That is my budget, including a decent flat panel monitor of 22" or greater. I want to use it for video and photo editing, some gaming, but especially audio recording/editing.

Some of you may recall I was looking at the new iMac but I know I can get more PC for that much money.

Keep in mind though that, included in the budget, I'll need a monitor and relevant software.

I've looked at a few different companies, from Dell to Falcon-NW, but I just need something quality. If anyone out there can build me a comparable and reliable PC at a competitive price, I'm also interested.

What advice and direction can you offer me?

Thanks VERY MUCH in advance!

4/16/2008 1:56:38 AM

I recently picked up an HP m9100z media center PC.

Grand total spent so far: $472 dollars.

Quad core Athlon 2.5ghz
4gigs of ram
500gb 7200rpm 32mb cache hdd
Geforce 8400GT 512mb (soon to be upgraded to either an 8800gts or 9800 something)
lightscribe dvd burner
ATSC digital tv tuner

And all the trimmings + a BEAUTIFUL, ROOMY case, extremely quiet, every I/O jack imaginable (plus the 8400GT has an HDMI port WITH audio)

Even after the video card upgrade, total spent will be under $600.

I can't tell you how impressed I am with it, the build quality, components and case design were all very suprising to me for a sub 400 dollar computer (granted it was 900 dollars off)

4/16/2008 2:52:44 AM

holy shit...I was trying to stay away from bargain brands like HP, Compaq, et al., but assuming a decent standard of quality that sounds like a hell of a PC for 600 bucks

4/16/2008 2:55:52 AM

oh forgot to mention the media keyboard with very nice tactile response (although the media buttons are kind of lame looking), decent wired optical mouse, and a REALLY nice HP branded media remote. Came with IR extenders and repeaters to hook into the rest of your home A/V equipment (something I've never seen outside of a specialty 150 dollar IR blaster box).

And Vista Home Premium, which I have had absolutely ZERO problems with (except the first full 6 hours of update/reboot/repeat). This thing is even more stable than my work PC.

4/16/2008 5:55:30 AM

yeah, if you have that kind of budget, you can get a lot

i, personally, built mine and used a mobo with built-in graphics (nvidia 680i) and it works beautifully...i don't know if this is an OS thing or not, but RAM isn't really an issue, CPU is (my mythbuntu box has 2gb of memory, and that's overkill...the 2.2ghz c2d, however, could stand to be a bit nicer)

get a mobo with GOOD integrated graphics, a quad core proc, and 2gb of RAM...that's really all you need (save for the quiet PSU and case of your choice and the obvious tuner)

[Edited on April 16, 2008 at 9:18 AM. Reason : .]

4/16/2008 9:17:54 AM

^^ woot.com?

4/16/2008 9:32:54 AM

^^^Yeah hp makes some nice HTPCs. Are you stuck on getting a 22"? If you decide to get a budget pc like Noen mentioned, you could go for a nicer 24" monitor from dell or samsung. You'll get a bump in resolution (1680 by 1050 (20.1"/22") to 1920 by 1200 (24"/27")) and this will allow you to play full resolution 1080p video instead of it downscaling to fit a 1680 by 1050 monitor.

If you do decide to build a pc then make sure to get one of the newer ATSC/HDTV tuners instead of the older NTSC tuners so you'll be able to watch digital plus local HD channels with an antenna (CBS, NBC, FOX, CBS). Plus vistas media center is better than XPs in my opinion and comes standard on all editions of vista so you won't have to get specifically XP media center.

4/16/2008 10:28:38 AM

FYI, my PC also has integrated graphics, geforce 6150 I believe. It just came with the HDCP 8400GT as a free extra.

It's worth getting a PCIx16 slot just to get an HDCP HDMI port, because I don't know of any non-absurdly priced motherboard with that onboard.

Also ^Media Center only comes with Vista Home Premium and Ultimate, to my knowledge.

^^Office depot closeout

4/16/2008 4:14:48 PM

Every time I see this thread title I think of the chit chat equivalent, which I'd estimate would look something like

"I want to spend $15 or less on a cheeseburger"

I mean, sure you could spend more than $15 on a cheeseburger. But at some point, you're just spending money because you can.

4/16/2008 5:39:38 PM

spend $500 on the pc then get a nice tv

something like

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889101121

4/16/2008 9:49:43 PM

Quote :

"spend $500 on the pc then get a nice tv "

4/16/2008 10:50:32 PM

Well damn

http://www.woot.com/

same case as mine, though this is the Intel quad core (mine is AMD). And this is 250 bucks more than I paid. Still, a pretty damn good deal and a really nice computer

4/17/2008 1:35:43 AM

^ah ha- i raced over here to see if that had been posted

4/17/2008 7:53:42 AM

Aren't the days of $2500 desktop PCs long over? Cut that figure in half and I'd still consider it to be on the expensive side.

4/17/2008 8:41:36 AM

^^

4/17/2008 8:47:06 AM

^^i think it's more that the average age of the users on this board has risen. and with it a little common sense about spending

4/17/2008 10:49:55 AM

thanks for all the info folks...

the reason I'm allowing such a high budget for this computer is that I don't want to have to upgrade for a long time to come. I'd like a good, high-end PC that will last me for years. I know the other option is to spend less money, more often on lesser PCs, but I've had my fix on being pissed off at shoddy, bargain PCs. And no lie, I wouldn't mind getting back into a little gaming with style

4/17/2008 11:24:22 AM

the woot.com pc is a refurb so look out for that.

4/17/2008 12:24:04 PM

^yeah, I caught that a bit late. But really, I still dont have a problem recommending this.

The AMD version uses an Asus motherboard and a decently rated PSU. And the build quality is superb for a big box OEM. No stupid proprietary components (a-la dell), you can swap with any other micro-atx motherboard, or PSU.

4/17/2008 4:16:38 PM

Here is a question that could help out with the quest. I tried doing a search but i just kept getting an "oh shit" error so I guess this is as good of place to ask as any. I am looking to get a new monitor (22"-30") and was looking for some advice on what to look for. I've been doing some reading online about the different panel types and other info to try to get the most for my money. For example, I read something about how some panels are 6-bit and can really only show 260,000 colors even though they're rated at 16 million, where as others are 8-bit and can show the whole spectrum. Does this matter for basic usage and gaming, or is this more for professional graphics work? After doing some research it seemed as though quite a few of the ones I was looking at have the 6-bit panel even though its not mentioned in the specs. Anyone have recommendations or other sites to look at for info?

The two I"m looking at right now are the Dell 24" ultrasharp, though my girlfriend got mad when I mentioned it because her dad had to return 3 of them in the span of a month, and the Samsung 2493HM. I've also read that BenQ and Hanns-G make good monitors, but reviews for their stuff has been sparse.

[Edited on April 17, 2008 at 7:37 PM. Reason : ]

4/17/2008 7:32:24 PM

getting one for under 2500 is a joke. any idiot can do it.

4/17/2008 7:38:04 PM

Quote :

"Dell 24" ultrasharp"

That's what i have. One of the best monitors you can buy.

4/17/2008 7:41:13 PM

Seconded on the Dell ultrasharps, the whole range are excellent monitors.

Samsung also makes excellent monitors. Stay away from BenQ and Hanns-G unless you are on an extreme budget.

4/17/2008 7:44:37 PM

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2278906,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03129TX1K0000625

yeah i'd stick with dell or samsung on LCDs

4/18/2008 1:15:25 PM

I will second the Samsung LCD's.

4/18/2008 5:14:42 PM

Quote :

"Aren't the days of $2500 desktop PCs long over?"

You can easily build a nice gaming computer for upwards of that. But for a media center pc <1000$ is plenty.

If you're picky and want the latest technology, with a nice monitor, top of the line graphics card, good overclocking ability, nice quad core then it's very easy to spend 2000$-3000$ on a gaming pc. But it's not very practical and a waste of money unless you just wanna go all out and do tri-sli with 8800 ultras (1200$) a nice quad core (300$), good mobo (250-300$), 30" lcd (900-1200$) etc etc, you could easily spend up to and past 3000$. I mean the top of the line dell/alienware gaming computers can go past 5-6,000$.

But you're basically paying for the overclocking ability, not that much performance gain compared to cost, and the ability to score crazy high on 3d benchmarks. This is some people's hobby, but for practical use it's kinda silly. A single 8800gt will max out most games today on a standard 1680 by 1050 monitor. If you wanna get a 24"(1920 by 1200) or a 30" (2560 by 1600) then you will have to do sli or tri sli to max out some of the more recent games. But again this is the crazy enthusiast.

4/19/2008 5:04:54 PM

^I just put together a good enough gaming rig for about $800.

GeForce 8800GT
E6750

Spending $2000-$3000 on a gaming rig is a waste when you consider that today's top of the line $2500 computer is next month's $1000 computer. You'd come out spending less by just buying an upper middle line system twice in one year than you would be buying the most expensive thing out there.

So yeah, I agree. Only someone with too much money or someone that has a bad habit they can't afford would ever spend that much on a computer.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 8:27 PM. Reason : -]

4/19/2008 8:25:39 PM

Well if overclocking and benchmarking is thier hobby then it's fine to spend that much. It's what they like doing. It's just like buying nice cars for insane amounts of money. They want the extra speed and luxury even though they don't REALLY need it.

Although there are people out there who compete in overclocking and benchmarking competitions so i guess they have every reason to spend a bunch on a computer.

Quote :

"Spending $2000-$3000 on a gaming rig is a waste when you consider that today's top of the line $2500 computer is next month's $1000 computer. "

lol i wouldn't say a month. It took my 8800gtx more than a year to drop in price. (that's from when i bought it like 6-8 months after it came out) so it took almost 16-18 months to drop in price.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 8:42 PM. Reason : .]

4/19/2008 8:37:07 PM

Well yeah, I was exaggerating the point.

4/19/2008 8:52:31 PM

for example the 8800gtx came out in late 2006. Lets say someone bought that card for 600$ in december 2006. The 8800gtx is still the fastest card out there (aside from the 9800gx2) which is technically 2 gpus and it didn't drop in price until late 2007. So buying a top of the line card when it comes out defin. has its advantages. Plus now you can buy 2 more 8800gtx for the price of what one used to cost and do tri-sli and still have the fastest gaming computer out there. So buying the best stuff when it comes out does give you a good headstart when it comes to upgrading your computer.

4/19/2008 8:57:50 PM

I just ordered a new Dell for $499. I got a TV tuner card ($55) and an 8600gt 512mb Video Card ($85) at Newegg. You can add a Dell 20" widescreen DFP for $240.

Dell Inspiron 530 Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)
Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Memory 3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 4 DIMMs
Keyboard and Mouse Bundles Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
Monitor No Monitor
Video Cards Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
Hard Drives 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Optical Drive 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?id=511&afsrc=1&u=118910-n-20&arg=DDDADG4

4/19/2008 10:01:14 PM

^I shy away from dell for everything but laptop and XPS machines because of their fucking propietary board form factors and other little garbage that makes them impossible to upgrade beyond the very basics.

4/19/2008 10:08:48 PM

^^really great deal for a media center pc. Although you won't be able to do much gaming on that 8600gt.

^yeah upgrading the lower end dell desktops is next to impossible.

4/19/2008 10:09:51 PM

^complete crap, you can game on an 8600GT, just not the way YOU game

8600 series is geared more for HD video than the 8800 series anyways... not sure how, but that's the way they market it.

4/19/2008 11:14:22 PM

^hahah complete crap? I've tried gaming on a 8600gt. Doesn't work very well at all. I mean if you want to crank all the settings down to "low" and play the game at the non-native resolution then yeah. I mean i've tried playing Oblivion (2004) on an 8600gt and it had trouble even playing the game at medium settings at native resolution.

Of course you can "game" on most video cards but the game will look like crap. I don't think here's any point playing call of duty 4 or bioshock at "low" settings because it looks horrible and you might as well just play the console version.

If you want to play HD video and have a htpc than get a 8600 series. If you want to game get a 8800 series.

4/19/2008 11:26:07 PM