is this a good vista?

[illinifan]

https://ecomm2.dell.com/dellstore/b...=CFG&oid=9b19c9e0-f802-4488-acc0-f375891156ea


i play RO, CSS, AA, possibly-AOE3, BF2, COD4, ET:QW, and UT3 later on once all the good mods come out

is there anything there i need to add, or won't need?

 

[Zips]

We can't see what's in your own shopping cart.

Just list the specs of the machine here.

 

[illinifan]

Intel

 

[Boogerhead]

What the heck is Dell DataSafe? Sounds like a RAID-ish knock-off? I'd rather have more usable hard drive space.

Every computer I've had, including my current laptop, I've run out of hard drive space within two or three years.

All -that- said, buying a small-ish hard drive isn't a bad thing if you've got a desktop that can be easily expanded.

Yet at the same time, when a 250gb hard drive is selling for $60 new, getting 160gb from the outset seems a little odd.

My other suggestion: Make sure your copy of Windows is reinstallable (not a "Rescue CD" that wipes out your hard drive so the computer is wiped out to the point you found it when you bought it.)

 

[Xendance]

Don't buy branded computers. Go into a computer shop, tell them what you want and they'll buy you the parts. That way you get a better computer for less money. And you can ask the shop to build the computer and install all on it against a small fee.

 

[SiFi]

All -that- said, buying a small-ish hard drive isn't a bad thing if you've got a desktop that can be easily expanded.

Which is why I've got a friggin' huge tower here; five unused hard drive bays, and six SATA connections

I also say get the parts individually; if you want a hand in putting it together, have an experienced friend help you through. Be sure to have bandaids on hand; someone WILL get cut poking around the case.

 

[Xendance]

I have a huge tower also but no HDD rails for it.... Stupid prebuilt case D:

 

[fiftyone]

Go to your local computer man/assembler (if he's been around for 10 years, its a good sign).
Take the same components and ask how much !

Processor.
Ram.
HD.
GPU.
DVD.
Monitor.
Box to put it in.( I like Antec and you get all the bits you need).
Mouse and KB. ( I like Logitech, G5 + Classic KB).

I bet the local assembler will knock of a 3rd of the price !
With that saving I would invest in a 8800 GPU + Sound card !
As for the physics thing, give em a couple of years to sort that one out,( if ever they do !).

EDIT : forgot the MB ! silly me...

 

[Peter.Steele]

Which is why I've got a friggin' huge tower here; five unused hard drive bays, and six SATA connections

CoolerMaster CMStacker. 11 external drive bays, 2 power supplies.





Also, to the original poster. Your question is flawed. You asked 'is this a good vista?' The answer to this question is not only no, but hells no. There is no such thing (at this point) as a 'good vista.' There is a good upgrade for Vista, though, which is (usually) available as an option (sometimes even a no-cost option!) through the system builder. It's called Windows XP.

 

[Zips]

I'll have to first agree with the "don't buy branded computers" persons here. I managed to buy and build my own rig that was more powerful AND CHEAPER (by about $20) than a branded computer I had for all of three weeks before it died on me.

Anyway.

Do not get a physics processing card. They're an absolute waste.
You may want to look into a larger harddrive as well.
A better video card may also be worthwhile. There are substantial leaps from the 8600 to the 8800.

Just as a point of reference, here's my own build that cost about $1100:

-Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $289 (This is about $10 less than what I paid even)
-EVGA GeForce 8800GTS (320MB) - $280
-MSI P6n Platinum (650i Chipset) - $150
-WD 250GB SATAII HDD - $65
-OCZ GameXstream 700W PSU - $145
-Cooler Master Centurion Case - $50
-Kingston 2x1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $83
-Used my old (only a few months)16x Double Layer DVD burner
-Used an internal Wireless card I already owned
-Opted to not use my X-Fi ExtremeMusic card just using the built-in audio

If I were to make changes. I'd say go with some lower latency RAM than what I got, and a third-party CPU cooler instead of stock. You could also get away with a powersupply with less wattage than what I opted for, but I wanted mine for future use and upgrades.

 

[Peter.Steele]

I'll have to first agree with the "don't buy branded computers" persons here. I managed to buy and build my own rig that was more powerful AND CHEAPER (by about $20) than a branded computer I had for all of three weeks before it died on me.

Anyway.

Do not get a physics processing card. They're an absolute waste.
You may want to look into a larger harddrive as well.
A better video card may also be worthwhile. There are substantial leaps from the 8600 to the 8800.

Just as a point of reference, here's my own build that cost about $1100:

-Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $289 (This is about $10 less than what I paid even)
-EVGA GeForce 8800GTS (320MB) - $280
-MSI P6n Platinum (650i Chipset) - $150
-WD 250GB SATAII HDD - $65
-OCZ GameXstream 700W PSU - $145
-Cooler Master Centurion Case - $50
-Kingston 2x1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $83
-Used my old (only a few months)16x Double Layer DVD burner
-Used an internal Wireless card I already owned
-Opted to not use my X-Fi ExtremeMusic card just using the built-in audio

If I were to make changes. I'd say go with some lower latency RAM than what I got, and a third-party CPU cooler instead of stock. You could also get away with a powersupply with less wattage than what I opted for, but I wanted mine for future use and upgrades.

Also, absolutely go with a sound card, vice the on-board audio, if you can afford to. The on-board audio isn't actually a hardware sound processing rig, not like a sound card is. The on-board sound uses software to do the decoding ... and that takes processor cycles ... and that cuts down your frame rates.

Even just using an older card like an Audigy 2 is going to give you a significant bump in frame rates over using the on board audio ... not to mention, it doesn't have nearly as much popping / hissing / static / buzzing / etc.

 

[Zips]

I really don't think it matters much anymore given the dual/quad- cores. You really won't notice any discernible change in framerate using onboard sound anymore.

 

[Peter.Steele]

I really don't think it matters much anymore given the dual/quad- cores. You really won't notice any discernible change in framerate using onboard sound anymore.

I notice a difference between using the AC-97 and Audigy 2 ZS. I've got a dual core 3800+ on an Abit Fatal1ty board. The difference in watching DVDs and DivX movies, etc., is actually more noticeable than it is for most games, especially when using surround. It's much more choppy, etc., when using the onboard sound. Frame rates (for RO) are about 10-12% higher, for me, using the Audigy.

Even above and beyond that, though, the -QUALITY- of the sound is hugely different. The on-board sound - even when it's on a riser card, as with the Fatal1ty - just has a much more staticky sound to it, and there's a humming noise in the background.

 

[illinifan]

so i should take away the physics, add more ram and a sound card, and check those prices at a local store then?

 

[fiftyone]

2 go of ram is good for Vista32 bit.

A sound card is a must as far as I'm concerned.

The money you save with the physics card could well be used to get a Nv8800 and maybe a larger monitor !

Its up to you to juggle with the $

 

[Peter.Steele]

2 go of ram is good for Vista32 bit.

A sound card is a must as far as I'm concerned.

The money you save with the physics card could well be used to get a Nv8800 and maybe a larger monitor !

Its up to you to juggle with the $

 

[illinifan]

i got this at ibuypower.com for $1471

Case ( [New !!!] Nzxt Lexa Blackline Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Black )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( 550 Watt -- Power Supply SLI Ready )
Processor ( Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6550 (2x 2.33GHz/4MB L2 Cache/1333FSB) )
Free Software/Game ( Free Software -- [3DMark

 

[bloodypotato]

I'll have to first agree with the "don't buy branded computers" persons here. I managed to buy and build my own rig that was more powerful AND CHEAPER (by about $20) than a branded computer I had for all of three weeks before it died on me.

Anyway.

Do not get a physics processing card. They're an absolute waste.
You may want to look into a larger harddrive as well.
A better video card may also be worthwhile. There are substantial leaps from the 8600 to the 8800.

Just as a point of reference, here's my own build that cost about $1100:

-Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $289 (This is about $10 less than what I paid even)
-EVGA GeForce 8800GTS (320MB) - $280
-MSI P6n Platinum (650i Chipset) - $150
-WD 250GB SATAII HDD - $65
-OCZ GameXstream 700W PSU - $145
-Cooler Master Centurion Case - $50
-Kingston 2x1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $83
-Used my old (only a few months)16x Double Layer DVD burner
-Used an internal Wireless card I already owned
-Opted to not use my X-Fi ExtremeMusic card just using the built-in audio

Having a 700 watt psu is really a waste of money (later in the electrical bill as well), and is really unnecessary. I'm running on a 600watt psu (Xclio or some such brand) with a 8800 and all that other crap and I never seem to run out of power, even when playing newer games maxed out (e.g. Company of Heroes).

 

[Peter.Steele]

i got this at ibuypower.com for $1471

Case ( [New !!!] Nzxt Lexa Blackline Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Black )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( 550 Watt -- Power Supply SLI Ready )
Processor ( Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6550 (2x 2.33GHz/4MB L2 Cache/1333FSB) )
Free Software/Game ( Free Software -- [3DMark

 

[Zips]

Having a 700 watt psu is really a waste of money (later in the electrical bill as well), and is really unnecessary. I'm running on a 600watt psu (Xclio or some such brand) with a 8800 and all that other crap and I never seem to run out of power, even when playing newer games maxed out (e.g. Company of Heroes).

Please read my reason for having that PSU. It also doesn't take 700W if it's not under full load, only what it needs.