This is a smoking deal, especially since I have an extra monitor laying around. In for one, this is a great stable system for completing basic tasks.

billdoe wrote:Checked out the AMD processor page above and they don't acknowledge the existence of a 2.8 GHz quad-core Athlon II, just a dual-core. So, is it a dual-core, a quad-core with a different speed rating or such a buggy processor that AMD won't admit it exists?

Lucy, you got some splainin to do.

Well looky hear, plenty of 2.8 quad core AMD's

NightGhost wrote:That is technically true, although most folks just say "acronym" as long as the letters stand for something.

However, the OP did not mention initialisms. He only made the distinction between acronyms and abbreviations.

And his wiki link did not support his claim. In fact just the opposite. According to that link, acronym is acceptable in all cases.

rking wrote:My only gripe with it is the Jatravartid location of the power button. This could be a very serious problem. The fact that the button takes a very light touch compounds the problem. A customer placed an object on top of the computer once and turned it off. Thankfully I wasn't in the middle of anything. I wonder if I could move that button. I use a couple of external firewire audio interfaces with it for multi channel work. I have mixed up to 70 channels at one time (recorded with overdubs) and the machine never had a problem.

Use the power management control panel in XP/Vista/7 to disable the power button, or make it prompt for action when pressed rather than shutting down or sleeping instantly.

spotanime wrote:I need a replacement machine for my MAME cabinet - methinks this is sufficient?

me thinks it's way to much for a MAME. it will wor though.

unksol wrote:Well looky hear, plenty of 2.8 quad core AMD's

those are all phenom.

Unless they renamed their quad athlons to phenoms. And changed them internally.

NightGhost wrote:From the Product Website (under "processor"):

AMD Athlon II X4 630

*
Operating speed: Up to 2.8 GHz
*
Number of cores: 4
*
Socket: AM3
*

And here's the quad-core porcessor at Newegg
Bus speed: 4000 MHz

There you go. Note the newegg blurb:

OUT OF STOCK.
Deactivated. This item is currently out of stock and it may or may not be restocked.
Free Shipping

LOLWUT

indicates to me that this was a special run mainly for HP, few direct NOS replacements available (which is not unusual and not a huge issue in most mobos) and should probably not be considered on par with the phenom 1.7Ghz x4. Heck just comparing caches it isn't. But athlon is still a very capable processor family.

This would be a great deal if it was Intel, not AMD... and if it were a Dell, not HP.

rking wrote:My similar unit does not have the TI chipset. It does have LSI 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller. I use it with a Presonus Firestudio, which is VERY picky about it's firewire interface. It works just fine. I also use it with a Canon GL-2 video camera just fine. On my MB there is a second firewire header which I have brought out to the back of the machine.

Thanks. I would want to use it with a MOTU 8Pre interface and I know it is pretty picky as well.

I thought this looked pretty decent until I saw the 250W PSU.. :/
Overall decent machine for general/media unless you want to add a gfx card or something. You'll have to get a new PSU as well.

NightGhost wrote:It's easier than you think. For some reason, people find computer hardware daunting, but let me assure you that it's much simpler than what's under your hood.

The first computer I ever threw together worked fine and lasted for years.

However, it's even easier to upgrade a machine such as this, and there's a major advantage, which is that the airflow through this machine will be well thought out, whereas you're at the mercy of individual fans in a homebuilt box.

This.

Building a computer isn't difficult, it's just an intimidating thought for those who have never done it. Industry standards and universal connections have simplified the process. I recently built my first gaming PC in a few hours, and couldn't be happier.

Looking to upgrade an outdated Dell 4600 for general multimedia use with this. However I want to hook this up to our HDTV, which only has component inputs since it predated HDMI by a year). I currently have a Sapphire AGP card running in the Dell 4600 with component output via a dongle.

Suggestions on a graphics card that has both component output (for today) and HDMI output (for later)? We do zero gaming so I have no need (or money) for a card that does more than output 1080 video. Thanks in advance for any card recommendations.

Eviscia wrote:This would be a great deal if it was Intel, not AMD... and if it were a Dell, not HP.

... and it would be twice the price... and would work less than 1/2 as much faster, etc.

Ringo4422 wrote:... and it would be twice the price... and would work less than 1/2 as much faster, etc.

Seriously, I've never heard anyone say they wanted discounted refurbished consumer grade Dell...

I have this exact same computer and I bought a corsair 500CX power supply on newegg for 50 with a $20 rebate and an Asus ENgts450 graphics card for 109 with a $20 rebate and this computer is running SC 2 on extreme with no issues and everything else. So for another 150 bucks this is a solid gaming PC.

I'm looking for a computer to pretty much just to watch some netflix and play some SC2. I checked the specs with the minimum req'd on the blizzard website and it seems like it should be able to handle it no problem. Can anyone speak to this? I'm not sure where SC2 ranks on the "serious gamer" scale. Thanks!

Bestec PS........RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

or plan to replace it. Soon.

Found the actual relevant wiki entry in the AMD list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Phenom_microprocessors#.22Propus.22_.28C3.2C_45_nm.2C_Quad-core.29

* Propus is a native quad-core die design with no disabled cores, based on Deneb without L3 cache.

* All models support: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a, Enhanced 3DNow!, NX bit, AMD64, Cool'n'Quiet, AMD-V

* Memory support: DDR2 SDRAM up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066 MHz), DDR3 SDRAM up to PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333 MHz) (Socket AM3 only)

This processor is only about a year old. This is really starting to look like a diamond in the rough in some ways.

I bought this machine from Newegg with 6GB of RAM and a 1TB HD about 7 months ago. I've added another two hard drives, but that's all. It's been very stable and does all I ask it to - which isn't too heavy really. No gaming - so I can't comment.

It's fast, and was completely silent for the first few months, though now one of the hard drives makes a little noise at start up. I was concerned about the 250W as well, but I haven't noticed any issues.

Yes - you will need to de-crapify some of the HP stuff, but I'm very happy all in all.

So it doesn't come with W7 discs? I would definitely be wiping the hard drive and reinstalling if I bought something from HP.

Maybe it's overkill but honestly a lot easier and thorough than removing all the crap/ad/spyware it comes with.


Also wouldn't upgrade any hardware without buying a new PSU..

This woot has my ears perked but I'm also considering this barebones kit at Tigerdirect for $249, which includes:

Asus M2N68-AM PLUS Motherboard
AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core Processor
Cooler Master Fan for AMD CPUs
Centon 4GB RAM (2x C6400 DDR2 2GB),
Seagate Barracuda 1TB Low Power Hard Drive
Lite-On Internal 24X DVD Writer
PowerUp G54-8019 Executive ATX Mid-Tower Case
Sparkle PSPS-400 PS Series 400W Power Supply

Would have to add on:

(1) the cost of Win7 Home Premium - est. $90-100
(2) the cost of a graphics card capable of outputting component video and HDMI (no gaming needed) - est. $50
(3) media card reader - est. $15-20

If that was all it needed the price would run about $30 more than this woot.

Seems like this kit is a better deal but I've never built a PC from scratch -- have upgraded and added on to various systems and salvaged parts from one to use in another but never started from square one so have some concern that I would be missing the cost of one or more items in my comparison. For example, am I correct to assume that the barebones kit won't include any SATA power cables? (didn't see any in the pics) Looks like it comes with 2 SATA data cables but no power cables. Not sure what else its missing that I'm not thinking of right now.

mbrickell wrote:I'm in the same boat. Need a new desktop. $7-800 budget. Interested in what anyone who knows computers thinks the best deal is in this range currently.

I am a pretty tech savvy fellow. I am considering telling my dad to get this model. As long as you aren't planning on doing much gaming, this is a nice system. The CPU itself is nice, and perfect for just about anything. The small power supply will be a problem if you plan on upgrading the GPU to play games.

If you want it for browsing the internet, watching movies, and using programs like MS Office, its a great buy.

kcmark wrote:This woot has my ears perked but I'm alsom considering this barebones kit at Tigerdirect for $249, which includes:

Asus M2N68-AM PLUS Motherboard
AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core Processor
Cooler Master Fan for AMD CPUs
Centon 4GB RAM (2x C6400 DDR2 2GB),
Seagate Barracuda 1TB Low Power Hard Drive
Lite-On Internal 24X DVD Writer
PowerUp G54-8019 Executive ATX Mid-Tower Case
Sparkle PSPS-400 PS Series 400W Power Supply

Would have to add on:

(1) the cost of Win7 Home Premium - est. $90-100
(2) the cost of a graphics card capable of outputting component video and HDMI (no gaming needed) - est. $50
(3) media card reader - est. $15-20

If that was all it needed the price would run about $30 more than this woot.

Seems like this kit is a better deal but I've never built a PC from scratch -- have upgraded and added on to various systems and salvaged parts from one to use in another but never started from square one so have some concern that I would be missing the cost of one or more items in my comparison. For example, am I correct to assume that the barebones kit won't include any SATA power cables? (didn't see any in the pics) Looks like it comes with 2 SATA data cables but no power cables. Not sure what else its missing that I'm not thinking of right now.

I am pretty sure your power supply should come with the SATA power cables.

Ok you sound smarter than me, means little (very little)so look like you might be able to answer a simple q. I want to buy this for my 64 yo friends birthday - he has never had a computer just wants to receive pictures from his grandchildren and snap a few of his dog to send to them. Is he doing to have to hook up to a motom and pay $60 some bucks a months to get on line, or will this wireless, grab one off his neighbor who is online 24/7? In case you can't tell I am his not so computer saavy sister living in a different state so I can't be there to help him once this were to arrive in the mail.thanks..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Phenom_microprocessors#.22Propus.22_.28C3.2C_45_nm.2C_Quad-core.29

* Propus is a native quad-core die design with no disabled cores, based on Deneb without L3 cache.

* All models support: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4a, Enhanced 3DNow!, NX bit, AMD64, Cool'n'Quiet, AMD-V

* Memory support: DDR2 SDRAM up to PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066 MHz), DDR3 SDRAM up to PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333 MHz) (Socket AM3 only)

This processor is only about a year old. This is really starting to look like a diamond in the rough in some ways.[/quote]

Hello Wooters

FYI, CIA, DOD, IBM, UFO and for that matter, FYI, are not acronyms. Please check out my new facebook page "ASS (Acronyms are Stupendously Jatravartid)" to support me in the rejection of dumb acronyms.

I own this PC, it is a phenominal piece of computing equipment, all you need is a nice monitor and graphics card and you have a computer that will last you for years. 5/5 stars

2woot2woot wrote:Ok you sound smarter than me, means little (very little)so look like you might be able to answer a simple q. I want to buy this for my 64 yo friends birthday - he has never had a computer just wants to receive pictures from his grandchildren and snap a few of his dog to send to them. Is he doing to have to hook up to a motom and pay $60 some bucks a months to get on line, or will this wireless, grab one off his neighbor who is online 24/7?

He might be able to use his neighbor's wireless router if (1) the signal is strong enough, and (2) he asks the neighbor and the neighbor gives him permission (and the password) to use his wireless router. He may also want to offer to pay his neighbor some portion of his monthly ISP fees. If he doesn't work out an arrangement with the neighbor then, yes, he would have to sign up for his own internet plan - in our neck of the woods you can get a 1.5Mb naked DSL for about $20/mth -- much better than $60 but not really acceptable for streaming online.

aybe I should ask you, with the diamond of 12 quality posts. You too sound smarter than me, q. I want to buy this for my 64 yo brother's birthday - He lives alone and does not have any children around to teach him how to use a computer. Thus he has never had one, keeps asking me to help him (Like I'm able just cuz I can email and surf the net, buy on woot and ebay - Ha!) All he wants to do is get email from his grandkids and pictures, and to also snap a few of his dog to send to them. Is he going to have to hook up to a motom and pay $60 some bucks a months to get on line? or does wireless on this mean he can grab one off the neighbor (who is online 24/7?) I too live in a different state than him so I can't be there to help him once this were to arrive in. He does know how to plug stuff in, would this be a good buy for him? Thanks,

kcmark wrote:This woot has my ears perked but I'm also considering this barebones kit at Tigerdirect for $249, which includes:

Asus M2N68-AM PLUS Motherboard
AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core Processor
Cooler Master Fan for AMD CPUs
Centon 4GB RAM (2x C6400 DDR2 2GB),
Seagate Barracuda 1TB Low Power Hard Drive
Lite-On Internal 24X DVD Writer
PowerUp G54-8019 Executive ATX Mid-Tower Case
Sparkle PSPS-400 PS Series 400W Power Supply

Would have to add on:

(1) the cost of Win7 Home Premium - est. $90-100
(2) the cost of a graphics card capable of outputting component video and HDMI (no gaming needed) - est. $50
(3) media card reader - est. $15-20

If that was all it needed the price would run about $30 more than this woot.

Seems like this kit is a better deal but I've never built a PC from scratch -- have upgraded and added on to various systems and salvaged parts from one to use in another but never started from square one so have some concern that I would be missing the cost of one or more items in my comparison. For example, am I correct to assume that the barebones kit won't include any SATA power cables? (didn't see any in the pics) Looks like it comes with 2 SATA data cables but no power cables. Not sure what else its missing that I'm not thinking of right now.

I've been looking to buy/build a cheap desktop for my parents since I've been hearing complaints about how slow their current desktop is (it's a Dell from 2005, so go figure :P).

It doesn't really need to do anything special (edit video, play high-end games, etc.), they'd use it for Internet access, reading email, playing solitaire, etc.

When it comes to low-budget PCs, is it better to build one (I've built my own gaming PC, so I have experience at building them) or just buy a cheap pre-built one (such as this one)? Are there better deals for pre-built PCs out there? Any advice would be appreciated!

kcmark wrote:He might be able to use his neighbor's wireless router if (1) the signal is strong enough, and (2) he asks the neighbor and the neighbor gives him permission (and the password) to use his wireless router. He may also want to offer to pay his neighbor some portion of his monthly ISP fees. If he doesn't work out an arrangement with the neighbor then, yes, he would have to sign up for his own internet plan - in our neck of the woods you can get a 1.5Mb naked DSL for about $20/mth -- much better than $60 but not really acceptable for streaming online.

rjleete1 wrote:Hello Wooters

FYI, CIA, DOD, IBM, UFO and for that matter, FYI, are not acronyms. Please check out my new facebook page "ASS (Acronyms are Stupendously Jatravartid)" to support me in the rejection of dumb acronyms.

People get on my case for quoting Wikipedia as a source, and you want me to refer people to a Facebook page called "ASS"?

And Woot wants you to change the name to ASJ.


p.s. I like the irony, though.

kcmark wrote:This woot has my ears perked but I'm also considering
...
AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core Processor
Centon 4GB RAM (2x C6400 DDR2 2GB),
...

That comes with DDR2 because that processor only supports DDR2, this one supports DDR3. Processor to processor alone I like this better. There are plenty of other considerations besides processor in the mix though.

Does anyone know if this computer could be used as a media center? Could it play videos in 1080p?

If it can, I'd just get this, add a TV tuner card, a bigger HDD, and a Blu-Ray drive and be set...

Does this X4-630 Propus have the erratum patch slowdown issue resolved with later 50-series processors?

Could I throw this Video Card in there?

Galaxy 60XMH6HS3HMW GeForce GTX 460 GC Edtion Video Card

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?afsrc=1&EdpNo=6589096&CatId=3670&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&AffiliateID=lw9MynSeamY-_A6e_0yTrylfp39VsdWjwA&beta=Y

Would I have to upgrade the PSU for this?

mbrickell wrote:I'm in the same boat. Need a new desktop. $7-800 budget. Interested in what anyone who knows computers thinks the best deal is in this range currently.

check out overstock.com I have bought better systems then this off there for under $200

Capeto wrote:Does anyone know if this computer could be used as a media center? Could it play videos in 1080p?

If it can, I'd just get this, add a TV tuner card, a bigger HDD, and a Blu-Ray drive and be set...

It can play videos in 1080p but if you're wanting to play them on an HDTV you'll either need an HDTV that has either:

(1) a VGA input which supports full 1080 resolution (most VGA ports on the back of HDTV's only support up to 720p), or
(2) an HDMI input that supports DVI-I and a DVI-I to HDMI cable

OR

you can add a video card that has HDMI output to make it easy to send both video/audio to the TV.

I'm wanting to do something similar but we were early HDTV adopters and our HDTV only has component inputs so I need a video card that supports component out and HDMI out. Plan to also throw a blu-ray drive into this PC if I get it.

When it says integrated graphics card, does that still mean what it used to in that you can't upgrade it to something better. I got burned on that years ago.

jeffmatthews wrote:When it says integrated graphics card, does that still mean what it used to in that you can't upgrade it to something better. I got burned on that years ago.

No, you can install a separate video card and use that instead of the integrated video. Just install the card, install the drivers and hook up your monitor to the new card.

kcmark wrote:Looking to upgrade an outdated Dell 4600 for general multimedia use with this. However I want to hook this up to our HDTV, which only has component inputs since it predated HDMI by a year). I currently have a Sapphire AGP card running in the Dell 4600 with component output via a dongle.

Suggestions on a graphics card that has both component output (for today) and HDMI output (for later)? We do zero gaming so I have no need (or money) for a card that does more than output 1080 video. Thanks in advance for any card recommendations.

I would go with the hd 4350 doesnt take much power but runs web and hd video well.