Results 1 to 32 of 32

Thread: Computers

  1. #1
    jbolsrn's Avatar
    jbolsrn is offline Female Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    469

    Question Computers

    Okay guys, I know I should get lots of input here. I am looking at purchasing a new computer, anyone have any suggestions. I am leaning towards Dell. Come on, tell me what you think! I know you are full of opinions LOL.
    " Who needs experience, when you have medical training"

  2. #2
    monster.'s Avatar
    monster. is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    DETROIT ZOO
    Posts
    2,217
    Go with the biggest monitor, get at least a 2.2 processor, at the least 40gigs of hardrive, get a cd burner, and dvd burner for sure!!!!!!!!... Go with the best deal.. There are so many deals out there it silly, You should find something real nice for under a grand.. I got a 20 inch monitor, 2.2 processor, 60gig harddrive (to store all my songs and porn), cd/dvd burner, i paid under 800.. LOL..its already outdated, its 8 months old..

    I don't like dells, but go for the best bang for the buck

  3. #3
    Hawgz's Avatar
    Hawgz is offline Junior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    64
    might want to check out this site. www.pricewatch.com

  4. #4
    lloyd_cannon's Avatar
    lloyd_cannon is offline Associate Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    The Field of Friday Night Lights.
    Posts
    350
    Id say get at least a 2.6 gig proccesor, 512mb of Ram, and the rest doesnt really matter. You might want to check out a mom and pop shop in town to see what it will cost to build one. They often offer better tech support because they can come to your ouse and fix it if anything goes wrong.I built one 4 months ago that is 2.6 gig, 512mb of ram, DVD burner, and a 128mb video card (you probably dont want a video card unless your playing games) that for about 700 dollars with a 17 inch monitor. It's really fast. I'd say the best thing is to shop around.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    5,506
    Actually if you're going to go with a DVD burner, go for a large HD, 80 gigs at least. Once you start copying or authoring DVD's you'll know why

    Also AVOID a motherboard with a "built in" video card... spend the extra $150 and get a decent 8x AGP card like the Raedon 9600pro with 128 megs or something similar... "built in" cards are often of much lower quality and don't have their own memory, they "borrow" memory from the system (which is a huge resource drain).

    Red

  6. #6
    jbol's Avatar
    jbol is offline Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    On the End of a Needle
    Posts
    1,813
    go with the one we already have,so we dont have to spend any money...

  7. #7
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929
    Combine all of these..



    make sure you get the Pen 4 processor.. not celeron..



    go with dell....... watch for the free upgrades..



    17" flat.....

    512 ram...

    and the seperate video...

    hard drives cost about $1 per meg.. 100meg drive is $100....

    but the access speed is most important... don't get more than a 100 gig..

    get 2 100meg drives, or 2 80 gig drives.. see what i mean...



    also.. the reason you want a 2.4 ro better... that was the first p4 with the hyper threading.. although the still make the 2.2 it is mostly going in dual processor machines.. and you didn't indicate you were going to use it for anything ofther than home use......



    good luck....
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

  8. #8
    IronCy's Avatar
    IronCy is offline Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    1,012
    If your planning on building your "dream machine" stay away from dell unless you want to get bent over, they overcharge like a mofo when you know exactly what components you want, and have them build it.......dell is great if you want an average "cookie cutter" machine $500-$800, they really are trying to kill the competition with some of the stuff they give away on these machines.....if your gonna buy local, sony vaio pc's are pretty well built, and come with a ton of options.

    -Cy
    Last edited by IronCy; 02-16-2004 at 01:28 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    703
    Have it built bro...Find someone trustworthy and describe what exactly you want then let him use his knowledge to tell whomever to build it.You dont need to pay for things you dont really care if you have or not...Every major brand ive used of know of someone using and it f#cking up..Hard drives crash...memory go bad..processors go bad..Just cause you have one bad one from them dont mean they are all like that,but like as said above usually if you have one built they will have great service...Might come to your house to fix it or offer longer warrenties on certain parts...

  10. #10
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929
    tell ya what... send me $2000 and i will give you a custom box with acrillic sides, internal lights...

    and for $400 MORE i'll make it water cooled...???

    what do ya think..

    and i will guarentee all parts and pieces for 3 years..........


    Quote Originally Posted by goodtobeapimp
    Have it built bro...Find someone trustworthy and describe what exactly you want then let him use his knowledge to tell whomever to build it.You dont need to pay for things you dont really care if you have or not...Every major brand ive used of know of someone using and it f#cking up..Hard drives crash...memory go bad..processors go bad..Just cause you have one bad one from them dont mean they are all like that,but like as said above usually if you have one built they will have great service...Might come to your house to fix it or offer longer warrenties on certain parts...
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

  11. #11
    IronCy's Avatar
    IronCy is offline Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    1,012
    ^^^spy must work for dell, thats pretty steep!
    -Cy

  12. #12
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929
    No..... but i first recommended what he needed...

    this last is one that he can have...

    3.2 g p4

    Longhorn

    dual 80gig hd
    dvd/cd combo burner
    cd player
    256ram... vidio card..whatever i pick at the tiime

    aluminum case with acrilyc sides ... lighted..

    500watt powersource..

    I could go on.............

    1024 ram 3200
    Quote Originally Posted by IronCy
    ^^^spy must work for dell, thats pretty steep!
    -Cy
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

  13. #13
    IronCy's Avatar
    IronCy is offline Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    1,012
    your gonna warranty longhorn,,,,,its not even released yet....now thats support
    -Cy

  14. #14
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929
    yep.. you can do that when you are a MCSD....

    get all the good stuff... and i have 3 network engineers that work for me.. so ...............


    Quote Originally Posted by IronCy
    your gonna warranty longhorn,,,,,its not even released yet....now thats support
    -Cy
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

  15. #15
    IronCy's Avatar
    IronCy is offline Senior Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    1,012
    you'll have your hands full with that buggy stuff....I have had nothin but probs since I have been running it on my test server....but, hey why not!
    -Cy

  16. #16
    l6873 is offline Associate Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    178
    Quote Originally Posted by jbolsrn
    Okay guys, I know I should get lots of input here. I am looking at purchasing a new computer, anyone have any suggestions. I am leaning towards Dell. Come on, tell me what you think! I know you are full of opinions LOL.
    how much money are you willing to spend?

  17. #17
    jbolsrn's Avatar
    jbolsrn is offline Female Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    469
    Holy cow! You guys are full of knowledge, I knew you would be. I would prefer to spend less than a grand. I mostly want it for home use, I dont have a business or anything. Most of our computer hours are internet and I do tons of school work, research and paper writing.
    " Who needs experience, when you have medical training"

  18. #18
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929
    dell... get the free upgrades, free shipping

    2.4 pentium 4 processor
    whatever hard drive they are offering
    upgrade the video card..
    upgrade to atleast 512 ram
    there ya go..
    good luck......

    Quote Originally Posted by jbolsrn
    Holy cow! You guys are full of knowledge, I knew you would be. I would prefer to spend less than a grand. I mostly want it for home use, I dont have a business or anything. Most of our computer hours are internet and I do tons of school work, research and paper writing.
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

  19. #19
    jbolsrn's Avatar
    jbolsrn is offline Female Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    469
    Thanks Spy, thats kinda the direction I was headed in anyway.
    " Who needs experience, when you have medical training"

  20. #20
    Elliot's Avatar
    Elliot is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    4,348
    i have some cupons for dell so pm me if you want..

  21. #21
    jbolsrn's Avatar
    jbolsrn is offline Female Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    469
    Wonderful, thanks alot!
    " Who needs experience, when you have medical training"

  22. #22
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929
    Dimension 4600
    Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology 2.8GHz w/800MHz FSB
    Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition
    256MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz (2x128M)
    FREE UPGRADE! 120GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
    Featured at
    $1,939
    $1,789
    After $150 Mail-in Rebate
    Rebate Details
    Online Only!
    Featured at
    $1,489
    $1,389
    After $100 Mail-in Rebate
    Rebate Details
    Online Only!
    Featured at
    $1,049
    $949
    After $100 Mail-in Rebate
    Rebate Details
    Online Only!
    this is the one you want... $949

    big difference with the 800mhz front side bus...........
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

  23. #23
    jbolsrn's Avatar
    jbolsrn is offline Female Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    469
    Is this your job, Spy? Thanks again! I know where to look for computer problems from now on! You guys are awesome!
    " Who needs experience, when you have medical training"

  24. #24
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929
    No......... it's the one i recommend to my family so there is someone else for them to call....

    Dell's tech support.....

    I build much larger ones.......

    see below..??? I really have done a water cooled one.. over clocked the CPU to 3.8 and that was 1 year ago..

    alot of heat.........


    Quote Originally Posted by jbolsrn
    Is this your job, Spy? Thanks again! I know where to look for computer problems from now on! You guys are awesome!
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

  25. #25
    Symian's Avatar
    Symian is offline Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    SE Texas
    Posts
    651
    Quote Originally Posted by spywizard
    No......... it's the one i recommend to my family so there is someone else for them to call....

    Dell's tech support.....

    I build much larger ones.......

    see below..??? I really have done a water cooled one.. over clocked the CPU to 3.8 and that was 1 year ago..

    alot of heat.........
    Hey, spy do you know any good sites for components. I've been wanting to build my own lately, but I'm going to have to do it a piece at a time.

    What was your career field in the Air Force? I got out about a year ago.

    Sym

  26. #26
    Terinox's Avatar
    Terinox is offline The One & Only
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    5,000
    Well spywizard has given some great advice so far.

    Like everyone said, search around for the best deal, and make sure they include warranty on all parts. I suggest if you can extend it, then do so.

    Also, some other suggestions, one which was mentioned, try not to get one hard drive which is too large, like 120GIG or so. It's better to get more than one drive, like two 80GIG or two 60GIG hard drives. Also, if one were to crash, you would still have the other. Also, you could save important files on both.

    Another thing which my brother has told me is important, is install more than one operating system. Say something like Windows ME and Windows 2000, or even Win 98. Sometimes if something happens like a computer virus, you could still use your OTHER operating system to access the drives and/or the internet for help on how to deal with your other problem.

    Depending on what you want to use it, you don't really need a really HIGH END computer. I myself use mine for school work/internet and playing a few games, and I only have a Pentium 766Mhz, and it's still good enough.

    So, I would suggest you get something over 2.0Ghz, and that would be more than enuff to do what you need for the next 3-5 years. Also, like someone suggested a GOOD monitor is important, and make sure that pixel number is low, the lower, the better. I'm not sure how they write it, but it's like "Viewsonic, bla bla, .27mm" or like ".25mm" something like that. Try to get one with lower numbers. THIS IS ONLY if you are NOT going with a FLAT LCD/TNT monitor.

    Also, like Red said, make sure to get an actual VIDEO CARD. A good one too. The onboard ones suck big time. Something with 128mb is MORE than enough. The ATI are usually pretty good, and work well. I use "Matrox" myself, and it's been going very good as well.

    RAM is also very important, if possible, try for 512-1024MB of RAM. This is something people are ALWAYS wanting to upgrade.

    All this SHOULD come to under $1000 U.S. dollars. I'm guessing you are in the states. In Canada, same system would probably be about the same, $1000-1500 canadian.

    Not sure, but make sure you know what you wanna do. If you think you will want to burn DVD movies, then get the DVD burner, but if you don't know, you leave it out. You could always buy it later and just add it on, no biggy, and the price is going down everyday. A fast CD BURNER is important, and also a DVD player. Some people suggest to get SEPARATE CD PLAYERS. One primarily for burning, and the other for just reading cd's (like a DVD player) cuz sometimes it might ware out the burner to constantly read cd's. I dunno if it's just a myth or if it really does. Just a suggestion.

    Make sure to get accessories too, usually they will throw in speakers/keyboard/mouse, but just double check to make sure you get it all. Try to get good speakers, with good subwoofer too (if you tend to listen to music a lot at the PC).

    I guess that's all I gotz to say. Also, if possible check to see if the motherboard has several free PCI slots (those little black things, where cards are inserted), this allows for future upgardes. Also, enough bays inside the case to add more drives and such. A big case would be good too, mid sized tower to large sized one.

    Okay, good luck with that

  27. #27
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929
    www.pcusa.com

    http://www.ocsystem.com/




    Quote Originally Posted by Symian
    Hey, spy do you know any good sites for components. I've been wanting to build my own lately, but I'm going to have to do it a piece at a time.

    What was your career field in the Air Force? I got out about a year ago.

    Sym
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

  28. #28
    l6873 is offline Associate Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Posts
    178
    Quote Originally Posted by Symian
    Hey, spy do you know any good sites for components. I've been wanting to build my own lately, but I'm going to have to do it a piece at a time.

    Sym
    might want to check out newegg.com and the hot deals section at forums.anandtech.com

  29. #29
    Dude-Man's Avatar
    Dude-Man is offline Anabolic Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Nowhere, USA
    Posts
    5,966
    spy, you'd get along with my brother. He has a phase change cooled cpu and water cooled video card/north bridge.

  30. #30
    tryingtogetbig's Avatar
    tryingtogetbig is offline Whiney Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    NW of DFW TX
    Posts
    3,425
    Quote Originally Posted by spywizard
    yep.. you can do that when you are a MCSD....

    get all the good stuff... and i have 3 network engineers that work for me.. so ...............
    MCSD = Microsoft Certified Solution Developer

    Spy did you get your .net cert also? Rattle off your certs if you don't mind. If you have your MCSD...then you have a shiet load more!

    peace,

    ttgb

  31. #31
    Symian's Avatar
    Symian is offline Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    SE Texas
    Posts
    651
    Quote Originally Posted by spywizard
    Thanks, bro! That site is awesome! They've got some cool stuff.

    Sym

  32. #32
    spywizard's Avatar
    spywizard is offline AR-Elite Hall of Famer~
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    In the Gym, if i could
    Posts
    15,929


    my best cert



    Owner


    Quote Originally Posted by tryingtogetbig
    MCSD = Microsoft Certified Solution Developer

    Spy did you get your .net cert also? Rattle off your certs if you don't mind. If you have your MCSD...then you have a shiet load more!

    peace,

    ttgb
    The answer to your every question

    Rules

    A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted
    to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially
    one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs.


    If you get scammed by an UGL listed on this board or by another member here, it's all part of the game and learning experience for you,
    we do not approve nor support any sources that may be listed on this site.
    I will not do source checks for you, the peer review from other members should be enough to help you make a decision on your quest. Buyer beware.
    Don't Let the Police kick your ass

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •