I confiugred a Dell computer over the phone, it's one of those new XPS computers, with some specs that are neither awesome or bad. The final price was an equivalent of $3000 US... Then I configured one trough their website, this time it was a Dimension 9150, with pretty much the same specs as the XPS... and the prize was an equivalent of $1900 US... The only difference is the Video Card, in the XPS it's a 512mb GeForce7900, and in the Dimension it's a 256mb GeForce7900...
I'm just wondering what exactly makes the XPS so freakin expensive having the same specs as the Dimension, and is it worth paying over $1000 more for it?

Yes I know building my own computer is so much better and all that, but I can't do that right now, given that I don't have the time or the means to buy each piece etc.

The price difference between those two cards by itself is over £100, so that could amount to a quarter or so of it. If you're looking at top notch components the the differences between the very top model and the one just below it can be quite a lot. Basically,
how much the same is 'pretty much'?

Why not just upgrade the parts you need? For instance, only buying a new processor and graphics card could be enough and only cost < $500-600
Paying more than $1200 for a compleatly new computer seems un-nessisary aswell.

Also, I would definitly wait for the DX 10 cards to come out.

The difference betwhen good and the very best is never worth the big price gap. I need to uppgrade my PC but I won't get a DX10 card as soon as it's out, I'll be sure to wait untill a few of thoose are released so the second to best one is at a resonable price.
The whole overprice on brand new products is really a customer exploit I think..

Why not just upgrade the parts you need? For instance, only buying a new processor and graphics card could be enough and only cost < $500-600
Paying more than $1200 for a compleatly new computer seems un-nessisary aswell.If only that were possible, unfortunatly most older sockets don't support new processors and most old motherboards were AGP.

Personnally, I'd screw DirectX 10, I'm not getting vista, so there's no advantage.

I'm not jumping abort the "screw vista" fad train.

As for me, I was unlucky enough to chooice a socket 754 motherboard instead of 939. So when I upgrade I need to swap motherboard and get a new processor. Still, it's no reason to get a new computer.

Why buy a new case, monitor, harddrive(s), mouse, keyboard, speakers, soundcard, power supply box, cd/dvd burner, tv-out card, when I got perfectly good working ones already?

Why buy a new case, monitor, harddrive(s), mouse, keyboard, speakers, soundcard, power supply box, cd/dvd burner, tv-out card, when I got perfectly good working ones already?I presumed you'd have to pay extra for all of that. Having never bought a complete pc, I've not much experience.

I've never been a very big DELL fan. I've always felt their computers were really buggy and they rip you off. But then again I've been a hardcore mac user my whole life.

As for the difference,
I think Dimensions are primaryily cheaper since they're older and have been on the market longer then the XPS. Also XPS are ment to target the "gamer" audience. On the other side Dimension targets the average joe. So likewise, companies like DELL feel they can sell it at a much higher price even if at the core levels there aint much difference. Also the XPS has a "fancy" thermal case which of course raises the price. Also since its a high performance desktop is generally better at taking upgrades. Meaning the dimension may be almost equal now but it probably doesn't have much expandability in its case. It probably only has like two RAM slots or something. Strictly speaking the XPS will probably last you longer. I didn't see the specs between the two you created. But basing it off the standard specs online, the XPS also has a Intel Duo processor which is generally more efficient then standard single core processor. And i know because its ment to mimic traditional macintosh dual core processors cause thats whats in the new Intel macs which of course ****es of people like me. But anyway, if you told me more details on the two maybe i could figure out the difference.

Then again...You did configure the first one on the phone, so they could just be ripping you off.

Well firstly, the PC I had turned out to be mostly broken, there's not much I can salvage from it.
AS for the specs:
The XPS is as follows:
Intel Pentium D Processor 930 (3.0GHz,800FSB) w/Dual Core Technology and

2MB cache (222-2685)
2GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz (311-5025)
Dell USB Keyboard (310-7963)
19 in (19 in viewable) 1907FPCFlat Panel Display (320-4641)
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX for Dimension XPS 700 (320-4847) 5,000
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/ DataBurst Cache (341-3666)
3.5in Floppy Drive (341-3671)
Dell Application Back-up CD, Factory Install (313-7222)
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition,Service Pack 2,English (420-4938)
Dell Optical USB Mouse (310-7966)
56K PCI Telephony Modem (313-3841)
Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 (412-0705)
16X DVD-ROM and 16X DVD+/-RW (313-4305)
X-Fi PCI Sound Card (313-4307)
Z-5500 Digital Speaker System shadow sku (A0460259)
Corel WordPerfect 12 plus Trial of Quartro Pro and Presentations (412-0803)
Network Associates McAfee 7.0,English,90-day Trial (412-0850)
Type 3 Contract - Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial

Year (915-1170)
Type 3 Contract - Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, 2YR

The Dimension shares the exact same stuff, except for the Graphics Card mentioned before.
That's all the info the Dell rep sent me, so I don't know if there's anything else to it will have to call back for more info I guess.

The thing I dislike so much about compleate PC packages, apart from you often pay too much or buy parts you don't need, is that if something is broken you can't fix it yourself, you have to send it away on service for weeks. They try to keep as much controll over it as possible. Ensuring the warrinty breaks if you open the PC to add or remove stuff. It's my PC, get your hands off it. I don't trust thoose service guys one bit.

Why are you paying for Windows XP Home edition? Don't you already have a copy that your using now?

Why are you paying for Windows XP Home edition? Don't you already have a copy that your using now?If it's like most computer packages, it probably comes as a free extra with the whole thing. Or at least any software always seems to be bundled as free extras.

free extra my ass, they say free but they just make the rest more expencive to compensate.

Other than the whole windows thing, there are two major things here.

1), they havent told you what motherboard they use, they never do..

and
2) 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX for Dimension XPS, that why. Dell
does not use standard generic componants. RAM bought for a dell wont work anywhere else and visa versa.

If you realy dont have the ability to build your own, find a friend or a small company who can.

And why do you need a new keyboard, mouse, monitor... etc?
Hell, do you even need a new floppy drive? CD drives? All that software like corel? Look at what you have, work out what you need and get a custom PC done, it will cost you half as much.

heres the minor differences:
Item------------------------XPS--------Dimension
PCI Slots---------------------3------------2
USB ports--------------------10----------8
Max Hard Drive Space------500GB------250GB
Power Supply--------------750W--------305W
DIMM Slots------------------4-------------4

Bonus XPS stuff:
AGEIA® PhysX® physics accelerator(I dont think the dimension has this)
Its basically a graphics accelerator.
It also has more audio/video ports in the back.


Thats basically the only minor differences between the two models. The XPS just has a better case and is more expandable and probably handles games slightly better.

What it comes done to its probably more economical for you to get the dimension.

Side Note:
At CompUSA you can buy parts for computers really easy and build your own. I have a friend that did it once. They generally have all the tools and items you'd need.

The thing I dislike so much about compleate PC packages, apart from you often pay too much or buy parts you don't need, is that if something is broken you can't fix it yourself, you have to send it away on service for weeks. They try to keep as much controll over it as possible. Ensuring the warrinty breaks if you open the PC to add or remove stuff. It's my PC, get your hands off it. I don't trust thoose service guys one bit.

Why are you paying for Windows XP Home edition? Don't you already have a copy that your using now?

I'm pretty sure you can upgrade Dells without breaking the warrenty. At least, I've switched hard discs about in them for other people before now.

Maybe so, but you have to get Dell's service to do it. And I don't like the idea of sending my computer away for 2-3 weeks to switch a broken DVD-drive, which only takes a few minutes.

I am going to remove most of the things I already have, like the keyboard, mouse, monitor and stuff, but I was still wondering since the other pc I configured also had the same stuff.
I don't particularly enjoy having to buy Dell, I would like to build my own, but I don't have the money to buy each part right now, buying a built computer appeals to me in the fact that I can order it in montly payments. If I were to buy the parts it would take me a while to gather everything I need(at least two months to buy just the graphics card).
So it's either Dell, or wait several months to either build one or buy Alienware...

You know what, I'll build my own. Can someone just point me in the right direction to find out which parts I should get?

You know what, I'll build my own. Can someone just point me in the right direction to find out which parts I should get?
That depends on how much money you want to spend.
Check out the local computer hardware retailers and compare the prices.

I recommend you invest a little more money and get yourself a decent case which has as few screws as possible.
I have an Aerocool Baydream (http://www.aerocool.com.tw/case/baydream/baydream.html) in black.
All the drives can be inserted with clamps. No screws necessary.
I use two 120mm silent fans at the front and back and two 80mm silent fans to cool my two 250GB HDD from the side.
It also is prepared for BTX size motherboards, so I'm gonna have it a long time.

I also suggest a good power supply with a wattage >500W.
Mine is a "be quiet! blackline" 470W with two 80mm silent fans (1 year ago).

Get a motherboard *without* any fans onboard!
I made the mistake and 6 months later the northbridge fan died, crashing my system with a bluscreen of dead (the first in years) and resulting in a nice 48GB dataloss on one of my partitions.
S-ATA2, PCI-E and DDR2 support are standard today.

You could also get silicone damping rings to put between the hardware and the case to reduce noise transmission (power supply, fans) to the case and prolong the life cycle (HDDs).

I suggest getting a pair of identical RAM bars to use them with dual-channel.
Also, don't use the heatsink/fan packaged in the "boxed" CPUs. They tend to produce more noise.
I bought the "tray" version of my Athlon 64 3200 CPU (the clerk put the chip in a random box with styrofoam). Be sure to check the stamp on the chip to get ripped-off.

Here is a web site with good instructions for what components to buy to make sure they're all compatible and stuff. Very useful. Use it.

http://www.build-pcs.com/BuyingGuide/Buying-Guide.cfm


There's also a building guide to explain the process of putting it together.

Hokay, let's start out by choosing the parts, then I'll move on to figuring out how to get them.
[LONG POST STARTS HERE]
Firstly, about the case, unless someone has a better suggestion, I'm going for Bonz', the Aerocool (http://www.aerocool.com.tw/case/baydream/baydream.html).
For the Motherboard, I really need some advice on this one... I'm looking for something powerfull. I've looked around some but I really have no clue how to compare them or what features exactly to look for.
I'm also assuming the cpu comes with the Motherboard, in which case I don't know wheter to get AMD or Pentium...
Now, I think the RAM from my old VAIO should still be usable, that should be 1G, I might purchase an additional 1G, I also don't know what to look for here.
Video Card. Again, the ATI versus NVidia... Like any noob, I'm going for the fastest thing I can find. Is that a good idea? It would be either this (http://www.ati.com/products/RadeonX1900/index.html) or this (http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce7.html). Also what's that of using dual graphic cards?
Monitor: I already have the one from my Vaio, but I'll probably be looking somewhat in the future for a good CRT monitor... :/
Mouse and Keyboard: check, check.
Windows XP Home... I'm assuming I can take this from the VAIO recovering cd.
Hard Disk... the VAIO's hard disk got all messed up, don't know if it's fixable. Basicly, almost half of the files I extract from it are corrupted. In any case, I'm assuming I'll do fine with 300> GB... I also don't know what to look for as of speed and stuff.
SoundCard... now this is where I want something really good, I'm basicly looking for something that helps me get good quality recording, and good quality audio. Perhaps the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum PCI Sound Card, unless someone can point me in a better direction.
Network card... I have wireless network on my house, so I'll like a wireless network card. Or should I go with Ethernet? Or both? I'm assuming the ethernet card should be salvagable from my old computer... will have to check on that.
Speakers... I need good advice for this too. I love music, movies and games, and would love to have something great on this side of things...
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM stuff... well I would like a DVD/CD recorder, and something that works for a long time, I don't know why but the few things I've had on this side of things allways seem to malfunction frequently... I also need pointing in the right direction. Also, should I get several different ones, or does one CD/DVD recorder suffice?
As for other stuff I might be missing, feel free to point it out with a nice suggestion if possible.
[/LONG POST ENDS HERE]

Honestly, I have a lot to learn on this aspect, and would be very thankful for any help.
I am reading trough the tutorial SomePerson posted and I'm going to be making some research to find out more things about what I should be looking for, in the meantime I would appreciate any suggestions.

I should also point out the main things I plan on doing with this computer:
CG art(3d, 2d, flash et all), Gaming(TF2 and anything fancy that catches my attention), random coding(I plan on learning a bit of things like java, php, actionscript, and even some C++...), Music(playing and recording), and general entertainment(movies).

This would be my advice;


For the Motherboard, I really need some advice on this one... I'm looking for something powerfull. I've looked around some but I really have no clue how to compare them or what features exactly to look for.
I'm also assuming the cpu comes with the Motherboard, in which case I don't know wheter to get AMD or Pentium...

Firstly, the CPU won't normally come with the motherboard unless you buy a special bundle, which are only avliable from some places. Motherboard wise, I'd go for a decent make like ASUS. The most important thing to look for is the socket type and the Front Side Bus (FSB) speed which determins what CPU you can use, also look for how many slots of ram it can hold and of what type (if you look up the motherboard on a site like crucial you'll be able to see exactly what type of ram it can take). Other features worth looking at are wether it's got built in ethernet or wireless ethernet (not very common though), SATA support and how many usb sockets.

I'd go for AMD over intel any day of the week, it's cheaper for the same speed! don't be put off by the seemingly slower ghz.


Now, I think the RAM from my old VAIO should still be usable, that should be 1G, I might purchase an additional 1G, I also don't know what to look for here.It might be, but then again it might not. How old is the VAIO?

Video Card. Again, the ATI versus NVidia... Like any noob, I'm going for the fastest thing I can find. Is that a good idea? It would be either this (http://www.ati.com/products/RadeonX1900/index.html) or this (http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce7.html). Also what's that of using dual graphic cards?I've heard loads of arguments of no conclusion about this one, you could try finding some reviews which compare the 'equivilant' ATi to Nvidia


Monitor: I already have the one from my Vaio, but I'll probably be looking somewhat in the future for a good CRT monitor... :/Personnaly, I hate CRT, but they are nice and cheap at the moment.

Windows XP Home... I'm assuming I can take this from the VAIO recovering cd.Be careful with this one... sometimes the so called recovery cd isn't a windows install disc, and I've heard that some OEM instalations of windows tie themselves to the hardware.


Hard Disk... the VAIO's hard disk got all messed up, don't know if it's fixable. Basicly, almost half of the files I extract from it are corrupted. In any case, I'm assuming I'll do fine with 300> GB... I also don't know what to look for as of speed and stuff. Most discs seem to be about the same speed at the moment, only difference really is between SATA and IDE (SATA being the newer and support RAID - linking up of several discs)
SoundCard... now this is where I want something really good, I'm basicly looking for something that helps me get good quality recording, and good quality audio. Perhaps the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum PCI Sound Card, unless someone can point me in a better direction.Creative seem pretty good from what I've used of them. In fact I've still got a computer using an ISA soundblaster 16 somewhere.

Network card... I have wireless network on my house, so I'll like a wireless network card. Or should I go with Ethernet? Or both? I'm assuming the ethernet card should be salvagable from my old computer... will have to check on that.I'm a big fan of cables, so my advice here is bias. Cables are faster and easier and more reliable, not to mention secure, but wireless is portable. If you're not going to move the pc around much and don't mind putting cables under carpets and through walls and floors, use wired ethernet. So long as the old card was PCI it should be easy peasy to switch it from one pc to the other, but the new motherboard might well have ethernet sockets built in.
Speakers... I need good advice for this too. I love music, movies and games, and would love to have something great on this side of things...I plug my pc into my amp, which uses speakers I found in a skip :) .. in other words, I haven't a clue, but cheap and nasty computer speakers will always be cheap and well, nasty.
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM stuff... well I would like a DVD/CD recorder, and something that works for a long time, I don't know why but the few things I've had on this side of things allways seem to malfunction frequently... I also need pointing in the right direction. Also, should I get several different ones, or does one CD/DVD recorder suffice?Two CD drives can be useful, but it's not really vital, so long as it's a good make you're pretty safe with buying a DVD-writer, just be sure to check what formats it supports and if it supports dual-layer and the like.

Oh and, I wouldn't even bother putting a floppy drive in if I were you, i've not seen anyone actually use them in a good few years.

Hopefully this monster of a post might be some use. I'm far from an expert, but i've had a lot of experience with this sort of thing over the last few years.

Motherboards are pretty much the same, they don't vary as much as graphic cards etc. You just want to make sure it's the right socket for the processor and has PCI-Express, which they all do basicly. They it's just comparing features, like counting which has the most USB outlets heh.
Find the graphics card and processor you want then figure out what motherboard you need for them.

I wouldn't get a CRT monitor for several reasons. Sure they are cheaper, but they are huge and weigh alot more. They use more electricity than a flatscreen, and after time CRT monitors fade to gray as the projector tube inside wears out. Games running on peoples CRT's a the last LAN I was on looked rather bleached in comparison. Plus you get way much more space on your desktop, making eating food and using notebooks by the computer a simpler task than ever. Also, a 17" flatscreen often looks bigger than a 19" CRT for some reason, many people I know have confirmed this.

As for harddrives, I really don't know. SATA is better than IDE, not only are they faster but the cords are smoother and agile.

As for windows and other software, you can probably just use what you already got, unless it's a custom install CD which is pre-packed with drivers for your secific dell computer. My Compaq PC was like that. Heh.

I used to have two CD/DVD drives, but it doesn't matter. I barely use my DVD burner. And if I do need to copy a CD I just make a iso out of it and then burn the iso. Salvage as much as you can from your current computer if possible. Steel the DVD/CD drive from it =P

I don't like flatscreens, they have a lot of issues with old games and require much more color calibration.

Motherboards are pretty much the same, they don't vary as much as graphic cards etc. You just want to make sure it's the right socket for the processor and has PCI-Express, which they all do basicly. They it's just comparing features, like counting which has the most USB outlets heh.
Well sorta. The layout matters too, depending on how you're going to cool the computer and so forth. Take a look at this article (http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/26/beginners_guide_to_motherboard_selection/) for more about that.
I wouldn't get a CRT monitor for several reasons. Sure they are cheaper, but they are huge and weigh alot more. They use more electricity than a flatscreen, and after time CRT monitors fade to gray as the projector tube inside wears out. Games running on peoples CRT's a the last LAN I was on looked rather bleached in comparison. Plus you get way much more space on your desktop, making eating food and using notebooks by the computer a simpler task than ever. Also, a 17" flatscreen often looks bigger than a 19" CRT for some reason, many people I know have confirmed this.
If you're going to get an LCD, though, don't cut corners and get a cheap panel. Cheap flat-panel displays suck; it's worth the extra $200 or so that you'll spend to get a good one. Again, Tom's Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com/graphics/displays/index.html) reviews displays, and they're among the best.

By the way, the screen looks bigger on an LCD because the entire panel is used to display the image, whereas a CRT simply projects the image onto the panel and doesn't fill the whole thing up.

As for harddrives, I really don't know. SATA is better than IDE, not only are they faster but the cords are smoother and agile.
SATA will run you a bit more, again, but the performance tradeoff is worth it. Your primary manufacturers that you should look out for are Western Digital (WD), Seagate and Maxtor; personally, I've had nothing but good experience with WD.
Video Card. Again, the ATI versus NVidia... Like any noob, I'm going for the fastest thing I can find. Is that a good idea? It would be either this or this. Also what's that of using dual graphic cards?

Graphics cards are fun! BFG's new 7950 GX2 (http://www.bfgtech.com/7950Gx2_1G_PCIX.html) series is red-hot, absolutely shattering benchmarks and providing higher quality at a lower price. It's highly recommended by [H]ard|OCP (http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTA4MywsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0) and Maximum PC, among others. Basically, what BFG did was strap two 7950 cards onto one board. It will set you back $600, but the performance is far superior to any other single card on the market. In fact, it even beats out the performance of SLI (dual) 7900's.

Alternately, if you're on more of a budget, you could go for a different card in the GeForce 7 line. This Tom's Hardware article (http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/17/summer_2006_geforce_7_graphics_gear/) compares the offerings from different manufacturers, so you can find the price/performance ratio that works best for you.

Personally, I try to steer clear of ATI as much as possible, so I only really know about their cards in passing. I know that SargeMcCluck is an ATI user, so he'll probably know better than me (assuming we can get him back on the forum).

I'm also assuming the cpu comes with the Motherboard, in which case I don't know wheter to get AMD or Pentium...
Depends. You can get mobo/CPU combo packs, but usually they come independent. Recently, Intel's Core Duo 2 has been using AMD to mop the floor, both in synthetic and real-world benchmarks. Depending on how much you despise Intel, it might be worth looking into basing your system around an Intel chipset.

I don't like flatscreens, they have a lot of issues with old games and require much more color calibration.

Naa, things might look a bit weird if it's on a strange resolution, but that is almost never inflexible. As for colors, they have always been showing great, but my screen has some kind of auto color AI thingy.

I'd much rather have good colors in the games I play regularly, like BF2 than Kings Quest 1. Though, as I said, I've never had color problems at all with this screen.

Team17 forum is interesting. This is the one place you can find people who dislike the strangest things lol. Flatscreens rule, but I should have known there would be anti-folk here =D

I have started writing this post 5 hours ago, but went to play (association) football, so some things might have been said.

Firstly, about the case, unless someone has a better suggestion, I'm going for Bonz', the Aerocool (http://www.aerocool.com.tw/case/baydream/baydream.html).
Coolermaster's Stacker is also a good one, though the Baydream is probably cheaper.
Note: it has window on the *right* side, so the motherboard is mounted on the *left* side.
(When I bought I didn't think of that, and at home I thought "Oh! the window is on the correct side!" when i put it next to my desk.)
For the Motherboard, I really need some advice on this one... I'm looking for something powerfull. I've looked around some but I really have no clue how to compare them or what features exactly to look for.
I'm also assuming the cpu comes with the Motherboard, in which case I don't know wheter to get AMD or Pentium...
You should get a motherboard with S-ATA2 for HDDs, PCI-e for graphics card, DDR2 for RAM.

CPU does not come with the motherboard!
So you have to buy a motherboard with the correct socket for the CPU.
The current Intel chips use socket 775, AMD uses socket 939.
Single core CPUs are <€100.-, dual core CPUs are >€180.- (approximately).
I prefer AMD, as they are usually cheaper and faster. Never had an Intel chip in my life...

You can get the CPU "boxed", which means pre packed with a heatsink/fan, but these mostly are noisier and worse.
I got my CPU right off the "tray" (the bare CPUs on a plastic tray like chocolates in a box) and bought the heatsink/fan extra. That was cheaper and I have a better, more silent fan now (Arctic cooling Freezer (http://www.arctic-cooling.com/cpu2.php?idx=10&disc)).
There are even some fan-less CPU coolers (http://www.amdplanet.it/art_img/98/1.jpg), if you want to go for extreme silence and your chosen CPU is too fast/hot.

Those CPU coolers also have the same size of the CPU socket.
Also, make sure you check the print on the CPU if you buy it "tray".
Now, I think the RAM from my old VAIO should still be usable, that should be 1G, I might purchase an additional 1G, I also don't know what to look for here.

Video Card. Again, the ATI versus NVidia... Like any noob, I'm going for the fastest thing I can find. Is that a good idea? It would be either this (http://www.ati.com/products/RadeonX1900/index.html) or this (http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce7.html). Also what's that of using dual graphic cards?
Well, that's your choice again.
I had ATI some years back, but now I have Nvidia.

You should get a PCI-e card as it is the standard now, AGP is already vanishing.
Get one with 256MB DDR video RAM.

Dual videocards isn't really support by much software/games at the moment, but i should increase the power but also doubles the price.
You could buy a popular video card now, and in 1-2 years get the second one cheaper.

Dual graphic support only works with PCI-e cards (at least Nvidia's SLI system; don't know about ATI's system).
Monitor: I already have the one from my Vaio, but I'll probably be looking somewhat in the future for a good CRT monitor... :/
I am totally happy with my 19" TFT screen. No more flickering & headaches!
No problem with new or old games because of 8ms reaction time.

Make sure you get one with a DVI input. The image is automatically aligned right to the edge. No more adjusting width & height. Ever.
Mouse and Keyboard: check, check.
A keyboard with programmable extra buttons is nice. For controlling Winamp from within games for example.

For a mouse device I highly recommend a optical, wireless Logitech one. I got mine for €29.-.
Windows XP Home... I'm assuming I can take this from the VAIO recovering cd.
I don't know. Aren't those somehow linked with the original HDD they come preinstalled?
Hard Disk... the VAIO's hard disk got all messed up, don't know if it's fixable. Basicly, almost half of the files I extract from it are corrupted. In any case, I'm assuming I'll do fine with 300> GB... I also don't know what to look for as of speed and stuff.
S-ATA2! Buy a good brand like Samsung, Seagate or Western Digital. They provide a few years warranty and have good service.
SoundCard... now this is where I want something really good, I'm basicly looking for something that helps me get good quality recording, and good quality audio. Perhaps the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum PCI Sound Card, unless someone can point me in a better direction.
Creative is the best suggestion here I suppose.
I have an Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS. That's the same online without the drive bay interface thing, but it only cost €59.-.
Network card... I have wireless network on my house, so I'll like a wireless network card. Or should I go with Ethernet? Or both? I'm assuming the ethernet card should be salvagable from my old computer... will have to check on that.
Ethernet is integrated on almost any motherboards these days.
Speakers... I need good advice for this too. I love music, movies and games, and would love to have something great on this side of things...
Make sure you get one that has an analog volume control/power switch on one of the front speakers or a cable remote.
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM stuff... well I would like a DVD/CD recorder, and something that works for a long time, I don't know why but the few things I've had on this side of things allways seem to malfunction frequently... I also need pointing in the right direction. Also, should I get several different ones, or does one CD/DVD recorder suffice?
Get a double-layer DVD-RW drive that can write both -RW and +RW and you'll be fine.
NEC is cheap here.

Naa, things might look a bit weird if it's on a strange resolution, but that is almost never inflexible. As for colors, they have always been showing great, but my screen has some kind of auto color AI thingy.

I'd much rather have good colors in the games I play regularly, like BF2 than Kings Quest 1. Though, as I said, I've never had color problems at all with this screen.

Team17 forum is interesting. This is the one place you can find people who dislike the strangest things lol. Flatscreens rule, but I should have known there would be anti-folk here =DWell unlike most people, I don't have a "computer desk", I have an actual table, so space is the least of the issues. Plus lighter things just make it easier for someone to easily snag them. :p

And on every LCD monitor I've seen, the colors can change drastically just by not looking at it head-on. Plus poking the screen is probably much more of an issue than on a CRT.

And on every LCD monitor I've seen, the colors can change drastically just by not looking at it head-on. Plus poking the screen is probably much more of an issue than on a CRT.You can get a few LCDs with a sheet of glass in front of the screen, which I think is a good idea. I've not seen prices though.

Creative is the best suggestion here I suppose.
I have an Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS. That's the same online without the drive bay interface thing, but it only cost €59.

I disagree. If you want really nice sound, go with a Turtle Beach soundcard.

Thanks a lot for all the replies :D
I've read it all but right now can't make a reply because I have to get ready to work, I'll build my huge response when I get back.

I disagree. If you want really nice sound, go with a Turtle Beach soundcard.

...never heard of them in my life before. Why're they good?

Well, on my screen the colors only go a bit darker when looking from extreme angles, what you are saying refers to my moms old laptop =P

It's really only when you get past a 50 degree angle that the colors start to go darker, but that isn't a problem if you are just walking by. When you need your screen to be in a different angle just turn it?

Edit: As for theft.. yes, it might save the burglers a few minutes but if we are gone that day it won't make any real difference.
And who the hell pokes screens anyway?? :p If somebody tries that on my monitor I'll smash 'em.

Well I was gonna have some huge multiquoting thing going on here, but some things got in the way, plus it was starting to look too messy too soon, so needles to say, I've taken into consideration most advices so far(I'm also rather thankfull), so based from this advices plus some help from K^2, I've already come up with a CPU, Motherboard, and Graphics card. (Prices are approximate[taken from newegg], will only know how much it will cost me once I get to the ordering them part**)

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ $600
Motherboard: Either ASUS Crosshair $249 or ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe $142
Graphics card: GeForce® 7950 GX2 $629

About my old computer's RAM, it's not too old, I bought it 3 years ago, with 512 mb, another 512 were added later. I still would have to remove them and have a look to see if they're compatible with the Motherboard, that will be done later.

About the Monitor, the reason I want CRT is because I've heard somewhere they are more reliable when you are working with arts, this is partly backed up because the LCD monitor I'm looking at right now looks all stained, more noticeable when watching darker images*, and this is quite annoying when you're trying to make anything detailed.
Still, this might have to do with the quality of the monitor. :/

Now, the rest I'll have a look into tomorrow, given that right now it's almost 6 AM and I have to go to work at 1PM... and yes I haven't slept.

Again, thanks a lot. :)

*(If I run MSPaint on fullscreen with a black fill, it's almost like watching a rather dark cloud...)
**(Yes I know in the long run this is gonna be more expensive than ordering the Dell, but I don't care, I spect this computer to last me for quite a while so I should rather put some money on it than having to buy/build another one in a not so distant future...I also no longer care how long it takes me...as long as it is done before spring next year :p)

About my old computer's RAM, it's not too old, I bought it 3 years ago, with 512 mb, another 512 were added later.
Forget them.
They're definitely way to slow for the rest of your system.
And if you are already spending more than $1200 on your CPU and graphics card, a pair of new abd fast DDR2 RAM won't matter anymore.
I suggest a pack of 2* 1024MB from Kingston or Corsair with ECC and a CAS latency no higher than 3.
the reason I want CRT is because I've heard somewhere they are more reliable when you are working with arts
That's one of the only drawbacks of TFT screens. The colors seem washed out.

Motherboard: Either ASUS Crosshair $249 or ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe $142
I can't see a tremendous difference between these two, so I would say go with the M2N-SLI, just because it's cheaper. It even has a COM port on it.
Graphics card: GeForce® 7950 GX2 $629
Excellent.
About my old computer's RAM, it's not too old, I bought it 3 years ago, with 512 mb, another 512 were added later. I still would have to remove them and have a look to see if they're compatible with the Motherboard, that will be done later.
That almost certainly won't work; you'll want DDR2 RAM, and that's newer than 3 years.
I suggest a pack of 2* 1024MB from Kingston or Corsair with ECC and a CAS latency no higher than 3.
Hell yeah. Low-latency RAM is the shít.
The LCD monitor I'm looking at right now looks all stained, more noticeable when watching darker images*, and this is quite annoying when you're trying to make anything detailed.
Still, this might have to do with the quality of the monitor. :/
Yes. Your problem here is almost certainly a crappy monitor.

I think your paying way to much for your graphics card. I would get the best available for around $350
The difference betwhen newest and very good is very small, except for the huge price difference.

Then again, I don't have a job.

Kingston RAM is good, but it's more expensive than other RAM, though equally good. Go figure.

*ahem*
So, the PC was sent to this guy who fixed it, but also picked what he felt was right, because I didn't get involved in the fixing.
Anyway, the Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813186090
And the processor: Pentium D 2.66GHz
And the RAM stayed at 768 MB, because this motherboard only has 2 slots that were compatible with the RAM my pc had before, so it's a 512 one and a 256 one right now.
:-/

For one thing, no PCI-e D:

And the RAM stayed at 768 MB, because this motherboard only has 2 slots that were compatible with the RAM my pc had before, so it's a 512 one and a 256 one right now.
Bad choice.
Dump them as soon as possible.
Get at least 2x 512MB of the same make so you can use dual channel support.
(2x 1024MB would be even better.)
For one thing, no PCI-e D:
Another bad idea. AGP has been obsolete for a year now.
My local computer shop of choice has 48 PCI-E cards but only 7 AGP cards, none of the latter in stock.

I was considering getting the best AGP card available, but I'm holding out for DX10 cards. Then I upgrade to PCI-E.

Another bad idea. AGP has been obsolete for a year now.
My local computer shop of choice has 48 PCI-E cards but only 7 AGP cards, none of the latter in stock.
Yeah, I'm still regretting that, but honest, I tought the guy was just suposed to check what was working and what wasn't, not quite ordering stuff to fix it, otherwise I would have picked something more fancy.:(