It appears that I now need a desktop too . . .

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Sorry, the shops I shop in are in Europe, and thus would be of little use to you.

EDIT: The GTX 460 1GB (note: 1GB, not the 768mb model) is a relatively common part and changing into that is a simple switch job. From Phenom to i5 is a much more involved job that basically needs half new parts.

EDIT2:

Anyhoo, as I got dragged into this anyway, I'll list what I recommend.

Processor: i5. Not got a specific model number handy, haven't been building in a few months.
Memory: 6gb (3x2gb) for trichannel, 8gb (2x4gb) for dualchannel. Kingston is my preference; Corsair is OK too. Kingston ValueRAM is probably best bang for buck.
Graphics: Asus NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB DirectCU Top
Hard drives: 64gb Kingston SSDNow for system drive; Seagate Barracuda LowPower 2TB for a data drive; 2TB Buffalo DriveStation for external backups
Motherboards: Have a preference for Asus motherboards; no specific models handy
Sound card: If you want a separate sound card (improves gaming none, but better music quality), I can heartily recommend the Xonar *as long as you turn off DS3D-GX off after getting it*. "Slight" driver crash problem there.
Display: I tend to go with Eizo displays... and have for a long time, so my experiences on the others are limited.
Operating System: Unless you *know* you want something else, Windows 7 Home Premium.

... of course, this isn't *that* useful unless you're building yourself.

 

I'd be careful of getting nVidia cards though. My 2 systems with nVidia cards have been having driver and nvlddmkm.sys errors causing the blue screen of death or random crashes with Vista and Win7. And there is no fix in sight with Microsoft and nVidia pointing fingers at one another.

And actually, I think Crysis is still used as a benchmark for games so if you can run it, your PC should be able to run just about any other game in the market (or ones coming out within the next year or so).

 

That's curious, I've been running nothing but nVidia cards, and I've been using W7 since launch day, without any random crashing. Or a single nvlddmkm.sys blue screen.

In fact, between dozens of users this is the first I hear of this problem... and as far as I can see, the solution is "update your drivers".

nVidia did have a ton of BSOD problems during early Vista... but those got resolved way, way before W7 even hit RC.

 

Trust me, updating your drivers don't work. If you do a search for nvlddmkm.sys, you will see lots of forum posts dating back years and years. In fact, on my current system, I am using beta drivers at the moment. The new drivers just freezes my system after 15 minutes.

 

I think the difference between Taza’s idea of high-end and CtR’s is one of definition. Taza is referring to what “regular” gamers (certainly more demanding than dmc or me) require, whereas Chandos is referring to those gamers who demand cutting edge technology. I think you both win.

 

Hey, I'm no "puppy." I'm a DOG, Lady.

 

Phenom2x4 is more powerful than athlon. I advise Phenom2 x 4 over Athlon every time.

It was a mere example. The first one is pricey due to its blu ray drive. The second one is better. It should last 4 to 5 years for office needs and casual gaming on normal monitors. A pc from an other store with about the same specs will do fine.

If you have space in your budget an go for a big monitor like 24 inch or over, the 5670 can be a little underpowered at some point during gaming forcing to cut the eye candy a bit down.

BTW if you buy a monitor look at the speed in ms. Lower is better for gaming. Some store boast good settings so beware. The second thing with monitor is the view angle. Again beware and check reviews. (or us)

 

Ok, I haven't read the whole thread here but, from what I understand dmc isn't very proficient with computers and most likely can't/won't build a computer himself?

Taza: You obviously have a good idea about general computer hardware, and I agree about what is a good value pc. But you don't seem very knowledgeable about SSD's. Why not recommend the best when the price difference i virtually nonexistent. The best being Corsair Force Series, OCZ Vertex 2 (Sandforce based) and Crucial C300. Intel SSD's are also great.

That being said, I think that listing specifications and stuff isn't of much use or interest in this thread. Except maybe SSD's as they are something usually bought separately for great performance, like turbo charge.

Again, that being said. I think I will try and find a US webshop or something, to help dmc buy a finished product. A product that I can vouch for

Edit: Also, what price do you think is appropriate? (I will try and get good value) What about size, shape..? Small compact case or big tower?
Are you ok with ordering online from reputable dealer? You want monitor included, what size? Any other preferences?

 

This is a main reason I've stayed out of this thread. When I buy a gaming machine I usually don't spend less than 2k. But I get to run games at top settings and get many years out of these systems. They love me over at Dell (my preferred home system vendor, by the way. Hey, if my video card fries on a Monday, and they send a technician to my house on the following day to install a replacement card for me, that's what I call service).

I think I'm pretty much done with my days of building clone systems. I built well over a dozen of them in my early 20s (including many for friends, not just for myself, mind you). These days, it's not just about getting the best value (which building yourself undoubtedly grants you)... it's about having someone guarantee that the system will continue to function properly over its lifetime. And for my friends, it's also about making sure THEY have someone to call when there's an issue, rather than ME being built in technical support for everyone I know!

 

You are of course right about dell, they are good price/quality/support choice.
Right now im looking into AVADirect, know anything about them?

AVADirect seems really nice. Good prices, 3 year limited parts and labor warranty... haven't checked everyting yet but averall good impression. Warranty can be extended for 60 -150 $

 

A few more questions if you don't mind.

Is that 1000$ with monitor included? If so, that might be possible, as Diablo 3 doesn't seem to require to much of an graphics card (something which increases price significantly). But, then there are a great deal of other games which does, like Dragon Age 2.

I have currently configured for you a future-proof, cutting edge desktop machine with more than enough power to run D3 and DA2 (but still not overdoing it). It is without monitor, keyboard and mouse but windows 7 is included (home premium 64bit). Its price is 955$ from AVADirect-

If you want monitor with this, i might suggest a different place to buy that, as AVADirect didn't have many good options. Newegg comes to mind.

I was going to post a screenshot of the AVADirect order page, but I'll wait for an answer.

 

Point is that the price value ratio tends to be more and more negative when you spent more cash.

As in future proofing AMD is easier to upgrade, period. 750 for the pc and 250 for the monitor will be more than enough for a casual gamer and family pc.

My current processor a Phenom2 x4 810 that runs on 2,6 Ghz will max out most games out now, like Dragon Age or Mass Effect2.

The gain in performance from 1000 to 1250 is less than the gain from 750 to 1000. If you go over 1000 Intel comes back in view with a I7, I5 or Sandy Bridge.

 

Oops. Missed this the last time:

Mostly internet and gaming. But I'm way behind on games - the most current game I've played is Half Life 2, although I have a few sitting on my floor that I haven't touched yet (Oblivion, FEAR, Portal, and a couple more that I can't think of right now). I never buy games when they first come out (although Diablo 3 might be tempting) - I always wait a year or more after the release date (and then let them sit on my floor for another year or 2). So I'm thinking that the system I described above (i7 2600K (3.4GHz), 8GB ram, HD 6850) would last me a long time, and probably much longer than the other one I was considering that's $400 cheaper (Phenom II X4 965 (3.4GHz), 8GB ram, HD 5770). On the other hand, if the cheaper one will be good for, say, 4-5 years, maybe I should go with that.

I'm flip-flopping like crazy on this. It's not like I can't afford the extra $400, but I hate to throw money away for no good reason.

 

I don't see how this could be the case, especially now, when amd will be introducing a new socket in the next few months, thus making what you buy today obsolete and incompatible.

And I have arrived at just that. Will post after.

As you will notice from my suggestion to come, Sandy Bridge doesn't have to be expensive. Buying anything else than the latest and greatest within computing is often completely absurd. In this case very much so. Sandy Bridge released January 2011

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I'll begin with the monitor. Unfortunately Avadirect didn't have any good monitors in their arsenal. But here's a great one from newegg. With only 9$ in shipping, it shouldn't matter if order in two go's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824002524

On to computer. This is the first one I customized.


This is still as powerful, but with less storage, no windows, few nips less


If you want to buy from AVADirect, then go to this link: http://www.avadirect.com/product_details_configurator.asp?PRID=19538 and you can choose what you see above, or something like it.

 

You wouln't be throwing it away, but you could do well with an i5 2500, which is cheaper and still has excellent performance. If you were looking for value, I would go with the i5. The specs for Diablo 3 have not been released, afaik, but there has been a lot of speculation on the boards. Also, there will be the new Elder Scrolls V, which has a new engine [but still no specs].

DMC - The Camel's machine looks similar to the Sandy Bridge based machine that we were discussing back at page 1, the 1100.00 price point w/monitor. It has the same upgraded GF 460 we talked about for the extra C-note. Nothing like being back at square 1.

 

Oh.. I see. Didn't notice that one. But then it seems he can't do any better than this or what

Ok, looked at page 1. But you see, my monitor is vastly superior and only a bit more expensive

 

Well it seems to have a nice stand.

Regardless, I like your recommendation for DMC.

 

Thanks, Chandos. I've been looking at newegg (Canadian version), and they aren't selling i5 computers. Doesn't mean I can't go somewhere else, though.

Camel - the monitor you recommend has a 14ms response time. Isn't that a bit slow, especially for games? 5ms seems to be the norm now. (I could be totally off-base here though.)