Computer Advice

[LeoRyell]

Does this seem like a reasonable deal for an everyday all purpose computer.

Acer Aspire AM3400-U4132 (PT.SF702.014) Desktop PC Phenom II X4 955(3.2GHz) 6GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity AMD Radeon HD 6570 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

My 4-year old computer recently crashed, so I am looking to get a new computer. I occasionally play games such as Starcraft 2, but this is not strictly a gaming computer... more of an All Purpose computer.

I came across the above computer on Newegg; it was featured, not sure how much faith to put into it. Are Acer's generally pretty reliable?

Is it reasonable priced for its performance?

 

[LeoRyell]

My other questions are these, but they are less important.

Aside from your opinions on the rig linked above, what types of hardware are salvageable from my old PC that can be used by the new one? My old PC's motherboard is fried, so can I use the _____ in any way?:

2x 1gb RAM sticks (Crucial Ballistix, 240pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Processor (don't guess there is a need for this aymore)
GeForce 8600GT (512mb, 128bit GDDR2) Two graphics cards redundant?
320GB hard drive (WD Caviar SE; 7200 RPM 8mb cache)Obviously, I'd like to keep the hard drive because it has all my data stored on it.



And one last question if you have time: Would Microsoft Office be transferred to the new computer (via the old hard drive), or would I have to purchase a whole new MS-Office (no longer have the Installation CD).

 

[pelov]

is the MS office OEM? meaning did you buy MS office yourself or did it come with the computer? if it came with the computer it is generally an OEM version, and i think that too is tied to your motherboard's serial number -- just like windows -- and can not be used on another computer unless it's the same motherboard.

Is the 320GB hard drive an IDE or SATA?

The deal for the acer isn't bad, but you can build a very decent sandy bridge PC for about the same money and it would have better quality components and it'd be faster.

If you're looking to make or buy a new computer then nothing but the hard drive would be salvageable, assuming you're going to buy a new graphics card (which you probably should).

 

[PhilFrisbie]

I have used an Acer laptop for almost 5 years with no problems; they seem to make a decent computer without a lot of preloaded junk. The price is reasonable.

You will need to purchase a new copy of Office; there is no reliable way to transfer from one PC to another, especially when you are talking a different version of Windows.

If your old hard drive is SATA it should work fine as a secondary drive, but if it is PATA you may, or may not, be able to connect it. Just look at the MB to see if there is a PATA connector.

 

[jb6684]

Ebay:
- the old CPU
- the old RAM, it can't be used in the new computer, wrong type & speed
- the old GPU, you can't add it to your new computer likely no slot for it & you can't mix n match NVidia with AMD


Install the 320 Gb HD in your new computer & the DVD drive too, it's nice to have a second optical drive for copy purposes

Likely just recycle the old MB, case, and power supply...