Help replacing a wounded comp

[Squidmaster]

I have an Asus Essentio CG5290 that has been nothing but trouble for 3 years now. I have a serious chronic illness, so I cannot try to repair it as I once could. I need help in preparing to buy a newer computer if this one totally fails on me. The last thing I need is to have to do all the shopping *after* the PC dies.

I use my computer for gaming, but not necessarily gaming that requires the absolute latest technology (No FPS games or the like). Just as an example of what I am looking for, I would like to be able to smoothly run Elder Scrolls, Total War, or Civ games at the same time as a google hangout on a 1920x monitor with a TV set up as a dual monitor (that may be used to display the hangout window but no more). My current computer can do this, but not without some struggles.

I use my computer as my movie player. I don't know if blu-ray has gotten any cheaper in computers lately, but if so, that would interest me.

I am also very keyed in on learning about at-home service options. My health is so poor that I have to rely on my computer very heavily, but also cannot really go out anywhere for repairs or handle my own anymore. Having an at-home plan would potentially save me a lot of problems.

I used to build my own systems, so I appreciate a well balanced machine that limits bottlenecks. I would love to get some computer options that come close to this while still allowing for the service considerations. If there are at-home plans that can be bought separately from the actual computer, that would interest me as well.

Thanks a ton.

 

[cl-scott]

If you're looking for some kind of in-home service, you almost have to buy some kind of name brand computer. Off the top of my head, I know Dell will send someone to you, and so will Apple. Apple has a little known restriction about having to live within a certain radius of the nearest dispatch center, not sure if Dell has anything similar. Definitely be sure to look into that unless you live in a pretty major metropolitan area.

You may also want to consider a laptop, netbook, or even tablet, just as kind of a backup option. Say your computer bursts into flames, and while it's covered by your warranty, there will still be a day or two before they can get a replacement to you. With a laptop or tablet, you at least have SOMETHING.

Bluray probably has gotten cheaper, but at the same time, unless you have like a 40"+ TV and sit like 3-4 feet away, you won't really see the benefit from the increased resolution offered by bluray. Basically the closer you are to the screen, the less the resolution matters... Within reason of course, but if you have a DVD at 480p and a bluray at 1080p running on a laptop that is maybe 2ft from your face, you'd probably be hard pressed to tell which one was which.

Given the service options requirement, I'd have to say you may want to focus on Dell. They also offer an accidental damage warranty, so you can do just about anything you want to the unit, they'll fix it or replace it. Something in their Studio XPS line might be a good fit for what you're looking for. You can get up to a 4 year warranty, including the accidental damage coverage. They're the higher end desktops, but still with the Dell branding so you're not paying the Alienware premium.

 

[Squidmaster]

That is all great information, thank you. I have been thinking about Dell, as much as I hate to have to do it. I little piece of my computer spirit dies when I log into the name brand sites.

I would love some recommended builds. I don't know my parts anymore really without having to look up every one.

 

[weovpac]

Lenovo also has good warranty options [0]. Also Thinkpads are built to last.

[0] https://www.lenovo.com/services_warranty/us/en/services_learn/

 

[Squidmaster]

Shucks, no build plans forthcoming.

Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of video cards I should be looking for in a midrange buy? It would also be handy to know how to pair that with the right processor.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Are you talking about this machine here - http://www.asus.com/Desktop/Gaming/Essentio_CG5290/#specifications ?

'Cause that's a nice little rig, no matter how you look at it. What exactly is wrong with it?

I'd say you should get a good PSU and any passively-cooled video card... I prefer ATI myself, so something like a 5450 or 6450? Or, in nVidialand, something like a 520 or 610?

 

[lakedude]

I would love some recommended builds.

Shucks, no build plans forthcoming.

I'm a bit confused. You want to build your own rig? Didn't get that impression from the first post at all.

Start with mfenn's build and adjust to taste, like maybe tone down the video card (like to a 7750/7770 or something) if you don't do serious gaming:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2192841

Mfenn keeps tabs on this stuff so you don't gotta.

 

[lakedude]

Also the Asus looks like it is worth fixing. That thing is sharp.

Please define "nothing but trouble"...

 

[Squidmaster]

I don't want to build my own rig per se, but I will have to choose parts from a prebuilt dealer one way or another. I am years out of the loop on parts knowledge.

"Nothing but trouble"... Let's see.

Well, the comp has crashed since very early on, but of course didn't become clear until after the warranty was expired. I replaced a bad stick of RAM (which was seated behind the video card and very hard to reach and mess with), which appeared to fix problems for about 4 or 5 months. Now I am getting similarly random crashes daily. When I was finally able to get memtest to show a stick as missing, guess which slot doesn't show up? The same one as the first bad stick. I replaced the first bad stick with a nice Corsair model that matches my computer and memory. How likely is it that a stick in the same slot would be faulty on its own merits twice in a row from 2 manufacturers?

After some random crashes, I get a message that says "CPU over temp error" when I try to reboot.

You may also be looking at a newer iteration of the CG5290. I have the first release of it. The video card is rather poor compared to the rest of the computer, but with the way the system is built, I am not 100% convinced another video card would fit in the case. I am 100% sure that I would have to upgrade the power supply at the same time, which I cannot physically handle.