New Comp for multiboxing.

[Arryth]

My son wants to start multi boxing. Im limiting him to three accounts, so I need to make a new comp for him that can handle just three wow instances. One at mid graphics, the other two an minimum.


My question: Can any of you find a parts list that can handle this (three wows) for under $500.00. It must include motherboard, processor, ram, video card, power supply, and case. Also any colling required beyond what comes with those parts, if such would even be needed. If the included cooling is sufficient, extra is not a requirement. Do not include a monitor.
I have tried and, can thus far not come close to this price point. Maybe one of you more knowledgeable folks here can figure a way for this to work out?


Thank you in advance for any data you can provide me... I will continu to try to figure it out as best I can my self.

[Arryth]

My son wants to start multi boxing. Im limiting him to three accounts, so I need to make a new comp for him that can handle just three wow instances. One at mid graphics, the other two an minimum.


My question: Can any of you find a parts list that can handle this (three wows) for under $500.00. It must include motherboard, processor, ram, video card, power supply, and case. Also any colling required beyond what comes with those parts, if such would even be needed. If the included cooling is sufficient, extra is not a requirement. Do not include a monitor.
I have tried and, can thus far not come close to this price point. Maybe one of you more knowledgeable folks here can figure a way for this to work out?


Thank you in advance for any data you can provide me... I will continu to try to figure it out as best I can my self. No one have any pointers here? I'm completely behind the times on the current parts and what is good and what is not, so I have no clue, what on the market will currently do what I need for the best dollar? I can put them together and make the things run, but as far as knowing how to compare the performance of, say two nearly the same price point dual core processors.... I have no clue. Should I just buy a stock hp system and hope for the best?

Thanks for any help. :)

[jdpatt]

I don't want to start any arguments between the home builders and store bought camps, but I've done very well in the past with the Dell outlet. Go to Dell's main page and do a search for "outlet," which will link you to the site.

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/topics/global.aspx/arb/online/en/InventorySearch?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh

I've bought my last 5 computers from them, and they sell for about half of what a new one would cost. The computers are either cancelled orders, returned and refurbished, or scratched and dented (minor scratches, btw, I couldn't find any damage on mine when I bought them). The warranty is the same, and the support, in my experience, has been great.

I bought 2 Inspiron 530 models through the outlet this year. In the spring I got:

Core 2 Quad (Q6600 2.4g) with 3g RAM, 500g hard drive, Vista 32 bit premium, and a Radeon HD2600XT video card for $600 shipped to my door.

Just a couple weeks back I got:

Core 2 Quad (Q9300 2.5g) with 6g RAM, 750g hard drive, Vista 64 bit premium, and the same video card for $600 shipped yet again.

I still have my doubts that I could build the same system for less money, and with the Dells, I have customer support for a year and no compatibility problems so far.

I'd recommend at least a Core 2 Duo, but for 3 (or more) boxing, a Core 2 Quad would probably be better. The Pentium "Dual Core" processors are lower performance than the newer "Core 2" processors. I don't know anything about the AMD processors, folks either seem to love or hate them. If you pass on the graphics card, you'll save a bit of money, and Newegg.com has a Radeon 3650 for $35 at the moment, which is a steal.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/Best-Graphics-Card,2033-2.html

What's in stock changes in real time, so if you don't see anything you like, you can find new stuff in an hour or two. Right now, it looks like you can pick up:

Inspiron 530 with a Core 2 Quad (Q6600 2.4), Vista Premium, 640G HD, and 6 Gig of RAM for $489.

Inspiron 530 with an older Dual Core processor (2.0), Vista Premium, 320G HD, and 4 Gig of RAM for $309.

Inspiron 530 with Core 2 Duo (2.6), Vista Premium, 500G HD, and 3 Gig of RAM for $429.

Inspiron 530 with Core 2 Quad (2.4), Vista Premium, 500G HD, and 3 Gig of RAM for $409.

None of these has a video card, so I'd recommend the one at Newegg for $35 at the moment, but usually Dell has them in stock with video cards.

By the time you read this and check the site, there will be different stuff, most likely, just check a few times until you get what you like.

Best of luck,
Dave

[Schwarz]

I would start visting slickdeals.net daily. They have some really good deals that they come across. They used to have a thread about building the cheapest computer from the deals. People were putting together some pretty nice computers for ~$300.

How old is your computer? This might be an excuse to give him your old rig and upgrade your own system.

[delafoo]

I got my multiboxing PC (pc portion only) on ebay from a business builder for about 550. 160GB hard drive at 7200rpm, 2.4ghz quad core processor overclocked to 3.2, 4gb ram, 1gb 9500GT graphics card, I run 5 boxes, several internet windows and other applicaitons with no problems at all. I can link you the item link if you'd like.