[quote=ZiNgA BuRgA]
[quote=dedat]
personally i would go for a desktop purely because you can get more features or better features for say $2000 then you would for a laptop for $2000.

right, look at this:
AMD

Assassinator Wrote:Actually, that Dell is not that bad at all, if u just compare the raw parts prices. Ur custom built comp didn't include Vista Home Premium, Ms Work Suite and a 17 inch LCD monitor. Vista will cost $150, Work Suite like AU$95 and monitor will cost like AU$200+. They are actually the most expensive parts of that PC. So actually, if u just compare the parts of the Dell minus the monitor and Vista, it'll be the $926-$150-$95-$200 = AU$480.

Not really.  Firstly, my computer is about 1.5 years old.  Secondly, it ain't $926 - accoding to Google: 1 British pound = 2.35600237 Australian dollars - so that's $928 already.  Shipping will add to the cost - also add in tax and all that poo poo, and it'll be over AU$1000.
Now, from http://umart.com.au :

AthlonX2 4000+	$95
2x DDR2 1G(1024MB) PC5300 667Mhz RAM(single stick)	2x $46
Samsung 250G 7200RPM SATAII	$78
Samsung 18xDVD -/+R/RW Dual Layer OEM Black	$39

That's ~$305 for that.  Chuck in a ~$100 motherboard, ~$200 17in LCD monitor (although you should already have a monitor) and that's $605, and that's with the faster RAM.  True, you get Vista, but why pay for something you can get for free?  Case + PSU, let's be generous: $100, keyboard + mouse, easy to get for $30 (though you should already have a keyboard + mouse).  I've seen card readers for about $20, thus in total, ~$755.  If you add Vista in, you'll get close to the price, but as said, you don't need Vista.
Plus, there's way better stuff available, like 800MHz RAM is only slightly more expensive than the 667MHz.  Also same can be said about the HDD (which is also SATA II, just to note that).  Also, it's INTEGRATED graphics...

I didn't see that price though - I thought he said $2000.  But Dell Australia is usually a ripoff.


Since I haven't looked at hardware in ages, I dunno what the sweet spot is nowadays, but I say get a Core 2 CPU - Intel currently pwns AMD.  Get a budget graphics card if you have the money.  2GB RAM is unnecessary unless you're considering Vista (but if you're gonna get a budget PC, chances are that you won't be able to play any DX10 games well, thus Vista offers nothing for you).  HDD, I prefer RAID0 setups, though many people don't - that's a personal choice.

(This post was last modified: 23/06/2007 02:21 AM by ZiNgA BuRgA.)