Is there a good time of the year for PC bargains?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 1:37 am

Boys:

My wife is making rumblings about buying a home PC this year. I know there are smart times to find bargains for cars (December) and TVs (around Super Bowl), but is there a good time of the year to get PC bargains?

I've never purchased a PC in my life, as all of my machines for the last 13 years have been owned by my employers.

Thanks for any help!

Take care,
PK

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 2:20 am

There is not a good time of year but there is a good time. I would say right now is NOT a good time if you want to build a new gaming machine. DirectX 10 cards are out now but they are around 500 a piece. I would wait till they drop some.. and wait till Vista is out(Jan 31) and look for a good deal on a PC with a Direct X 10 card in it. You won't get that if you buy a new rig now. Likewise, quad core chips are just coming out and the prices will fall alot in the next couple of months. However, I doubt you will be interested in one, but when they drop so will the prices of the other chips.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 2:42 am

I guarantee he isn't buying a gaming rig. So if you're just asking about run of the mill machines that are powerful enough to run some games, then it doesn't really matter when you buy. Home PCs are so cheap these days, that you can always get a pretty nice rig for around 500 bucks. Just keep your eye on Dell, HP, Compaq, Gateway...they all have deals on and off throughout the year.

EZSnappin · Post by **EZSnappin** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:45 am

I'll throw in a wrinkle - get a Mac! The big Mac event of the year is next week, so once the new product is announced you should be able to get the last round of revisions for cheap (check CompUSA and the like). Since you can dual boot any of the Macs from the last year into Windows, you get the best of both if you need it.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:04 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:I guarantee he isn't buying a gaming rig. So if you're just asking about run of the mill machines that are powerful enough to run some games, then it doesn't really matter when you buy. Home PCs are so cheap these days, that you can always get a pretty nice rig for around 500 bucks. Just keep your eye on Dell, HP, Compaq, Gateway...they all have deals on and off throughout the year.

That is correct, sir. We're buying a family Windows PC that is strong enough to run some games -- rFactor, especially! -- and some multimedia applications. Looking to spend less than a large, probably in the $750 range.

Thanks,
PK

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:10 am

I have bought a few custom configured PC's from http://www.pcusa.com with good results. They are cheaper than most and you can configure all the parts to your liking. I like buying this way because I dont want to pay extra for stuff I dont need (Windows XP, Mouse, Keyboard, Floppy drive, bundled software, etc.) If you don't mind not buying from a "known" name, then it's a great way to go.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:45 am

pk500 wrote:
dbdynsty25 wrote:I guarantee he isn't buying a gaming rig. So if you're just asking about run of the mill machines that are powerful enough to run some games, then it doesn't really matter when you buy. Home PCs are so cheap these days, that you can always get a pretty nice rig for around 500 bucks. Just keep your eye on Dell, HP, Compaq, Gateway...they all have deals on and off throughout the year.
That is correct, sir. We're buying a family Windows PC that is strong enough to run some games -- rFactor, especially! -- and some multimedia applications. Looking to spend less than a large, probably in the $750 range.

Thanks,
PK

Go shovel some snow or hang out on the street corner in tight jeans and round it out to $1000 and pick up a g25 wheel to go with that rfactor. Pu$$y.

The kids will be getting straight A's with that new rig.

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:50 am

I think the question is:

For the $600-$750 range, what kind of CPU should be expected? What size hard drive? What size Ram? What kind of video card?

Eternet? Wireless ethernet?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:59 am

pigpen81 wrote:I think the question is:

For the $600-$750 range, what kind of CPU should be expected? What size hard drive? What size Ram? What kind of video card?

Eternet? Wireless ethernet?

I'm not certain of that price point, but I'm pretty sure we don't want to spend more than that. Maybe Alan Greenspan, er, The Frau, will surprise me with the budget allocation. She's the financial genius in the family, not me.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:59 am

Jimmydeicide wrote:Go shovel some snow or hang out on the street corner in tight jeans and round it out to $1000 and pick up a g25 wheel to go with that rfactor. Pu$$y.

The kids will be getting straight A's with that new rig.

You gay blade: You're going all Tony Manero on me.

Love,
Sergio Valente

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:04 am

pigpen81 wrote:I think the question is:

For the $600-$750 range, what kind of CPU should be expected? What size hard drive? What size Ram? What kind of video card?

Eternet? Wireless ethernet?

Hard to answer that question. Prices are constantly dropping. But expect a modest system thats plenty fast enough for the net/work.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:06 am

pigpen81 wrote:I think the question is:

For the $600-$750 range, what kind of CPU should be expected? What size hard drive? What size Ram? What kind of video card?

Eternet? Wireless ethernet?

No that wasnt the question and what the hell is eternet ?

Anyway ive been out of the pc loop for a while , on board graphics chips never used to be the way to go so if someone could steer him in the right direction there as this will only realy effect the games he will be able to play and no one else will care.
Maybe nvidia has a decent onboard chip by now.
Give him a starting point like,
PII 600 cpu (joke its PK)
80gig HD
1gig ram
Nvidia gt 6900.

you know, lets trip his mind out with choices so before he can pull the trigger the next greatest thing will be out and everything will drop in price again and then he will have all new choices and then...

Oh my i had forgotten what it was like

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:17 am

Jimmy:

I'm just going to say "F*ck it" to The Frau and pick up a Timex Sinclair -- complete with tape recorder for memory -- on the cheap and have at it.

I did some online shopping to see the specs that we can get in my price range. There's a pretty common base level for that money:

Processor: Intel Dual Core
RAM: 512 MB to 1 GB
HD: 80-160 GB
VRAM: 256 MB

There are fluctuations high and low, but that seems to be about the consensus now.

Thanks,
PK

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:24 am

All that looks good mate ,will run Rfactor to no end. As long as your vid chip is Ati or Nvid your good to go im sure, i was just wanting everyone to pile on.

Good luck and hopefully soon me and Piggy will be knockin' boots , err rubbing knobs, err .... Racing along side you not trading paint at all.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:29 am

Please, pile on, you f*ckers! If you can't laugh at yourself, then you might as well keep your damn mouth shut.

I'll learn something from you prick bastards, too!

Thanks,
PK

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:22 pm

If you're on a budget and you're not opposed to it, building your own rig is definetly going to get you more bang for your buck. Building PC's these days is a hell of a lot easier then it was 5 or 10 years ago. Only downside is you have no warranty, so if you f*** it up, its all on you.

If you're interested in trying this route, i would highly recommend mwave.com they have good prices on all the stuff you need.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:25 pm

The thought of playing games on the PC besides possibly strategic and sim type games frightens the heck out of me. Having to deal with graphics cards, updating drivers, and just the run of the mill maintenance sounds like a real drag. For someone who is frugal with his money, you'll be putting more money in to your rig than you imagine. I don't miss PC gaming one bit.

Good luck!

kicko · Post by **kicko** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:27 pm

i always found Back to school is a good time to buy, but then again there are always someone selling pc on sale.

if you can or someone can help built it yourself for the best value and performance.

nyisles16 · Post by **nyisles16** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:37 pm

just for you, pk!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:38 pm

sportdan30 wrote:The thought of playing games on the PC besides possibly strategic and sim type games frightens the heck out of me. Having to deal with graphics cards, updating drivers, and just the run of the mill maintenance sounds like a real drag. For someone who is frugal with his money, you'll be putting more money in to your rig than you imagine. I don't miss PC gaming one bit.

Good luck!

Dan:

Thanks.

Just a reminder, boys: This will NOT be a gaming rig. It's a family rig that I plan to use for some gaming. So I'm not going to drop large dimes into upgrades, etc.

If it can play rFactor and Richard Burns Rally, I'll be stoked.

I must admit, the level of precision of some of these PC racing sims -- even older games -- is fantastic. Way better than I imagined, and way better than anything on a console. The 360 doesn't have a NASCAR, rally, historic racing or F1 sim, and the PC does.

Plus I've learned over the last few days of research that the modding communities for these racing games flourish beyond belief. Blackhole Motorsports blows me away.

Take care,
PK

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 1:00 pm

Err, yes , hello. Just follow Dc and his racing sim thread for proof.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 1:08 pm

We just bought my parents a PC for Christmas. I think I've seen the sme deal advertised since then, but this is about what we got for $400:

eMachines PC - PIII something or other (can't recall the exact processor speed, but it was not bad
512mb memory that can be expanded to 2 gb
160 gb hard drive
9 in 1 card reader - essential for digital cameras, PSP, etc...
DVD-RW drive
17'' Monitor - Not the flat screen, but that can always be upgraded
photo printer

For everyday tasks such as surfing the net, using Office products, organizing and editing digital camera pics, and playing most games, this PC will be fine. I've had a eMachines for over 2 years now, and it runs great.

snate · Post by **snate** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:46 pm

Dell Small Business has well equipped Inspiron 6400 (identical model to E1505 in Dell Home) for $699.

1. Click http://slickdeals.net/?pno=8763&lno=1&afsrc=1
2. Choose the following components:
* 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife [add $0]
* Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Basic from XP Home, $55 payable at redemption [add $0]
3. Checkout

Specs:

Intel Core Duo T2050 (1.60GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows XP Home
Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Basic from XP Home, $55 payable at redemption
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
128MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1300 HyperMemory
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Internal Wireless
Integrated Audio
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 Year Mail-in Economy Plan

Upgrades to consider:

* Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB) [add $200]
* 15.4 inch UltraSharp Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440x900) Display with TrueLife [add $50] or
15.4 inch UltraSharp Wide Screen SXGA+ (1680x1050) Display with TrueLife [add $100]
* 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery [add $49]
* 256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory [add $50][/url]

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:53 am

Snate:

Thanks.

We're looking for a desktop. But that looks like a pretty damn good deal, so maybe we'll take the laptop route.

Appreciate the link. If anyone knows of any other good deals, desktop or laptop, please let me know.

Thanks,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:53 am

Thanks for the tip, MattK.

Take care,
PK