I apologize if this is in the wrong forum, but I couldnt figure out which one to put it in.

I am going to community college next week, and I was looking for a nice computer that is on the cheaper side. I came across this Compaq Presario SR1500NX at Office Depot. Here is its details:

Quote:

Quote: Item # 322616 Manufacturer # PX786AA brand name Compaq manufacturer Compaq model name Presario SR1500NX processor type AMD Sempron 3000+ processor speed 2.0 GHz frontside bus 333 MHz memory 256 MB maximum memory upgrade 2 GB memory speed PC2700 memory type DDR SDRAM hard drive capacity 80 GB video memory 64MB shared video hardware integrated Intel Extreme Graphics audio hardware 6-channel audio modem standard 56K V.92 Wi-Fi capability included (Wi-Fi ready) no Ethernet port yes infrared port no included integrated drives DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo integrated memory card reader yes number of FireWire ports 2 number of parallel ports 1 number of PS/2 ports 2 number of S-video out ports 0 number of serial ports 1 number of USB 1.1 ports 0 number of USB 2.0 ports 7 number of VGA video ports 1 peripherals included keyboard; mouse operating system Windows XP Home Edition software included yes warranty 1-year limited

The total Price of this is 400 but it comes with a $50 mail in rebate. I have made computers before, but money is really tight right now, and I wanted to know if I could make a better computer for under $500.

My other question was if the Sempron 3000+ is any good. This one operates at 2 gHz.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. And once again, if this is in the wrong forum, I'm sure the mods can move it.

Edit: I forgot to tell you all that it has one of those 9-in-1 memory card reader, which is cool because I use a sony digital camera that uses memory sticks

If your looking for something to surf the net and do homework etc. , then that would be fine.
Welcome to pimprig....

As CJ said, welcome to PimpRig.

If you are looking to build your own system, you are going to surpass that $500 mark by a few hundred simply because the proprietary companies can afford to purchase literally thousands of computer parts at a discounted price to build their desktops. However, with that convenience, comes the potential for quite a few problems.

First and foremost, you are beholden to utilize their techinical support when it comes to some hardware issues and even then, you won't get anywhere (i.e., asking for jumper locations). Secondly, if you want to add any hardware, you run the risk of damaging some or all of your components due to brownouts. Proprietary companies do build systems with expansion slots; however, the power supply that comes with the unit is rated to manage only the resources that are present in the system. For example, if your system requires 250W to operate efficiently and you add a video card, sound card, and an extra hard drive, you've put yourself over by 75W or more which causes less power to other system parts.

Building your own is an experience in and of itself. The amount of knowledge that you could learn is breathtaking. Not only do you gain in knowledge, you also gain in the satisfaction that you assembled your very own computer. There are a lot of hit and misses with building your first, but the experience makes it well worth it.

The only downside is that you'll have to shell out a few more bucks than you originally planned for For example, WinXP runs about $90 or so over at NewEgg and that's the operating system alone. Add in around $70 for a really decent case, couple hundred for the processor, and even before you get to the mobo (motherboard), you're already over $500 and you have yet to still buy your optical drives, power supply, cables, fans, video card, hard drives, etc.

Flip a quarter because it's your choice to make alone between you and your wallet. If you just plan to surf the Internet, then go with the Compaq. If you are planning on running games like HL2 and BF2, then you might want to think about building your own system or plan on shelling out a few thousand for a proprietary system that can handle those games.

Hope this helps,

Rob

College work....its Ok

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Welcome to PR

What you are looking at currently is a low-end system almost 2 generations back. Do yourself a favor, if you're going to sell yourself the short-end of the stick; make sure it's at least current generation, not something already in its obsolescence.

For a present generation mid-range system you can expect to drop at least $1,500.00 in just hardware (no frills) Throw in noise consideration (noise dampening, vibration restriction), mods, and software will boost that past 2k.

First off, you want a PCP+C 425 for the PSU. You could not hope for a better foundation save their 510 Sli (the 850 is overkill)
Second go with a ATI x800XL
Intel 630 for the CPU, Vapochill Micro or Thermalright XP-90 for the heatsink.
Plextor PX-712SA for the burner. (Fast, and now cheap at Newegg)

Welcome to Pimprig d2leo

Should of gotten a DELL ?
Seriously, you would be better off.

Quote: Originally Posted by NoSlak Should of gotten a DELL ? Seriously, you would be better off.

Yeah, great suggestion. But then again. Dells desktops under or around 500 bucks = teh sux0rz. Only buy em if you are getting them for someone you hate.

Desktops that are "decent" = Dim 9100, 5100, 8400, (4700, on rare occasions). Or Optiplex GX280, GX620. Precision line is the 380 or the 670.

However, it would be far easier and better to just get a good Athlon XP system. Just be a smart shopper, buy quality parts.

going with a compaq system will give you a tad bit more as far as ssoftware goes

another thing u could look at is going to www.pricewatch.com and buying a barebones system

IMO, THRiLL has the best plan here, finding the bottomline prices on PW is always a good 1st step. Then, after you've found a barebone you like, its really not hard at all to pop a few extra (cheap, if you will) current-gen components into that. Then, you won't have to overpay the angry little elves in the Dell factory to get you up to sub-par-PC status, or even screw it up..