The Glade 4.0

OK, the ironic part is that I used to do this for a living ... Buy computers for a small business, that is. But I haven't looked at computers in years, so I need a refresher course. (Don't all these posts start out like this?!)

My wife has decided that we need a new computer for the kids. Has to be a desktop, new-ish OS (Windows), and something they (my son, really) can play some modern-ish games on. (I'd be happy if it could run Civ V without major hiccups, maybe EQ. I'm just wondering if there's any point to looking beyond an HP or Dell toaster. I used to buy Dells for work, but I'm kind of sour on them right now. So I'm leaning toward HP right now; they have a nice Windows 7 machine (a 500-281) for $399, including shipping. Well, make that had ... Seems they moved them all out, and now the 500-291s are closer to $500 now.

I looked into building one (one of those "Best gaming machines for $400!) but I ran into the stumbling block of the OS (and am optical drive, but I could pirate that from another machine easily enough). So, just putting it out to the collective mind, if there's anything else I should be looking at. Right now they have a Vista machine, I thin kan E-machines that we bought about 8 years ago. Wheat I'll probably end up doing is pick up a copy of Windows 7 for that machine and use that for me. You'd all be appalled at the machine I use now.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Could you build a desktop for 400, put a beta of win 10 on it and save for an OS while it expires?

_________________
I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

Edit to remove the mile of junk I posted. After further thoughts, for your budget, I'd say you are probably best off finding a budget pc from somewhere like newegg that has decent integrated graphics from a newer cpu. Building one in that price range is likely not going to gain you much, as the OS alone is almost $100. I think this price also likely means you won't be able to run a decent gpu.

I can't comment on which integrated is better.....AMD vs Intel. I'd think AMD's apu line would likely out perform intel's HD line, but I don't know how much.

I'd look for something similar to these.....Acer AXC-605-UR2B Desktop PCIntel Core i5 4440

Acer Aspire ATC-105-UR22 Desktop PC A10-Series APU A10-6700 (3.70GHz) 8GB DDR3 1TB HDD Windows 8.1

Acer VM2631-UR11 Desktop PC Intel Core i3 4130

I looked around, and Dell doesn't really have much to offer IMO. Places that let you build them yourself like ibuypower and cyberpower all seem to start around $525 and go up, so that doesn't help. I didn't check bestbuy, but I don't think you are going to find them much better. Even wally world doesn't seem to have much in the price range from what I can see.

I think you can get away with integrated graphics if you run a lower resolution, and don't try to run 1080p or something.

About all I can think of. I'm no expert on this, so others may be better help.

Edit to add another Acer link to newegg within your budget, that has an APU A10 processor with HD 8670D graphics. Pretty decent on price compared to buying parts and piecing it together.

$400 is going to get you a netbook, a low-end laptop, or a leftover Dell.

Once you get through the OS license and the monitor, your budget is gone.

_________________
Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Here's a list I Frankensteined from other lists. Can drop the Optical to save another 14 bucks. It does not have an OS, or monitor, and is using onboard graphics, but for 400 your options are relatively limited. As Rorinthas said, you can use Windows 10 tech preview until it expires (in April of next year) for free.

This build also does not include a monitor, but you should be able to use an existing one you have.



http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8WTHJx

Thanks, folks.

Huh, that's an interesting thought on Win 10. Hadn't considered that.

Oh, and I should have pointed out that I don't need a monitor - I have two or three sitting around the house that I can use.

Darkroland - thanks very much. I like that, better than other lists I'd come across. Sheesh, I might be able to talk the wife into this. Part of her goal is to have newer software than what we use now, so the kids aren't falling behind. I usually use things until they break, and then buy used/ old generations (yes, this is my car-buying strategy). Guess I was thinking of sticking with Win 7, but it would be good to get up to date on operating systems.

Much to consider, thanks.

Edit: Actually, looking at the Win 10 stuff, there's an implication that it's not very stable yet. Some folks here are using it though, correct? My wife might not like the idea of using something that could crash without notice while they're working on paper or something.

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge