Building/Upgrading a PC for TS2

[Akharra]

Thank you! I came to that conclusion also. I will build one myself. Any further advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

[jsalemi]

Go back 2 pages in this thread (page 21) -- near the bottom of the page, Hegelian has a long message with info on his "$1400 MATY PC" -- I followed much of his list (different mobo and video card and newer CPU), but came in right around $1k using a combination of new stuff and existing parts (video card and HD) from my old PC.  You could follow his info while modifying it to better fit your budget (ie, smaller HD, cheaper processor, etc). The advantage of following his list is that pretty much everything is upgradeable, so you could expand/improve the PC as time and your budget allows.

Another handy source for info on building your own PC is the "DIY PC" blog on ZD Net.  Here's a link to a recent entry on building a sub-$1k gaming PC: http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1147

Enjoy! and certainly come back to this thread for info as you progress -- I have a feeling it'll be around here for a long time.

[Akharra]

Again, Many Thanks!!

[Quinctia]

Since someone just asked about a new system, it's probably a good time to bring this up.

If you want a new system, and you want XP, Dell is STILL SHIPPING with the option of XP out of the small business section of the website.  Some of them come with (or have the option) of nice graphics cards.  You just have to make up a business name when you order, since it's a mandatory field, and they will send you way too many catalogs, but...yeah.  I like looking at computer deals, anyway.

[jsalemi]

If you're building your own, you can just move your existing XP to the new system.  And last time I looked, Best Buy is still selling XP (Pro, at least) -- I think the current cut-off date is sometime in June, but with how bad Vista is doing, I wouldn't be surprised if MS extends the date again.

[Hegelian]

Thank you! I came to that conclusion also. I will build one myself. Any further advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Here's one I put together back in January. Some things have changed in the CPU and video-board market since then, so I might do it differently now—for example, I might recommend the Radeon HD3870 in place of the nVidia board. The Core 2 Duo E6750 is still probably the best value in an Intel CPU at $190, although if you have an extra $50 the new E8400 would be a nice upgrade—if you can find one.

[jsalemi]

Sorry, I think I bought the last E8400 in the country.

(Seems that way, anyway....)