Technology Best computer for $4000

[mebhs15]

My school is giving me up to $4000 dollars for a computer. I want to get the best possible computer that I can, so will some of you post some specs and the website of the best you can come up with(i.e. dell.com, cyberpowersystem.com, alienware.com)? Thanks.

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[mshheaddoc]

HOLY MOLY! I have no comments to what you should do ... BUT $4000 for a computer is ALOT Where you going? I want to go there. What is the catch?

 

[Daedalus]

Yeah, $4000 is a damn lot of money for a computer.
As for what you can get - well pretty much anything, but it depends on what you want. Laptop or desktop, etc.
Desktopwise, you can build your own using some seriously kick-ass components and still come in under that amount. Laptop-wise, there are very few laptops that cost more than $4000. My advise, don't buy the super top of the line stuff - its way overpriced, and will be half that price in a year. Get what you need, and save the rest of the money for upgrades or a new computer in a few years. Or hell, just buy a desktop and a laptop - best of both worlds

 

[mshheaddoc]

I agree. A good laptop you can get for like $2000 (or less - like mine). Depending on your schools capability and how technologically advanced you are, why have two computers. Is this a grant? B/c if I had to pay that money back, I'd be pissed. Its not like you are a multimedia freak who needs all the top of the line stuff. Simple is better, trust me, otherwise things start going wrong. Not cool.

 

[bdt]

If you're going with a laptop... Check out the IBM ThinkPad line. They make kickass (but pricy) laptops.

 

[generic]

how about Sony's laptops? Or desktops...they get pretty pricey but they're designed well IMHO...

What school do you go to? Isn't $4k a little much? Maybe you should buy a computer...and an ipod...and a digital camera...and a fax machine....haha

 

[mebhs15]

Well I go to the Citadel. I am on a full scholarship and everyone on a full scholarship gets a free computer up to the price of $4000. The catch is that the school sends the money to the company. Its a one time deal. If I dont spend $4000 then I just lose the rest of that money. I want a desktop since Im probably going to choose to go to Wake Forest, where they give you a laptop. I also can not buy extra things like cameras, printers, etc.

 

[Daedalus]

Interesting deal. Since it sounds like you have to buy from a manufacturer, Choose either Dell or Sony, go pick their top-of-the line computer (which should start around $1600), then start customizing it and adding more and more stuff to it until you hit the $4000 limit. Throw on a few gigs of memory, a 20" LCD, P4 Extreme Edition 3.6 ghz, nice video card, etc.

 

[Ryo-Ohki]

Amd Fx-55

 

[mebhs15]

Someone has told me that Cyberpowersystem.com is the best place to go to design my own computer. Does anyone have an opinion on this?

 

[kenmc3]

alienware laptops are BAD - I know many people who have had problems and their support is bad.

I suggest sony laptops - thats what I use. Sony desktops are overpriced, if you want a desktop I would go with a Dell.

 

[mdblue]

Toshiba rocks

 

[WRXwing]

I'm going to throw a caution flag on Toshiba. I bought one of their 17 in widescreen laptops last year when it first came out, and since, my sister, best friend, and girlfriend have all gotten Toshiba laptops. While I've not had problems with mine, my girlfriend's hdd had an inherent defect and she had to have her computer replaced, and my best friend (he has a 19 in widescreen as well) had a manufacturer's defect in his motherboard and has been without his laptop for a month as Toshiba's been slow as hell fixing it.

I love my computer, and I think it's incredible and a great desktop replacement (it's heavy as hell... not very portable), but all this has told me that I'd not buy a Toshiba again. I don't need to be the one burned to be cautious.

 

[palminator2003]

Just get a mac and you won't regret it....
Plus, I guarantee that you can spend your full $4000 on one if you want.

 

[vikaskoth]

Go to dell, and get a baddass media center pc, with crazy processor, ram and hardrive, and instead of a nice monitor, get one of their LCD tv/monitors, with 5.1 surroud speakers, oh man i wish i had 4000 to spend on pc

 

[rocknightmare]

get a mac. if i had money i would buy a mac. pcs are tooo cheap, and mac is where the jazz is

 

[southerndoc]

If you're going with a laptop... Check out the IBM ThinkPad line. They make kickass (but pricy) laptops.

Don't waste your money on an IBM. They are no longer making computers, so it'll be hard to get them serviced or find spare parts in case somethign goes wrong.

BDT, you're a climber? That avatar of the cam makes me want to go climbing! It's been a while since I climbed some *real* crag!

 

[southerndoc]

Amd Fx-55

Where is the FX-55? I saw it posted on NewEgg for a while, but now it's gone.

I'm holding out for the release of the FX-60.

With Intel's plans to have a 10 GHz chip by 2006, things should get really interesting (and blazing fast) in the next few years. Hopefully AMD will keep the edge up on Intel. AMD's chips have been faster than Intel's since the introduction of the Athlon 64 line.

 

[edkNARF]

Go with a PowerBook G4 17inch. You will not be upset. Trust Me.

 

[DDS2BE]

Speaking of AMD 64bit CPU, currently there is no a single consumer available program that actually employs a 64-bit CUP architecture, with the exception of Win XP of course.

A little word on Mac systems: awesome for video-editing, good looks, fast! Now, look at the other side, PCs are a lot more reliable and relatively cheap to fix/upgrade. Don't forget about software that can be found for free on peer-to-peer networks.

Check this out www.pricewatch.com a very good computer parts source for both macs and PCs.

Conceder this:
ASUS A8V Motherboard $149
Pentium 4 560 3.6GHz $431
ATI - FIRE GL V7100 256MB PCI E $893
PC4400 DDR 1GB $247
ATX Aluminum 550W case $160
Harmon Carden Speakers $190
2 Serial ATA 400GB Hard Drives $660 (dual for extra speed set up as RAID)
DUAL / DOUBLE LAYER - Sony DW-D22A $69
SAMSUNG 213T-SILVER 21inch Screen $960

TOTAL: $3759
now, add a liguid cooling system for $240 that would bring you up to the price tag you want!

This is going to be the best system at among SDNers for sure

 

[palminator2003]

A little word on Mac systems: awesome for video-editing, good looks, fast! Now, look at the other side, PCs are a lot more reliable and relatively cheap to fix/upgrade. Don't forget about software that can be found for free on peer-to-peer networks.

Macs are much more reliable than the vast majority of PC systems out there. They tend to break down less and Apple has a great reputation for putting out quality machines. If you are worried about breakdowns, then there's always Applecare. However, they really are very reliable and rarely break. Plus, you won't have to deal with the virii and spyware that will probably infest your PC 15 minutes after you connect to the net unpatched. As for software availability, I hope someone is not advocating the theft of intellectual property That would be a bad thing. Relax, there's more than enough software to get your work done.

Here are the specs for a possible system:
• Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512
• 160GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• ATI Radeon 9600 XT w/128MB DDR SDRAM
• Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel) (really, really nice monitor)
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Apple Keyboard & Apple Mouse - U.S. English
• Mac OS X - U.S. English



Subtotal $3,969.00

 

[DDS2BE]

As for software availability, I hope someone is not advocating the theft of intellectual property That would be a bad thing.

I didn’t know open source software is considered as an intellectual property

Anyways, for those interested, take both of these system and compare them part by part to see the winner

 

[southerndoc]

Macs are much more reliable than the vast majority of PC systems out there. They tend to break down less and Apple has a great reputation for putting out quality machines. If you are worried about breakdowns, then there's always Applecare. However, they really are very reliable and rarely break. Plus, you won't have to deal with the virii and spyware that will probably infest your PC 15 minutes after you connect to the net unpatched. As for software availability, I hope someone is not advocating the theft of intellectual property That would be a bad thing. Relax, there's more than enough software to get your work done.

Here are the specs for a possible system:
• Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x512
• 160GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• ATI Radeon 9600 XT w/128MB DDR SDRAM
• Apple Cinema Display (20" flat panel) (really, really nice monitor)
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Apple Keyboard & Apple Mouse - U.S. English
• Mac OS X - U.S. English



Subtotal $3,969.00

I would rather reboot a few times and save $3,000 than have a stable system.

Quite frankly, I leave my desktop on for weeks at a time without rebooting, crashing, or anything else. As far as protection, I have a router (with 3DES encryption for the wireless part), firewall, and an antivirus program. Even a Mac gets viruses, albeit not as many. If you buy a Mac, you'd be a fool not to install a firewall and antivirus program.

Apples are cool looking, but they aren't worth the price. I'd buy another if they were more competitive. I love the new iMacs. I refuse to pay the price for a new one though... especially considering my old iMac, made by Apple who rarely has problems with its computers, is sitting in my closet non-functional because of a motherboard that went bad (and was going to cost me $450 to have repaired). Speaking of that piece of trash, I need to ditch that thing. It's just taking up closet space!