I'll think of over clocking after I hear more opinions on people about how justified my current desktop is comparing to the price. I'm thinking seriously about whether to return the mother board, CPU and Video card or not. Hesitating right now because I'm not sure how I'll be able to benefit from this. After that consideration I'll then have to talk to the shopkeeper to see if he'll let me return those parts for whatever reasons I can think up verof.
that would be a good place to start. a return, i mean.
this is somehow sad because i hate to think you're a real person perhaps not being taken advantage of maliciously, but being taken advantage of nonetheless. for whatever reason.
you paid $776 American, if i got the exchange rate correct? and i think i did. that is a ridiculous amount for what you got. now the shopkeeper has to consider his labor and time put in....so you are paying for that, too. fair enough. but this computer isn't worth a "custom" build at this point. quite honestly, this is something you build for well under $500 on an inexpensive mobo and budget parts. its not really something to pay someone else to do for you. and if you do they should do a little better job picking parts for you.
the 6400+ was a fine processor that while old tech would have done well for you now and sometime into the future. it gives decent raw performance. the 4800+, a lot less so. now around here you'll read a lot about overclocking and what not, but even overclocked this processor is not a good value for you. the video card is decent for what it is, and lousy for what it isn't. the HD is painfully small, the mobo sturdy but budget.
basically you paid someone to build an underpowered and outdated computer for you. now....i'm not saying it won't do what you want it to (like play those less demanding games) and won't give you adequate desktop performance. its not a terrible piece of junk. but try doing some things with it other then basic gaming / computing / internet tasks and while it won't chug or fail, things take somewhat longer to get done compared to more powerful mainstream computers these days. and its not upgradable. you already had AMD's most powerful dual core in there with the 6400+. and for the amount you paid the "shopkeeper" should have at least given you a lower end 8800 or 9600 series card. it would make a big difference to you and its the right thing to do for the money spent.
computers are about speed and power, sure. but they are just as much about price and value and getting all you can for as little $ as you possibly can. even if you have the money to blow, its like an art form. get all you can out of it without putting more (ie money) into it. and if you put a lot in, get the most you can out. people on this board choose carefully over their parts at whatever price point they are at. you should, too. in the future. and come to places like this and pay attention BEFORE you buy. could save you some headaches.
these days unless you are building your own, or have the money to blow getting a custom rig done that is somewhat beyond your build skill, i say buy a box. you don't sound as if you'll be overclocking soon, and even if so thats not really the processor to do it with these days. you have little or no upgrade path with this computer. at least with a box maker value and speed often come with the territory these days. if not overclocking or a HIGH performance junkie who likes to tweak, modify, etc (like many here) a pre built is a sound choice for a newbie.
for around $20 or $30 more then you paid in Canada i can get a pre built box here in the States with an Intel E8300, 320 gig HD, same vid card, bluetooth, wireless internet, same amount of RAM, same size monitor, etc. one year warranty, on site service, tech support, etc. and yes, that is a substantially better machine in a couple of very important areas. i'm not sure what availability and prices are like in Canada, but i doubt many pay upwards of $800 for the computer you bought. at least i hope not
anyway just try to get all your money back if you can. return it, maybe? if not be happy with it for now and what it does for you. until you aren't happy any more. in the future drop a better vid card in, maybe. will make a big difference depending on what you're doing with it.
this post is kind of long and i hope i haven't stated anything too strongly or made you feel bad somehow about your purchase or your computer. but i have a story like this (about a couple of things not just a computer lol) just like some others on the board when we were first getting to know things about this stuff. it made me feel kinda dumb, so i figured i should know a little more about it. guess you could say i got hooked
so welcome to the world of computers, building, and hardware. its fun once you get the hang of it
. I'll go test this out with my laptop, since my desktop is away on vacation break.
