FighterPilot From Canada, joined Jun 2005, 1323 posts, RR: 24 Posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 1685 times:
Well as a birthday present from my parents, they agreed to buy me a new computer for when I go away to school. They gave me a budget of around $1000-$1500 CAD to spend on a computer. I'm not sure what to all get etc. There are only a few things I want it for:
Be able to run FSX, Photoshop, etc.
Have a lot of HD space for all my pictures.
A good LCD monitor, preferably 20+ inches.
Other then that there isn't much else I need. I've been using the site www.NCIX.com to browse and build, but every time I build something it's way out of my price range.
AeroWesty From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 18826 posts, RR: 64 Reply 1, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 1682 times:
Rather than a build-it-yourself deal, wouldn't buying a fully assembled system with your school discount be a better route to go?
KaiGywer From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 12022 posts, RR: 43 Reply 2, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 1673 times:
Get a Mac. They can do anything you ask them to do. Ask nicely and it'll even cook dinner for you
FighterPilot From Canada, joined Jun 2005, 1323 posts, RR: 24 Reply 3, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 1659 times:
Well I had a few discussions with some friends that are "computer nerds" and they all suggest a custom computer. Mainly reason being, It's easier to upgrade. In the past I've had a few friends that tried to upgrade their Dell computers with new video cards, and after they were installed their computer gave them nothing but troubles, crashing etc. I'm not sure what your referring to by a "school discount." I'm going to be going to Sault College's Flight Management Program am I'm unaware of and "discounts" for buying any computer. It looks to be basically the same price from either a pre-made, or custom built, when the specs. are generally the same.
AC773 From Canada, joined Nov 2005, 1730 posts, RR: 3 Reply 6, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 1652 times:
It's certainly doable, but off the top of my head it won't be easy to get without building it yourself. That way, you can pick out exactly the parts you need and want to focus on (beefy video card for FSX, etc.). It'll save you money, it's a great experience, and the resident A.net nerds are always here to help.
Alternatively, you could always buy a regular PC and just add the video card yourself. There are a million possibilities, man.
Better to be nouveau than never to have been riche at all.
N231YE From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1640 times:
Quoting FighterPilot (Reply 3): I'm not sure what your referring to by a "school discount." I'm going to be going to Sault College's Flight Management Program am I'm unaware of and "discounts" for buying any computer.
Either you don't know about any program, or the school you plan to attend is behind on this.
Every school that I know of, including mine, offers a discount on certain systems; only Dell or Apple. Even products such as Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Adobe Creative Suite, Macromedia/Adobe Flash, etc. have a major reduction in price, although some are sold as "educational editions"
Yfbflyer From Canada, joined Sep 2006, 294 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1630 times:
you mentioned www.ncix.com.
If you go into their forum and post the same message there are plenty of people that would help you out.
I think you are being a little optimistic about getting a system with a 20” LCD for $1500. FSX is pretty hard on computer systems and once the direct x 10 patch is released you will need a 8000 series Nvida video card and Windows Vista to run it with all the features.
With you budget I would consider switching to a 19” LCD and putting the money towards a better video card.
For you budget you could get
LG GSA-H50N dvd writer
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB
OCZ Special Ops PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12
EVGA Nforce 680I SLI LGA775 Conroe ATX DDR2 2PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition DVD OEM
Acer AL1916W Asd 19IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1440X900 700:1 5MS VGA DVI-D
EVGA E-GEFORCE 7900 GS KO
Mushkin HP-550 550W ATX 12V 24PIN SLI Ready ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan
Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Dual Core Processor
And whatever case you decide on.
N231YE From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1623 times:
Quoting GQfluffy (Reply 9): You mean you actually pay for any these?
Well, I know some hacks and were to get hot copies of this software, but I'll take the good route, considering that RIAA for example, absolutely loves colleges/universities.
LY744 From Canada, joined Feb 2001, 5536 posts, RR: 11 Reply 16, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1600 times:
Quoting FighterPilot (Reply 15): Yeah, running through the first summer, but having the second summer off.
Yeah my friend graduated from that program a couple years back and the forces wouldn't take him into pilot training because they wanted a 4 year degree... So now he's at uni. Other than that sounds cool.
Ebs757 From United States of America, joined Jul 2006, 757 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 1564 times:
If I were you ide go with a Dell, but then again it is cheaper to custom make a pc. Don't get a mac.
Tootallsd From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 542 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 1527 times:
A 17" imac retails for $1199
A 20" imac retails for $1499
Klaus From Germany, joined Jul 2001, 20848 posts, RR: 55 Reply 22, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 1514 times:
Macs below the Mac Pro are general-purpose machines with excellent features regarding CPU, networking and other aspects plus excellent manufacturing and a great software package, but their GPUs while capable are not comparable to those you'd use in a specialized gaming machine which sacrifices pretty much everything else for the sake of a higher-ranking graphics card. If you want a gaming machine, get a Playstation, a WII or an XBox - or a specialized Windows box.
The Mac mini and the smallest version of the 17" iMac use integrated graphics, so they cannot be recommended for any significant 3D applications or games at all.
I don't use any flight simulator, but from other 3D games and applications I'd say iMacs / MacBook Pros should be able to run FS, but you'll probably not get the same frame rates as you would on a specialized machine.
UAL747 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 23, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 1506 times:
I work for Dell...or rather, I DID work for Dell. I just quit. Trust me, BUY A MAC! Even if it costs you more money. PC's are worthless pieces of crap and Dell's customer service sucks about as bad as every other PC maker's. I own and will always own a MAC. You don't have to go through that worthless Microsoft crap with MAC. No anti-virus, no reboots, no freezing, no hard shut downs. Nothing but good, quality computing with MAC.
Ebs757 From United States of America, joined Jul 2006, 757 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (6 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1481 times:
Quoting UAL747 (Reply 23): I work for Dell...or rather, I DID work for Dell. I just quit. Trust me, BUY A MAC! Even if it costs you more money. PC's are worthless pieces of crap and Dell's customer service sucks about as bad as every other PC maker's. I own and will always own a MAC. You don't have to go through that worthless Microsoft crap with MAC. No anti-virus, no reboots, no freezing, no hard shut downs. Nothing but good, quality computing with MAC.
Actually Dells customer service rating is one of the top in the industry, it may take some time on the phone but you will get the help you need. And im suspicious that you worked from Dell, the usually moron inst dumb enough to get a virus, and if your pc is freezing you need a new pc not a new OS. PC's are not worthless, they do everything a mac does. Now it might not have the same video editing capability's but it will get the job done, thats why it owns 95% of the market.
And if your planning on using flight simulator your much better off with a pc.
Quoting Tootallsd (Reply 19): Both are beautiful highly functional machines.
Key word, Beautiful. #1 reason to buy a mac...
Viva la Vida
25 Klaus: Gues who's at the top - hint: It's not Dell! Maybe for some newbies who don't know anything about the Mac; People who know the system usually keep bu
26 ReguPilot: My recommendations for your Budget: 1. Intel Core Duo E6600 2. Some nice 2x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM. Brand? Corsair, Kingston, Crucial 3. A nice SLI or Cross
27 KaiGywer: People who know Windows keep buying PCs because those also just work without having to learn to use a Fisher-Price system.
28 Tmatt95: I would class the mac mini certainely as one of those. You do not even get a monitor or keyboard!!! You can get a laptop for around the same price an
29 N231YE: I am running off of an Acer Tablet PC. It was by far the most powerful of all Tablets (and still is) at the time of purchase, and I have not had any
30 Ebs757: LOL.. so true also they dont cost two times more than a pc Ide like too see where Apple is at- Hint, its no were NEAR top. Because it is an os design
31 Tmatt95: but they look sooo goood and are ubber cool.... unless you are talking about a macbook pro which gets super hot but that is great. I love burning my
32 Ebs757: Prime example that apple wants the looks over efficiently. Can't even put decent rubber bumpers on the bottom for christ sake
33 Iowaman: Duuude we have had so many problems with the Acers. A majority of them are desktops though.
34 KaiGywer: That goes for pretty much any company with outsourced call centers. Thank god for live chat with Dell.
35 Lehpron: Based on what you've mentioned, I would suggest a baseline Dell/Gateway/HP type computer with a Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 160-250 gig SATA 3gb/s h
36 Ebs757: I bought a dell dimension and was planning on getting a X1600XT and there were no slots for it! I was pretty upset. Make sure you do a little researc
37 ReguPilot: One of the reasons big companies sell computers so cheap, is because they save in manufacturing costs by removing some capabilities for upgrading, li
38 Lehpron: Like I said, I had to learn: Serial ATA, Ultra ATA, IDE hard drives were and their specs and power req's; motherboard types like microATX, ATX, exten
39 FighterPilot: Oh don't worry, I understand the lingo, and I've build a few computers before. I really don't want to go with a baseline company. I'd prefer to make
40 Klaus: Typing that sentence into a window with ostentatiously plastic-looking buttons in screaming toy colours on top puts irony to a whole new level, doesn
41 Ebs757: hmm you must not have one. My friend does and with basic tasking you can fry an egg with it.
42 Klaus: The earlier Core (1) models ran hotter than the newer Core 2 ones. As I said, no problem with mine (Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz, 17").
43 BHMBAGLOCK: I spoke with several HP tech support people last week in the 3rd world hole of BC (as in Canada). btw, their English was excellent. Here's a suggesti
44 Ebs757: Im drooling right now thinking about that... just gotta wait till I have some $$ to upgrade.
45 KaiGywer: Hmm. I use Windows, and I don't baby my computer. I turn it on, use it, turn it off.
46 Klaus: Let's see: So which one is closer to the usual Fisher-Price cheap plastic look? And recent switchers to MacOS X are usually surprised how much less ti
47 Tmatt95: If by fat you mean abuility to perform tasks requested of it by the type of person that will be looking at spending that much money then I heartily a
48 Klaus: Um, sure... everybody knows that fat actually makes you fit and agile, right? And the cheaper you buy, the healthier you eat, don't you? Yeah, and a
49 ReguPilot: I have read very little of the thread after my last post, but I have to tell my experiences with Mac OS X (mostly Tiger) through the past 2 weeks, whi
50 Klaus: Not much to add, just this: Apple has recently switched to the multi- button "Mighty Mouse" with scroll ball, so the single-button mice are a thing o
51 Cfalk: I just bought a new PC (assembled it today). My budget was $1000 (not including the screen. I shopped around with Dell, Gateway, etc. And I found that
52 Tmatt95: Having had a quick skim through of the specs, it looks like you have got a great deal that will last a long time. Dont wory about the lack of a modem
54 KaiGywer: I got the weekly Dell ad yesterday, and I am really tempted to buy a new computer. Pentium® D Processor 820 with Dual Core Technology (2.80GHz, 800FS
55 Klaus: No. The outdated Pentium D isn't used by Apple at all. It is a last remnant of the horribly inefficient Netburst room-heater architecture - it actual
56 Tmatt95: I agree the technology in the machine listed above is not the most modern but there are ways in which the machine makes up for it. You get: DOUBLE th
57 KaiGywer: And instead of finding an Apple with the same performance for the same price, you just say how bad this one is. Same computer without a "remnant of t
58 BHMBAGLOCK: Klaus is absolutely correct about the Pentium D being not a great product. It was a kneejerk reaction to keep from losing more share than Intel was a
59 Tmatt95: I did not know computers had a sell by date... hmmm maybe when buying the next gadget for my computer I should rummage right to the back in the hope
60 Tmatt95: I would advise going AMD if you can, I have heard a lot of good things about them and it will keep you going a lot longer than the pentium D. I think
61 Tmatt95: Most of the computers on the Dell website are now core 2 or AMD64, bar the cheapest Dell computers: http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/pr...s_better?c
62 DeltaDC9: Actually it is simply planned obsolescence, it is what the US does best. If you cant upgrade you gotta buy another one.
63 Klaus: Depends on what you're comparing it with. For most purposes the comparison would have to be against the Mac mini, but even that one does already come
64 KaiGywer: And it's pretty obvious that they do not offer anything comparable in this price range, or you would have posted a link by now. Except just to make t
65 FriendlySkies: I don't know from experience, but I've read in many places that the Core 2s kick the ass of any AMD on the market.
66 Tmatt95: Yeah, I have heard that too as well. It is very dificult and a bit like the Mac/ Windows debate there is no clear winner in my opinion (having tried
67 Dw747400: I'm also in the process of investigating a new computer, and I'm looking at pretty much the requirements FighterPilot cited. The main differences for
68 Lehpron: All are estimated based on the what is available as of Apr11, not including tax or shipping Intel Core 2 Duo, E6600 2.4GHz ($308) Asetek VapoChill Mi
69 Klaus: I have told you multiple times already that if a bottom-of-the-barrel machine is what you explicitly want, you'll have to look elsewhere. If money is
70 Lehpron: I agree, thought the only combat sim I've played (and pretty much th eonly I will for a while) is a DOS game; I don't a psycics card would be very us
71 Klaus: No, that is a misunderstanding. "Shared memory" says exactly that - the GPU (graphics processor) has to share its memory with the CPU instead of havi
72 Lehpron: So that was what the 400MHz clock on the chipset was, a separate gpu. I know my internal gpu specs are in line with low end video cards and to think
73 Klaus: An increase in the number of cores is always restricted by the available memory bandwidth (and communication bandwidth if they're not sharing memory
74 WSOY: If you're unsure about the gaming aspects and capability of your hardware, feel free to join the community here: http://www.3dmark.com/community/ See
75 ReguPilot: Well, I guess there's no much to add here, since Klaus truly dominates the topic. For this particular matter, remember also that Graphics processors
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