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Should i buy a custom pc or the 1 at bestbuy?

Hi, i have saved up around 760 bucks, and i don't think i can save up more than that. Neways ... my 6 year old pc (compaq 800mhz amd duron, 768sdram, geforce mx4000, is driving me nuts). i had this cpu (with upgrades little by little every year), i tried to buy a new processor last year (intel p4 2.8ghz, and i found out it doesn't even support my system.) i was soo mad. neways..... the only games i can play on this garbage cpu is games like wc3, but i wanna play games like battlefield 2, Need for speed most wanted, fps games ( not too intense) So do u guys think i should get a cpu from a store like best buy who got pcs like HP, emachines, etc.... or.. should i go to a nearby cpu custom shop and have them built me a cpu? And if i were to choose the custom cpu place, can u guys tell me the parts i need and how much each of them coasts , so i can tell them to make me a pc in that price range? thx alot Also, i like to add by saying i CAN NOT Go to any websites like tigerdirect or w/e because i do not have a credit car/ paypal/ not asking/ ain't going to get one for a while so.... if u guys can plz, just tell me if i should get a cpu from bestbuy or tell me the parts of the pc i need that is around 750 bucks. THx ohh and for the guy that is considering buying my used cpu, here's the specs of it COmpaq 800Mhz AMD Duron 768 SDRAM(memmory) max Nvidia Geforce Mx 4000 (128MB) 40.0 GB HD WIN XP Home edition 2 cd-rw drives/and a cheap 30$ soundB card. I don't think you would wanna buy this cpu cuz i had it for about 4-5 years. and once in a while it makes some weird noises, like drums rolling but very slow/not noisy. I'm intending on going to a unvacant park so i can put gaseline and burn this cpu. It lasted me 6 years but i don't think i want memmories of this cpu nemore, nor should i think ne1 else should have it. i also want to point out, i do not like macs, they are very complex and frustrating, so sticking with pc, thx neways

Public Comments

1. Well, preconfigured models are often cheaper than systems built part-for-part, but the trade-off is a bunch of junk software being installed on the usual preconfigured models. For gaming, I would recommend Windows XP if you can still get it (not going to happen at Best Buy), at least a 60GB HDD, no less than 1GB of DDR2 RAM (2GB is better) and any dual-core processor (AMD Athlon X2, Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo). I've heard plenty of good and bad about Vista, but I've only actually seen the bad in person so I can't in good conscience recommend it just yet, but if you want to try it out, have at it. If you want to go with custom parts, you can check out www.newegg.com for parts - their customer service is excellent and their pricing ranges from fair to excellent compared to other online retailers. TigerDirect.com is pretty good as well. As for the old computer, do you have any plans for it, or will it be going to goodwill or something like that? If it's the latter, feel free to send a message, I'd be willing to buy it if the price is right. Hope this helps!
2. You sound like gaming is what your into and gaming PCs are a little more costly.I'll list some sites in source to help you. Get an idea what you want and search for the best prices ,you may want to think of Clarence sales or factory refurbished computers.
3. ~ bigdaddyf50... ~ Buy the cheapest Mac you can... an Apple iBook... even the little Mac-Mini... 1.66GHz w/Combo Drive... $599... just need a monitor... get an education discount... check it out. ~ I converted from PC 2 years ago, and wish I had done so long before. I am now editing movies with Final Cut Pro... creating awesome soundtracks with Apple's Garage Band... iTunes... iMovie... there IS SO MUCH MORE than those few items... NO MORE CRASHES... using Mac OS-X... Check the reviews... see the numbers of people flooding over to Apple with all their PC problems. ~ Pray about it. Apple is known for their graphics capabilities... the more machine you can afford, the bigger games/programs you can handle.