Need advice on buying a computer

[Shawn]

So my wife gave me a $400 spending limit for a better computer -_-

I've already looked at Rishwins thread about PCs from NewEgg, but the thing is... A) I'd have to build it (don't know how) and B) I have no tools or friends with tools to build it. That being said, I'm asking for a little too much but hope you bear with me on this. This is a site for a company nearby that sells computers cheaper than most places around here. I'm asking that someone goes on there and finds the "best" deal within my price range, since I don't really know what is and isn't good. I'm mainly going to be using it for MapleStory and possibly WoW. I want to be able to play without lag or relatively low lag. Anyways, here is the site:

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Additional info: I already have a monitor, so I don't want/need one. I also have two 1GB ram cards that I could use, if possible. If it helps at all, here is the information for them from PC Wizard.

 General Information :	 
J9 (CH_A_DIMM0 ) :	1024MB - DIMM 
J10 (CH_A_DIMM1 ) :	1024MB - DIMM 

 Information SPD EEPROM (J9) :	 
Manufacturer :	Kingston 
Part Number :	Unspecified 
Serial Number :	4B2DF516 
Type :	DDR2-SDRAM PC2-5300 (333MHz)  -  [DDR2-666] 
Format :	Regular UDIMM (133.35 x ) 
Size :	1024MB (1 ranks, 8 banks) 
Module Buffered :	No 
Module Registered :	No 
Module SLi Ready (EPP) :	No 
Width :	64-bit 
Error Correction Capability (EC...	No 
Max. Burst Length :	8 
Refresh :	Reduced (.5x)7.8, Self Refreshµs 
Voltage :	SSTL 1.8v 
Prefetch Buffer :	4-bit 
Manufacture :	Week 23 of 2010 
Supported Frequencies :	200MHz, 266MHz, 333MHz 
CAS Latency (tCL) :	3 clocks @ 200MHz, 4 clocks @ 266MHz, 5 clocks @ 333MHz 
RAS to CAS (tRCD) :	3 clocks @ 200MHz, 4 clocks @ 266MHz, 5 clocks @ 333MHz 
RAS Precharge (tRP) :	3 clocks @ 200MHz, 4 clocks @ 266MHz, 5 clocks @ 333MHz 
Cycle Time (tRAS) :	9 clocks @ 200MHz, 12 clocks @ 266MHz, 15 clocks @ 333MHz 
Min TRC :	12 clocks @ 200MHz, 16 clocks @ 266MHz, 20 clocks @ 333MHz 

 Information SPD EEPROM (J10) :	 
Manufacturer :	Kingston 
Part Number :	99U5429-005.A00LF 
Serial Number :	A002C381 
Type :	DDR2-SDRAM PC2-5300 (333MHz)  -  [DDR2-666] 
Format :	Regular UDIMM (133.35 x 3) 
Size :	1024MB (2 ranks, 4 banks) 
Module Buffered :	No 
Module Registered :	No 
Module SLi Ready (EPP) :	No 
Width :	64-bit 
Error Correction Capability (EC...	No 
Max. Burst Length :	8 
Refresh :	Reduced (.5x)7.8, Self Refreshµs 
Voltage :	SSTL 1.8v 
Prefetch Buffer :	4-bit 
Manufacture :	Week 28 of 2008 
Supported Frequencies :	200MHz, 266MHz, 333MHz 
CAS Latency (tCL) :	3 clocks @ 200MHz, 4 clocks @ 266MHz, 5 clocks @ 333MHz 
RAS to CAS (tRCD) :	3 clocks @ 200MHz, 4 clocks @ 266MHz, 5 clocks @ 333MHz 
RAS Precharge (tRP) :	3 clocks @ 200MHz, 4 clocks @ 266MHz, 5 clocks @ 333MHz 
Cycle Time (tRAS) :	9 clocks @ 200MHz, 12 clocks @ 266MHz, 15 clocks @ 333MHz 
Min TRC :	12 clocks @ 200MHz, 16 clocks @ 266MHz, 20 clocks @ 333MHz

Thank you very very much for whoever takes the time to do this for me. Yes... I am a "noob" when it comes to this crap.

 

[Chris]

Putting together a computer is like plugging an electric cord, no it IS plugging in an electric cord, just a few of them, and all you'll need for the job would be a phillips screwdriver. It's honestly the simplest thing to do.

If you're still against building one, the one i'd pick from that website for under $400 would be

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[Shawn]

Putting together a computer is like plugging an electric cord, no it IS plugging in an electric cord, just a few of them, and all you'll need for the job would be a phillips screwdriver. It's honestly the simplest thing to do.

If you're still against building one, the one i'd pick from that website for under $400 would be

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You must be registered to see links

 

[Chris]

I believe I was looking at that one earlier. In your opinion, would it be sufficient for gaming? I'm not looking to hardcore game, especially since MapleStory requires less resources than WoW. I can manage playing WoW if I have to turn the settings down, I don't mind that. As for the building, I guess I was under the assumption I would need a soldering gun. I wouldn't need one if I bought the parts from NewEgg?

That computer would be sufficient for gaming, yes.

as for newegg, they give you parts that plug into eachother.

It requires basic knowledge to do it right.

Everything plugs into the motherboard, and the motherboard is fastened onto something.

The drives are all locked into slots and have cords for easy plug-in, and the cord is double sided so one end can go into the motherboard. It's very easy to do. If you have an old desktop laying around, just open it up and take all the pieces apart and you'll find out how easy it really is.

 

[Jolin88]

I once built a computer using nothing but a knife and the hardware

Building might be the wrong word, it's more like assembling

each piece has a slot, you put it in the slot, and you're good, some require screws to stay in place, but if needed they have holes for the screws, you won't need to tinker with the hardware

As for that computer, it's ok but the graphic card is weak, it would play wow, but you can find better for 400$ Especially if you want this computer to last longer

If you don't mind going a little over budget I'd suggest this :

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It's more suited for gaming, you could play even newest games with middle to low settings on this thing, and wow with maxed settings

Don't forget that now you may just play maplestory and wow, but some day there might be some new game you'd like to play, and it would be disappointing if you pay 400$ and need to upgrade soon

 

[Rishwin]

Building a PC is not as hard as people think. You really can't duck up because things only fit in where they belong. Just look for a slot that fits, and i guarantee you it belongs there

Otherwise, almost any PC store (inc newegg) will build the PC for you, usual charge is around $50 and they usually include their own warranty for building it.

 

[Rishwin]

Re: your message, a good replacement for the 4850 is the 5770 which still provides outstanding performancerice ratio.

 

[Shawn]

Question... with your "Budget Gamer" build... do I need to buy any cables? Or do these come with everything I need? Also, are you referring to this?

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[Rishwin]

Nah dude, it's the 5770 not 5570. Should be around the $100 mark, but excellent value for money.

All cables ect should be included with the motherboard, all motherboard mounts ect come with the case, the power cable comes with the PSU, and the GPU will come with DVI/VGA adapters but the video cable usually comes with the monitor.

 

[Shawn]

Well... I ran into some issues with Paypal and NewEgg, something about my new address needs to be confirmed and blah blah blah. So I did some browsing, and was wondering if these would be a suitable replacement?

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EDIT: Nevermind. Already purchased the above items. Should be receiving them by Friday. Rish, since you're the one that seems to know the most about this... if there's anything in the list above that you think I could replace for something better that's around the same price, please let me know because I can go to the store to trade it in. Thanks.

 

[Warmonger]

Well... I ran into some issues with Paypal and NewEgg, something about my new address needs to be confirmed and blah blah blah. So I did some browsing, and was wondering if these would be a suitable replacement?




EDIT: Nevermind. Already purchased the above items. Should be receiving them by Friday. Rish, since you're the one that seems to know the most about this... if there's anything in the list above that you think I could replace for something better that's around the same price, please let me know because I can go to the store to trade it in. Thanks.

The video card is still weak. The 5450 is sorta like the 4350 except jacked up on DDR3. But still a low end card for HTPC systems. If your on a super low budget I would aim for at least a 4650. The 4650 is cheaper then the 5450 and about 2x as fast. If you got a few extra bucks grab a 4670. I picked up my 4650 for about $34 on Newegg. Just make sure you grab the DDR3 version and not the DDR2 counterparts. If you got the money to spare and the extra juice, then by all means go bigger and get the 5770. Just don't invest too much. I put a 4650 in my old single core Athlon 64 machine and the card runs a solid 14-20fps with Prototype on default settings @ 1280x720. With the GPU under 50% load... (CPU is bottlenecking the card).