Lonsgard's Computer Suggestions

[Lonsgard]

Only Video Upgrades
PCIe
nVidia 6600GT - $100
nVidia 6800GS - $175
ATi x850XT - $225
nVidia 7800GT - $300

AGP (prices are actually a bit higher)
nVidia 6600GT - $100
nVidia 6800GS - $175
ATi x850XT - $225

Full System These should be helpful when either building it yourself, or looking to buy from a vendor. If AMD is not available, look to the Pentium 820D.
Cheapest
Socket 939 nForce based Motherboard - $100
Athlon 64, 3200+ - $175
2x512 meg PC3200 DDR Ram - $100

Less Cheaper
Socket 939 nForce-SLI based Motherboard - $175
Athlon X2, or Opteron 165 - $300+
2x1GB PC3200 DDR Ram - $200


These prices are estimates. I personally recommend getting video cards used, they loose value fast, so you can get last year's best at a great price.

[Keith]

Just make it easy on yourself and get a Dell Dimension XPS 600 (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/gaming_xpsdt?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs)system. ;)

[Amenirdis]

Nah, that would take the fun out of assembling your own rig. ;) :) :D

[Keith]

I could, but then I'd only have parts warranties and I'd have to fix them on my own in the event of a problem.

I'm past the days of building my own. Now I buy my systems whole and let someone else fix them. ;)

[Lonsgard]

Dells are great, I recommend them to lots of people. If you want to get a Dell just consider these suggestions. Make sure you get a decent video card. Words like "Hypermemory" means the card sucks.

[Keith]

Dells are great, I recommend them to lots of people. If you want to get a Dell just consider these suggestions. Make sure you get a decent video card. Words like "Hypermemory" means the card sucks.

The new Dell XPS systems are coming with either the Nvidia 7800 or 6800 video cards. While they don't have the AMD processor in most cases they do have the new Dual Core Pentium D 64-bit processor. It's two CPUs on one chip which gives you true parallel processing power. This is different than the Hyperthreading mode of the previous single core Pentium processors as in my 2 year old machine. Personally, I like the Intel chipset. I have no complaints.

This means that you can actually run two or even three applications at the same time without any noticable drop in processing speed. You could actually be playing CotN and editing a video simulataneously without any slow down in either application.

[Lonsgard]

The 6600GT is cheaper than the 6800GS is cheaper than the 6800GT

[imhotep3147]

My only point of contention with the new slew of Dells is that they aren't offering the option of an ATI video card...only Nvidia...Bah. :mad: :D

[Lonsgard]

Yeah, I left it out, since if you want to spend more than the 6800GS, you're probably better off jumping up to the 7800GT

[Lonsgard]

Actually there is a 7800GS for AGP, but I think it's overpriced.

[Keith]

My only point of contention with the new slew of Dells is that they aren't offering the option of an ATI video card...only Nvidia...Bah. :mad: :D

You can probably ask for ATI, they do have a Customize option. It may not be possible but you won't know unless you ask. I'd prefer ATI myself.

[reachrishikh]

Dell does offer ATI cards. I used to work for them. Most of the systems I troubleshot had only ATI cards.
And AMD cum Dell fans are in luck. I recently heard an announcement that Dell is going to start incorporating AMD chips in its systems soon.

[Amenirdis]

I'm past the days of building my own. Now I buy my systems whole and let someone else fix them. ;)
Nah, I wouldn't want that. I prefer to keep control over my machine and try to fix it myself.
Besides, I always loved to tinker with stuff. :)

@ Phil:
Yeah, of course it's no fun at all if one's eyesight is that bad. I'll think of you when assembling my next rig. :D

[Keith]

Nah, I wouldn't want that. I prefer to keep control over my machine and try to fix it myself.
Besides, I always loved to tinker with stuff. :)


Oh, I've got control over my system. I'm very familiar with the innards of my system and the operating system. I fix the minor problems myself, but I prefer to give the big headaches to someone else nowadays. Besides, they fix it in my home. I don't have to take it anywhere.

I gave up the macho stuff and life is so much easier. ;)

[Amenirdis]

Oh, I've got control over my system. I'm very familiar with the innards of my system and the operating system. I fix the minor problems myself, but I prefer to give the big headaches to someone else nowadays. Besides, they fix it in my home. I don't have to take it anywhere.

I gave up the macho stuff and life is so much easier. ;)
LOL! Macho stuff. I doubt it very much such a thing applies to me. It's just my hobby, as is drawing.
What I meant with keeping control, is that I don't like other people fumbling around on my pc.

[reachrishikh]

I fix the minor problems myself, but I prefer to give the big headaches to someone else nowadays. Besides, they fix it in my home. I don't have to take it anywhere.

I gave up the macho stuff and life is so much easier. ;)

Yeah, give the headaches to those tech support guys and if it is such that it manages to baffle even those poor guys, all they need to do is identify one part and send a replacement, if you're within warranty. If that doesn't seem to work either, send another part. Man, that's one of the advantages of buying a Dell. We can't help it but that's exactly the way Dell functions.:rolleyes:
What I meant with keeping control, is that I don't like other people fumbling around on my pc.
Exactly my sentiments, Amenirdis. And this comes from previous experience of local computer technicians messing up my system ( when I was younger and didn't have much knowledge about opening system towers and fixing issues ). The same applies to any software setting on my system. That's why I've even password protected the standard Admin account created by Win XP, apart from my own admin a/c, so that no one can mess with it in my absence. ;)

[Keith]

What I meant with keeping control, is that I don't like other people fumbling around on my pc.

It's much easier not to have to "fumble" at all. :) I used to sell computers and put them together. I got tired of it.

[reachrishikh]

It's much easier not to have to "fumble" at all. :) I used to sell computers and put them together. I got tired of it.
Well, yes, at your age, I can understand that. But at my age, and probably Amenirdis' as well, there's this excitement attached to it. :p :D
But don't you have to open your system tower and reseat stuff, when you're troubleshooting on the phone Keith? ( I'm not referring to the replacement part here )

[Amenirdis]

It's much easier not to have to "fumble" at all. :) I used to sell computers and put them together. I got tired of it.
Easier, yes. But you learn a lot when doing it yourself. At least that's my experience.
Well, I wouldn't wanna do it for a living, either. And I am not doing it often -> my current pc is 5 years old now. For me personally it is more gratifying to build my own pc from scratch (and save money) with the components I want and then see it working. But I understand completely that a lot of (respectively most) people prefer to buy a complete pc from a store and just turn it on at home.

[Amenirdis]

when I was younger and didn't have much knowledge about opening system towers and fixing issues
Yeah, I depended on an acquaintance of our family in my 'early pc years' for help and upgrading my machine, too. Being more shy by nature, I didn't like to ask him to come over to solve this or that. So I began to inform myself about it, dared to open the case and have a peek. :eek: :eek: :D And from then on I read more and more, learnt more as I tried things out myself.

...there's this excitement attached to it
That's true. :)

[Keith]

I worked with computers since the invention of the personal computer back in 1978. So I've had lots of experience. Back in those days if you didn't do it yourself it didn't get done.

I have opened all of my systems to work on them at one time or another for troubleshooting purposes.

It was an interesting experience but nothing I'd care to repeat.

[reachrishikh]

Being more shy by nature, I didn't like to ask him to come over to solve this or that. So I began to inform myself about it, dared to open the case and have a peek. :eek: :eek: :D And from then on I read more and more, learnt more as I tried things out myself.
I too, was shy by nature when I was young, but my tyrst with computers started for exactly the opposite reason of yours. It seems I wasn't the least bit shy when it came to computers and I used to eat the brains off anyone who used to come over to fix it such that I used to scare them off from coming here, for the fear of replying to questions to which they have no answers.
Then I followed your strategy of reading a lot to increase my knowledge and at the same time started daring to open the tower and experiment. Though I can proudly say that atleast in these experiments, I have never damaged anything. Fortunate for me or my dad would have put an end to my computer dreams. :D