Posts by Zachary Johnson38

Taylor Brown said:honestly, the whole debate about this computer from $667 is getting exhausting... I mean, what would anyone even do if they were actually looking to spend 10 $0.00 on these kinds of questions 😂
it just feels like, the deeper we get into this thread, the more I start to think that nobody here is actually planning on buying anything at all.🙂

Well, I'm definitely buying one.
My birthday is February 1st.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:It looks like you accidentally added that memory to your cart twice, but honestly, since the graphics are integrated directly into the processor, they're actually better than any discrete card up to the $167, so you'll be able to game without a single worry.

Alright, thanks for the heads-up.
So, does this mean I actually need to grab two sticks of memory?

crimsonstag84 said:

This isn't what I'm looking at: 2x PC-10666 Memory, 2 GB, Corsair Vengeance, 991586, DDR3 1333MHz
Warranty: 36 months $50

Where on earth is the graphics card in all of this?

George Harris2 said:That’s essentially the exact same setup you listed above... honestly.
If you go with this quad Core processor with integrated graphics, you'll be able to run Spore and quite a few other games on low to medium settings without much trouble... and I think you're going to really love the monitor because, personally, I find it looks absolutely stunning 😍 ,and it doesn't cost all that much either.

Intel Core i3-3220 Processor, FM1 socket, 2.6GHz, 4MB, GPU 6350D, quad Core
Warranty: 36 months $266
2x Corsair Vengeance memory, 2 GB, 991586, DDR3 1333MHz
Warranty: 36 months $50
500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue hard drive, SATA3, 16MB, 7200 RPM, for desktop $174
LG GH24NS70 DVD RW, 24x, SATA, Dual layer, black, bulk
Warranty: 24 months $45
500W power supply, Dell OptiPlex, ATX v2.2, 120mm fan, PFC
Warranty: 24 months $58
MS Industrial Gemini case, no PSU included$42
21.5" LCD AOC F22 PLUS monitor, 5ms, 300cd/m2, 60000:1, D-SUB, DVI, black, widescreen
Warranty: 36 months $287
ASROCK A55M-HVS motherboard, AMD A55, DDR3, audio, SATA, RAID, VGA, G-LAN, PCI-E, SLI, HDMI, D-SUB, mATX, FM1 socket
Warranty: 24 months 426.87
TOTAL: $1065
Check out Best Buy and maybe ask a neighbor to help you put it together so you can just sit back and play Spore without any stress.
In my opinion, this is probably the best value you can get for that kind of money including the monitor, especially if you already have an old mouse and keyboard lying around from a previous computer.☕

Could you please send me the link for this so I can add it to my cart?
2x Corsair Vengeance memory, 2 GB, 991586, DDR3 1333MHz
Warranty: 36 months $50

Taylor Brown said:Honestly, if you just hang onto your current case and DVD drive and focus your budget entirely on the new components, you'll end up saving a significant amount of money. Once everything arrives, you can just slide the new parts right into the chassis you already own and call it a day. It’s a perfectly viable plan—I mean, it should work without any issues, so why wouldn't you go for it?

On which list are we even talking about???

Mom.
Ovome:I've been looking into this setup, specifically focusing on the Intel Core i3-3220 box, which runs at 2.6GHz with 4MB of cache and features integrated 6350D graphics, all built around a quad Core architecture.
Warranty: 36 months $266
I've got two sticks of 2 GB Corsair Vengeance memory here, specifically the PC-10666 DDR3 1333MHz kit, part number 991586.
Warranty: 36 months $50
I've been looking at this 500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue hard drive, specifically the SATA3 model with 16MB cache and 7200 RPM speeds designed for desktop setups, and I find myself wondering if it's still a solid choice for my current build. $174
I've been looking at this LG GH24NS70 DVD RW drive—it's a 24x SATA model that supports dual layer, comes in black, and is listed as a bulk unit.
Warranty: 24 months $45
I've got a 500W power supply here from the Dell OptiPlex series, featuring an ATX v2.2 design, a 120mm fan for cooling, and PFC.
Warranty coverage lasts for 24 months. $58
I've got an MS Industrial Gemini case sitting here, but just a heads-up—it doesn't come with a power supply. $42
I've been looking at this 21.5" AOC F22 PLUS LCD monitor, which features a 5ms response time, a brightness of 300cd/m2, and a contrast ratio of 60000:1, coming in black with a widescreen aspect ratio and supporting both D-SUB and DVI connections.
Warranty: 36 months $287
I've been looking into the ASROCK A55M-HVS motherboard lately, which runs on an AMD A55 chipset and utilizes DDR3 memory. It’s a microATX board featuring an FM1 socket, and it comes packed with a decent array of features like integrated audio, SATA support, RAID capabilities, and both HDMI and D-SUB outputs for video, along with Gigabit LAN and PCI-E slots that support SLI if you're looking to run dual graphics cards.
Warranty coverage: 24 months, totaling $426.87.
TOTAL: $1065

So, just to make sure I've got this straight—you have to go out and purchase all of these components individually, right?
If the packages end up being heavy, I'm honestly a little worried about what the shipping costs are going to look like for me.

Taylor Brown said:honestly, why would you want to buy a pre-built whole unit 🙂? with setups like that, they always end up skimping on some specific component 😁.
you could just reuse the case and the power supply from this one and then just pick out individual parts to build it yourself, or just pay someone else to put it all together 😁 since they've probably assembled countless rigs like this before; just go ahead and order the parts and you're set.

So, if I take everything—that monitor (I actually have a brand new one already), the drive for loading CDs (mine probably still works fine too), and the tower,
it all adds up to about $691.
That's actually right within my budget.
Now, I have one more question.
Would a computer like that actually be able to run properly?
And also, where is the graphics card on that list?

fadedorca66 said:NOPE!
And seriously, please stop looking at those cheap, overly complicated builds because you might be able to run Super Mario or maybe some Minesweeper on them, but that's about it...

I bought the monitor myself.
Well, why don't you go ahead and find a pre-built computer for under $700 and then tell me which store has it.
Ideally, I'd love for the shop to be somewhere near Siskiyou.

Do you think this computer would be up to the task:

Benjamin King2 said:You won't be able to run Sporu on that because if you're relying on integrated graphics, you really need at least a dual-core processor to make it work.

Is it the one I mentioned earlier, or am I getting myself mixed up?
:/
You know how much I struggle with this kind of technical stuff.

Taylor Brown said:come on, stop messing around 😁 calling all of that "excellent"?? when you're talking about $1050 plus a monitor and other peripherals??
you have to be kidding me... if you didn't need a monitor, then sure, maybe it's okay..

if you want something along these lines, just stick with using your current monitor 😁

1x MSI 870-C45 Motherboard, AMD 770/SB710, DDR3, audio, S-ATA, G-LAN, PCI-E, ATX, AM3 socket
1x AMD Athlon ii X3 450 box, AM3 socket, 3.2GHz, 1.5MB cache, Triple Core
1x PC-10600 Memory, 2 GB, G.SKILL NS series, F3-10600CL9S-2GBNS, DDR3 1333MHz
1x 500GB WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Blue Hard Drive, SATA3, 16MB, 7200 RPM, desktop
1x PCI-E SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON HD 5670 Graphics Card, 1GB DDR5, HDMI, DVI, D-SUB
1x LG GH22NS70 DVD RW, 22x, SATA, Dual layer, black, bulk
1x 430W Power Supply, CORSAIR CX Series V2, COR-CMPSU-430CXV2EU, ATX 2.2, 120mm fan
1x COOLERMASTER Elite 310 RC-310-BKN1-GP Case, MIDI, black-blue, no PSU
$973 http://www.newegg.com/
or just repurpose whatever you can from your old rig... at least grab the power supply, the case, and the hard drive, and then you can buy the rest whenever you've actually got the cash.🙂

I am personally looking at this and this to bundle them together for a single purchase.
I realize it isn't exactly top-tier, but for getting into a better and more modern computer, I think the price is pretty great.
Could someone please just let me know if everything here is compatible?

fadedorca66 said:That Fuj stuff is just old parts from years ago... if I were you, I’d honestly look into something more like this instead:
1 x Dell Optical Drive, DVD±RW, 22x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x WD 500GB HDD, 5000AAKX, SATA 3, 16MB Buffer, 7.200 rpm , 8.9 ms
1 x Kingmax 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB), 1333MHz
1 x Intel Pentium G630 2.7GHz, 512KB/3MB, 65W, Socket 1155
1 x Asrock H61M-VS - Intel H61, Micro ATX, Solid Capacitor for CPU power
1 x EVC 6005 • ATX Case • Black/Silver Front Panel
1 x Chicony HPD4302RWB2 Power Supply, ATX 2.2, 12cm fan, 380W

$696

or an AMD setup:
1 x Dell Optical Drive, DVD±RW, 22x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x WD 500GB HDD, 5000AAKX, SATA 3, 16MB Buffer, 7.200 rpm , 8.9 ms
1 x Kingmax 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB), 1333MHz
1 x EVC 6005 • ATX Case • Black/Silver Front Panel
1 x Chicony HPD4302RWB2 Power Supply, ATX 2.2, 12cm fan, 380W
1 x AMD A4-Series X2 3400 (2.7GHz,1MB,65W,FM1) box
1 x Gigabyte GA-A55-S2V , FM1, Micro ATX , AMD A75 chipset , 2xDDR3

$720

Down the road, if you decide you want to play some games, you can just plug in a decent graphics card and you'll be all set...

I mean, you could definitely run slow games on that, right?
Look, I'll give you a challenge: see if you can $1050 actually find me the perfect complete computer setup with everything—top-tier new parts, mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers included!

Benjamin King2 said:It’s honestly just throwing money down the drain... new cards haven't been manufactured for ages, so you’d basically be buying some "new" card that’s been sitting in a warehouse for years for $133, when in reality it's probably worth maybe 100-$50, and once you eventually upgrade your PC, you'll just end up tossing it in the trash because it won't be compatible anymore.

I'd honestly rather grab that 6800GT from the Microsoft link or maybe this one instead: http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing-example

Hey everyone, this is exactly how much cash I can actually afford right now:
http://www.bestbuy.com/pc-components-budget-example

Benjamin King2 said:You really need to get those drivers installed (and don't forget DirectX 9.0 C).

I finally have a little extra breathing room in my budget to treat myself to something a bit more powerful, though I suppose you could still manage to limp through some games on this thing if you had enough patience!
Does anyone have any solid recommendations for a graphics card under $150 ,specifically looking for something brand new rather than used?

Benjamin King2 said:Alright, that should meet the game's requirements.

That sounds great.
So, if I just pick out the graphics card I actually want, plug it in, and call it a day, am I good to go?
Do I need to worry about wiping my Windows installation or anything like that?

fadedorca66 said:So, they've already thrown two suggestions your way.

One more thing though: what kind of processor and how much RAM are we actually working with here?

I'm really digging this

Here is my setup:
Processor
Intel Pentium 4 40°C
NewCastle 0.13um technology
1.80 GHz, 512 MB RAM

Benjamin King2 said:You'll just have to hash out the shipping costs directly with the card seller.

Honestly, I can handle all that logistics stuff myself.
I just really need someone to help me track down a decent graphics card that can actually run Spore and won't cause a total meltdown when I plug it into my current rig.

crimsonstag84 said:🤦

I mean, theoretically speaking, it’s four times more powerful than that 9600 SE that Benjamin King2 mentioned using, so I'm really not sure what you're getting at here...

To be perfectly honest, I don't know the first thing about computer hardware.
All I really need is some kind of graphics card that can handle casual, slower-paced games.
And I'd really prefer to keep the total cost under $50, including whatever shipping ends up being.

Edit: You probably could have just asked me.
Do you happen to have a link for a card like that?

You just can't play slow games with her.

Benjamin King2 I honestly feel like I might be overthinking this whole situation, but I just can't shake the feeling that there’s something fundamentally missing from my current setup, and I find myself wondering if anyone else has ever felt that specific kind of frustration when you think you've finally nailed your build only to realize you're staring at a massive compatibility headache.
You could probably pick up something like this: I was browsing through some local listings earlier today and stumbled upon an interesting ad for a graphics card that caught my eye. It’s one of those classic pieces of hardware that really makes you nostalgic for the early days of PC building, though I suppose it’s mostly just a relic now. The listing is for an ATI Radeon card, which is funny because it feels like a lifetime ago that these were the kings of the hill before NVIDIA GeForce took over everything we know today. I was looking at the specs and thinking about how much things have shifted since the era when we were all just trying to get DirectX 9.0 C running smoothly on whatever budget rig we could scrape together. It’s a bit humbling to realize how far we've come from those old setups, especially when you remember the struggle of trying to pair specific components just to get a decent frame rate. Anyway, if anyone is feeling particularly sentimental or is looking for a specific vintage part for a retro build, it might be worth a look, though I'm personally more focused on modern gear these days.

The list of supported graphics cards includes:

NVIDIA GeForce
•9500, 9600, 9800
The lineup includes the X300, X600, X700, X800, X850, X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, and X1950 models.
•2400, 2600, 2900, 3650, 3850

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately thinking about the evolution of the NVIDIA GeForce series, and honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming to consider just how much the landscape of high-end graphics has shifted since I first started tinkering with my own rigs. It feels like every time I sit down to evaluate my hardware setup, I find myself caught in this endless cycle of wondering if I'm actually getting the performance I need or if I'm just chasing the latest benchmark numbers for the sake of it. There is something almost poetic, yet deeply frustrating, about the way these cards push the boundaries of what we thought was possible, constantly raising the bar and leaving those of us who just want a smooth experience feeling a little bit left behind by the sheer pace of innovation.
I’ve been spending quite a bit of my free time lately looking back at the old specs for the FX 5900 and the FX 5950, and I honestly can't help but feel a little nostalgic for those specific cards. It’s funny how much things change, isn't it? One minute you're obsessing over every single frame rate on a mid-range setup, and the next, you're realizing just how far hardware has actually come since then. Still, there was something really special about that era of computing that I find myself missing more often than I'd probably care to admit.
•6200, 6500, 6600, 6800, 7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950, 8400, 8500, 8600, 8800

That graphics card you included in the link—is that the one you're actually planning on using?
I was actually wondering myself if that thing is truly universal across all motherboards, or if there are some specific compatibility hurdles we might run into once we try to get everything up and running.

I have an ATX Motherboard.
K8T800-8237 (LGA 1200)

Benjamin King2 said:Zachary Johnson38, just download and install this tool: http://www.piriform.com/speccy/download

It'll give you a full breakdown of all your PC components, so just grab that info and paste it right here.

Graphics
AOC FT7x0 (1024x768@75Hz)
128MB RADEON 9250 (GeCube/InfoTek)
128MB RADEON 9250 - Secondary (GeCube/InfoTek)
CrossFire is disabled

So, what's my next move?