looking for computer advice/help

In My Humble Opinion
1

Okay here’s my situation:

– My monitor is hosed. There’s one button that you use to bring up a onscreen menu for contrast/brightness, etc, and that button is broken, with the brightness setting turned way down, leaving me with a film noir display that I can’t change. I get by, but I’m tired of it

– I do not have my OS system disks. Lost them several years ago, and it’s a pain anytime I’ve had to install hardware, etc. Again, I get by, but I’m tired of it.

– There appears to be an issue with my heatsink/fan/processor. Whenever I stay on the machine for more than a couple hours or so (less if I’m using a heavy-duty app or game), after awhile, I’ll hear a little whir, a click, and then the machine freezes up. Both the main fan and the one mounted directly on the CPU keep running, but it appears I’m still overheating.

– The whole system is getting old anyway. Athlon 1200, and comparable motherboard, but the hard drive is imported from my old old computer: 10 GB. Of course, all I use it for, really, is internet and games (though SimCity 4 is a big 'un).

My options:

  1. If someone is very sure what the overheating problem is, I could fix that, buy a new monitor, and it would improve my immediate problem at a cost of $100 or so.

  2. My work is offering a free A+ course in which we build, and get to keep, our own P4 1.7GB computer. I could take the course come out with some useful knowledge (maybe even a job skill?) and a free box. I would still need to buy a new monitor and an OS, but I’d be all set up with a brand-new, built-it-myself system at a cost of $200.

  3. As an option to the course, you can upgrade to a P4 2GB chip and a 60GB hard drive for an extra $250. This doesn’t seem worth it as I don’t use much HD space anyway, but if anyone thinks that it’s worth it, make the case. Total cost: $450.

  4. Of course, if I’m going to spend $450 … for $600 I can get a brand-new P4 2100, all new peripherals, CD burner, etc. 19 inch monitor (!) included, and best of all a warranty. (see link) That isn’t necesarily the best buy out there; I imagine with some searching I’d find a somewhat better deal on a system (suggestions?). The point is, I’d be all set, good to go for the next few years, no more hassling with borrowing a freind’s OS disk, covered by a waranty, etc. etc. for $600 or less. This is a lot of money for me, but probably doable.

http://www.cyberpowerinc.com/highendsystem/amdvaluexp.htm

I’m fairly computer literate, but I am certainly an end user when it comes to hardware. I would like taking the A+ class, but I still think I’d like the security blanket of the warranty and tech support. More importantly, I get impatient when things break and I feel impotent.

Okay, there it is. A cookie for the person who has the best advice…

2

  1. Determine how you plan to use the computer most of the time (office, heavy, apps, gaming) for the next three years.

  2. Consider the hardware / O/S needed to run those apps.

  3. Purchase accordingly.

Because you feel you need the security blanket of a warranty and tech support, and have hardware concerns, make sure it runs Windows. While Linux may be a serious option, you need to be comfortable with something knowing there’s help. Consider getting another box down the road to learn/run Linux as well.

3

I agree with Duckster’s first point. How will you use it?

I have a machine that’s much slower than either you discuss, but it works fine for me. I use it for programming, and I have a lot of windows open. For me, the most important issues are: a lot of RAM and a large monitor.

Gamers want more speed, a good video board, maybe good sound as well.

Does the course include the OS disks you’re missing? If it does, $200 is a great price.

If you’d consider a new machine, check out www.dailyedeals.com . They have offerings from a number of vendors, and if nothing else, you can see who’s willing to discount.

4

For comparsion, here is the current nice dell deal from techbargains.com

" Dimension 2350 P4-2.2Ghz, 15" e151fp LCD Flat Panel, 128MB DDR/Free 60GB HD upgrade, Free 48x CDRW upgrade, Free 16MB Memory Key, Ethernet, 6 months ISP, Word Perfect, XP Home $699 - $100 rebate, shipped free.

Consider 4x DVD Writer upgrade for a very cheap $80 more. 17" LCD upgrade only $140 more. "

5

For games…
First AMD 2500+ is a great bargain… $138CDN.
512 DDR Ram 266/333mhz…
But most people neglect the video card…
Get at least a Geforce ti4200 with 64MB…
BUt i would go for ATI 9500 Pro with 128MB RAM for the best price/performance that will last a while.
ATI 9700 Pro should drop a bit in price since 9800 Pro will be out soon.
Do not get on board video/Geforce 4MX/Geforce 2MX/Pine TNT/Matrox/SiS/… if you want to game (Simcity 4 needs a nice video card)
Hard drive… get a WD 40-80GB with 8MB cache.
On board sound is all right but Audigy is great.
speakers too is a component people neglect. Good speakers make a HUGE difference…
Get a CRT monitor and LCD. LCD is not suited for games or movies. the pixel response time is too slow to refresh the images fast enough not to blur the images.
19" CRT Flat monitors are cheap now. LG E900B is a great deal at $330CDN… 19" Trinitron tubes are much brighter though but will cost about $600CDN…

I would spend that little extra to get components that will last the next few years and give you a great Simcity 4 experience now.

6

Duckster, is there any possible consumer purchase that your advice doesn’t apply to? :wink:

I am in the process of “purchasing accordingly,” but I’m weighing the merits of a cheaper built-by-me vs. a more expensive but warranteed and all-inclusive store bought. If that choice strikes you as blindingly obvious, fill me in. To repeat:

threeleggedbob: $200 is my ballpark estimate for a cheap monitor plus the OS.

rookie523: I am not mechanically inclined and not at all interested in buying components and hoping that I can figure out how to assemble them.

To repeat the options:

  1. Try to fix whatever is wrong now, even though I really don’t know what’s wrong or what I’m doing.

  2. and 3) For a few hundred bucks, build a computer under supervison and with supplied components

  3. Admit that I am an end user, and buy a system out of the box.

7

Well, I’ve built computers from components and it isn’t hard. (Have you ever installed a card or a hard drive? Multiply that by about 5.) It’s a little annoying and it takes more time than you think it should, but it’s not hard. If you do it at home, make sure you have a lot of space. Having the manuals to the components is very important.

There is very little that you can fix. If it’s broken, you replace. (Except for the very trivial “oh, that wire came off the post, let me put it back on” kind of problem. Your problem with overheating doesn’t sound like that.) The big problem is knowing what to replace. Fans are often glued to the processor, so it isn’t easy to just change the fan. If you get a new processor, it has to be a compatible speed for the motherboard. Another potential glitch, which I haven’t experienced this personally, is that there are a few components that simply don’t work together. Be prepared to be without a computer for a few days if you try this. DON’T ATTEMPT ANY REPAIR WITHOUT GOOD BACKUPS.

To be brief, I don’t recommend fixing. Build from all new parts under supervision, or buy one. There are some pretty amazing deals available now for well under $800.

Actually, let me retract that slightly. Open the case. If there’s a lot of dust inside, that might be your overheating problem. Try to clean it out (gently!). Otherwise, I say no to option 1.

TLB

8

Go to radio shack. For less than 5 bucks get a small tube of heat sink compound ot silicon grease. Take you computer case outside, open the case and with a can of compressed air, gently remove all residing dustbunnies inside.

Take the case back into your room. Carefully detach the clamps on the metal heatsink on your CPU and remove it. Dab an even layer of heat sink compound on top of your CPU and reattach your heatsink on to your CPU. Try it for a few hours. If it works, you saved booku bucks, if not then heres what I suggest.

Take the class. Since you dont dabble in any resource intensive games like Quake or counterstrike, I suggest you can save the 250 bucks and stay with the box they recommend in class, although if you do go with the P4 2100, it will last a lot longer before it becomes obsolete. Your choice. For your stated needs, the lower speed model is satisfactory. Me, I’m a speed freek. 2100 is too slow for me. :smiley:

The class is a lot better than going with a off the shelf package and warranty. You learn to fix problems yourself, get a better idea on how the inside of the box works plus in the long run it would be less expensive for you to fix things yourself, its faster and chances are the problem gets fixed instead of being glossed over by the teenaged techie from the store.

Check to see if the motherboard that your class is going to use has a TV out. Instead of buying the monitor, use your TV.

9

Ouch. Have you ever tried reading computer text on a TV? It’s so blurry that it makes your head hurt. TV-out capabilities are great for watching video from your computer, but you’d have to masochistic to want to type up a word document on your TV screen.
furt:

Processor speed is measured in GHz, not GB. I don’t mean to nitpick, but since you seem to be interested in this stuff and confused on a few of the terms, I thought you might like the clarification.

Intel calls their chips what they are, say the “P4 2.4GHz.” AMD uses numbers like 1800, 1900, 2000, etc. 2000 doesn’t mean that the processor is 2000MHz (2GHz), but rather that its effective performance is roughly equivalent to a 2GHz Intel chip. An AMD Athlon XP 2000 is only really 1.67GHz.

The A+ class sounds like it may be a good idea. I’m familiar with the contents of the program and I think it really would benefit you. You sure can’t beat that price, either.

If you’d rather just buy the computer, though, Pricewatch should be your first stop. I’ve bought literally dozens of computer parts through various Pricewatch merchants and have had only positive experiences and rock-bottom prices. Looking now, I see a refurbished 17" monitor for $72 including shipping. New 17" ones seem to run about $20 more. You could also pick yourself up an Athlon XP 2400 with Windows, a CDROM and a 20GB hard drive for $310 including shipping. You’d have a fairly crappy motherboard, but it’s still a great price.

And, of course, if you like the challenge (really it’s not all that hard and it’s a good learning experience), you should consider building one yourself. There are lots of great guides online with detailed pictures and valuable information.

10

My advice it to take the course and build your own. You won’t need tech support if you know what’s inside the machine and able to fix it.Building a computer is not that hard . I am wondering if your problem with the heat could be the hard drive. After cleaning out the dust inside the machine leave the side panel off for awhile and see if it overheats.

11

I did dust inside and out pretty thoroughly, and ran it with the case open: same problem. (that’s how I was able to tell the sound was coming from the CPU.) I will try X~Slayer(ALE)'s idea with the silicon grease, out though.

The TV and computer are in different rooms, so that’s a non-starter.

Thanks for the info, Neutron. The CPU speed error was just a typo (I do know some things ;)), but the info on AMD is news to me, and explains some things … such as why my current Athlon 1200 has been disappointing. Moreover, it’s quite different from what I was told at the store…

12

Someday, some golden day, I will spot errors on preview.