New system, want opinions... Created 12 years ago2012-03-27 00:41:50 UTC by esmajor

So what do you guys think of this?.....

http://deals.bestbuy.com/computer+accessories/product/4602991/hp++pavilion+desktop++10gb+memory++15tb+hard+drive

Was gonna say it was pretty overpriced for what you're actually getting, but I suppose the dollar is fairly weak right now so it's actually less than £500 which ain't too shabby at all.

If you built it yourself, you'd save enough to be able to get a much better card, though. The GTX 560Ti is still out-performing everything ATI throw at it, and it'd give you a much more future-proof system.

I'd also be a bit nervous about getting an AMD processor over an intel, especially since non-sandybridge versions of the i7 series are plummeting in price (because sandybridge has so much more to give) but they're still more powerful than the similarly priced AMD alternatives.

Enjoy the new system, though, mate. Nothing like a shiny new PC

es you survived the surgery! WELCOME BACK!

On-topic: i pesonally don't buy anything but laptops. I obviously envy the strongness and affordability of desktop machines, but absolute portability wins it for me

If you can find something with less memory (you'll NEVER use 10 GB) and probably a smaller hard drive (I don't know what you download, but once again, you'll never fill 1.5 TB (I, on the other hand, need another terabyte drive because it's full of HD movies and TV-shows)), then you can probably get a better graphics card / processor.

Or just build one for cheaper.

Terrible. 0 / 10. Would not buy.

For that price I could build an airplane. This computer costs nearly 800$ and features a crappy Hd7450 graphics card, which is low-end. I hate these kind of offers where some aspects are ridiculously bloated while others seem to be neglected.
If I was building the computer I'd save money by buying only 6gb of memory( also 10gb seems like an unusual configuration) and a 500gb hard-drive, since they're so expensive right now. I'd then have the money for a more decent graphics card, like Radeon HD7750 which is way better.

Can you build me an airplane for 800$? I'd really be down for that.

$800 please.

Seriously though esmajor, if you don't want to build the PC yourself, I suggest you check a website like newegg which sells full PCs as well as the individual parts. You'll probably find a better deal there. (I'm not in the US so I can't guarantee that though.)

I had bought it hours before posting this LOL. This computer supposedly was just out a few months ago, and the graphics (in my opinion) are good, considering what I had last was a nVidia 6150 on-board.

This computer supposedly was just out a few months ago

I'm afraid that's meaningless when it comes to prefab PCs. All the parts in it are at absolute least a year old.

I too got a Pavillion, they're not a bad machine in their own right. I got mine a little less beefier than yours, but for an extra $600 I threw a 1000w power supply and an awesome nVidia GTX 570. I might chuck an extra 4gb of ram in to beef it up to 8gb, but 10gb is extreme to start with.

For it's price, its not bad, but like most pavillions you've got a pretty bad graphics card right there. Even mine came with a better one than that by default.

Yeah, i personally would rip out that ATi card and burn it. Past experience with ATi is that it's utter shite. Killed my 3D view in hammer and the control center crashed so often it was infuriating.

Yeah I'm no fan of ATI myself, having a big compatibility problem with one of their shite products in the past; i will never buy their stuff again.

Definitely get a new nVidia card, to be future proof, anything from GTS 450 and up (GTX 460, 550, 560, 570).

yes indeed. whatever you spend, the cost-per-bullshit ratio is very low

Urby you're speaking of the past. The name "Ati" isn't even used anymore, as Ati was bought by AMD. Hammer works perfectly now, it was a driver issue.

And that's another thing, AMD's useless catalyst software would not work right on my system when I originally had an AMD card. It would crash randomly during the install, it refused to attempt to update, crashing every time I loaded it. Eventually, it bugged out my video card and games claimed they couldn't recognise my video card.

At least with nvidia I can download the actual updates manually instead on relying on disfunctioning management software.

Eventually, it bugged out my video card and games claimed they couldn't recognise my video card.

Seems to be an isolated case. No, I am not defending AMD here, nor am I an AMD fanboy. I had a Nvidia GeForce 7600GS in the past and I acknowledge the quality of Nvidia's drivers.
But some people describe AMD video cards as being garbage, which is completely not true.

Oh no, the card was decent and it wasn't the actual card that stuffed up, just the software screwed with windows.

I've found Ati/AMD cards to be decent in their own right considering their worth (the one I had was only worth about $100). The clincher that made me upgrade to nvidia was the software. Like I said, the catalyst software manager program was awful. All my troubles began when I tried to update my drivers from stock build, the catalyst software crashed during install for no reason and gave me blue screen of death.

NVidia also won me over with PhysX. I'm THAT shallow.

hlife_hotdog just described exactly to the letter my last experience with an AMD card.

Then I am a survivor. I win the show.

I have never had a single issue with anything ati or amd related, drivers or cards. Nvidia on the other hand...

I didn't really have too much of a problem with my old ATi Radeon 9550, but that was ages ago. My last card was a rather special AMD HD 2600 Pro - because it was AGP - but hell, they couldn't produce a stable driver for the darn thing in five (!) years. Every new hotfix still had these weird, blue 16x16 pixel boxes appearing all over the screen, until it somehow "warmed up" in about 30 minutes, and started working properly - but even then, it still BSOD'd randomly.

Yes, AMD cards are a bit cheaper, and perform the same way nVidia cards do - if their friggin' driver lets them, that is. On the other hand, with nVidia: stable drivers, PhysX, CUDA. Nuff said.

ATI used to suck balls. Overheating, memory problems, driver malfunction and errors... Ive heard they are better now. But NVidia is NVidia. They make shit to last.

And dont forget that there are good sellers and bad sellers. And when it comes to NVidia, Gainward is the best choice.

nVidia: stable drivers

Yeah, like the driver that turned the fan off on your brand new expensive GTX card and fried it.

200 series were a failure, yes.

400 series was a failure, 200 w/o the fan problem were ok

Listen, ATI were horrible in the past, but that was the past. I would lie if I said that I'm not holding any grudge, since I too had problems with Hammer due to a Radeon card, however, the Radeon cards that you have today is no worse than NVidia's.
Both are really good, they just perform better or worse on certain games, resolutions and settings; you just have to pick what fits you, personally, the best.

In the past year I've used both ATI and Nvidia and had problems with neither. Could be luck I guess but I found ATI to be really good for the value when I built my comp. That said, I wouldn't trade my 560ti out.

People don't forget

Hahah, loving the Pulp Fiction pic.

AMD and nvidia cards are roughly on the same level, but then you have nvidias really awesome GTX 500 series. Aside from the huge size of the actual card (it nearly didn't fit in my pavillion case) it's an amazing card that takes whatever I throw at it.

But NVidia is NVidia. They make shit to last.

That's far from true. Nothing today is made to last, that's just not how the economics work, unfortunately.

The gaming industry is like a bag of potato chips. [It isn't] They could sell you the whole bag but they wouldn't make any money that way, so they sell you individual chips instead.

That's far from true. Nothing today is made to last, that's just not how the economics work, unfortunately.

I had (I believe) 7 nvid cards none of which had broken (with the exception of 1 that ants crawled on the back of the board and shorted it out). I still have a geforce 2 that runs great

Both are shit today. Buy the one with better FPS/$.

laughing hard, that would be gtx 560ti

I usually get which ever one has the highest ratings that's in my price range.
Pick the top 3, compare benchmarks, check compatibility, purchase.

So far the new system is working to my expectations. I have been playing a LOT of Arma 2, even got a server on there

Been playinmg smething called "Island life" - its a mod for iy/ It's CRAZY

I have to agree with Archie. Most pre-built systems are already a year or so old and definitely way behind with graphics cards.

Case in point:

I went to purchase an Alienware thru Dell. I loved the system but even with Alienware you don't get what you pay for. The cards are behind and just on the edge of playability with these newer graphic intensive games. I decided against it because I just couldn't get the thing configured for a reasonable price. And then they throw 400 worth of tax on it at the end. Nice!

NewEgg or TigerDirect are two good places to build systems. They also have really cheap barebone systems that you have to put together yourself. Not really that hard once you get past the heatsink on the chip.

I am really glad that this subject came up because I wanted to ask the same question but on a more precise level.

What is a GOOD system to own right now for gaming, moding, and making movies. Something that is going to render fast. I probably just need a new card. Somebody recommend a good graphics card. Are the workstation graphics cards good for modding? The Quatro for example?

I really have a good asus board that I don't want to part with yet so I will probably just upgrade the memory and the graphics card.

Any help would be appreciated....

Wow, typing skills PHAIL! "it's a mod for ArmA 2"

And then they throw 400 worth of tax on it at the end.

Oh crap! are you saying if you buy through TigerDirect or NewEgg you don't pay any sales tax?!(god how did i not know this already!?)

@kdunivan: Workstation graphics cards are for serious 3DSMax and AutoCAD stuff, I can bet there's no way you need one. They're actually pretty rubbish for games and I would suggest you buy a mid-to-high end gaming card instead. For editing video, the best thing you can get is a nice multi-core CPU. The more cores, the better. Again, don't bother looking at the server CPUs like Xeons because they are specialised to certain purposes and are pretty rubbish at other tasks.

Excuse me, from what I can see in your posts, you guys prefer buying complete systems rather than assembling them piece by piece?
You're loosing all the fun. And some money too.

I think they're going from the angle "If you really want to buy a complete system, then you should..."