Acer VS Gateway

[HYPHY]

Hi ive been searching for a good gaming computer for a long time now and i found 2 computers that i cant decide which one is better for me, so im here to ask you guys, the experts, ill be mostly usinng it for these 3 games, DAoC,WAR(when it comes out) and a lil bit of CS. If there is any other computer that im not aware of, could you please point it out to me, my only musts are that it must be below $1400 , preferably $1300, and includes a 19" or bigger HD LCD screen and a good videocard of course. Regardless of which one i pick below(with your help please) i will also buy a GeForce 8600 GT or GTS and a 1Gb memory module to beef it up a lil more, plus if i get the Acer i will also have to buy a monitor for it, the gateway has a nice 22" HD monitor inculded so thats nice(btw i cant build my own computer,dont know how/dont want to, even thou its a cheaper way of buying a good computer) So heres the 2 below and thanks in advance for you help i greatly appreciate(sp?) it and sorry for the bad spelling and grammar errors. Also, the gateway has a 400watt PSU and i heard the Acer has a 300 watt PSU, so can those handle a 8600 GTS?





Acer w/o monitor(will buy one sepratly for this one, prolly a 19": http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=cat3&product_code=346300


Gateway /w monitor bundle:
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?pfp=srch1&Ntt=x2+6000&N=0&Dx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&D=x2+6000&Ntk=All&product_code=29151

Thanks again in advance for your help.

 

[g-paw]

You would be much better off either building it yourself or picking out the parts and having local shop build it for you, they'd charge about $20 or $30 for the build. You could get a nice Samsung or View Sonic 19" monitor for about $200 including shipping, which leaves you $1100 for the machine. Before deciding if you want to build it yourself, check out the motherboard manual. If you think you can follow the directions, you can build it yourself. Either way you'd have a better computer and better warranty, e.g., CPUs are warranted for 3 years, Seagate hard drives for 5 years, memory for life. In addition, if you put it together yourself, you'll be confident you can replace/fix it and have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Check out this manual
http://www.gigabyte-usa.com/Support/Motherboard/Manual_Model.aspx?ProductID=2560

Also suggest you make a new post in the Home Built Section, you'll get a much better response. The problem with buying pre-built is you will get some cheap, crappy, parts, e.g., often the PSU, and the warranty will be at best for 1 year

 

[HYPHY]

hmm ok ill consider it, but fyi im only 15 and know only a little more than the average person knows about computers, the only thing i have every installed in a comp is a vid card/memory, my only issue would be that i would screw up and blow $1400 of my parents money(we aint rich, ha or even middle class) and they barely know how to turn on a comp , let alone build one lol, then i would get in alot of trouble and they would definatly never get another comp for me at all(even if i made it succesfully) . If i mess up can i send the stuff back and get a refund or something? I sort of guess i can do everything, seems simple enough(SEEMS) but i heard something about netBIOS or something which i wouldnt know how to do but anyway ill go on newegg and put the stuff i would use and ill post it up here or in the other forum you suggested, and thanks for the reply

 

[g-paw]

Let me know if you do a new post, would like to see what you're getting. 15 isn't too young, helped my 14 year old granddaughter build but again I was there when she did it. First time it's a good idea to have someone that's done it around, as much as anything for moral support. If you know someone that has built before and would be willing to help you, that would be the way to go. Really, the toughest part is installing the OS and programs, although again, this is not brain surgery but if you haven't done it, be good to have someone around. My experience has been that the people that work at local computer stores, not the national chains like CompUSA or Bestbuy, would be willing to help. For example, pay them but ask that they let you do the build but would be there if you need help. If you get someone to help you, would suggest someone that has built a couple machines and that you know and trust. Most of the people I know that are into building are more than happy to help someone starting out. For a lot of us it's not only fun but something we believe in and want to pass it on.

 

[HYPHY]

Yea i posted a new thread in new system builds, i dont know anyone who knows how to build a computer, probably the closest is someone who knows how to put your pictures from a camera to a slideshow lol,im just wondering if i mess up on it that i can send the stuff back for a refund or they send me a new part or something, also there arnt any local computer shops in my area, just bullet shells lol, and the only chain of franchises is compusa which is like 7 miles away and CC and Bestbuy which is 9 miles away also

 

[g-paw]

Yea i posted a new thread in new system builds, i dont know anyone who knows how to build a computer, probably the closest is someone who knows how to put your pictures from a camera to a slideshow lol,im just wondering if i mess up on it that i can send the stuff back for a refund or they send me a new part or something, also there arnt any local computer shops in my area, just bullet shells lol, and the only chain of franchises is compusa which is like 7 miles away and CC and Bestbuy which is 9 miles away also

If something isn't working, you can either send it back to the place you bought it for a refund or exchange within whatever time period they give you, newegg is very good about this, or you can return to the mfg. You're not very likely to break anything if you take you're time, follow the directions, and not try to force things to fit (never use a hammer ). Connecting the the HSF takes some pressure but it's straight done on the retaining clips, use your thumb. Putting cards in PCI slots may take a bit of pressure but if you just use your thumb, you'll be fine. Everything in a computer really just fits in one way and so if you're having a problem, likely you are trying to install a part in the wrong direction. The one exception is the CPU but at least with AMD there is a little gold arrow and the instructions tell you which direction it goes, haven't built an Intel since they came out with the 775 boards. Good idea to go online for the manual, pictures are much easier to see than the ones in the manual. If you haven't done so, check out the manual I gave the address to and see if you're comfortable with the directions. Check with the teachers at your school, in all likelihood at least one or more have built machines. Start with the computer teacher or someone in the computer support dept but you might be surprised who has done it. Hopefully your school uses computers