Quote:
Originally Posted by Krimsin
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
My advice? Take the 100 bucks, build it yourself, buy some case lighting, extra fans, some performance thermal contact, and with it the knowledge of exactly how your system is setup. Plus if you're OCD about wrapping your wiring and making your setup look sharp its really the only way. It'll take a little bit more time, but you'll be glad you did it.
|
I also recommend taking the plunge and building your own machine. Not only will it save a bit of cash right now, but it will give you skills required to maintain and upgrade your box as time goes on. It's my favorite hobby.
So many people who buy from Dell or whatever tend to think of computers as one-off builds that that will need to be completely replaced as a whole one day. In reality, that is not the case. If you build your own system with expandability in mind, you will be able to make upgrades to your machine as new hardware emerges and prices drop.
For example, buy a motherboard that can hold a large amount of RAM (12+ gigs) but maybe only stick 6 in it for now. Make sure your motherboard has two PCI-E x16 slots and make sure you choose a graphics card with SLI support. That way, when some uber game comes out in the future that you can't run, all you have to do is buy a second graphics card (of the same model) and you're set. Buy a case that has many extra drive bays so you can add more storage as you go.
Small upgrades a long the way will give you the recurring feeling of getting a new computer. I'm about to install a Solid State Drive into my machine tonight. It will be the first upgrade i've made in over a year, and it will no doubt make it feel like a new cutting edge machine.
It's true that you need to use caution and know what you are doing before diving into your first build, though. Do research, price out some parts, put together a list, and ask for advice on forums (tomshardware.com is great).
One last note: Before mounting your motherboard, REMEMBER to install the standoffs first! Do that, and also remember to use thermal compound on the CPU heat-sink, and you're golden!