questions on a cheap build

[Spork]

hello. I was looking into building a cheap second computer so me and my gf
aren't battling for it all the time. I also had a question from a budget
building standpoint. I am a heavy pc gamer but im still happy with most
games even if I have to turn the graphics down a bit. I'm mostly into the
strategy/sim city type games.

For me wouldn't it make more sense just to build these budget systems with a
duron? I really see no reason to go overboard when these new bargain systems
every few years can out do something you spend 5 times as much for just 2
years earlier.


I see newegg has a duron 1.8 and PCChips M811LU for around 75 bucks!
I also have a extra 256 ddr chip already. would this be good as just a web
browsing machine for 3-4 years? might occasionaly play a lan starcraft game
but thats about it.

I was also looking into a new monitor to save some deskspace with the 2nd
computer. I have a old 13 compaq monitor thats at least 7 years old but
still works. Would it be worth it to invest in a lcd monitor now? I was
looking at the
CMV CT-722A from newegg. its going for 196$ I would hate to see 6 months
from now lcds going for 99$.

thanks

 

[Chris]

hello. I was looking into building a cheap second computer so me and my gf
aren't battling for it all the time. I also had a question from a budget
building standpoint. I am a heavy pc gamer but im still happy with most
games even if I have to turn the graphics down a bit. I'm mostly into the
strategy/sim city type games.

For me wouldn't it make more sense just to build these budget systems with
a
duron? I really see no reason to go overboard when these new bargain
systems
every few years can out do something you spend 5 times as much for just 2
years earlier.


I see newegg has a duron 1.8 and PCChips M811LU for around 75 bucks!
I also have a extra 256 ddr chip already. would this be good as just a
web
browsing machine for 3-4 years? might occasionaly play a lan starcraft
game
but thats about it.

I was also looking into a new monitor to save some deskspace with the 2nd
computer. I have a old 13 compaq monitor thats at least 7 years old but
still works. Would it be worth it to invest in a lcd monitor now? I was
looking at the
CMV CT-722A from newegg. its going for 196$ I would hate to see 6 months
from now lcds going for 99$.

thanks

With a PC CHIPS board you'll be lucky to see 2 months of use let alone 2
years, keep well away. you get what you pay for.












--
Chris
Technical director CKCCOMPUSCRIPT
Apple Computers, Intel, Roland audio, ATI, Microsoft, Sun Solaris, Cisco and
Silicone Graphics.
Wholesale distributor and specialist audio visual computers and servers
FREE SUPPORT @,
http://www.ckccomp.plus.com/site/page.HTM
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Al Dykes]

hello. I was looking into building a cheap second computer so me and my gf
aren't battling for it all the time. I also had a question from a budget
building standpoint. I am a heavy pc gamer but im still happy with most
games even if I have to turn the graphics down a bit. I'm mostly into the
strategy/sim city type games.

For me wouldn't it make more sense just to build these budget systems with a
duron? I really see no reason to go overboard when these new bargain systems
every few years can out do something you spend 5 times as much for just 2
years earlier.


I see newegg has a duron 1.8 and PCChips M811LU for around 75 bucks!
I also have a extra 256 ddr chip already. would this be good as just a web
browsing machine for 3-4 years? might occasionaly play a lan starcraft game
but thats about it.

I was also looking into a new monitor to save some deskspace with the 2nd
computer. I have a old 13 compaq monitor thats at least 7 years old but
still works. Would it be worth it to invest in a lcd monitor now? I was
looking at the
CMV CT-722A from newegg. its going for 196$ I would hate to see 6 months
from now lcds going for 99$.

thanks

IMO avoid PCCHIPS mobos, based on one bad experience. There is no
shortage of good mobos. You can get an ASUS board with sound/video/NIC
for $52 from newegg.

You can get a 15 inch LCD screen for under $200. If desk space is an
issue that's the way to go.

 

[Conor]

With a PC CHIPS board you'll be lucky to see 2 months of use let alone 2
years, keep well away. you get what you pay for.

Really? Want me to take you to an office full of them? All over 4 years
old and running 9hrs a day, 6 days a week.

 

[Conor]

IMO avoid PCCHIPS mobos, based on one bad experience.

Based on one bad experience? That's be ****ed for HDDs then because
over the past 14 years I've had at least one of every brand go bad.

 

[David Maynard]

Based on one bad experience? That's be ****ed for HDDs then because
over the past 14 years I've had at least one of every brand go bad.

From the aspect of his one experience being anecdotal you're right but by
the combined experience of bazillions of others who've had problems with
PCChips motherboards, plus the infamous mislabeling they do such as "PC100"
not necessarily being 100 MHz and "AMDPRO-3200" not being a 3200 processor
(any time you see them use "Pro," run), he's right.

You *can* get a decent PCChips motherboard, depending on how you define
decent, but that isn't the square to bet on.

 

[David Maynard]

Really? Want me to take you to an office full of them? All over 4 years
old and running 9hrs a day, 6 days a week.

You sure they want everybody to know that?

 

[Bob Kruse]

Having followed this newsgroup for years and used it extensively when
I built my first PC, I can say that PC Chips has a poor reputation
among hobbyists. I, too, would recommend a good all-in-one board
instead of the cheapest board you can buy unless you're ok with the
potential problems that come with it.

For example, I know a guy that has made a hobby out of putting
together the cheapest computers known to man. He brags each time he
builds one for less than before. He has tons of problems with no name
product drivers and having to return hardware that's DOA but he
doesn't care because that's fun for him.

But you, on the other hand, just want to build a cheap computer that
actually works well and doesn't require you to tinker with it to make
it go. So buy quality and you'll die a happy man in your fantasy Sim
world instead of trying to figure out if your computer is dead because
of your cheap power supply or your cheap motherboard.

Just my $.02

Bob

 

[Ed Cregger]

Having followed this newsgroup for years and used it extensively when
I built my first PC, I can say that PC Chips has a poor reputation
among hobbyists. I, too, would recommend a good all-in-one board
instead of the cheapest board you can buy unless you're ok with the
potential problems that come with it.

For example, I know a guy that has made a hobby out of putting
together the cheapest computers known to man. He brags each time he
builds one for less than before. He has tons of problems with no name
product drivers and having to return hardware that's DOA but he
doesn't care because that's fun for him.

But you, on the other hand, just want to build a cheap computer that
actually works well and doesn't require you to tinker with it to make
it go. So buy quality and you'll die a happy man in your fantasy Sim
world instead of trying to figure out if your computer is dead because
of your cheap power supply or your cheap motherboard.

Just my $.02

Bob

I agree with the sentiment of your post, Bob. The problem is that there is
almost no way for the occasional PC builder to know which boards are
problematic and which are not. Price has not proven to be a reliable
indicator in my fifteen to twenty years of experience. Even word of mouth is
not completely reliable.

For instance, using the Intel 820 video card with a VIA chipset a few years
back led to tons of problems. Both the Mobo and the video card had a great
reputation individually, but they fought each other constantly when used in
the same computer. I finally switched out the Intel video card for, get
this, an $11 SiS videocard, of all things, and the problems went away. The
video was surprisingly good for the type of computer I was building.

Last year I knuckled under and bought a prebuilt system that was built to my
specs. Little did I know that having the builder install an NVidia video
card would cause my motherboard's bios to be erased. Arghhh! What was worse
was that the builder did not know this fact either. Oh, the builder went
bankrupt before I got them to straighten out the problem. Back to building
my own again.

Still, as negative as my post may sound, this newsgroup is one terrific
resource and folks such as yourself make it so. 8>)

Ed Cregger

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

I was looking into building a cheap second computer

I am a heavy pc gamer but im still happy with most games even
if I have to turn the graphics down a bit. I'm mostly into the
strategy/sim city type games.

For me wouldn't it make more sense just to build these budget
systems with a duron? I really see no reason to go overboard
when these new bargain systems every few years can out do
something you spend 5 times as much for just 2 years earlier.

I see newegg has a duron 1.8 and PCChips M811LU for around 75
bucks! I also have a extra 256 ddr chip already. would this
be good as just a web browsing machine for 3-4 years? might
occasionaly play a lan starcraft game but thats about it.

I don't know anything about PC games, but I paid $35 for my bare Duron
1.6 and ECS K7VTA3 mobo (KT333 chipset) at Fry's last year, and just a
few weeks ago it was offered for $40. You can get an idea of what
Fry's has by checking the ads at http://newspaperads.dfw.com , and
sometimes their Outpost.com affiliate offers the same prices.

I was also looking into a new monitor to save some deskspace
with the 2nd computer. I have a old 13 compaq monitor thats at
least 7 years old but still works. Would it be worth it to
invest in a lcd monitor now? I was looking at the CMV CT-722A
from newegg. its going for 196$ I would hate to see 6 months
from now lcds going for 99$.

17" LCDs were $500+ only a year ago, and if my CRT was still nice &
sharp, I wouldn't bother replacing it with an LCD, especially for
gaming, especially because LCDs are famous for having dead pixels while
even the cheapest CRTs aren't.

 

[Al Dykes]

I don't know anything about PC games, but I paid $35 for my bare Duron
1.6 and ECS K7VTA3 mobo (KT333 chipset) at Fry's last year, and just a
few weeks ago it was offered for $40. You can get an idea of what
Fry's has by checking the ads at http://newspaperads.dfw.com , and
sometimes their Outpost.com affiliate offers the same prices.


17" LCDs were $500+ only a year ago, and if my CRT was still nice &
sharp, I wouldn't bother replacing it with an LCD, especially for
gaming, especially because LCDs are famous for having dead pixels while
even the cheapest CRTs aren't.

Cheap CRTs don't get dead pixels. They do other nasty things. You can
get a wonderful big monitor for $250. That's what I paid for my
Viewsonic P95f+ (18 inches flat and georgeous for Photoshop work) and
the dumpsters are full of usable CRTs thrown out by people buying
CRTs.

Re: $199 vs $99. You're more likely to see "better" lcds at $199 than
a steep price drop. IMO. The dollar is dropping like a rock and that
will help to keep the price we pay up, some. I see the price going up
a couple percent on some pro camera lenses

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Cheap CRTs don't get dead pixels. They do other nasty
things. You can get a wonderful big monitor for $250.
That's what I paid for my Viewsonic P95f+ (18 inches
flat and georgeous for Photoshop work) and the dumpsters
are full of usable CRTs thrown out by people buying CRTs.

Re: $199 vs $99. You're more likely to see "better" lcds at $199 than
a steep price drop. IMO. The dollar is dropping like a rock and that
will help to keep the price we pay up, some. I see the price going up
a couple percent on some pro camera lenses

One nice thing about CRT monitors is that when they do fail, the
replacement parts are usually cheap or generic, making repair
worthwhile if the labor is free.

Refurbished 21" Dells (Sony Trinitron CRT) are available for about $260
at the local Fry's. They look good, but I don't know how they're
refurbished, and "refurbished" can mean anything. So I wouldn't buy
one except from a local dealer that gives 100% money-back guarantees.

One CRT monitor brand I'd avoid is KDS, AKA Pixie, because lots failed
where I worked, and the one I had showed somthing that looked like
moire but was probably interference. OTOH the cheap Envisions have
held up well. OTOH I think they pay for shipping both ways during the
early part of the warranty period, and their tech support is staffed by
actual techs. Envision even e-mailed me the service manuals.

Don't blame me. I voted for Gore.

So did my Republican father.

 

[ian lincoln]

One nice thing about CRT monitors is that when they do fail, the
replacement parts are usually cheap or generic, making repair
worthwhile if the labor is free.

Refurbished 21" Dells (Sony Trinitron CRT) are available for about $260
at the local Fry's. They look good, but I don't know how they're
refurbished, and "refurbished" can mean anything. So I wouldn't buy
one except from a local dealer that gives 100% money-back guarantees.

 

[lacunae]

hello. I was looking into building a cheap second computer so me and my gf
aren't battling for it all the time. I also had a question from a budget
building standpoint. I am a heavy pc gamer but im still happy with most
games even if I have to turn the graphics down a bit. I'm mostly into the
strategy/sim city type games.

For me wouldn't it make more sense just to build these budget systems with a
duron? I really see no reason to go overboard when these new bargain systems
every few years can out do something you spend 5 times as much for just 2
years earlier.

Given what your needs are, a semi-disposable computer could be a good
choice.

I see newegg has a duron 1.8 and PCChips M811LU for around 75 bucks!
I also have a extra 256 ddr chip already. would this be good as just a
web browsing machine for 3-4 years? might occasionaly play a lan
starcraft game but thats about it.

actually, even tho its a disposable computer, I'd prolly go the extra $10
or so and get a board that has onboard video (for web browsing) --
depends on what spare parts you have sitting around tho.

I was also looking into a new monitor to save some deskspace with the
2nd computer. I have a old 13 compaq monitor thats at least 7 years old
but still works. Would it be worth it to invest in a lcd monitor now? I

you're not really gonna make your gf use a 7 yr old 13" monitor are you?
at least pick up a used 17" crt, they're practically free with all the
people switching to lcds. have seen (and bought) some pretty nice used
20-21" crts for ~$25 during the last year. (so many ppl dumping big crts)

was looking at the
CMV CT-722A from newegg. its going for 196$ I would hate to see 6 months
from now lcds going for 99$.

I did pick up a pair of 17" lcds at bestbuy for $179 each (out the door)
tho -- great for the tiny desk in my bedroom. I agree with the previous
poster (Al) -- I don't see lcds getting below $150 any time soon, but the
200 ones will get nicer. Mine are definitely better than my dad's from
1.5 years ago, even tho they were about 1/2 the price of his