AMD Phenom 9600 (in Gateway system) - Bad Purchase ?

[Shadow703793]

Imo, if you can find some reputable person to build you a PC do it. For about $100 more for the service you can get a MUCH better PC esp. if you overclock. Ask for the parts list on the Forums and then order the parts and ask them to build it for you.

 

[ryanthesav]

I think it looks like a pretty nice computer...cut him some slack he doesn't know what he's doing. We've all been there.

 

[azmtbkr81]

Not a bad machine but if you intend to play newer games you are going to have the same experience you had with Doom 3 (and Doom 3 is a couple of years old).

Upgrading video cards etc can be a daunting and expensive task on a computer from Gateway, HP, Dell etc since they tend to use proprietary parts.

If you are interested in playing games I'd say return the Gateway and build your own, read up on what other people are building in that price range on these forums and then pick up a $20 book at Barnes and Noble that'll step you through building your own computer. In fact if you posted that you are looking for suggestions on a $750 gaming machine you'd probably get 10 responses from people, all of which would make great machines.

It is not difficult as long as your a somewhat technically inclined and most people on this board are happy to offer help if you get stuck.

 

[XndeX]

You can get a lot more than what you currently have for $750
I have only purchased 1 store bought machine.
Since then I have always built my own.
Just happier with what I know is going into it.

 

[roadrunner197069]

Send it back and buy your own parts. If your scared to assemble it I wiil make an auction and sell it to you on ebay for cost of parts + $50.00 labor. 3 year warranty also. Good luck finding a better deal. Heres a sample. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130211938072&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

[reconviperone1]

What are you going to use the system for?

[#000ef0]BTW: BestBuy sucks[/color]Word, and they are idiots


It will be a little slow in gaming. It will do well with multi-threaded tasks. Where it will lag is in single-threaded applications.

Intel makes better products, but depending on what you want this machine will probably do the trick.

Shared video memory - yuck.

 

[reconviperone1]

I had a bad experience with them in Madison Heights, MI.

I bought a palm pilot for $130 from them. I get the service plan on it.

The Palm Pilot stopped working, so I took it back to BestBuy with all the needed documentation. They said they don't stock it anymore and it can't be fixed.

So I said, fine, refund me my money and I can go buy one elsewhere. But they say no. They told me to go find a Pocket PC and I would pay the difference between the price of the pocket PC and the Palm Pilot. However, at that time the cheapest Pocket PC they had was $300 bucks. Which means I would need to fork over $170. That's not acceptable. I bought the service plan so I could get back up and running in the event the device broke, but instead they're trying to force me to buy a more expensive device.

Long story short I started bitching at their service counter and they gave me a gift card. A gift card did me no good as I still needed a palm pilot, which they did not sell. I ended up buying a digital camera from BestBuy with the gift card. But since then, I refuse to shop at them.

Also, I feel that everything is overpriced. I also feel that the sales staff is too pushy on shoving unneeded extras at people and service plans. For example, they try to sell every moron that's buying a PC a UPS backup unit.

I worked there part time a few years ago, I actually got bitched out because i wasnt pushing there service plan, I told them it kinda sucked when i read the fine print, they gave me a hard time, I quit, anf to this day some of the people that worked there when I was there wont speak to me, a very stong geek click there.

 

[sandmanwn]

I bought a palm pilot for $130 from them. I get the service plan on it.

So you are the sucker that buys service plans... :lol:

And you want to dish out advice to someone else?

 

[MrManO1]

solid (store-bought) computer for the money, add a mid-level GPU such as a 2600 or 3600 level ATI (for Hybrid graphics) and you probably won't have to upgrade the power supply - would still be a good idea in the long-run though. Every desktop at Best Buy has a PCI-x16 slot. Then you can do pretty good gaming (not great), and the computer will be set for 99% of normal tasks.

Upgrading video cards etc can be a daunting and expensive task on a computer from Gateway, HP, Dell etc since they tend to use proprietary parts.

Not any more - the Power Supply is standard (still crappy though)
Regular PCI-x16 slots

WD5000AAKS and WD7500AAKS did not work, even after messing with jumpers, drivers, etc. HP's support emails were completely useless. They were somewhat funny, but not helpful.
The disks we tried were taken from my own PC, they work perfectly. The problem was the motherboard. Changing the motherboard is not an option because it invalidates Windows OEM, etc.

Gonna have to assume User error on that one. Was one IDE and one SATA?

I agree with Technology Coordinator (never thought I'd say that) in "What are you going to use the system for?"

 

[jimmysmitty]

Well all I can say is its a Gateway. You get what you get. Its not what I would have suggested but its not the worst PC ever. Thats reserved for eMachines in my book.

Personally if you can return it and buy a custom built one do it. You wont be able to game much if you plan to unless you want to for more money for a mid-hig end GPU and void the warranty and service plan by opening the case.

If you ever buy an OEM PC and even if you are a PC pro, you open it the warrantyis gone and thus it is wasted money.

 

[endyen]

Hi jimmy.
Do you guys not have places like this http://www.anitec.ca/pc_builder/ down in the states?
I live in Vancouver Canada. Going for a walk around here generally leads past a few shops that offer this kind of service.

 

[yipsl]

Hi !
I just purchased Gateway System with AMD Phenom 9600

(http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8775809&type=product&id=1204331848308)

Have a I made a bad purchase, should I have gone with Intel instead ??

For some reason, OEM's like Gateway, Dell, HP etc. do not care about the errata. It's been virtually impossible to duplicate and if you don't virtualize, then it's no big deal. The issue is the bios fix slows the B2 down; you probably won't notice it in real world situations, but it's noticable in benchmarks when the fix is either on or off in the bios.

It's not a bad PC. It's just that AMD's now released the B3 Phenom's that end in '50'; i.e. a 9650 does not have the TLB errata and does not need the bios fix that slows a B2 stepping CPU down. So, they run something like 7% faster than the equivalent B2.

At that price, I'm not sure you'd get much from an OEM Intel system (i.e. a Gateway with a C2D or Q6600). A 9600 isn't that much slower than a Q6600. If you do video editing, burn DVD's and run multiple programs, then a quad core's a good investment. My general advice is if you already have a good dual core, then wait for Deneb from AMD or Nehalem from Intel, but if you need a new PC right now, then a quad core isn't a bad idea if you expect to keep that PC for 3-5 years.

Shared video memory - yuck.

It has a PCIe x16, so he can get a better GPU, though the power supply probably won't support much. If I were him, I'd get a 3650 as an upgrade as soon as possible.

A relative had a Gateway P4 system from a couple of years ago with Intel video that wouldn't play even relatively non-demanding games, and they didn't want to spend much on upgrading, so they got an 8400 that made a world of difference.

If you ever buy an OEM PC and even if you are a PC pro, you open it the warrantyis gone and thus it is wasted money.

I can't see upgrading a video card or RAM voiding a warranty. Maybe switching out a PSU might, who knows with OEM's? I've never worked on them professionally, just been asked to do a few upgrades here and there.

Most OEM's come with PSU's that can just handle the components, so adding a GPU that needs more amps on the 12 volt rail can be a problem, but most OEM's sold at Best Buy aren't ready for a 9800gx2 or 3870x2 anyways. They can generally take an 8600gt, 8600gtx, 3470, 3650 or thereabouts, but not much more.

 

[jitpublisher]

First of all, if I was to buy a prebuilt system, it would be a Gateway.
I have owned Gateways in the past, and I believe of all the prebuilds they are the best. Anyway they used to be, although it has been about 7 years since I bought one.
*The last 3 Gateways I bought are still up and running perfectly, doing what they were purchased to do*
If you bought the system as a gaming rig, you will be disappointed.
If you don't mind spending some extra $$, a video card upgrade would do wonders.
It's a good system for the money.

 

[alexibm]

Appreciate for the responses
I should have been more clearer with my needs

I used to buy pro Workstations from Dell and HP, and got tired of them, since they don't offer any advantage over Regular PCs, cost more, require service plan (oh well, Xeon workstation is totally different story)/

I went to Best Buy a week ago, with intent to buy new PC, looking around I have found that they had single HP quaro Core 6600 system for over grand, with **** load things, I will never use, couple dell dual-core systems, couple AMD Quadro/Tripple Core systems

Most of my time, I spend working in Engineering software, that requires low to mid cpu load (rarely very high). In fact, much of the software I am using, is not yet ready even for dual core !!!!!!!! I do some programming in C++ (and soon will do a lot lot more), and occasionally I play games. I was going to buy Nvidia QuadroFx video card, but as it turns out, I will not gain any advantage over good gaming card.

However, after reading CPU benchmarks, comparing price/performance/hardware features and even playing already outdated game like doom 3 (4 years old!!!!) I thing I have made bad purchase.

If I will keep this system, will I be able to upgrade my processor in one year, two years ?
What do you think of this system ??
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113058

Thanks !

 

[roadrunner197069]

^^^ Alot of money for no more then you get. Only a 1 year warranty to boot.

 

[runswindows95]

Considering this Gateway is only $100 more, yes.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8775818&productCategoryId=abcat0501004&type=product&tab=2&id=1204331848374#productdetail

 

[jimmysmitty]

I can't see upgrading a video card or RAM voiding a warranty. Maybe switching out a PSU might, who knows with OEM's? I've never worked on them professionally, just been asked to do a few upgrades here and there.

Most OEM's come with PSU's that can just handle the components, so adding a GPU that needs more amps on the 12 volt rail can be a problem, but most OEM's sold at Best Buy aren't ready for a 9800gx2 or 3870x2 anyways. They can generally take an 8600gt, 8600gtx, 3470, 3650 or thereabouts, but not much more.

Funny thing is that there is this little sticker on the back of OEM PC cases. When you try to open the case it will get disconnected and that will void the warranty. Its the OEM's way of making sure you will pay them for a new part if you want it.

 

[Hellboy]

One apon a time, in a decade far far away......

Dell and Gateway were almost identical machines....

Both used intel motherboards, both used western digital hard disks and ati video cards...

Then Dell went the way of the Foxconn..

Gateway got poor. Dell got rich... Intel got taken to court because i believe Dell got rich.. allegedly...


Gateway left the rest of the world, to lick its wounds in good ole USA..


I used to own a Gateway, the grey one with the gold G logo on it... Bloody good machine then...


Now Dell and Gateway take the E out of enthusiast for me... They are not for me im afraid....

Yipsl, oh word of wisdom, im sure youll mock me like you usually do and give me the 10 commandments...

But imho Dell, Gateway and packard bell are the biggest pile of crap well before Acer...

The only OEM I sell is Fujitsu... Boring looking but good reliable machines... Sold some HP's. Been ok, nothing special...

But if you want to get anything out of the machine, as Yipsl said put a new video card in it....

Then sing ditties to your self from the 15 second intro on itunes.... Be happy !!!

It could be worse, it could be a E-Machines...