I'm thinking of buying a new PC, what does this config look like?

Memnoch · 07-05-2001, 02:05 AM

I've decided to get a new PC because my laptop is just too shite to run ToB without the slowdown getting unbearable, also I don't think I'm getting the most value out of my DSL modem. What do you guys think of this config from Dell?

Base System :
[ 31HFM ] DIMENSION,4100,INTEL(R) PENTIUM(R) III PROCESSOR 1000MHz,MINITOWER
1

[ DT-B240708Z ] JULY SPECIAL

[ BCH-017 ] INTEL 815e CHIPSET

[ BCH-008 ] CACHE 256KB ON-DIE L2

[ 61EVD ] GETTING START GUIDE

[ 54KHM ] SHIPPING DOCUMENTATIONS
Freights :
[ FRT390-DIMN-001 ] FREIGHT\HANDLING\INSURANCE
1

Memory :
[ 079YY ] MEMORY,256MB,(1X256),133MHZ SDRAM
1

Video Card :
[ 97ETK ] VIDEO CARD,16MB ATI RAGE 128PRO 4X AGP
1

Floppy Drive :
[ 3582C ] FLOPPY DRIVE,1.44MB,3.5"
1

Keyboards :
[ 002GK ] KEYBOARD,104KEYS,US (PS2)
1

Mouse :
[ 2E159 ] DELL PS/2 2 BUTTON MOUSE
1

[ 54562 ] DELL MOUSE MAT
Monitors :
[ 97VVT ] MONITOR,15" COLOUR (13.8"v.i.s) MPRII COMPLIANT,WHITE,SOUTH ZONE
1

[ FMN-D009 ] MONITOR FOR DIMENSION ONLY
EIDE Hard Drive :
[ 148GW ] HARD DRIVE,20GB,ULTRA ATA
1

Operating System :
[ 1556X ] MICROSOFT WINDOWS Me,ENGLISH
1

[ 0D572 ] NORTON ANTIVIRUS 2001 (OEM VERSION)

[ 7000E ] SOFTWARE,DELL ENHANCEMENT, VERSION 2.0
Software :
[ 8D054 ] MICROSOFT OEM WORKSUITE 2001
1

[ BSW-D006 ] WORD / WORKS / MONEY / ENCARTA WORLD ATLAS
Optical Drive :
[ 59XCE ] CD-ROM DRIVE,48X,VARIABLE EIDE
1

Sound Card :
[ 7396P ] SOUND CARD,CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER 64 V
1

Network card Structure for Dimension System :
[ FNC-D005 ] NO NETWORK CARD INCLUDED
1

Speaker :
[ 465RJ ] SPEAKERS, HARMON KARDON STEREO
1

Others :
[ 7C679 ] DELL SOLUTION CENTER
1

Dell Services: Hardware Maintenance (H) :
[ WMTE111-DXPS ] 1 YEAR SECOND BUSINESS DAY (8X5) ONSITE RESPONSE (PARTS + LABOUR)
1

[ WMPH311-DXPS ] 1 YEAR PHONE SUPPORT: 8AM-8PM EST (VARIES FR. TERMS AND CONDITIONS)
Priority Delivery Option :
[ FD-DIM/INSP-002 ] STANDARD DELIVERY
1

GST (10 %) $ 196.50

Cart Total Including GST $ 2,161.50 (USD$1,080)

Comments and feedback would be appreciated! How upgradable would this system be in a couple of years time? Do you think that 16MB of video RAM is enough?

------------------

[This message has been edited by Memnoch (edited 07-05-2001).]

turbovee · 07-05-2001, 02:24 AM

definitely get a better video card. 16mb is old technology. 32 bit cards are now available and they are not that much more considering your paying only $1,000 USD

and if you can, get as much RAM as you can. RAM means more POWER! RAHAHAHA! System sounds great for what your paying though. For about another $150-$200 USD you can have them throw in a CD-RW. Forget a zip drive or anything like that. A writable CD holds 8X the info a zip disc can. I don't know what I'd do without my cd-burner.

------------------

The sexiest elf mage in the land
I feel the need, the need for SPEED!
Peace and Hair grease.
'Deagurth' Artist: Roberto Raba

Memnoch · 07-05-2001, 02:32 AM

OK, I can upgrade the video card option to 32MB, which of these 2 is better (and is it worth the extra cost):

32MB NVIDIA GEFORCE2 MX WITH TV OUT (+$74) (US$37)

or...

32MB ATI RADEON 4X AGP (+$250) (US$125)

What's the difference between these 2? I assume the more expensive one is better...?

------------------

turbovee · 07-05-2001, 02:43 AM

The NVIDIA is a good card and they are usually fair quality. ATI makes excellent cards, but sometimes aren't worth the extra cost. If your warranty on your parts is around 3 yrs I would go ahead and get the NVIDIA, however, if not then get the ATI.

Put it this way. If I was going to get the NVIDIA with a 3 yr warranty I would take the money I saved and buy more RAM. More RAM will affect your video speed just as much if not more as your video card.

------------------

The sexiest elf mage in the land
I feel the need, the need for SPEED!
Peace and Hair grease.
'Deagurth' Artist: Roberto Raba

Khanar · 07-05-2001, 03:02 AM

I just bought that particular ATI Radeon the other day (only difference was it being a PCI). I just love the TV out port! Very nice card and I'm very satisfied with it for now.

WOLFGIR · 07-05-2001, 03:16 AM

Hi Memny! Going for a new puter eh? Hehe, er well they do need to be changed sometimes..
Well I agree with that a 32 MB GeForce MX card will make it rock better. Very good and priceworthycard. If you like a TV out, I think Hercules or Creative has one special MX serie of cards with TV-out...

And get rid of the Win ME.. Just personal, but I would prefer a dual boot with good old win 98 for gaming and a Win 2K for working.. IMHO.. Haven´t had that much good experence from Win ME and not heard to many others say it was good enough..

As for mouse, I cn recommend aot of different ones.. I have four as it is now..

But the Logitech PS/2 cordless mouse Pro with three buttons and a great scroll wheel.. Man you gonna love that one!

------------------

Yawning lazywolf dreaming about nice little fairies...zzzzz
Wolfgirs lair
once-upon-a-paper

Cloudbringer · 07-05-2001, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Memnoch:
OK, I can upgrade the video card option to 32MB, which of these 2 is better (and is it worth the extra cost):

32MB NVIDIA GEFORCE2 MX WITH TV OUT (+$74) (US$37)

or...

32MB ATI RADEON 4X AGP (+$250) (US$125)

What's the difference between these 2? I assume the more expensive one is better...?

I'd go with the nvidia and I agree with wolfie... I've heard horror stories about games and ME

CB

------------------

Raindancer of the Laughing Hyenas Clan
Storm-Queen
StormCloud of the Black Knight: Heart Mind Soul Forever
"To sleep, perchance to dream..."

Hayashi · 07-05-2001, 04:45 AM

I'd go for the nvidia card but that's a personal preference.
I'd also upgrade to a 17" monitor - world of difference between 15" and 17".
And stick with Win98SE.

------------------
"Butt-kicking for goodness!" - Minsc
"Cities always teem with evil and decay. Let's give it a good shake and SEE WHAT FALLS OUT!!" - Minsc

Memnoch · 07-05-2001, 05:38 AM

Let me throw a spanner in the works - for an additional $400 (US$200) I can upgrade to a Pentium 4 1.4Ghz, a 17" monitor and 32Mb of video RAM. Dell's having a 2 week special. Is it worth the upgrade from a PIII to a P4?? I've heard some bad press about the Pentium 4 but I don't know if that's all been resolved now. Comments??

------------------

KHaN · 07-05-2001, 05:40 AM

Hello to everyone on this board! I saw your post Memnoch and thought I'd add in my 2 cents. If you can get a 17" monitor upgrade you will be happier in the long run. Also the Nvida MX series of videocards are excellent for CAD and office work but just so-so for 3D games (they were made for graphics workstations). The Radeon card is quite incredible, I have the 64meg DDR version and have yet to meet the game that can make it drop serious frames. Alot of system memory is nice but you will see almost zero increase in game performance because newer cards handle all the rendering onboard and don't rely on your CPU for serious help. Whelp that's my 2 cents! GL! Happy 4th of July America.

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07-05-2001, 02:05 AM	#1
Memnoch Ironworks Moderator Join Date: February 28, 2001 Location: Boston/Sydney Posts: 11,771	I've decided to get a new PC because my laptop is just too shite to run ToB without the slowdown getting unbearable, also I don't think I'm getting the most value out of my DSL modem. What do you guys think of this config from Dell? Base System : [ 31HFM ] DIMENSION,4100,INTEL(R) PENTIUM(R) III PROCESSOR 1000MHz,MINITOWER 1 [ DT-B240708Z ] JULY SPECIAL [ BCH-017 ] INTEL 815e CHIPSET [ BCH-008 ] CACHE 256KB ON-DIE L2 [ 61EVD ] GETTING START GUIDE [ 54KHM ] SHIPPING DOCUMENTATIONS Freights : [ FRT390-DIMN-001 ] FREIGHT\HANDLING\INSURANCE 1 Memory : [ 079YY ] MEMORY,256MB,(1X256),133MHZ SDRAM 1 Video Card : [ 97ETK ] VIDEO CARD,16MB ATI RAGE 128PRO 4X AGP 1 Floppy Drive : [ 3582C ] FLOPPY DRIVE,1.44MB,3.5" 1 Keyboards : [ 002GK ] KEYBOARD,104KEYS,US (PS2) 1 Mouse : [ 2E159 ] DELL PS/2 2 BUTTON MOUSE 1 [ 54562 ] DELL MOUSE MAT Monitors : [ 97VVT ] MONITOR,15" COLOUR (13.8"v.i.s) MPRII COMPLIANT,WHITE,SOUTH ZONE 1 [ FMN-D009 ] MONITOR FOR DIMENSION ONLY EIDE Hard Drive : [ 148GW ] HARD DRIVE,20GB,ULTRA ATA 1 Operating System : [ 1556X ] MICROSOFT WINDOWS Me,ENGLISH 1 [ 0D572 ] NORTON ANTIVIRUS 2001 (OEM VERSION) [ 7000E ] SOFTWARE,DELL ENHANCEMENT, VERSION 2.0 Software : [ 8D054 ] MICROSOFT OEM WORKSUITE 2001 1 [ BSW-D006 ] WORD / WORKS / MONEY / ENCARTA WORLD ATLAS Optical Drive : [ 59XCE ] CD-ROM DRIVE,48X,VARIABLE EIDE 1 Sound Card : [ 7396P ] SOUND CARD,CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER 64 V 1 Network card Structure for Dimension System : [ FNC-D005 ] NO NETWORK CARD INCLUDED 1 Speaker : [ 465RJ ] SPEAKERS, HARMON KARDON STEREO 1 Others : [ 7C679 ] DELL SOLUTION CENTER 1 Dell Services: Hardware Maintenance (H) : [ WMTE111-DXPS ] 1 YEAR SECOND BUSINESS DAY (8X5) ONSITE RESPONSE (PARTS + LABOUR) 1 [ WMPH311-DXPS ] 1 YEAR PHONE SUPPORT: 8AM-8PM EST (VARIES FR. TERMS AND CONDITIONS) Priority Delivery Option : [ FD-DIM/INSP-002 ] STANDARD DELIVERY 1 GST (10 %) $ 196.50 Cart Total Including GST $ 2,161.50 (USD$1,080) Comments and feedback would be appreciated! How upgradable would this system be in a couple of years time? Do you think that 16MB of video RAM is enough? ------------------ [This message has been edited by Memnoch (edited 07-05-2001).]

07-05-2001, 02:24 AM	#2
turbovee Elminster Join Date: March 2, 2001 Location: Eglin AFB Florida Posts: 471	definitely get a better video card. 16mb is old technology. 32 bit cards are now available and they are not that much more considering your paying only $1,000 USD and if you can, get as much RAM as you can. RAM means more POWER! RAHAHAHA! System sounds great for what your paying though. For about another $150-$200 USD you can have them throw in a CD-RW. Forget a zip drive or anything like that. A writable CD holds 8X the info a zip disc can. I don't know what I'd do without my cd-burner. ------------------ The sexiest elf mage in the land I feel the need, the need for SPEED! Peace and Hair grease. 'Deagurth' Artist: Roberto Raba

07-05-2001, 02:32 AM	#3
Memnoch Ironworks Moderator Join Date: February 28, 2001 Location: Boston/Sydney Posts: 11,771	OK, I can upgrade the video card option to 32MB, which of these 2 is better (and is it worth the extra cost): 32MB NVIDIA GEFORCE2 MX WITH TV OUT (+$74) (US$37) or... 32MB ATI RADEON 4X AGP (+$250) (US$125) What's the difference between these 2? I assume the more expensive one is better...? ------------------

07-05-2001, 02:43 AM	#4
turbovee Elminster Join Date: March 2, 2001 Location: Eglin AFB Florida Posts: 471	The NVIDIA is a good card and they are usually fair quality. ATI makes excellent cards, but sometimes aren't worth the extra cost. If your warranty on your parts is around 3 yrs I would go ahead and get the NVIDIA, however, if not then get the ATI. Put it this way. If I was going to get the NVIDIA with a 3 yr warranty I would take the money I saved and buy more RAM. More RAM will affect your video speed just as much if not more as your video card. ------------------ The sexiest elf mage in the land I feel the need, the need for SPEED! Peace and Hair grease. 'Deagurth' Artist: Roberto Raba

07-05-2001, 03:02 AM	#5
Khanar Manshoon Join Date: January 7, 2001 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 161	I just bought that particular ATI Radeon the other day (only difference was it being a PCI). I just love the TV out port! Very nice card and I'm very satisfied with it for now.

07-05-2001, 03:16 AM	#6
WOLFGIR Bastet - Egyptian Cat Goddess Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Sweden Age: 50 Posts: 3,450	Hi Memny! Going for a new puter eh? Hehe, er well they do need to be changed sometimes.. Well I agree with that a 32 MB GeForce MX card will make it rock better. Very good and priceworthycard. If you like a TV out, I think Hercules or Creative has one special MX serie of cards with TV-out... And get rid of the Win ME.. Just personal, but I would prefer a dual boot with good old win 98 for gaming and a Win 2K for working.. IMHO.. Haven´t had that much good experence from Win ME and not heard to many others say it was good enough.. As for mouse, I cn recommend aot of different ones.. I have four as it is now.. But the Logitech PS/2 cordless mouse Pro with three buttons and a great scroll wheel.. Man you gonna love that one! ------------------ Yawning lazywolf dreaming about nice little fairies...zzzzz Wolfgirs lair once-upon-a-paper

07-05-2001, 04:45 AM	#8
Hayashi Silver Dragon Join Date: March 25, 2001 Location: The Lion City Age: 62 Posts: 1,699	I'd go for the nvidia card but that's a personal preference. I'd also upgrade to a 17" monitor - world of difference between 15" and 17". And stick with Win98SE. ------------------ "Butt-kicking for goodness!" - Minsc "Cities always teem with evil and decay. Let's give it a good shake and SEE WHAT FALLS OUT!!" - Minsc

07-05-2001, 05:38 AM	#9
Memnoch Ironworks Moderator Join Date: February 28, 2001 Location: Boston/Sydney Posts: 11,771	Let me throw a spanner in the works - for an additional $400 (US$200) I can upgrade to a Pentium 4 1.4Ghz, a 17" monitor and 32Mb of video RAM. Dell's having a 2 week special. Is it worth the upgrade from a PIII to a P4?? I've heard some bad press about the Pentium 4 but I don't know if that's all been resolved now. Comments?? ------------------

07-05-2001, 05:40 AM	#10
KHaN Drow Warrior Join Date: June 21, 2001 Location: the not to distant future, Posts: 250	Hello to everyone on this board! I saw your post Memnoch and thought I'd add in my 2 cents. If you can get a 17" monitor upgrade you will be happier in the long run. Also the Nvida MX series of videocards are excellent for CAD and office work but just so-so for 3D games (they were made for graphics workstations). The Radeon card is quite incredible, I have the 64meg DDR version and have yet to meet the game that can make it drop serious frames. Alot of system memory is nice but you will see almost zero increase in game performance because newer cards handle all the rendering onboard and don't rely on your CPU for serious help. Whelp that's my 2 cents! GL! Happy 4th of July America.

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