Pre built Alienware or building yourself?

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
For your optical drive under operating systems windows 8 isn't listed so I don't think they're compatible. Though I'm a total newbie too so I might be completely off about this.

http://www.lg.com/us/data-storage/lg-GH24NS90

I'm looking to build a pc running windows 8 os too so I have been looking around and it seems a lot of optical drives have issues running with windows 8.
 


I've just been reading a lot of people saying that after they installed windows 8 the system no longer recognized their optical drive. Since I saw this with a lot of different brands and models I got really confused how I was suppose to know which ones would work with windows 8, since I saw some listed windows 8 under operating systems and some didn't I figured that was how to tell. However, like mentioned I'm a total newbie so I really have no clue and am looking for an answer too.
 
Dollings you are in the same situation that I am xD that is why Im relying on these guys, I got a lot of help, specially from najirion.
najirion, so I wont have a problem installing windows 8 right? oh whats the difference between a dvd reader and a dvd brander? cuz im thinking on going with an external optical device, also because im buying a ultrabook for my GF and it does not have an optical drive, so we both can use it.
 
dvd-rom in general are controllers via sata ports so just like HDDs and SDDs, it wouldn't be affected by OS that much.
Never heard of DVD brander LOL so I googled. It's the european term for DVD burner! X__X
so a DVD-rom or DVD reader only READS a DVD
a DVD brander or burner can "READ AND WRITE".. so you can "burn" (term used for saving data in CDs ans DVDs since you use laser to imprint the data into the disk) data to CDs and DVDs.
 
Remember, you would be installing via DVD where the system doesn't have an OS yet then you say it cannot be detected afterwards? Now that's odd...
 
And what do you think of this monitor? If I buy this one for this price i will be able to upgrade my gtx 660 to a gtx 670 :)
 


There's actually a huge performance difference between GTX 660 and GTX 670.. GTX 670 is on a whole new tier higher. I cannot quantify the increase in performance but it is significantly large. At some point the GTX 670 was even deemed to be as good as a GTX 680 which is the highest tier of attainable card (before GTX 690 came) .

About the monitor, that's good. Philips is a good brand after all. There's little differences in monitors and I believe the differences are too fine to be seen by naked eye assuming they run on the same refresh rate and other settings. Like comparing monitors running on 120 hertz and one on 60 hertz is obviously a biased comparison. Hence, you should be able to find roundups for specific sized monitors. Something like this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/s242hl-bid-u2412m-t24a550,3016.html
quite old and there would be something updated.

About the external DVD-writer. I find the external ones inferior to internal ones IMHO. Based on experience alone, the external counterparts tend to breakdown easily and doesn't last that long. I have internal CD burners that are more than 10 years old now. Construction of internal DVD-roms are more robust. Remember these have moving parts inside at high speeds.
 
Ok so then I will be having 150 more to spend on the gtx 670 because I was gonna the lg ips 27 inch monitor which is 300 hundred. but a 24 inch is way more than enough for me and the philips 24 inch I showed you is only 150 euros :)
regarding the dvd brander a.k.a writer, it will be fine having the external one, because when I think about it, I use it maybe 2 or 3 times a year. and plus then my GF can use it. so you think then If I change the gtx 660 for the gtx 670 Ill be having a killer machine? 😛 I think I will go with the MSI, it lloks good and sturdy and it has good features :)
 
Yeah that's one advantage of the external dvd-roms, it can be shared but you need to be very careful. Dropping it would send it to kingdom come. I actually use a 24" toshiba monitor and it's already big enough for me. I even have a hard time using skype because you cannot zoom it! X__X for gaming, larger monitor will obviously be nice but since I use mine for office stuff as well wherein some applications simply forgot to enable zooming the UI.. 24" is pretty much the largest without giving you a hard time to read stuff. :)
 
Perfect so I am pretty much set up :) about the gtx 670, I looked at the gigabyte version and the MSI version, and it seems to me the gigabyte 670 has 3 fans installed, therefore better cooling! Around the same price so I am looking at functionality and so on! I will also be using this set up for normal home use, not just gaming, so for documents and so on, I guess the 24 inch will be the best option :)

Jus wondering, and its still gonna take a month or so before I can build it, but is there any chance you can help me when it comes to the D-day? lol I could use some real time support while I am building it haha. Otherwise I am gonna try and find someone else who can help me with it, for example, set up a skype call with my laptop or smartphone and go through it xD

I will be recording the whole proccess so I can add it to youtube. I figure since I am being helped so much, why not post a video on youtube for people like me who have never built a computer before, so they can have some clues on how to do it. I also wanna do that because some videos I have been watching dont cover the whole process, either they do cuts or they fast forward it.
 


Ok if that's the case I'll take your word on it! So even if I got a blu-ray burner like this one it should work fine right?

Also good luck JaimeTzz, sorry for jacking your thread! Your videos sound like a good idea since I've been checking youtube for advice too and a well developed video on the whole process would be nice.
 
dollings no worries :) on February 10 I will build it, and I will post the video after a couple of days. make sure to keep checking this thread so you know when the video will be uploaded!
 
7970 same price as 670 at the moment, If hadn't purchased my 670s the day they came out and I had known the 7970s were going to drop in price so rediculously to out-price the 680s/670s I would have waited but we can't always predict what or when the future will bring us new hardware so at one point or another you have to give in and buy what you can if you aren't capable of waiting any longer (which is the situation I was in, got tired of waiting for replacements for my old setup). Still the 670s I bought are excellent cards even for being Vanilla EVGA 670s. :)

best bang for bunk is the 7970 right now.


By March of next year the new AMD gpus will be coming out so you could buy a brand new power house gpu if you were to hold off till then.
 
Just adding my 2 cents: I hate Alienware. They are overpriced and their tech support is terrible. Building your own will save you money, time, and major headaches when the Alienware system starts to malfunction. If you can cook and not set the food on fire, you can certainly build your own.

My advice: read the motherboard manual and watch some youtube videos on building your own. Take your time and it's impossible to mess it up.
 
thanks :) But I will be using the gtx 660 or gtx 670 :) I like Nvidia and I have always had computers with Nvidia, and I wont stop using them. I was just checking the Gigabyte gtx 670 with the three fans...but I dont know if it will fit my mid case... it seems the place where the SSD and the HDD goes wont allow me to put the gtx 670 from Gigabyte.. the case is this one :
http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/307878/nzxt-crafted-series-phantom-410/specificaties/
the gtx is this one :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4Zu6CC92vw
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom