Opinions on system

Ill be buying a new desktop this summer, id like to get something that can play the latest games coming out, and something just generally ripping fast. This is what im looking at right now, id like anyones opinion on this system :

http://directron.com/sysmh2.html

I also understand that it will be 2 or 3 months before my finances are in shape to purchase a system, and that there will be newer technology available at that time, but im starting my shopping now - just cause its fun to dream about it .
Please tell me what you think about that system and maybe links to something better/cheaper whatever would be appreciated.
Thanks!
:major

 

This looks like a good one as well, and cheaper than the other one, too .. . .

http://directron.com/sysmh4.html

 

This being MajorGeeks, why not spec and build your own rig?
:-D

 

id love to, fred but im not that knowledgeable about the best chipsets/hardware conifgurations. Those ready built ones at directron are clearly superior to any retail machines available at retail outlets , and at what appears to be a good price. There are options to order your machine with different hardware/chipsets (at directron)
I prefer directron because they are a local wholesaler, and i can physically go to the business and speak directly to the techs that build the machines .
Whatever i get, i will have it loaded with XP because i hate Vista with a passion.

 

needs more memory and a 64 bit OS

 

You have already taken the first step, you asked the MG forum.
You have an idea of what you want, you have an idea of what you want to spend.
You have the time to get your finances together.
Now all you need is to plan it out and ask the question.
Good luck and have fun dreaming either way

 

I still vote build your own, but just my opinion. :-D I looked a little closer at the computer in your link FED UP, and it seems overpriced. I found the same items (CPU, mobo, PSU) at other online sites for around $30 less for each one.

I am not familiar with Directron, and have no problem with a company making a profit. But their prices seem a bit high. "[FONT=arial, helvetica]Part Number:SYS-MH-2http://us.st1.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/Img/trans_1x1.gifRegular price:$2,999.99http://us.st1.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/Img/trans_1x1.gifOn Sale: http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/directron_2040_9382159" Sounds way overpriced to me.

For $1K I think you could build an equivalent or better box in my opinion. Keep in mind also, now is a good time to get an idea of what you want, but prices change quickly as new technology comes out, so by summer, all these prices may be different!

I just noticed your second link. That one seems to be pretty reasonable.
[/FONT]

 

I've heard good things about Dirctron but never used them personally. that 2nd link looks like a good machine but I still think it's pricey to what you could build yourself. Also, it doesn't have an OS. I would check out newegg & tigerdirect before taking the plunge

just my 2cents

 

Directron allows you to choose the OS you want, as well as substitute harware and such .
I will do some research before making my final r\decision . .

 

As i get closer to making a final decision on the purchase of my new system, I am wondering about which operating system to use. I do prefer windows over linux, and love XP, and I absoultely HATE Vista, which I have now been using for about a year on this machine im using now . I have not tried Windows 7, and dont really want to fart around with the OS on this machine, since it isnt mine. I don't feel that Microsoft is going to abandon support for XP anytime soon, and i can read a hundred reviews of Windows 7 all over the internet, but would like to hear an opinion or two from an MG user .

 

Oh wow. I just noticed on this system :
http://directron.com/sysmh4.html

The following:
Notes: System requires assembly, please allow up to 2 business days for item to ship.

Could anyone venture to guess what exactly this assembly would require ? For example, im not scared to install hard drives, memory cards, video cards, and various other minor hardware, but ive never done things like seat CPU's and other stuff im not even sure of that may be required. Id hate to spend $1000 on this computer and ruin something by being a bonehead and doing an improper assembly .
:confused

 

im gonna do just that thanks .

 

Usually it is like a kit. You get a case, and a bunch of boxes. You would need to install the motherboard in the case, CPU, CPU heatsink, PSU, RAM, GPU, RAM, get it up and go into the BIOS and tell it to boot from the cd/dvd drive first, pop your OS in the drive, and install your OS.

:-D Simple.

Pretty simple really, is sounds hard to do. It should take you 1 to 3 hours to get the hardware installed, the OS install will vary. It is not hard to seat a CPU, some heatsinks can be a little tricky. If you want to do some wire management, add an hour or more.

Pretty sure we can walk you through it if you take the plunge.

 

Yeah, i think that system at $859 + cost of an OS is a good deal. Based on what you have said, Fred G, I am certain that i could do most of the assembly myself, but am nervous about a few things (seating the cpu, mostly, ive done all the other things on other computers) but with a little reassurance and help from you guys, and a little patience im sure i can get it done .
Now about the OS issue . . . . . . .
XP or Windows 7 ?
I dont want to use Linux or any other non-windows based OS .

 

W7 is still Beta. I still like XP for gaming, have not really played around much with W7, but it 'feels' faster and better than Vista. If I were building one, I would probably shop around for an OEM copy of XP, then look into buying W7 6 months or so after it's release.

Windows always seems to have a Service Pack One that fixes lots of stuff.

 

Im not really concerned about what they quote as the "regular price", ($2,999.00) . The price I am concerned about is the actual sale price of $1,149 .

so between just THESE two systems : http://directron.com/sysmh2.html
and : http://directron.com/sysmh4.html

Which would you say is the better deal ?
I have another thread going here on MG that has evolved into this same topic, in which we are discussing the fact that these systems require assembly . http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=185707
I am welcoming input from anyone and everyone who may wish to offer comments or advice, as I am within 2 or 3 weeks of purchasing my new computer.
(im already getting excited )

 

Out of those 2, I would get the second one. However, I am not up to date on the AMD CPU's, so I am not sure if one is superior to the other.

 

Haha bro didnt know you had another topic running.

Again id go with building your own! You might be nervous or maybe your lazy! But dont be! Putting in the CPU is easy! installing a heatsink takes a little bit of common sense, The rest is simple. And when all your friends come over and look at your rig. They will be like "WHOA! where did you get that!" and Then your reply will be "I built it myself!" and then they will be like "WOW That is awesome!" Then you smile and feel better about yourself

Its fun, this is my first system i built and i did run into a few problems(i mounted the Mobo wrong and it kept shorting out) but looked over the directions did a quick google, found the problem and fixed it, and now it works fine.

Dont be intimidated its not hard at all! Good luck to you!

 

Yeah, at the moment, i am leaning strongly towards ordering : http://directron.com/sysmh4.html
but probably with a better PSU .
The unit requires assembly, and while i didnt really configure the component collection, i can still brag to people that I built it myself ;-) .
Im still looking for comments, advice from anyone .
:major

 

To me it sounds like the Notes: System requires assembly, please allow up to 2 business days for item to ship. simply means this place has to build the system them selves at the factory, not you personally. hence the please allow 2 business days for delivery.

 

oh. Can I still tell people i built it myself ? :-D

 

I guess that makes sense though. Directron is just a few miles from my house, and i have been in there. It is a very cool place, its really just a distribution warehouse with a not-very-customer-friendly "showroom" with piles and bins of old and classic software and hardware at dirt cheap prices. There is a workshop where i watched some technicians working on computers for a bit while i waited for one of my orders to be pulled from the warehouse. I assume then, that if they DO in fact assemble the system there then those are the guys that will do it . Dang i cant wait to get my new system ! :drool

 

Back to the OS topic, if you go to : http://directron.com/sysmh4.html
Scroll down to "Choose Operating System" and pull down the menu, XP Home Edition with SP3 is $89, while XP PRO with service pack 3 is $135 . I'm not even sure what the differences between the two are .
Can anyone offer advice on the differences between those two OS's ?

 

http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/1433

Main difference is remote desktop is kinda crippled in Home. Either should work for basic stuff. For the small price difference, I would go with XP Pro unless you need to save a few $'s, or £.

 

Sonofa.... Im getting within days of having all the $$ i need to order the system ive been wanting: http://directron.com/sysmh4.html .
Now the page says the system is sold out ???!!
GAH ! :mad
I was getting so excited about it, and done lots of research on the individual pieces of hardware for that system .
Now im really ticked off.
Guess its time to start looking around for a different system.
SH*T

 

Just calm down a little bit, give it a couple of days, and they may have more in stock by then.

 

It seems odd, though, that a system they build to order would be sold out ?
I wonder which component is sold out that keeps them from selling the unit .
Weird .

 

Im certain that this is a conspiracy aimed solely at me to deprive me of my happiness .
:-D

 

I really wanted to stick with AMD, but what do you guys think of this system for the price ?
Besides it not having enough RAM .

http://directron.com/syscqh1.html

 

There are of course certain pros and cons to building your own if you have never built your own. I would say the trickiest parts are mounting your heatsink, and connecting the case lights/speaker/indicators to the motherboard. Other than that you get to hand pick your parts and case which often means you get to save money.

 

I have unmounted and remounted CPU heatsinks to apply thermal paste. I didnt have much of a problem, but i do see how people say its a little tricky .
The fastening mechanisms were poorly designed .

Reason i dont handpick the components to build my own is the amount of time it would take to research compatibility, quality of manufacturers, etc . I would rather have a system pre-designed so i dont have to worry about and take the time necessary to do my own configuration. Im not lazy, i work tons of hours, and play bass in bands in my spare time . I just dont have alot of extra time to devote to researching and selecting components on my own.

So, again, does anyone have any opinions on this system : http://directron.com/syscqh1.html
especially compared to my initial (but now out of stock) choice of :
http://directron.com/sysmh4.html

thnx

 

Okey Dokey .
I went in person to Directron today , and asked for a manager. I told the manager that the system i had been looking at and saving for is showing OUT OF STOCK on their website. He said he didn't think the unit should be showing out of stock, so he checked for availability of each individual component, and said that the motherboard was showing 0 in stock, so he excused him self and went into the warehouse for about 10 minutes, and came back with one in his hand. So i was able to order my computer !
The only change i made to it was instead of getting XP home, i got XP Pro, because one of the techs told me that XP Pro would work better with a quad core processor. I dont know why this would be, or even if it's true, but i certainly did not want Vista, so I dished out the extra $50 bucks for the XP pro .

http://directron.com/sysmh4.html

I am as excited as an 8 year opld at Christmas time. My system should be built and ready for pick up and Tuesday or Wednesday .
I will pick it up in person so UPS wont have a chance to kick it around .
Thanks for all of your input, and Ill let you know how the unit performs once i get it .
I CANT WAAAAAITT !!!!

 

You will have to wait all weekend! I hate having to wait for my toys! Hope it works well for you.

 

YAAAAAGH !!! i know. the wait sucks, but i know its gonna be worth it.
I was amazed at the manager at Directron, he didnt try to sell me stuff i dont need, i talked to a tech about that 500w power supply and he said that it was perfectly adequate for the hardware im getting .
If there are no problems with the hardware or anything, then the system should be MORE than adequate for what i do (casual gaming, music collecting, watching movies, general playing around on the internet) . I already have a nice 22" Hyundai lcd flatscreen waiting .
Okay i gotta stop thinking about it, i get all excited and stuff LOL .
:major

 

Just to mess with you, if you had bought all the stuff and taken it home with you, you would most likely be posting here with your new 'puter. :-D

 

oh shush it
lol

 

actually id still be putting it together and installing OS, drivers, etc.
:kissmy

lol

 

Well, if it was mine, I would be overclocking it and bechmarking it and then I would have it Folding. :-D

Just jerking your chain. Some people just don't like building their own puters. I sell 'puters to some of them around here. :-D

 

OK. got my computer, seems to be working well. Only thing ive noticed so far is that CCLEANER is showing only 3.2 gigs of RAM available when i actually have 4 gigs . I have the Radeon 4870 1gig GPU with Catalyst 09.1 - 8.573-090113a-074232C-ATI (1-13-2009) Driver. I wonder why im not showing all 4gigs of RAM available ?

 

Limitations of a 32bit OS most likely. You need a 64bit OS to use more than 3.something RAM.

 

well crud. S'ok though this computer nice @ fast. 5 or 6 seconds from pressing the power button, im already on my desktop starting apps.

 

UPDATE ON SYSTEM :

Siince i spent over $1000 on the system itself, and i wanted a lighted keyboard, i bought the cheapest one they had in stock (mistake) . When i opened the box, the keyboard was OBVIOUSLY cheaply made from inferior materials, but i hooked it up anyway, eager to try out my new system. The first time i used the left side 'SHIFT' key, it stayed in the down position and simply didnt work. This was on Friday, and due to the weather i was off work. So, no big deal, I went back to Directron, decided to return it for store credit and upgrade to a higher quality keyboard. Transaction was quick and painless - at Directron, if you return an item, you return it to the tech department, where one of the computer techs checks it out and makes sure its really malfunctioning, etc. I received my paperwork for the store credit, and picked out a better quality keyboard . I got the keyboard home, this keyboard had no button to turn OFF the backlighting, only a button to change the lighting color from blue to red. The lighting worked for about an hour, then stopped working completely I tried everything i could think of to get it working (except for physically opening the keyboard, as im certain this would cause problems if noticed if i had to return it) . By this time the weather was ungodly horrible, and i was a bit irritated that i had to drive back to Directron a second time in the same day to return a defective keyboard. I took it to the tech, and explained the problem. I told him i wanted store credit, and that i would be checking what they had in stock on one of the bank of computers they have in the store to choose a higher quality keyboard. Theres not much a showroom, its really a wholesale warehouse that allows the public to purchase from them, so they dont have a "showroom" like a Circuit City or Fry's or whatever. After the tech checked out the keyboard and completed my paperwork for store credit, he came over to where i was browsing the inventory of keyboards, and recommended a Saitek keyboard, explaining that the return rate on this particular keyboard is extremely low. So when i went to the sales counter, I explained to the sales rep that, while i understood that they aren't intentionally selling defective products, i was irritated that i had to use my time and gas to drive to their location twice in one day to return two defective keyboards. I then suggested that they should do something to compensate me for my time and gasoline spent dealing with these bad products, such as sell me the higher quality, slightly more expensive keyboard at the same price as the one i had already paid for, that i was returning . The sales manager overheard our conversation, and instantly approved my request . While the discount wasnt huge, it did show me that Directron was concerned about customer satisfaction, and I was happy with the discount, got a much better keyboard without having to shell out a single penny, and now have an entire system that is just amazing for the price . I give Directron an A+ for their customer service, i have previously ordered products from them, picked up a few at will call, and had a few mailed to the house. I would recommend Directron to anyone shopping for computers and related items.

 

dang i wish i was around when you were choosing your OS to tell you need to get a 64bit OS isntead of 32bit for the extra ram...oh well.

I would of went with a Logitech G15 keyboard, cheap lights up, LCD screen, pure awesomeness, ive had it for a good year now, and its worked flawlessly, lights are all still working and everything.

Glad you like your new computer

 

Yeah i love the new computer, but i hate Vista, which was the only 64bit OS they had to offer. Not a big deal, though, maybe Windows 7 will be ready soon, and would undoubtedly have a 64 bit version, and ill make the switch once i see that Windows 7 is stable, less bloated, and (hopefully) faster than Vista .
Is there no way at all to get the rest of my RAM to show up without having a 64 bit OS ?
Theres GOTTA be a way !

 

I like Win7 64 bit. :-D Boots FAST! Beta testing can be fun sometimes. Vista takes a little getting used to, but it is not bad in my opinion. For some reason, every time they release a new OS, they have to mover everything around just enough so you can't seem to find what you are looking for!

 

there is no way to do it with a 32bit system and XP does have a 64bit version though you might need to go elsewhere than your direct shop to find it.

if you only have 4GB right now its not a huge deal, but if you upgrade to 6GB or 8GB then you need to havea 64bt