Thanks for reminding me - my Dad said an Intel processor would be best, not AMD.
Thanks for the tips!

Well, I'm more looking for a decent computer on sale or with some kind of deal. I found a good one with an AMD processor for $300 with a 500 gig hard drive, and if I could find something like that on sale, I might be able to scrape up another $50 in a month.
(Here's the link to that computer).

Also, like I said, I only need a desktop tower, so it's going to be cheaper without the moniter/mouse/keyboard/etc. And, I could sell my old computer, although it's only worth $40 or $50.

Last edited by Mighty Wanderer (March 7, 2012 (10:25am))

Which computer was that? I can't find anything on Dell.com for less than $350.

Hi there Mighty Wanderer.
I really hate to break this to you... but I would be extremely surprised if you got a decent pre-built computer for around $200 (read: not gona happen). You probably won't get a decent pre-built computer for under 500 - 600 dollars (sorry, I know you hate hearing that). In your situation there are only a couple of options.

Going from simple -> complex:

1. Spend (a lot) more money on what you want. Then again, more money usually solves simple problems like this.

2. Research net-books (tiny, cheap laptops). This may be an option but I don't really know. I have two thoughts, first they are still pricey for you, 250 - 300 dollars I would guess. Second, is they are not the most powerful things on the block. Though your average decent net-book would probably still beat out that old dell you have. So one of these may be good enough for brickfilming, i'm not to sure.

3. Build one yourself. I can say from experience (I've built/modified about 8 computers), that building isn't that hard, is the cheapest, and lets you get exactly what you want. In fact, it really is the only way your going to get a decent computer for close to $200.

Those are my thoughts on the deal. I saw you mention the processor. Regarding that, I have to say that AMD is going to cheaper than Intel by a fair bit. But Intel is going to be more powerful. It is good that you have the screen, mouse, etc. Screens especially are expensive. Your still not going to find a good pre-built computer for close to 200 dollars though. Building your own computer is the only way your going to get close to that though (probably still a bit more though). If you want a bit of help with that then i'm willing to help. I'll probably throw together a quick wish list of parts for a decent computer just for fun now.:)

Edit: Just a note, the hard drive prices right now are crazy. Apparently a bunch of manufacture's factories were closed because of flooding over in Thailand where a lot of hard drives are made. So right now hard drive prices are through the roof. This will probably make it impossible to get a decent hard drive for under a 150 dollars for some time.

Last edited by AnW (March 8, 2012 (09:18pm))

Well, hope you get something you like Mighty Wanderer! It does look like you can find some pretty good deals on there. Just let me know if you want any help or advice on hardware specs or something.

well, both of those options look pretty nice, but in my opinion, i'd get a computer with at least 4 GB RAM. Still, with the 2GB plus readyboost's 2GB, it should be pretty good, considering the fact that its a desktop, whenever you pick up some spare cash, you can always buy an extra 2GB RAM card and plop it in. The processor is dual core, which is pretty good as well. Given the budget you have, its not bad at all. Of course, i might be too much of a RAM buff, cuz i pimped out my comp with 16 GB . . .  and its a laptop . . .

Scripting: 100% Animation: 3% Post-Production: 0%

Hmm.... My Dad just told me that since the above mentioned desktop is a refurbished computer, it only has a 90-day warranty and there is always that chance that it just might fail because it is refurbished. Is this a risk I want to take?

Here is my take on it. The refurbished eMachines is definitely better than the Lenovos. As mentioned though, it is refurbished. I don't really know what to say to you about that. I have personally never gotten anything that has been refurbished, but I have friends that have, and they have never had any problems with it. The Lenovos are ok... but really not that great. I mean, a Celeron E3400 and a Pentium E6600 aren't horrible, but they are far from great processors. As for other specs, both of them only have 2gbs of ram, that is puny. Barely more than Windows 7's recommended in fact. The 250gb hard drive on the Celoron system is fairly small also. Really, in my opinion, I would go for the eMachine. The reviews are good, refurbished state should most likely be Ok, and it is cheap. It is up to you to decide whether you want to go with a refurbished machine or not. I would pick up some more memory for any of them though.

Last edited by AnW (April 17, 2012 (02:31pm))

I really have to agree with Pitchard Studios. My above comment is based on the assumption that you can not spend more than $350 or so, and don't want to build your own. He is right though. They are all fairly low end. As for going obsolete, who cares (I've always found that saying humorous)? I have a computer (not my main one) that works just fine,  plays lower end games for lan'ing with my brothers, runs a non-hd webcam for stop-mo tests, etc. Did I forget to mention that it is "obsolete" (Windows XP is too, and I still use that)? Not to provoke an argument or anything.