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Help with purchasing a new computer system in the GTA
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| NightCreature |
Does anyone know of cheap computer stores in the GTA or maybe online stores that sell for cheap?
I'm planning to purchase a new computer system because my old 166MMX is dying :(. Just like my old 166MMX, I've decided to build this one from scratch (I'm still not sure about this option). I figured by building it myself I'm going to get the best parts, save on assembly costs, and avoid any hustles of not getting the hardware that I would like to have.
The big delema that I have right now is whether or not I should build it myself or just buy an already assembled puter. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. My another concern is whether to buy the puter online or get it from a cheap computer store somewhere in the GTA.
Here is my current setup. I still need to get the right power supply and a good case. Any comments are welcomed :D
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Pentium 4 2.4C GHz w/ Hyper-Threading Technology (800Mhz FSB) Retail $263
Canada Computers CPU http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/20.../index.htmlOwns in mem benchmark, drive read write, multimedia, etc.. since 800Mhz FSB :)
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Gigabyte GA-8INXP intel E7205 more info $219
Canada Computers Mobo http://www6.tomshardware.com/mother...nitebay-05.html
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512MB PC-2700 DDR333 2X$97
Canada Computers RAM 2X512MB = 1GB ^_^
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Western Digital 120GB $145
Canada Computers HDD http://www6.tomshardware.com/storag.../wd1200-03.html
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Sony 16X OEM $49
Canada Computers CD/DVD Reader
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LogitechCordless Optical Mouse OEM $29
Canada Computers Mouse
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Lite-On Internet Keyboard (ivory) PS/2 $14
Canada Computers Keyboard
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Sapphire Radeon 9200 128MB Retail $113
Canada Computers Video Card Goes well the mobo
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Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 OEM $102
Sound Card
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Creative FPS16004.1 Speakers $65
Speakers
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Panasonic 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive OEM $15
Floppy Disk
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??? Power Supply
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??? Case
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Total: $1208 CAD |
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| Elmo-On-XTC |
If you want a good computer (like good video card, sound card...stuff that aren't necessary but are nice to have) go to http://www.canadacomputers.com
if you just want a computer that will run 2D applications quickly for a cheap price, check out http://www.canadasys.com/ |
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| Michael Russo |
| I second the Canada Computers recommendation. Buy the parts (I really don't think you'll find them cheaper anywhere else) and put it together. When I bought all the components there for my new machine (wow... last summer... almost a year ago) they had a pretty good selection of cases as well. You can even get them to put it together for you if you need help. |
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| Ray_Finkle |
| I hear that Canada Computers has some of the tiest customer service out there. Maybe they've gotten better or something. |
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| Durafei |
| quote: | Originally posted by Ray_Finkle
I hear that Canada Computers has some of the tiest customer service out there. Maybe they've gotten better or something. |
For the prices they offer, they can afford not to have any customer service at all.. I'm very surprised how they even make a profit with their prices.. |
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| rabbitjoker |
| quote: | Originally posted by Durafei
For the prices they offer, they can afford not to have any customer service at all.. I'm very surprised how they even make a profit with their prices.. |
No kidding.
About 6 or 7 years ago when I opened my own computer company (selling custom built servers and workstations) I turned a 8% margin on each machine (which wasn't bad when you were doing about $40k / month in sales). After about 2 years the competition got so bad that I was making about 3% margin.
Although I'm not in the business anymore I'm sure the margins are ~3% or less today. |
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| Kid Lax |
canada computers has really ty customer service if you aren't chinese (at least the one at pacific mall is like that)
they do have great prices though
these days though, it really isn't all that much cheaper to build your own pc as opposed to buying it as a bundle
i guess it really depends on what you're looking for...some bundles come with free monitors/printers/digicams/dvdburners/etc.etc.etc.
im in the same boat...upgrading later this year as im pretty sure prices are going to drop in the fall
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most cases come with a power supply in them
unless you're really concerned with aestetics or have a lot more gear inside the case than a normal pc would have (and you don't), a case is just a case
i picked up a case at one of the stores on kennedy, was $56 or something...came with a 300W ps, 4 5-1/4" slots, 3 3 1/2" slots, and 2 usb 2.0 slots on the front with headphone and mic jacks
i don't really know what else you could possibly need with a case
i mean as long as you have a case fan on there, most cases are pretty much the same
just a side note
you forgot to add in a cpu fan + heatsink for your purchase
and you'll have to buy all the cables, though im sure you already ahve them if you take them out of your old pc |
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| DigiNut |
I know you've already decided on your parts and are just looking for where to get them, but in the interest of saving you some money that you're about to waste, there are a couple of things you might want to take into account here:
1. Although it's a good motherboard, the GA-8INXP only supports a 400/533 MHz FSB, so you're wasting you're time getting that 800 MHz FSB chip. Yes it's true, the C model has "hyper-threading technology", but that's more of a buzzword than anything else when it comes to real-life applications.
2. Along the same lines, it only supports DDR200/266 (PC2700 is DDR333) memory according to the specs, so you might want to watch out for that too.
3. The motherboard comes with Serial ATA - I highly recommend getting a serial ATA drive to go with that, as they are much faster and not a lot more expensive than ordinary ATA (and geez, those drives have really come down in price over the past few weeks!). The hard drive is the biggest speed bottleneck of any system - get the fastest one you can.
4. Get a good power supply! Therefore, don't get a case that comes with one and use it. ty power supplies are often the first to go, and can take the rest of your system down with them.
5. Canada Computer really does have ty customer service, as others have said - I know they're not as cheap, but Logic Computer House and Grey-Tech (moreso the former) are actually decent in that area. In case you've got hardware incompatibilities (i.e. your assembled system refuses to boot), I've actually gotten logic to test the parts for me - Canada Computers just sells parts, they offer no service whatsoever.
Anyway, happy buying and assembling, and good luck.
Personally, I save money by staying away from the P4's, but I know 50 people will yell at me if I badmouth Intel... |
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| McKinley |
| how do they make money? they cheat the tax system. |
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| Trancewave |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kid Lax
canada computers has really ty customer service if you aren't chinese (at least the one at pacific mall is like that)
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Trust me, the customer service isn't all that better even if you're chinese. Trust me on this one, I know.
| quote: | Originally posted by McKinley
how do they make money? they cheat the tax system.
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Bingo! McKinley knows his .
You guys also got to remember that Canada Computers is busy like hell (if you ever go there you'll see why), so don't expect great customer service. Once they have your money, you're on your own so it's best that you know what you're doing.
Also, I'm not sure if any of you remember this a few months ago during tax season. All major retailers like Future Shop, Best Buy, Staples etc. were selling QuickTax for $34.99, Canada Computers had it for a ridiculous $16.99 and they had tons. This left the retailers scratching their heads because the markup for that software was extremely low and there was hardly any profit even if they sold it for $34.99, nevermind sixteen bucks!
This left the retailers royally pissed off because they had to price match it with Canada Computers, and an investigation took place. You may remember that even up to just a few months ago there were 2 Canada Computers at Pacific Mall. They had to close one of them, apparently word is that cops found that Canada Computers were selling boatloads of stolen goods. hehe....I don't doubt that at all. Sometimes their prices are just ridiculous. :D |
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| NightCreature |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
I know you've already decided on your parts and are just looking for where to get them, but in the interest of saving you some money that you're about to waste, there are a couple of things you might want to take into account here:
1. Although it's a good motherboard, the GA-8INXP only supports a 400/533 MHz FSB, so you're wasting you're time getting that 800 MHz FSB chip. Yes it's true, the C model has "hyper-threading technology", but that's more of a buzzword than anything else when it comes to real-life applications.
2. Along the same lines, it only supports DDR200/266 (PC2700 is DDR333) memory according to the specs, so you might want to watch out for that too.
3. The motherboard comes with Serial ATA - I highly recommend getting a serial ATA drive to go with that, as they are much faster and not a lot more expensive than ordinary ATA (and geez, those drives have really come down in price over the past few weeks!). The hard drive is the biggest speed bottleneck of any system - get the fastest one you can.
4. Get a good power supply! Therefore, don't get a case that comes with one and use it. ty power supplies are often the first to go, and can take the rest of your system down with them.
5. Canada Computer really does have ty customer service, as others have said - I know they're not as cheap, but Logic Computer House and Grey-Tech (moreso the former) are actually decent in that area. In case you've got hardware incompatibilities (i.e. your assembled system refuses to boot), I've actually gotten logic to test the parts for me - Canada Computers just sells parts, they offer no service whatsoever.
Anyway, happy buying and assembling, and good luck.
Personally, I save money by staying away from the P4's, but I know 50 people will yell at me if I badmouth Intel... |
I知 way ahead of you :D. Just noticed this same discrepancy today. I went to their site to double check and make sure that it is an 800 Mhz FSB mobo, but it wasn稚! So I知 getting an Asus 865 mobo instead, which does have the 800 Mhz FSB :). I値l post my new specs tomorrow, since I left the doc at work :D. Thanx for pointing this out though.
I知 also seriously considering getting a prebuilt Athlon machine for like 500 bucks :D. |
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| rabbitjoker |
| quote: | Originally posted by NightCreature
So I知 getting an Asus 865 mobo instead, which does have the 800 Mhz FSB :). |
I've used tons of Asus P2B motherboards (both with dual processor, scsi and eide) and found them to be good MBs.. Asus makes great products.
Just make sure you flash the bios fairly soon after you get the board. Also, I've found asus boards -very- sensitive to voltage issues - get at least a 350w PS. Lastly they also like to run warm - so the more fans the better. |
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