From: Jasp Edo
Im planning to buy a new comp and i decided to get this
Area-51 Alien Ware PC
Processor
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor
520 with HT Technology
Operating System
Microsoft® Windows®
XP Home Edition
Memory
256MB Single Channel
PC-3200 SDRAM 400MHz
Hard Drive
80GB Seagate® SATA
with 8MB Cache
Graphics Processor
Integrated Intel® Graphics
Media Accelerator 900
Sound Card
Intel® High Definition
5.1 Audio
Would this work with SL? >.o i hope it will do good, but if that wont work i can always save up for another Graphics card, if not is there any suggestions for a certain Alienware PC?
Forgive me if this sounds harsh... but you seem like you want to be happy with your machine and I really dont' think you will be with this setup.
1. Alienware is overpriced. You're better off with Dell or someone else unless you're planning on paying top dollar. (Alienware is good stuff from every review I've read.) It may be pretty, but there are plenty of computer makers that can hook you up with a nice internally lit case and colored keyboard / mouse.
2. 256mb RAM will be insufficient. 512mb was light for me, as well. I recommend 1 gig +. Oh, and 2 512mb chips are significantly cheaper than 1 1gig chip, but 1 gig of course leaves you more room for expansion. Personally, I think 1gig will be good for a while, so you should be good with 2 512mb chips. DONT get 4 256mb chips, though, because most motherboards don't support 4 memory chips that are all at 533mhz FSB.
3. Don't bother with PC3200 RAM. The PC4200 is out and it's 33% faster. (533mhz rather than 400mhz). Memory is a big bottleneck with SL and other high-end games and programs (Photoshop for one, if you're using it while you play SL), and for the money you'd spend for the upgrade, it's worth it. NOTE: Remember to get a motherboard that supports 533mhz FSB)
4. Integrated graphics just plain won't work with most games, and if so, very slowly. You need a video card. Period. I recommend nVidia 6000+ (I'm getting the 6600GT), but ATI makes some decent cards... you may want to ask around of what video card you should get. Also, consider if you want to get an AGP card (current standard) or go SLI-ready PCI-express and an SLI-capable motherboard, in which case you can plug in a second card in a year or two as a cheap, effective upgrade.
5. You stated your processor, but not the mhz. 520 is decent choice; it's 2.8gigahz. But, for a small extra cost, you can get the same chipset but at 3.0 or 3.2 ghz speed.
6. Go with Win XP Pro if you can get it / afford it.
7. Hard drive is a good choice as long as you're not storing a DVD warehouse or running a RAID system.
8. Integrated 5.1 sound is also a good choice. While integrated graphics sucks, integrated sound is difficult to notice the different from high-end sound cards unless you have a really kickass surround sound system.
9. All in all, you should not be paying more than 1200-1300 for a fully loaded machine, without monitor, unless you're doing something very high end.
Good luck with your PC!