buying new pc - need advice

hi all,

i'm looking for a budget pc. the DELL i've specc'd is:

Pentium® D with Dual Core Technology 820 (2.80GHz, 2x1MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
128MB ATI Radeon® X300 SE
1 integrated graphics port
2 PCI slots
1 PCIe x 1 slot
1 PCIe x 16 (graphics) slot
19" lcd monitor

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=D04516a&rbc=D04516a&s=dhs&sbc=ukdhsrsdimen_5150_4

this is £420 all in (i'm in uk

now i know this isn't cutting edge. my question is:

is it playable?

i added the graphics card as an option(£35) as otherwise i was stuck with 'Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950' and i know integrated graphics aint the best.
but if the radeon x300 also sucks, should i get the integrated original, then go for geforce?
is that possible?

i'm primarily a mac head so would appreciate any advice

also, if i want to span SL over 2 screens what cards would i need?

thx

swiitters

I would recomend going to a computer shop and have a custom built computer. Starting with a motherboard from a good manufactor, adding a CPU with dual core technology perferably a AMD. Then adding a good pci express graphics card.

It cost most than a "mass produced" computer but it is a better machine. You also dont need to use the brand of computer drivers but can go directly to the manufactor of the component.

My new computer really rocks!

i hear ya, on the custom built pc,

if only

my budget is strict. this dell has a 19" lcd thrown in!

i figure i get a medium graphics card which can span SL. then when i get some cash l8tr i can upgrade the card.

i'm really looking for advice on the dell setup.is SL playable on it?

thx

switters

Ati - Sl ? = i wouldnt recommend it if you threw one on me, wouldnt buy a intel either, pricey /low performance vs amd dualcore

Wheres the ram ? oh duh 1024 , thats bare min recommended imo for SL, it works.

Brand names are pricey, build itself, or have someone else do it, save you alot, warranty usually from 3-5 years anyway on parts, ram lifetime warranty.

I live in norway but use these guys (also in uk)
Komplett.com
They can put a pc togeather and ship it to you, tho i never done it, build them self. >buildself thing here<

Your time is also worth a lot! Buy a machine for what you need it to do and you will be repaying yourself countless times over!

Keep your old monitor and buy the tower that you deserve! You will have less lag and your framefrtes will make you smile. Also dont buy Intel processors! The AMD chips are better for graphics, the intel ones are better for number crunching as for business functions.

What is your present computer? You can change the motherboard, processor and videocard for about the price of that Also at least 2 gig of ram! Dell. Your performance will be worth the price. You can change the hardisk and dvd drives at your lesuire. Remember a new OS is coming and if your new system runs slow now, think of how it is going to run with Bill Gates new wonder product!

It looks as though the ATI card is the only option they offer, apart from the on-board Intel Extreme graphics.

What I would do is go without the card (looks like they're going to charge you £35 for it) and buy an NVidia card from another supplier and install it myself. It will probably void your Dell warranty, though.

P2

Warning! Do not get the Intel Extreme graphics! It is bloody awful! Warning!

Your old machine will work better even with an outdated CGA card!

The onboard Video will likely not run SL. The CPU is certainly fast enough and I would indeed recommend 1024 memory if possible. As was said before, the AMD duel core is a vastly superior CPU solution and produces significantly less heat when running. I would also consider using a local source as they are much easier to deal with when things go wrong.

The thing about Dells and HP's and the like is they use the absolute minimum motherboard that will work. The motherboard is the heart of a computer and can cause all sorts of problems when you use the low, low end. For instance I have an 1800 AMD system with a good board and memory that blows the doors off my 2600 Intel with a low end motherboard and value memory. Also, the Dell will likely come with a power supply too small to run a decent video card, look at its specs and I'd plan on upgrading the power supply when you went to a beefier video card. ATI has a reputation for not working so well with SL, I'd avoid them.

ok

i'm taking fromthis thread that the way to go is AMD and nvidia. so will do research on them.

anyone in uk got tips on good value suppliers?

BTW ranma, my current pc is a mac

hence my lack of know how

thx

switters

ok, so how does this measure up?

i'm guessing the gf 6200 could be a lot better (newbie on pc graphic cards). anyone care to suggest a good budget card, or whether this setup would be good enough to start?

# AMD Athlon 64Bit 3000+ Socket 754 Processor
# 400 Watt Midi Tower ATX Case
# 2048MB DDR memory
# nVIDIA NForce 3 250 Motherboard
# nVIDIA Geforce 6200 256MB Graphics Card

this comes to around same price as dell

http://www.gladiatorcomputers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?StockCode=PCSPROT100&CategoryId=5.5&Link=Featured

thx

switters

I have been building PC's for some time now but my knowledge is a bit dated. There is just so much infomation available! I had my computer built from a company known as PC Club. They are GREAT and when my first choice of components did not work, they upgraded it with ones that did work at no added charge.

http://www.pcclub.com/main.cfm?WT.srch=1&gclid=CKy8htPU14QCFQadHgoddkAiiA

That looks like a fine setup for SL, Switters. The key points:

-2 GB of system memory. Great!
-decent nVidia graphics card. Great!
-decent level processor. Great!

Additionally, you asked above how to get two monitors to work with SL. Firstly, you need a graphics card that has multiple-monitor support (I don't think the one you have listed is). Secondly, and most importantly - I don't think SL supports multi-monitor configurations... but could be mistaken on that.

Good luck!

thx travis, gonna keep researchin graphic cards, but think i'm on the final stretch

thx ranma, but need a pc supplier in uk

thx all

switters

If you are in the UK, these ppl seem to do good spec machines for reasonable prices
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/
I've not bought from them, just used their website to build fantasy PCs perfect for sl
No need to do that now that I have a Dual Core Intel Mac

If you plan on upgrading cpu later, dont get a Socket 754 Processor, 939 now, till m2 ~.~

hi thili

just looking at getting socket 754!

wot does rest of yur msge mean? y not get one?

is that get a socket 939? and m2?

thx

switters

The thing with entry level graphics cards like ati x300 or geforce 6200 is, they provide all the features of better cards of their generation but they are reduced in computing power. They are produced for office and basic usage mainly.
If you want to drive a 19 inch display with 1280x1024 you won't be able to drive that thing fast enough to achieve acceptable framerates in a 3d realtime environment.
So better to go with a midrange card. You might check the performance stuff in this post [post]1015550[/post] to see what you mostly get out of a graphics card. You will see that entry level cards doesn't show up in this review as they are considered as too slow for acceptable 3d realtime visuals and this counts even more at higher resolutions.

I think one of nvidia gf 6600GT/6800GT/7600GT is the thing to go.

Regards,
Leff.

I play SL on a 3Ghz P4 with 1G of 800mhz ram (dual bank)

It's got a PCIe16 slot, but I haven't bought a card for it so it is running on the built in Intel 82915G express Chipset.

The video has no 3D acceleration and the installed drivers emulate OpenGl version 1.4, but it does not support the new 1.9.1 "object oclusion" or "Hardware lighting"

It runs, but.... you have to set a lot of stuff lower.
Uncheck all fancy features.
Draw distance = 64
I found setting the graphics card memory down to 64Mb helps

If you are on a budget, spend your money on things you can't change latter.
1. Monitor first. They last a very long time. I bought a 21 inch, tube, monitor 8 years ago and it's still working.
2. Motherboard features. Look for PCIe16 and SATA
3. "Dual bank ram". A 800mhz FSB does not help if you only have one 400Mhz Ram SIM
4. Fast processor. Upgrading a system to a faster processor sounds easy, but by the time you do it's usually better to replace the entire motherboard.

A good video card will cost $150us to $200us by the time you add a "Dual ball bearring" fan.

edit: $ are in us