Gaming systems?

[Dillinger4]

I was sitting in my local barber shop wating to get my local chop and i happend to see a computer mag, that i decided to thumb through. They were testing these new systems from falcon, alien, voodoo and i forget the other one. The voodoo had this cool looking yellow custom case with see through sides. Pretty nifty. Ive seen ads for Alien computers before but the other two are new to me. All of the systems are high end. And judging by the price $2500-$5000. Ahh yes the other conputer was a Dell dimension and of course was the cheapest of the bunch. Anyone ever hear of these brands or played on one?

[JungleMan]

They are great computers, using standard parts-- pretty much like a modded-out custom built PC, except someone else is building it for you.

Prepare to pay the price though.

I'd rather build myself but if that isn't an option (for whatever reason) Falcon Northwest definitely is one. Alienware is great but overpriced. VoodooPC is totally freakin' awesome but totally freakin' overpriced too

[siyan]

one perk about alienware is that you can get your case, mouse, kb, etc decked out in sweet neon colours...like yellow. booyeah! now i'm gonna pay out the wazzu for that awesome lemonlisciousness!

-C

[plenderj]

Alienware systems look cool

[RyanSmith]

Alienware is cool but their prices blow. Check out www.cyberpowerinc.com They're the best prices I've ever seen for computer systems. Have you seen better? Post them on here I need some other sources!! thanks

[Cander]

I have noticed in some cases these 'Built for gaming' systems are scams making it sound like gamers should get these systems for ultimate performance while paying an arm and a leg. I can get a regualr Dell system, stick in a Geforce card and probably come out cheaper and have no noticeable difference in performance.

[JoshT]

And you can take a normal beige case and take it apart to modify it anyway you want. Even someone who's not too good with tools can at least spray paint it a different color.

One thing, the people at those companies tend to do neat and organized wiring jobs, better than I can.

[Cander]

they usually cater them to those gamers that frequent lan parties
I guess. Otherwise, what in gods name is the point of making your case look cool? Of course you get those that have to mod their case becuase it is the new fad even though it probably just sits under their desk. I look at my case for 2 reasons, To turn it on, or to change cd's.

[RyanSmith]

It's sort of like buying Abercrombie & Fitch clothing...all you're doing is buying the name. Alienware has a good rep, but they overprice way too much of their stuff. punks...;0 www.cyberpowerinc.com!!!

They've got the best deals I've seen...and PLEASSE if anyone knows of a site w/ better prices, please tell me.
Here's one thing they have right now for $1245:

-AMD Athlon XP-2200+ CPU

-Gigabyte 7VXR KT333 Main Board W/ USB 2.0

-512MB PC2700 PC333 DDR Memory

-80GB 7200 RPM ATA 10 HD

-New!!! Geforce-4 TI 4400 128mb DDR W/ TV Out & DVI

[Downgrade to Ti4200 128MB & Save $65]

-16X DVD

-32x12x40 CD-RW Drive

-Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy w/ IEEE 1394 Port

-Black 19" .25MM SVGA Monitor

-Creative Lab Inspire 4400 4.1 Subwoofer System

-Windows XP Home Edition.

-AHANIX Platnium XP Case w/ Digital Thermometer & 420 Watt Power Supply

Pretty good I think...

[JoshT]

Originally posted by Cander
Otherwise, what in gods name is the point of making your case look cool?

So that it looks cool. I personally have never modified any of my cases besides put stickers on them. Relax, Cander, if people get enjoyment out of doing it then more power to them. It's a hobby.

[Cander]

Im relaxed. It just silly to me. To me, making what comes up on my monitor is much cooler as that is what my eyes are on, such as a big good monitor, high tech video card, and shell replacements/skins for my windows desktop.

[JoeyCode]

Some people like a cool looking machine. Personally, I don't care all that much, but I just bought a brand spankin' new, state-of-the-art Mach V from Falcon Northwest:

http://www.falcon-nw.com/

And it's pretty sweet. I got the top end of everything, and they configured it exactly the way I wanted it. For an extra $500 they'll paint it with any color and design you can imagine, 10 coats baked on...but I didn't get this. I DID get the Coolermaster ATC-201 case, which looks very nice all by itself.

As far as price goes, a basic system might run you slightly more at Falcon than at, say, Dell. But if you want something slightly unusual, like Windows 2000 (what I got) or the best components instead of the ho-hum stuff Dell and Gateway have, or a non-standard configuration, Dell and Gateway will probably do whatever you want, but they'll charge you mega-bucks for it, probably because of the extra danger involved with plucking one of their junk heaps off the assembly line. You can get the same thing at Falcon for the normal price, because that's what they always do, unique configs for everyone.

If you care about getting the best components or about support, Falcon is definitely worth it...and yes, you could probably build a machine yourself for slightly cheaper in money costs, but a lot more expensive in pain-in-the-ass factor.

-JoeyCode

[JungleMan]

Originally posted by Cander
I have noticed in some cases these 'Built for gaming' systems are scams making it sound like gamers should get these systems for ultimate performance while paying an arm and a leg. I can get a regualr Dell system, stick in a Geforce card and probably come out cheaper and have no noticeable difference in performance.

Or you can build your own and throw in a better GF or Radeon 9700, and have it perform even better and be cheaper.

[siyan]

Originally posted by Jungle-Man


Or you can build your own and throw in a better GF or Radeon 9700, and have it perform even better and be cheaper.

Yeah, just don't botch the CPU/HSF installation...cause then you'd be fooked

-C

[JungleMan]

Originally posted by siyan


Yeah, just don't botch the CPU/HSF installation...cause then you'd be fooked

-C

Pretty straightforward, a lot of people stack it up as being hard. It's pretty hard to crush a P4, and for Athlons, it's a straightforward process but you can get a nonconductive shim if you are worried and obviously don't forget the thermal paste.

[numtel]

i know what happens when you forget thermal grease, smoke....

btw, guess what happened to goudabuddha, he got a thermalright slk-800 and he musta installed incorrectly cuz he fried his cpu, didnt get the details yet.

[Dillinger4]

The DELL precision comps look pretty nice. Twin Xeon processor capable. I would love to get my hands on an SGI Octane or Fuel. If only i had the $$$

[JungleMan]

Originally posted by numtel
i know what happens when you forget thermal grease, smoke....

btw, guess what happened to goudabuddha, he got a thermalright slk-800 and he musta installed incorrectly cuz he fried his cpu, didnt get the details yet.

LOL idiot...

Hey good excuse to get a T-Bred you'll need that SLK-800 for one

Dilenger: Yeah, the Precisions aren't too bad but the Dimensions suck..

[Cander]

bulding your own comp sure is more troublesome these days. Back in the day when I used to build custom systems, it sure was alot easier, of course this was 486's. Didnt need fans and cooling goo and temperature gauges.

[JungleMan]

Originally posted by Cander
bulding your own comp sure is more troublesome these days. Back in the day when I used to build custom systems, it sure was alot easier, of course this was 486's. Didnt need fans and cooling goo and temperature gauges.

Yeah, but try rotating the chip the wrong way...instant toast

Isn't very troublesome if you take a little time to learn, takes me maybe 30 minutes tops (about 2 hours if I'm working in those cases with sharp edges, as I have to bandage my hands up )