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03-09-2009, 09:46 AM
So... I've been wanting a new computer for the past two years, but it wasn't until about six month ago that I finally started moving money around... I put $1,000 in my checking account from a CD, and the rest into a savings account to continue collecting some interest; of the $1,000 I put $600 in a PayPal account so I could buy myself a new computer.
But alas, Newegg wouldn't accept my PayPal payments. It required that I have a "confirmed address," which requires either a credit card (which I don't have and don't want, because I know I'd accidentally drive myself into massive debt) or a buyer reputation of 10 (meaning that I have to buy things from 10 different sources).
Since I couldn't buy the stuff for myself, I finally gave somebody else the money and had them order parts for a new computer for me on Thursday, meaning they should be here by tomorrow! (Well, technically later today, but I haven't been to sleep yet.)
Of course, the most important part of a computer is having something to put it in. I went with this case here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144039). Shiny lights are always a bonus, but the reason I went with this case in particular was the power supply. Sure, I could invest in something shinier than a 420W... but it's cheap, it comes with the case, and it should be more than enough for my new computer.
Next more important is the motherboard. Most important for me was a motherboard that could support up to 8 gigs of RAM. I don't know what I'd need that much memory for... Anyways, after several months of procrastination and after several of the motherboards I was watching were disabled, I eventually settled for this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131330).
Speaking of 8 gigs of RAM, here it is (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122). The motherboard has 4 slots and supports 8 gigs so, logically, 4 2-gig sticks should be ideal. Right?
But, of course, my friend pointed out that, with my current version of Windows, my OS would only be able to support up to ~3.5 gigs... so I decided to drop 4 gigs off of my order. I used the extra money to upgrade from a 640gb hard drive to a 1tb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152102) hard drive. A very large hard drive is a very large priority for me. The laptop I'm using right now has an 80gb hard drive, with less than 3gb of free space left on it.
And, of course, the main reason I've been wanting a new computer is because I need a decent computer for gaming. So far, all of my computers have been my parents' old work computers. Because of this, I've never had a computer capable of supporting games with half-decent graphics. I decided to go with a GeForce 9500 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150332). It will be infinitely better than this laptop :)
As for the processor... meh, I decided to go with a 2.7 ghz dual-core (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103210). Better than anything I've ever owned before, and well within my budget.
And, of course, the CD/DVD drive/burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129031). Beige~
In the end, I saved a bit over $120 from my original budget (after shipping, of course).
TOPICS:
When was the last time you went on a wicked spending spree?
What's in your computer?
Why is Lucky☆Star so awesome? :D
But alas, Newegg wouldn't accept my PayPal payments. It required that I have a "confirmed address," which requires either a credit card (which I don't have and don't want, because I know I'd accidentally drive myself into massive debt) or a buyer reputation of 10 (meaning that I have to buy things from 10 different sources).
Since I couldn't buy the stuff for myself, I finally gave somebody else the money and had them order parts for a new computer for me on Thursday, meaning they should be here by tomorrow! (Well, technically later today, but I haven't been to sleep yet.)
Of course, the most important part of a computer is having something to put it in. I went with this case here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144039). Shiny lights are always a bonus, but the reason I went with this case in particular was the power supply. Sure, I could invest in something shinier than a 420W... but it's cheap, it comes with the case, and it should be more than enough for my new computer.
Next more important is the motherboard. Most important for me was a motherboard that could support up to 8 gigs of RAM. I don't know what I'd need that much memory for... Anyways, after several months of procrastination and after several of the motherboards I was watching were disabled, I eventually settled for this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131330).
Speaking of 8 gigs of RAM, here it is (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122). The motherboard has 4 slots and supports 8 gigs so, logically, 4 2-gig sticks should be ideal. Right?
But, of course, my friend pointed out that, with my current version of Windows, my OS would only be able to support up to ~3.5 gigs... so I decided to drop 4 gigs off of my order. I used the extra money to upgrade from a 640gb hard drive to a 1tb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152102) hard drive. A very large hard drive is a very large priority for me. The laptop I'm using right now has an 80gb hard drive, with less than 3gb of free space left on it.
And, of course, the main reason I've been wanting a new computer is because I need a decent computer for gaming. So far, all of my computers have been my parents' old work computers. Because of this, I've never had a computer capable of supporting games with half-decent graphics. I decided to go with a GeForce 9500 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150332). It will be infinitely better than this laptop :)
As for the processor... meh, I decided to go with a 2.7 ghz dual-core (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103210). Better than anything I've ever owned before, and well within my budget.
And, of course, the CD/DVD drive/burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129031). Beige~
In the end, I saved a bit over $120 from my original budget (after shipping, of course).
TOPICS:
When was the last time you went on a wicked spending spree?
What's in your computer?
Why is Lucky☆Star so awesome? :D