CPU/Mobo Help me decide: Branded PC/Laptop or Assembled Rig

M

ms_mahu

Adept
Hi gurus

This is my first post after my intro. As it is mentioned in the subject, I'm in a dilemma. Have shortlisted two configurations from Dell India site. One is a desktop and other is a desktop replacement laptop.
Specs are as shown in the table.
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Both these configurations cost around a lakh, and so is my budget. I need this strictly for home use (gaming,music,movies,browsing,creating home videos, some photoshop activities etc). Portability is not needed (But a laptop can give me wireless freedom inside home).

Could you guys suggest me a comparabile config, or advise me what more I can achieve my building one under the same budget? Also could someone tell me about the warranty terms if we are assembling one. Will everytime I have to take it to the same vendor from where I purchased, or to individual distributors? How difficult will it be to make a warranty claim if I move out to a different city.

Looking forward to see your thoughts
Cheers
Mahesh
 
Well as you yourself suggested that you want some mobility bin the house, so why not the lappy..... Warrenty i found out is worldwide, all ya have to do is call 'em up......just to be sure when u change your address call 'em up.....best is to call 'em and ask...... i myself was thinking of a dell around the same price range, but i guess will go for Sony as i need it for ultra mobility ......
 
Thanks Hellscream for the response... I was almost fixed to go for a laptop. But then I came across TE. Now my mind says to go on building one inorder to keep up with you TE guys:eek:hyeah: .

One thing that really pulls me back is the warranty, mainly due to the fact that I am really thinking of reallocating, may be 6 months down the lane.
 
Go with the dell If you want a laptop. otherwise if you are ok with a desktop then get an assembled one. you will get a far better deal that way.
 
i work for a popular brand that sells computers and i would strongly suggest you against buying one . buy an assembled one , is better my leaps and bounds.
 
dude that desktop pc config is sooooooooooooo sad , dont even ompare it 2 the laptop and dont tell me that desktop costs 1lakh (id kick some dell butt)

but seriously speaking u can assemble a nice desktop with straps 2 lug ur rig around for that price , but if ur gonna be mobile alot suggest a laptop
 
The only reason anyone buys a laptop is mobility.if you wanna take it to your office or something then a lappy is good.But all you want is to keep it home to watch movies , play games ,etc etc then a lappy is a bad choice.Firstly it isn't that easily upgradable as a desktop besides it will cost more for the same features compared to a desktop.

So if you don't care about mobility,then go get a desktop.Assembled ones are way better than branded ones.branded ones are way too expensive besides you can't upgrade them. 7300Le is a crappy graphics card and you won't be able to play any recent games using it.

Go get an assembled rig and since your budget is Rs.1 lakh , you can get a pretty awesome rig in that amount.

Here's the config. you should look for:-

Proccy:- intel® Core™2 Duo Desktop Processor E6600:- 15.5-16K

RAM:- Corsair Value Select 2x1GB DDR2 @667MHz 240 pin or Kingston Value or Transcend -Rs.10-13k

Hard Drive:- 320 GB SATA2 Seagate - Rs.5.1k

Dvd writer:- LG H10A/N- Rs 2100

Speakers:- Altec Lansing MX-5021- Rs. 8500

Graphics card: XFX 7900GT Rs.17k ( or you can wait a bit for the prices to come down since dx10 cards will be released shortly)

cabinet: Chieftec-BH02-B-B-B-Cabinet (Rs.3.2k)

PSU:- Antec NeoHE 500W Rs.6k

Tv tuner:-Ati theatre 550 pro tv tuner Rs.3500

Mobo:- Asus P5B Deluxe Rs.13k

monitor:-- dell 20 inch ultrasharp widescreen

Mouse:- Genius Ergo 525 Rs.1.5~1.6k

keyboard:- get anyone from microsoft.

Besides with vista releasing , you would be nuts tyo go out now and pay for a legal copy of windows XP MCE which the dell offers along with the hardware.

ARA warranty is concerned most of the computer parts come with standard 3 yrs. warranty.Some parts like the hard drive have 5 yrs. warranty. As far as the product warranty is concerned , it depends on the shopkeeper who assembles your PC but most of them do offer 1 yr. warranty for the entire product along with 3 yrs. warranty for individual parts these days.
 
i work for a popular brand that sells computers and i would strongly suggest you against buying one . buy an assembled one , is better my leaps and bounds
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Even I have worked as a customer support engineer for a popular indian brand. Hence Know that branded ones are no better than a assembled one. Nobody manufactures for sure, all use more or less the same OEM components. What was luring me was the stress free warranty for 3 years.

Go with the dell If you want a laptop. otherwise if you are ok with a desktop then get an assembled one. you will get a far better deal that way.
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Fine , Your advise taken.. Baranded Desktop out of question now.

The only reason anyone buys a laptop is mobility.if you wanna take it to your office or something then a lappy is good
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That sort of mobility will be difficult with a desktop replacement laptop.By mobility I meant the freedom of moving around a 1000sft flat. And i'm willing to sacrifice it for a better desktop after reading your post.

Now coming to the configuration you suggested.
Proccy:- intel® Core™2 Duo Desktop Processor E6600:- 15.5-16K
RAM:- Corsair Value Select 2x1GB DDR2 @667MHz 240 pin or Kingston Value or Transcend -Rs.10-13k
Hard Drive:- 320 GB SATA2 Seagate - Rs.5.1k
Dvd writer:- LG H10A/N- Rs 2100
Speakers:- Altec Lansing MX-5021- Rs. 8500
Graphics card: XFX 7900GT Rs.17k ( or you can wait a bit for the prices to come down since dx10 cards will be released shortly)
cabinet: Chieftec-BH02-B-B-B-Cabinet (Rs.3.2k)
PSU:- Antec NeoHE 500W Rs.6k
Tv tuner:-Ati theatre 550 pro tv tuner Rs.3500
Mobo:- Asus P5B Deluxe Rs.13k
monitor:-- dell 20 inch ultrasharp widescreen
Mouse:- Genius Ergo 525 Rs.1.5~1.6k
keyboard:- get anyone from microsoft.
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The above config seems fine to me. However I have my doubts regarding the processor and mainboard, is this a real value for money config? Or should I cut it down to a E6400 and a cheaper and reliable (if one exists) mainboard. I see some people in TE has upgraded from E6300 to E6600. Could any of them comment of the performance boost by doing so. Also should I be looking forward to some decent graphics card in 10-12K budget?. Also I would cut down that MX5021 from the config, for now i will connect it using USB to a crappy sony Hi-Fi (so called).

ARA warranty is concerned most of the computer parts come with standard 3 yrs. warranty.Some parts like the hard drive have 5 yrs. warranty. As far as the product warranty is concerned , it depends on the shopkeeper who assembles your PC but most of them do offer 1 yr. warranty for the entire product along with 3 yrs. warranty for individual parts these days.
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I was thinking of assembling it myself after getting the parts. My only question is, say if my graphics card goes faulty. Do I have to take it to the same shop where i purchased it, or to some there authorised dealers of the product. If it is the second way I won't have any issues (hoping that there will be dealers all over the country).

And finally, could somebody guide me to a shop in hyderabad where i could make a purchase.

NB: I'm not able to add reputation points to anybody now. That link is blocked from firewall. Will do afterwards.
Cheers
Mahesh
 
Portability is not needed (But a laptop can give me wireless freedom inside home).
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If I were you, I'd pick up a small & powerful laptop (for the wireless freedoem thingie :p) and plonk some money on a 20" LCD and a port replicator/docking solution which i'd mount on my desk

Lo-Behold, you get the best of both worlds ;)

Esp. since you do not seem to be too keen of extensive upgradations in the future

Sorry if this confused you further, Had no intention of doing so!
 
Sorry if this confused you further, Had no intention of doing so!
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That indeed confuses me.:S Thought of ordering a 12" XPS M1210 and buying a 20" widescreen sometime later. But then had my doubts on the laptop graphics card being able to cater a 20" . could someone throw some light to this ? may be superczar or chaos .
 
For light gaming the 7400Go on the xps1210 is fine... i can play hl2 @ 1024x768, 2x AA without hiccups. Newer games like FEAR struggle on it though. Didn't even try oblivion :p.
 
ms_mahu said:
Even I have worked as a customer support engineer for a popular indian brand. Hence Know that branded ones are no better than a assembled one. Nobody manufactures for sure, all use more or less the same OEM components. What was luring me was the stress free warranty for 3 years.
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"no better" is not the correct word in fact. :hap5: I have seen the internals of both Dell, HP and also IBM Machines at office and I am pretty confident that not much attention or care is given during the assembly. Apple Macs are no better. An assembled machine built by self or by even by some assembler in your supervision is always the best deal both in money and performance. believe me, even if you go for a High end desktop from dell, you will not get the most out it as those people do a lot of things to save on the material used during the assembly.
 
From one simpleton to another:p , i strongly suggest you go for the desktop.

As Lord_Nemesis, Arrow005 and Soulfire pointed out, spending that much on a laptop is pure waste of money. Though you might have to sacrifice portability, but you'll get a much better deal in return:eek:hyeah:

The config by Arrow005 is just what the doctor ordered... But, if you are into gaming and movies, do go in for a 5.1 system.

You should probably wait for the graphics card a bit, since dx10 cards are on their way and will probably result in prices comin down.:D

Wat say?
 
Go for a 12.1in laptop. u wont regret that. Also buy a 20 in Widescreen moniter. U connect that to your Laptops Moniter out pin. Also get a set of Cordless Keyboard and mouse. Now keep the laptop under the desk and ENJOY the BLISS.

I use my laptop with 17in LCD Panel and there is no difference in playback of movies or games. U can easily select the output moniter once you connect the second moniter.
 
That indeed confuses me. Thought of ordering a 12" XPS M1210 and buying a 20" widescreen sometime later. But then had my doubts on the laptop graphics card being able to cater a 20" . could someone throw some light to this ? may be superczar or chaos .
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2D, and full screen overlay rendering (DVDs, DIVX movies etc. )will run without hiccups at 20" resolutions

Gaming at 20" resolutions will work at max for games like HL2 with lowered details...

The Go7400 handles games like NFS-MW, GTA-SA, Far Cry , HL2 etc. admirably at 1280X768..

20" 1680X1050 will be a stretch though and you may need to lower the details....

The Question you need to answer is how important is gaming vis-a-vis small size&weight for you ....

The Go7400 is good only for casual gaming....Better by leaps & bounds over integrated gfx, but nowhere close to a X1900XT...
 
"no better" is not the correct word in fact. I have seen the internals of both Dell, HP and also IBM Machines at office and I am pretty confident that not much attention or care is given during the assembly. Apple Macs are no better.
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Well said, it seems the only design considerations these people do is with the air flow baffles in some of their compact offerings.
Ok, Now after taking into account all your suggestions it seems that going with a good powerfull laptop,a bigger screen and some external storage will set me back atleast by 1.3 Lakh. Also going for this setup could leave me unsatisfied over a time.

So I think it's best to built one rig around a lakh and save the rest for the purchase of a sub 40K laptop if a need arise.

I will almost go with arrow's config

Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 16,000
Mainboard Asus P5B Delux 13,000
Memory Corsair/Kingston/Transcend 2x1GB
DDR2 @ 667MHz Value 13,000
PSU Antec NeoHE 500W 6,000
Graphics Please suggest something <12k 12,000
Hard Drive Seagate 320GB SATA2 5,100
DVD Writer LG H10A/N 2,100
Mouse/KBD Something I may found Comfortable 3,000
Cabinet Chieftec-BH02-B-B-B-Cabinet 3,200
Total 73,400

Again query time :huh:

1 ) Does these value ram come in pairs? if no would it be ok if I purchse one module now and the second module after 2 months so as to work in dual-channel mode. Or will I be at risk of not getting similar chips again?

2) Suggest me a decent graphics card that comes under 12K.

3) Is the LG DVD writer mentioned a reliable one. Or is there some other one I should look for.

4) Is there any other decent/reliable ATX mainboard that fits the bill if I sacrifice the extreme overclockability for that WOW factor.

Sorry guys, I know I'm bugging you people too much. But was just tring to reduce the burden at one go, so that I can include a nice Computer table & chair into my budget.

And please suggest a shop in hyderabad where I can can procure this things. Would like to buy all the above mentioned things from one shop. (If it is against the board policy, somebody please PM me)

One last question about the warranty thing... I still haven't got a clearcut idea. Will I get a nationwide warranty for these individual products? or is it strictly local?
Thanks
Mahesh
 
1) You can go for one stick now, one stick RAM later.. ensure that the part numbers are the same though, for less dual-channel hassle.

2)Videocard <12K? 7600GT.. 8.5K for BIG and ~10K for XFX.

3) Good choice, nice DVDRW.

4) Gigabyte 965DS3/...should be ~9.5K or so. (Guys.. .correct me if i'm wrong..)

Sorry.. why? We're here to help.

No idea about HW stores in Hyd though.. you'll have to wait till rave or someone else from Hyd sees this thread.
 
Is the LG DVD writer mentioned a reliable one. Or is there some other one I should look for.
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mesa a LITEON fanboy:ashamed:(check my sig)

why wasnt a LITEON considered? :mad: the only reason I'd buy a H10 would be to cross flash it to an 18X H12 :p. either way, dunno if h10's are available in plenty. all the shops in my city seem to have only the h20
 
Will I get a nationwide warranty for these individual products? or is it strictly local?
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most parts, esp. the major ones including cpu, hdd, monitor, ram (e.g. transcend) will have a national warranty
 
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