Would a $400 computer be worth it?

Question

My neighbor who works at a computer place said he can make me a computer for about $400. All i know is that it will have a Pentium D processor, i think an 80GB Hard drive, a dvd/cd burner. and thats pretty much all i know. it will also have a Radeon 9050 graphics card in it, i paid for this separately though for $50(on sale) i think it also willl have either 6 or 8 high speed USB ports. Oh and it will have a power supply of i think either 400 or 500 watts depending on what the graphics card needs. So are there any computer people out there who can tell me if i'm getting a good deal? (all that is being built is everything in the computer tower i already have keyboard, monitor, mouse ect.. )

oh and to add a bit more, i play real-time games too, mainly just World of Warcraft. i also edit movies(homemade) so i dunno if that changes any opinions. and i believe all the parts are new parts, and come with a 1year warranty.

if i remember correctly, he said it had a maximum of 2GB RAM and it would come with either 512MB or 1GB...i think 512MB

Answer 1

Just a rip off in my opinion.
Here is one at $439 at Office Depot. It has the PCI-E expansion slots for upgrading later on. You will find that the 9050 card was a waste of money. I have an old computer and the Radeon 9250 is the biggest card I could get for my PCI slot. You see I did not know about PCI slots or AGP slots.

Read the stuff on pcworld and cnet on buying computers and also check out the how to build your own computer too. That way you can understand and know what you are getting and know that you are getting ripped off too. Remember it is your money not his, so buy what you want for you not to make him happy or rich.

Check the download section at these sites for some free downloads. Also bookmark them and you can learn about computers.
http://www.cnet.com/
http://www.pcworld.com/
http://www.computerworld.com/index.jsp.....
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/
http://www.ehow.com/center_5.html

Office Depot has a sale on Fri-Sun. One HP computer is $549 after instant $50 rebate. And then you get a $150 mail in rebate too. So the computer would cost $399.
It has 1024 Mb DDR2 Memory, 160 Mb Hard Drive, Read and write DVD drive with lightscribe, 9-in-1 card reader, and Microsoft Window Vista Home Premium Edition. BUT this has the Intel Pentium dual-core processor T2060.

So check out Circuit City, Office Depot and the other computer stores. Also check out the HP site too. Look at the refurbished computers. These are the BEST deals. They are returned and made good as new but they can not sell them as new. But again you have to know what to buy. I would wait till Sunday as this is when the paper comes out with all the specials.

But if you are in the US, let me know what you decide to buy and I can give you some tips. But read on the two sites I mentioned first. Remember minimum of dual core processor.

Answer 2

First of all it depends entirely on your needs. If you really need a computer badly and you only have $400, I guess it's ok.

However, note that in a few years this computer will be completely outdated. Windows Vista should be a concern and this computer will barely be able to run it.

The major bad things about this computer:
80GB HD is SO LITTLE. Ask people around, 200 GB is not enough nowadays. What's the rpm and is it sata or IDE?
What motherboard is he giving you?
There's no RAM specs given here.

If you play games and edit movies... better change that hd.
Ram is also very important then... Check that out.

All in all, I would not buy such a computer because this computer is too far back in the technological progress.

I saw a few ads about mdg computers which I thought were not too bad for the price and all. Maybe you might want to check them out. I think their website is www.mdg.ca

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

the cost has less to do with quality any more and more to do with your comfort with the deal. the things you need to know is how fast is the processor id say you want 733 mhz minimum to get any speed on the internet at all, and over 1 gig is considered almost necessary anymore, how big is the hard drive (at a minimum id say 60gig), how much memory ( anymore id say a minimum of 256meg, more is better) and how fast the memory is ( 266mhz ddr sdram is good without incurring too much expense, does it have a dvd/cd burner (makes new cds or dvds) or atleast a cr rom (plays cds and is necessary at a minimum for adding software, though cd or dvd burners perform this function too) does it have XP. i wouldn't want to go up or down on this. Xp is the best windows so far bar none, and is going down in price. the latest and supposed greatest is nothing more or less than microsoft taking over control of your computer form you. i read a review that says the newest windows after xp, stops working as soon as you burn 2 dvds and makes you reactivate it. id never accept it even as a gift. stick with XP for windows version. id also get an external dsl modem and a router with built in wired firewall, and a good antivirus software and antispy software plus popup stopper of some sort and a clean up disk of somekind one click ultra wincleaner is good. most other software depends on your preferences. also you need a NIC, the card that connects to your dsl modem. dont, i repeat do not settle for dial up connection it sux. as far as the video card, if you dont know much about computers it probably doesnt mean too much to you as long as its compattable with your monitor. and you should always get the software discs with any computer so you can reinstall if theres a problem requireing it, kasi if not youll have a pemanently slow messed up computer if it gets a tough trojan and you cant irradicate it.

Answer 4

You will probably get what you pay for.It's similar to buying a used car.Will he be useing high end components to get you started or used stuff from throwaways?Tigerdiect and Ecost.com sell computers with better than you are suggesting for about the same price and you will be getting a brand new computer.Also,is the hard drive he will use new or used?80 Gigs is not very big if you burn movies or game a lot and you will need a high end graphics card and plenty of speed.Big hard drives are dirt cheap right now.I recently bought a 250 Gig for under $100.00.Think before you jump.

Answer 5

Hard to say. I built a very nice Desktop with a nice case for $350. The place I buy most of my parts from say they build it for $60 and I buy whatever. BUT!!! My MOBO alone sell for $140. So, it really depend on what MOBO he giving you. It is probably a good deal with 512 MB of RAM. Heck, 512 MB RAM is $40-50. But, the MOBO is what important. I can get those from $40 and up? Ask what MOBO he going to get, but, do not tell him about me. Ha! My friends call me an "Instigator". ;-p

I looked and the cheapest Pentium D is $70. I feel he probably giving you a good deal. PS will be $30+

Answer 6

Well, yes and no. For what your getting, it sounds about right, but for just a few hundred more, and not even that if you look in the right places, you can get so much more! Try going to www.ibm.com and checking out their certified used computers and www.hp.com and checking out their customizable computers and their prices before jumping for that. My computer here is.. or was... top of the line material from HP notebooks about six months ago, it was 2000 dollars, but they sell respectable notebooks and desktops for just around your price range. REMEMBER: GET AT LEAST ONE GIG OF RAM FOR WINDOWS VISTA! 512 is the minimum of minimums- and it causes a lot of problems. So just shell out some extra bucks for the lack of headaches you will get if you do!

Answer 7

Sounds like you are building what we techs term as a mutt, which can be very good if done right. Generally, it looks like a good build, but, remember to check all of your drivers for this system build and update these as signed drivers. Just a thought of mine would be that some pc makers already offer systems for $400 or slightly less, something to consider I think.

Answer 8

That sounds about right, but I wouldnt go much higher than that, considering it is just the tower. If it can handle all the heavy gaming you want to do with it, than I'd say you're good to go...