled software (no anti-virus, no DVD decoder, etc.). but even still, most bundled software is crap, and the stuff i do use, i'd prefer to pick myself for optimal performance.

if you want someone to build you a quality PC, especially if price is no object, i would recommend Puget Systems. they ain't cheap, but from what i've read their customer support is outstanding, and they'll basically build anything you want and work with you to ensure you get the PC you really want, regardless of your level of expertise. alienware is also good, but personally i can't stand their cases. they look childish to me. you can also find great deals on built systems on tigerdirect.com, and newegg.com is generally the best place to shop online for computer stuff.

good luck!

Aye, i've been reading...

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I think 'll try going budget this time and just drool over other computers...
Did you know Apple's got an eight-core for market now?

I used to work for HP in Australia (dispatch).

Funny thing.... remember that Simpsons episode where Mr burns turns off the power plant? He goes through all that security to reach the off switch and then at the end ther is an open screen door to the outside!

Well similar thing at HP... i was working in dispatch, loading pallets of computers on trucks in an open whareouse with no security that anyone could walk in and out of! further down (same complex) in the assembly line area, the security was tighter than an airport terminal!!!

We were instructed to enter and leave work through security but during the day, everyone was walking out through the wareouse to smoke, or go to lunch.