Is this gateway desktop PC a good buy

Jinkazuya

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Well...I have done my math on my budget. I think building one by myself is more expensive than buying one from neweggs, which is this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113103

It is $1399. What do you guys think? Is it possible for me to modify or overclock later on? Because that is considered the official gateway computer.

Kenryuakuma. Need help as always

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zulo1

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Overclocking is an unlikely feature for a prebuilt computer but you can probably still upgrade the components later on if you need to.

sammorris

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Overpriced (all prebuilt PCs are), will be difficult to upgrade, difficult or impossible to overclock (all prebuilt PCs are)

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dailun

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"Good buy"?

No, it's "goodbye".

That PC is almost impossible to overclock, and if you're patient and shop well, you can beat that price easily if you're willing to build your own.

Jinkazuya

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Well...What do you guys suggest? I really need one for things related to computer such as graphic including video editing and other stuff that has a lot to do with huge calculation.

Another question is why it isn't a good buy? Wanna learn.
Because according to the spec, it has !950 core, 9 DDR3 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285, with 1GB Discrete Video Memory and High-definition audio with 7.1-channel audio support...and so on except the motherboard isn't really that cool.

Hope you guys could enlighten me on this.

Kenryuakuma. Need help as always

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dailun

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"Well...What do you guys suggest? I really need one for things related to computer such as graphic including video editing and other stuff that has a lot to do with huge calculation."

You're still kind of vague as to what you need and why.

For instance, why do you feel that you need to overclock? If you have $1500.00 in your budget you should be able to get enough CPU power that you won't need to overclock (potentially risking stability).

An example of specific applications (program names, not application types) would be helpful.

Video editing is not particularly CPU intensive and does NOT require a lot of CPU calculation.

If you're talking about video rendering, then that's a whole different issue.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 03 Nov 2009 @ 14:58

KillerBug

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Originally posted by dailun:
If you're talking about video rendering, then that's a whole different issue.

Also video compressing...that will slow a top-end system to a crawl.

As far as the gateway goes...it is a piece of trash...not even ATX!!!

Personaly, I always build my own for various reasons...sometimes it costs a bit more that buying a similar spec computer from an OEM, but it is reliable and build well...something the OEMs charge a fortune for.

Why not post a budget...how much do you have to spend?...What parts do you need to fit within that budget (screen(s)?, keyboard/mouse?, speakers?, tv tuner?, quality sound card?)

Also, will you be playing games, rendering video (like 3d animation), or working in 3D at all? Do you want a big storage area?

Jinkazuya

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I am a graphic freak. I need to render video, do graphic, photo or digital art editing, website page designs(required for the course and by the instructor), photoshop, flash, dreamwaver and so on(required by instructor), not really a gamer, but will play game once in a while but those games must have jaw-breaking graphic.

Kenryuakuma. Need help as always

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KillerBug

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While it is not possible to match the specs and the price without using crummy parts, here is a build for the same price with quality components and some improvements:

$200 - CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215
$140 - mainboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128401
$87 x 2 - ram - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260
$390 - Video - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102856
$38 - case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233033
$180 - BluRay Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136175
$90 - Hard Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433
$120 - Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
$15 x 2 - Fans - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185065
$30 - CPU Cooler - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887023
$7 - Thermal Compound - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

Notes:
-CPU is not as fast, but can be overclocked to be faster than the gateway thanks to the CPU cooler.
-Has 8GB of ram vs the 9GB in the gateway...it is very doubtfull that you would ever notice the difference.
-Video is much better than the gateway.
-Case is technicaly better than the gateway, I also prefer the appearance...but this is a matter of opinion.
-My build has a bluray burner, the gateway does not even have a bluray reader.
-My build has a very high quality power supply...the gateway uses a generic unit.

Overall, my build is better even with the lower technical specs...at least IMHO.

sammorris

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Killerbug's list
CPU: 10/10
Mobo: 10/10
RAM: 10/10
GPU: HD5870s not currently stocked at newegg. You may be waiting a while.
Case: I'm pretty certain this won't actually fit an HD5870. You'd need to either scale back or buy something with a bit more space.
BR Drive: not used a BR drive myself, so I can't rate them.
HDD: 0/10 - Avoid. Change for: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
PSU: 7/10 - Good unit, but massively overpowered for this PC.
Fan: 6/10 - interesting choice. Only buy this if you want big airflow at the cost of lots of noise, otherwise buy a fan controller or a slower fan. The SFF21F is a better buy for more moderate noise and still good airflow.

Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
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Jinkazuya

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- Well is i7 slightly better? I am not gonna go with iextreme because it is too expensive.

besides, would it help to boot up the speed by adding up to 6 or 9 triple DDR? I am learning and gain experience of building at the same time I think. So hope you guys could bear with me for stupid questions.

Kenryuakuma. Need help as always

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sammorris

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No, i7s are worse at gaming, and more expensive. i5s do not take triple channel RAM, they take dual channel (but still DDR3).

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Jinkazuya

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No I am not going for too much about gaming because I only play game on PC once in a while, probably once in a year. But video and graphic and other huge computer related stuff are what are mentioned here. But I still like the graphic card...So besides gaming, what is the best pick between the two to be honest. Because Intel made i5 later after i7 was released, and i5 is sort of like a supplement that's what a PS3 is, first 60gb PS3 with backward compatibility and then right now the slim one with nothing added but removed features. So a little concern with that.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 04 Nov 2009 @ 21:23

Kenryuakuma. Need help as always

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KillerBug

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The main advantage of the true I7 (1366) are the PCIe channels...if you are running SLI/Crossfire cards, then I7 will be better gaming performance/3D performance...but if you just have one video card and no RAID/other PCIe devices, then I5 is a better value...and even a slightly better performer at the same GHZ.

The case should hold a 5870...even if it sticks into the hard drive bays a little, this system won't have any drives in that area anyway. Also, Amazon has the 5870, and I'm sure others do as well.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 05 Nov 2009 @ 1:20

sammorris

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Originally posted by Killerbug:
Also, Amazon has the 5870, and I'm sure others do as well

Actually, no they don't. As I said, the 5870s are tricky to find.
The i5 is the better of the two platforms for gaming, and that's about all there is to it. By the time you'd notice the missing PCIe bandwidth you'd have to be running a top-end system far in advance of your current budget. For PCs like this, i5 is much more sensivle.

Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
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Jinkazuya

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So you guys mean i5 is better than i7? according to newegg reviews, some people just overclock the i5 like crazy, they boost that clock speed of i5 to 4.0GHz. I am just wondering if that can be achieved through certain software or is it impossible?

Kenryuakuma. Need help as always

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sammorris

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You don't overclock CPUs in software - you can, but it's unreliable, it's done in the BIOS - see the overclocking thread for more details.
i5s are pretty simple to overclock to 4Ghz.

Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
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Jinkazuya

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Should I get the full tower or mid tower? Would yo please suggest one Sammorris? I prefer a good looking case but steel is much better. I have browsed through neweggs for an hour or so, but couldn't find a better case.

Kenryuakuma. Need help as always

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sammorris

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Well, I'd say one of these if you can afford it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
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KillerBug

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Originally posted by sammorris:

Originally posted by Killerbug:
Also, Amazon has the 5870, and I'm sure others do as well
Actually, no they don't. As I said, the 5870s are tricky to find.

My bad, I know they had them longer than newegg did. From what I have seen, many retailers are expecting new shipments in on 11-9...that's only 3 days away.

sammorris

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Sounds about right from what I'm reading, though they won't be there for long, so be quick!
The HD5850s seem a little slower, no sign of another batch of those until Mid-December.

Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
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My systems: http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/2255 - Last updated 13Feb10

Site update - March 16th 2010

Is this gateway desktop PC a good buy

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