Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below
napsgear
genezapharmateuticals
domestic-supply
puritysourcelabs
UGL OZ
UGFREAK
napsgeargenezapharmateuticals domestic-supplypuritysourcelabsUGL OZUGFREAK

Customizing a new computer...

T

Tom Treutlein

New member
Well, my computer is 3-4 years old. 933 MHz, 128 MB SDRAM, 40 GB, with a 17" monitor that flickers randomly...I punched it way too much when it froze up and stuff.

Anyway, I think it's high time I get a new computer. I was customizing some DeLLs on their website. I bought my comp for $2100 - now I'm looking at one that's: 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 (mine's a III), 80 GB HD, 512 MB SDRAM, with a new 17" monitor that DOESN'T flicker. Well, I wanted to get a "refurbished" one that's $26 less, 'cause I'm cheap like that.

The general reason I use my comp is to go on the net, download songs, research stuff ('cause I'm a waste like that), talk to my numerous fans (handful of people that make me feel secure about myself) on AIM, emulate some games I play (SNES works fine, PSX even works fairly well so I'm sure the new comp outlined above would play it more than fine), and play AoE/Diablo II/Worms World Party (oh so fucking fun).

Basically - I'm a loser when I wanna be. I'm usually not one to go out and buy a brand new game or system, and there's none that have caught my eye anyway. Even if there were, it wouldn't be worth spending so much money to buy a new comp that could support the newest advances in gaming. I can wait.

So, the new comp costs $670. It has 4x the memory of my current one (which is also a DeLL), 3x the speed, and 2x the harddrive capacity. Not to mention the monitor won't randomly lose the ability to display colors such as green, red, and...well, anything else.

So...yea or nay on this purchase? I'm saving money for college starting in Sept. next year, but that's a long way off and the college I'm going to will be cheap enough (community for 2 years, then transferring to business college). I know BBF recently made himself a comp and said he recommended customizing it and not getting it name brand, but I dunno how to do all that, and it probably won't be that much cheaper.

Okay.
Too much.
Typing.
God.
I'm gonna go drink.
 
Unless you are planning to do some high end gaming you shouldn't have to spend more than $500 for a computer and that's with a 17inch monitor but regardless if you've been thinking it's time to get a new computer then it probably is.
 
Well what do you consider high-end gaming? I mean, I haven't found any games that really overshoot the specs I outlined above. By the by, I recustomized it under a new DeLL model, 'cause I forgot the one I was checking out had no graphics card. The minimum it lets me buy is this: "128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE"

I dunno much about this stuff, so I dunno if that's good or not. My current is a 32 mb nVidia GeForce2 Graphics card, so I'm guessing it blows it away, no?
 
What video card does it have? That would be one thing that World of Warcraft would need more of.
 
128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE

That vid card...is that good? I'm using a 32 mb nVidia GeForce2 right now...

Runs AoE, Diablo II, Worms, Gunbound, Infantry and some others well so...
 
Perfect, that's much too expensive and really doesn't suit my needs. I mean, it would be better, but the cost effectiveness is really non-existant.

-Listening to music
-Surfing the net
-Playing games (emulating SNES, Genesis, GBA, PSX, N64 since those work fine now - no PS2 or anything for a long time, and legally playing RTS, FPS, and MMORPG games - examples being AoE, Diablo II, C&C games, Half-Life, Gunbound & Infantry (downloadable), and maybe some new ones that come out)
-Chatting on AIM
-Using documents and spreadsheets to lay out training/diet info ;p
 
Tom Treutlein said:
Perfect, that's much too expensive and really doesn't suit my needs. I mean, it would be better, but the cost effectiveness is really non-existant.

-Listening to music
-Surfing the net
-Playing games (emulating SNES, Genesis, GBA, PSX, N64 since those work fine now - no PS2 or anything for a long time, and legally playing RTS, FPS, and MMORPG games - examples being AoE, Diablo II, C&C games, Half-Life, Gunbound & Infantry (downloadable), and maybe some new ones that come out)
-Chatting on AIM
-Using documents and spreadsheets to lay out training/diet info ;p
Click to expand...
i know but its shiny.....its a dream machine for me anyway
 
Haha oh man that's something I would say! It's so cool looking, and it's a dream machine for me too, but not necessary for my needs right now.

So people - is the comp I outlined adequate? More or less? Yes'm? No...'m...?
 
Tom Treutlein said:
Where are all the high-tech computer people?

World Of Warcraft would run on that system, right? o.O
Click to expand...
this shoud always be the question you ask. playing that game is essential
 
Never buy from a company. They rape you. To prove it go to alianware.com and make your own computer then go to new egg and price it all. To build the computer i like you would save thousands. :) When it comes to computers i like to overkill.
 
Tom Treutlein said:
128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE

That vid card...is that good? I'm using a 32 mb nVidia GeForce2 right now...

Runs AoE, Diablo II, Worms, Gunbound, Infantry and some others well so...
Click to expand...

Yeah it's a good card, but I don't think your motherboard will support a PCI Express card. PCI Express is bleeding edge new and there's only a handful of motherboards out there right now that support it, and they're expensive. Find a regular AGP card.
 
That's the card DeLL sells with the system. They tell you if any products clash with their hardware. If you do it wrong, it highlights the product in red and tells you it's not compatible.

I always hear not to buy from brand name places, but besides paying for the name, aren't you also paying for quality of parts?
 
Okay, going through NewEgg, I realized that DeLL is not ripping anyone off...

Processor: Intel Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz, 800 FSB $183
Operating System: Microsoft XP Home Edition $92
Monitor: Generic 17" Monitor $100
Harddrive: 80 GB $56
Speakers: Just some speakers $40
Mouse: Generic mouse $6
Keyboard: Roswell Two-tone Keyboard $20
Video Card: 128 MB Radeon (any model) $90
Motherboard: 2nd most expensive Intel Motherboard $172
Casing: Generic computer casing $30

Prices for some things I'd need for a comp on NewEgg. That's not even all the stuff a DeLL comp would come with. I couldn't even find the Radeon Vid Card model on NewEgg, but I basically used the cheaper items when I couldn't find an exact match to the DeLL system I was looking at.

The DeLL computer I looked at cost roughly $750 once I added in the video card and changed a few things around. As you can see, this adds up to about $790. This doesn't include a sound card yet, and I'm sure the speakers aren't too great. NewEgg is GOOD? Pah! I'll take the name brand, methinks. It's cheaper, easier to deal with, and I get some sort of tech support, should I have a problem.
 
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/lea...opup&~model=4700c&~series=dimen&~tab=overview

Okay I hope that link works. You guys see that? Look under ATI Radeon X300 SE, the card I was supposed to get.

It doesn't even show it will support 1st person, 3D gaming. What the fuck? My 32 mb nVidia GeForce2 piece of shit card I have now will play me some Diablo and 3D shit, but this 128 MB card WON'T? Am I missing something? Is this card not designed for that? I certainly ain't buying a 256 MB card for $300 or some shit.

What gives?
 
Tom Treutlein said:
And would it be worth $20 to go from 2.8 GHz to 3.0 GHz?

I'm so bad at this stuff...I just always want more and more.
Click to expand...

^^^Tom........stop "wanting more and more" and sit down and determine what it is that you want in this computer in terms of functionality and it's main purpose.

What will it be used for mainly?

When you determine what you are going to use it for, then get back to me and I'll let you know what you can get by with and which company you should go with. It's not rocket science, TinyTom......it's just finding a computer that fits your needs.

Nothing more, nothing less......it's not like you're looking for a woman.




DIV

:chomp:
 
Put some glow in the dark, fluorescent, round IDE cables in the sucka'....
 
Okay, as I said in the thread before, I plan to use this for:

-Downloading/Listening to music (mp3s, oggs)
-Gaming (Real Time Strategy, some First Person Shooters, mainly online multiplayer RPGs)
-AIM - Chatting with friends. A few select people I care to talk to
-Forum...ing...Coming here, discussing training and diet and getting advice on things such as...this
-Research - for either school or my own general interests, looking up various topics and browsing the internet for sources of information
-"Office"-esque work - typing documents, working with spreadsheets, calculating things a lot (don't ask)

That's basically it, DIV.

The system I just set up is $150 off, plus free shipping, so if I wanna order, I better do it soon - it'll save me roughly $250. Plus, a free printer. Holidays rule.

So guys, does all this sound good?...



Pentium® 4 Processor 520 with HT Technology (2.80GHz, 800 FSB)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support
512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x256M)
80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + FREE UPGRADE! 48x CD-RW Drive
No Floppy Drive Included
17 in (16 in viewable,.27dp) E773c CRT Monitor
128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE
Sound Blaster® Live! 24-bit ADVANCED HD™ Audio
Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System with Subwoofer
Dell Quietkey® Keyboard
Dell 2-button scroll mouse
WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing
Grand Total: $894

That's it. My current speaker setup is 40 watts total. 6 per satellite (x2) and a 28w sub. The speakers I chose have 100 watts, 4 satellies and a nice sub.

The monitor is a value-brand CRT. Flat is too much, and the only other is 19" for $99 more. The DP (dot pitch - quality of the picture basically, or to get technical, the space in mm between two pixels of the same color) is a bit better on the 19" monitor than the 17", but I got a generic, value brand 17" with my first DeLL that I'm staring at right now, and it works great aside from the flickering, but that's due to my temper and punching of the damn thing.

I suppose the sound card is fine, no? I don't see a problem. The next best option above it was $45 more and was: Sound Blaster Audigy™2 ZS (D) Card w/Dolby 5.1, and IEEE 1394. I dunno about all this shit so I assume it's just crap to make you waste money. I have a Turtle Beach card right now, and it does me fine.

And we went over the graphics card, which is the only one available, other than Integrated Graphics, which probably blow fucking monkey chunks. So, I assume it's fine.

There it is guys. Sorry for all the typing. So, I need to order soon. I'm impulsive, my comp is pissing me off, and I'm just itching to treat myself.
 
Last edited:
Pentium® 4 Processor 520 with HT Technology (2.80GHz, 800 FSB) - Okay, I would go with an AMD athlon processor, but that's my preference.
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition - Good
1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support - ask for a longer warranty and see what it costs, usually they offer longer for a price, it's well worth it because they will replace whatever breaks for free.
512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x256M) - Good
80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) - Good
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + FREE UPGRADE! 48x CD-RW Drive - Good
No Floppy Drive Included - Sure you don't want a floppy?
17 in (16 in viewable,.27dp) E773c CRT Monitor - I would go with a Flat Panel, but if you can't afford it, a CRT will do fine, though it will take up alot of room.
128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE - Good
Sound Blaster® Live! 24-bit ADVANCED HD™ Audio - Good
Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System with Subwoofer - Good
Dell Quietkey® Keyboard - Good
Dell 2-button scroll mouse - Good
WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing - Good
Grand Total: $894 - For a lil' more you could more HD and possibly that flat panel.


Look at my recommendations and think about what you want to do. You want to give yourself enough leeway so you can add more programs and alot of MP3 files, and that shit takes up space, Nugga....




DIV

:chomp:
 
Last edited:
They don't make 4-5Ghz PC CPUs yet....
The memory is low for todays standards
80Gb HDD is low, but it's your call. Good for a local, keep it clean.
CD-R is almost extinct.
No floppy? Don't be THAT GUY! It's like 3 bucks...tops. Floppy doesn't need a driver (virus can't fuck it).
Monitor is all you.
VC...not happenin' Get a AGP card....none of this 133 PCI bus shit, and no onboard. Those are IRQ nightmares...
Soundblaster is a good name
 
Do you know anything about hardware assembly? If you do then it's absolutely worth it to build it custom

Dell is the best of the prefab companies but it still doesn't compare to custom. What dell does is name-brand the high-profile items like CPU, video card, maybe sound and go total generic on the stuff nobody knows to look for (usually their own brand motherboard, generic RAM, generic HD, generic dvd and cd-rom, etc etc.)

That's not an issue if you buy their extra warranty... but hey, you could bypass that entirely and get all the components yourself
 
casualbb said:
Do you know anything about hardware assembly? If you do then it's absolutely worth it to build it custom

Dell is the best of the prefab companies but it still doesn't compare to custom. What dell does is name-brand the high-profile items like CPU, video card, maybe sound and go total generic on the stuff nobody knows to look for (usually their own brand motherboard, generic RAM, generic HD, generic dvd and cd-rom, etc etc.)

That's not an issue if you buy their extra warranty... but hey, you could bypass that entirely and get all the components yourself
Click to expand...

The rub is, he doesn't know how to build it himself or what to look for, henceforth he's asking us.

If he was schooled up on hardware, don't you think he'd already have built his computer instead of asking us what he should get?



DIV

:chomp:
 
Oh no, I can put it all together fine. I kicked my computer too many times and shit got knocked out that I had to learn how all the components linked up.

Div's right in saying that I don't know which parts to look for.

Ulcaster...

Who said anything about 4-5 GHz CPUs?

The memory is probably a tad low, but my comp is sporting 128 mb sdram and has done fine for 3-4 years - I didn't think I'd need 1 GB of RAM if this computer has been able to do all the things I want, albeit with a bit of lag.

The HDD is low? Well, I have 40 now and I've used about 20 GB out of it. I always keep my comp clean - I'm a fanatic with having things organized and being functional, so no worries here. I seriously doubt (though I may be wrong) I'd need more than double of what I already have and didn't use.


I'm really lost as to your comments on the VC. What's an AGP card, and why do you recommend that? What's it matter if it's onboard? What's the problem with 133 PCI Bus or whatever...?

IRQ Nightmare? Gah, I need to be schooled on this shit.
 
Tom Treutlein said:
Why do people seem to like AMD Athlons? I don't get that.
Click to expand...

AMD Athlon processors are more efficient with less, and it's mainly a brand name thang.........some people prefer Pentium, I prefer AMD Athlon.

Like choosing between BMW and Mercedes Benz.



DIV

:chomp:
 
Tom Treutlein said:
Ulcaster...

Who said anything about 4-5 GHz CPUs?
Click to expand...
Someone who edited their post....

Tom Treutlein said:
I'm really lost as to your comments on the VC. What's an AGP card, and why do you recommend that? What's it matter if it's onboard? What's the problem with 133 PCI Bus or whatever...?
Click to expand...
AGP=advanced graphic port= far more alotted bandwidth 32B X full bus speed X8 pumps per clock cycle.
PCI is also 32b but half the bus speed and not multi-pumped like AGP's
Sumary...AGP is waaay faster, Mangy
Tom Treutlein said:
IRQ Nightmare? Gah, I need to be schooled on this shit.
Click to expand...
If you're not building, then don't worry about it....
 
Well, I'm worried anyway. I do wanna learn about this stuff so I can make better decisions on my own in the future.

Okay, Ulcaster, I can always get integrated graphics on my DeLL computer, and then buy a vid card and install it on my own. I know how to do that, so I can let DeLL build the gist of my comp and throw in the things that would be more...reliable. So, at www.pricewatch.com I see only a handful of AGP cards.

http://www.pricewatch.com/h/prc.aspx?i=37&a=3232

That should link to it. If not, it's a $41 this: GeForce4 MX 440(MX4000) 8X AGP 128MB DDR Work 4x/2x AGP. Buy 1 for $49@ 5 for $45@ 10 for $41@ Retail Box- GeForce4 MX440 128MB DDR(4ns) High Speed W/ TV-Out. (Optional Dual head DVI + Dougle for Dual mode).
 
He is talking about PCIe, not PCI. PCI express is faster than agp.
Ulcasterdropout said:
Someone who edited their post....


AGP=advanced graphic port= far more alotted bandwidth 32B X full bus speed X8 pumps per clock cycle.
PCI is also 32b but half the bus speed and not multi-pumped like AGP's
Sumary...AGP is waaay faster, Mangy

If you're not building, then don't worry about it....
Click to expand...
 
Ulcasterdropout said:
If you're not building, then don't worry about it....
Click to expand...

Exactly, nugga......

MEMO TO TOM: IF YOU AREN'T BUILDING DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE SHIT......GOD, DEALING WITH YOU IS LIKE TRYING TO CATCH A HYPER KITTEN ON SPEED!




DIV

:chomp:
 
AGP has been the VC standard for IBM form ATX PCs for sometime now...
If you get an integrated graphics mainbord, you will have to disable it with jumpers and or the CMOS....automatically voiding your warranty.
 
Most of Dell's pre-fab systems are very cost-efficient. I say go with it. I've built many systems, too. Save yourself headaches.
 
I still have the option of building, though I'm biased towards buying another DeLL. The reason I'm asking so many questions is because I like to have a wealth of information, and whether I build or not, I figured it would be good to know. I like to know the how's and why's of things, ya' know?

If what ish says is true, then the PCI Express will be just as good a choice as an AGP card. The one thing that puzzles me is that of the DeLL website, when you ask for a detailed description of the products, that graphics card is shown to be "good" for 2D gaming, and there's no rating for 3D gaming at all. This doesn't mean it can't play 3D, does it?

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...1=CP288H&m_29=S111OS&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&kc=6V468

If you go to that page quick, scroll down a little more than halfway and select "? Help Me Choose" for the "Video Cards" subsection, and then go over to "Overview" you will see the chart I'm talking about. This worries me, as 1st person gaming isn't shown to even work with the X300 SE Radeon card.
 
It'll play FPS and 3D games, just sub-par frame rates from AGP
 
Tom Treutlein said:
Why do people seem to like AMD Athlons? I don't get that.
Click to expand...
its actually becuse of the way the processor is sectioned into4 smaller processors .Better for gaming anyway.And there isnt a huge demand thanks to microsoft.that keeps the price of them down.the only reason i like DELL is the support never ends and you can upgrade in te future with minimal difficulty.Conglomerates suck yeah i know.
 
ulcast, it's PCI EXPRESS not regular PCI. Big difference.

PCI Express is brand new technology. I don't think there are any games out there that can take advantage of the extra bandwidth provided by it.
 
I've been told prices would usually drop after the holidays and such, so would I be better off just waiting until then? I know I'm being a bit impulsive in wanting a new computer now, but it's just such a nice thought.
 
If you do some searching, you can find coupon codes to use on the Dell site to get crazy discounts.

For example, today I bought a 20" LCD(2001FP) from the Dell website. It's listed on the site at $799. I found a coupon code for 25% off Dell LCDs, another one for $35 off purchase of $350 or more, free shipping($33), and I signed up for Dell Preferred Customer program which saved me an additional 2% ontop of that. I got the monitor for just under $600 shipped with tax.

I found this coupon code for 20% off:
20% off a Dimension Desktop at $899 or more
Your discount code is: $TJ$74?LGL8FF7

go here:
http://www.gotapex.com

Look at the top deal. 3.0ghz, 512ram, 80gb hd, free printer. $449 after rebate. You can add a monitor ontop of that for cheap and still come out better than the original deal you put together.
 
The table is a bunch of crap... the x300 is a good budget users graphics card, and will definately run World of Warcraft. It won't run it so that it looks it's best... but that's what you get for a budget card. It'll run every single game out at the moment, some games like Doom 3 won't run at high quality but they'll run well enough.

And getting a Dell as oppossed to an enthusiast companies computer would obviously be a good idea for you because your nerdiness is limited, and you've got some good customer service with Dell and their warranty.

Any other questions I should be able to help I've got an inner nerd =)
 
Well I don't need a warranty - I've handled well without one in the past. Whenever I had problems, I learned to fix them through friends or family. So, that's not an issue. Plus I have you guys here!

supersizeme, that's a sick deal! Is it legal to just scour around and find these codes? I mean, do people just "hack" the codes, sort've, and make them available to the public? Or is it just...something that's out there, that you can choose to use or not?

That computer you outlined looked descent, but $449 after rebate...then stack on the cost of sound card, video card, speaker system, and a monitor and it'll be about the same as the DeLL model I selected anyway, would it not?
 
Oh, and do these coupon codes work forever or do they change and get reset? Meaning, can I use that 20% off code you gave me in a month or two?
 
Yeah, that one you showed me wasn't valid on the DeLL site so...I'm guessing it's gone.

I'll just check that site every so often for new ones.

By the by, can multiply people use one code, or is it individual? As in, if someone else uses it, it becomes null and void.
 
I still think I'm getting a DeLL, and chances are I'll be ordering it a month or so after X-mas. It's not even imperative I get it anyway, I'm just looking forward to it, so I started to rush myself a bit. I'll see if prices dip any more, or any new sales come about.

In the mean time, I'd like to learn more about purchasing computers and what to look for, especially choosing a motherboard. I have no idea what's good with those. Any one want to help me?
 
Lol true, but I still want to learn about this stuff. Whenever I ask about things like this, people seem to say "if you're not building, forget it" or "you're getting one premade, so don't worry" - but don't they grasp that I want to actually understand how to shop for these parts and what's good so I can always have that option in the future?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Y
college student sarm stack
Replies
17
Views
2K
GMAN007
GMAN007
X
are 2 sarms good enough?
Replies
17
Views
2K
RoySimpson
RoySimpson
ez2plz
@ez2plz Houseofgains101 Presents introduction
Replies
10
Views
2K
the_alcatraz
the_alcatraz
L
Pct or cruise advice
Replies
6
Views
2K
the_alcatraz
the_alcatraz
J
Supplements / diverticulitis
Replies
8
Views
851
SteveMobsterG
SteveMobsterG
Top Bottom