We would like to buy a computer that is going to be used solely for internet access and gaming. Maybe some multi-media functions such as digital pictures. We also want to save as much money as possible, but we would hate to lose good performance. Below is the configuration we are currently looking at. Is this a good system for this purpose?
Expansion Slots: 3 PCI Expansion Slots
External Ports: (6) USB (2 in front and 4 in back are version 2.0) Parallel, Serial and (2) PS/2
Certification: Energy Star Compliant
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Application Software: Microsoft® Works 7.0
Introductory Offer
Monitors: 17" Color Monitor (15.9" viewable area)
Video: Integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics with up to 64MB dynamic video memory
Keyboard and Mouse: Multifunction Keyboard and Logitech PS/2 Mouse
Sound System: Integrated Enhanced Audio
Speaker System: GCS300™ Speakers
Modem: 56K PCI data/fax modem
Network Adapter: 3COM® 10/100 Ethernet
I also had two specific additional questions:
The network adaptor we chose was an upgraded version. As you can see above, it is the 3com 10/100 Ethernet. Does this really make a big difference in internet performance?
We were not sure about video cards. We got the one that came standard, but they had a lot of “NVIDIA” cards that were about $100 more. Are these important for GAME PERFORMANCE- i.e. speed. We really are not concerned about super crisp graphics as long as the one we chose gave us a reasonably good picture.
Perfect except for the video card. If you are going to use it for gaming it is vital that you choose one of the Nvidia cards. They are the most important bit for gaming, even with all those other impressive specs.
The Nvidia cards take over the job of transform and lighting mathematics in games. Without the nvidia card your processor will have to do this. The biggest advantage of the Nvidia card will be speed. (frames per second)
If this machine is going to be used for gaming, you will be well served with upgrading the video and possibly the audio. The “crispness” wont be the issue, the rapid video changes and drain on the system will be. Seperate video cards remove the burden of video processing from the CPU and System memory. Also, some games require sound processing that is capable of Active X compatability and this can be an issue with motherboard sound processing.
The Ethernet adapter won’t make a big differnce assuming the base model is also 10/100 rated.
The 10/100 NIC won’t make much of a difference in internet performance, unless you’ve got a T3 running to your house. Cable or DSL will usually get you 5 or 6 Mbps, maximum.
If you plan on doing wired home networking, the extra bandwidth will come in handy, though. Might as well get it.
What are you paying for this system? I’d peg it at $1300 to $1500, with monitor, warranty, and support.
IMHO, the upgraded Ethernet card isn’t necessary for a home system. Any ethernet card, even the $10 ones you can pick up at your local OfficeMax/Staples/CompUSA, can easily handle the speeds you’ll get with any consumer broadband (or even a T1/T3). I use these cheap cards in all the systems I build, and have never had any trouble.
Take the money you save on the 3Com and use it to upgrade your video; both your monitor and video card are sub-optimal. You’ll probably get more bang/buck if you upgrade the video card first – you can then upgrade your monitor later if you want.
This one is $738. w/ free shipping from gateway. To get the NVIDIA card, we have to buy a more expensive base system that, for some reason, costs about 400 more without many extras. Kinda sucks. I think it is because the Gateway 300 series is on sale right now. We are still checking it out as we speak. Please keep the advice coming. I appreciate it.
Granted, this probably isn’t a concern for most people, but there are certain cheap cards where the chipset is so funky that nobody in the Linux community bothers to write drivers for them. I ran in to a wall with the $10 Compaq card on my girlfriend’s PC.
I thought she was talking about upgrading from a 10 to a 10/100.
Ok, here is another quandary. The onyl way Gateway will allow me to add a NVIDIA is to buy the 500 series. The specs below are on the 500s I looked at it. It is almsot $500 more and I really cannot tell the difference (not many changes). But, there are some new specs on this one that were not even provided for the 300s.
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.4GHz with hyper-threading technology and 800MHz FSB
Chipset: Intel® 865 chipset
Memory: 512MB 333MHz DDR SDRAM (2-256MB modules) Hard
Drive: 80GB Ultra ATA100 7200rpm hard drive
Optical Drive: 16x/48x DVD-ROM Drive and 48x/24x/48x CD-RW
It appears as if all I get for 500 more dollars is +.2 GHZ propcessing speed, this hyperthreading technology, something about 800MHZ FSB (I do not know what this means), the NVIDIA graphics card (128MB NVIDIA® GeForce FX 5200G- this was only +$80) and an Intel 865 chipset.
These are the only different things on this next configuration. Can anyone enlighten me on their significance AND please give me your opinion if the NVIDIA and these extra options are worth a 70% increase in price.
My Dell came with a NVIDIA, did you try to shop at dell.com? xpbargains.com usually lists what they have a the moment.
'Here is one they have at xpbargains.com:
Dimension 4600 desktop w/ P4-2.4GHz w/ 533MHz front side bus, 256MB Dual Channel DDR, 30GB, Free CDRW upgrade, 64MB DDR NVIDIA- GeForce4 MX w/ TV-Out, Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio, NIC, XP Home for $599 - $100 rebate = $499 w/ free shipping.
Recommended upgrades: 128MB DDR ATI RADEON 9800 w/ TV-Out and DVI for only $110. The RADEON 9800 pro alone costs $376+! difference between the Pro version is only the controller speed. Upgrade to DVD burner for only $100."
First of all, the OP mentions Windows XP – it can handle any of the cheap cards – so Linux compatibility probably isn’t an issue. Most of the cheap cards in the stores use the RTL8139 chip, and often come with Linux/Windows/DOS drivers on a floppy or CD.
Second, AFAIK, no one even makes 10BaseT cards anymore – I haven’t seen one on a retail shelf in at least 5 years. With the new single-chip solutions, the cost differential between 10 and 10/100 is negligible. Everything in the channel is 10/100, and has been for several years.
General Questions is for questions with factual answers. IMHO is for opinions and polls. Since this is a matter of opinion, I’ll move it to IMHO for you.
A celeron? For almost the same price you could get an Athlon XP 2400 and really get some game kicking action.
Go with the other’s advice on the gamecard, kick up a notch with an Athlon processor and see if you can get a cable modem access or DSL. Your internet gaming experience would be far greater than with any dial-up no matter what your computer build.
A celeron? For almost the same price you could get an Athlon XP 2400 and really get some game kicking action.
Go with the other’s advice on the video card, kick up a notch with an Athlon processor and see if you can get a cable modem access or DSL. Your internet gaming experience would be far greater than with any dial-up no matter what your computer build.