# What do you think of this computer that I want to buy… **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2001, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371 "2001-10-29T21:10:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Enigma42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/87869e/32.png) [@Enigma42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enigma42)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/21 "2001-10-30T13:16:48Z")
CnoteChris, you’re probably getting more info than you know what to do with! 🙂 You’re probably right about your need for RAID. It does add complexity to the system, so if you won’t get the use out of it, there’s no reason to get it. If you get into heavy A/V or multimedia work later, you can always upgrade (more later). I realize that AMD products in years past haven’t always been the greatest. They were generally slower then Intels and sometimes there were compatibility issues. That’s why Intel can still chrage more. But you can rest assured that those things are long gone. To put my money where my mouth is, I custom built 4 AMD based graphics workstations and 1 server for my employer. That should indicate how comfortable I was going with AMD this time around. We’ve had no problems whatsoever. The Dell workstations another department got (and spend about 2.5 times as much on) haven’t proven to be superior in any way. I figured right from the beginning that you were the kind of user who wants the high quality solution even if it’s not the absolute cheapest. That assumption seems to be correct, I’m happy to say. 🙂 You should listen to dead0man and KKBattousai. For the kind of user you seem to be (gamer, wants to upgrade, etc), I wouldn’t recommend a Dell or Gateway at all. They are good systems for the average person, sure. But they are never very upgradeable and there are corners cut that you may regret later. The options for a user like you (or me!) are to build it yourself or to deal with a vendor like Alienware. Either way, you’ll know exactly what you are getting and that it is top-notch. So, she will rock, absolutely. Maybe your friends will laugh at what you spend on it, but who cares! I don’t think you’re paying too much, and you’ll still sleep peacefully knowing you got what you wanted. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/22 "2001-10-30T14:19:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enigma42 \* > **CnoteChris, you’re probably getting more info than you know what to do with!** It’s the price you pay for trying to stay informed… as confusing as it can sometime get. Personally, I like the different arguments and counter-arguments- it keeps the discussion interesting. But most of all, I’m glad I have a resource I can turn to for knowledgeable and sound advice, whatever it may be. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Enigma42_ > **I figured right from the beginning that you were the kind of user who wants the high quality solution even if it’s not the absolute cheapest. That assumption seems to be correct, I’m happy to say.** I’m touched. Here I am thinking I’m being stupid for spending the extra bucks by going with Alienware, and, well, someone comes along and tells me I’m doing right. Cool. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Enigma42_ > **So, she will rock, absolutely. Maybe your friends will laugh at what you spend on it, but who cares! I don’t think you’re paying too much, and you’ll still sleep peacefully knowing you got what you wanted.** Rock on, brother!! ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/23 "2001-10-30T15:26:01Z")
- - - Danger! Danger! Will Robinson!!! - **Badtz Maru** , that Gateway system looks just peachy, except that they don’t say what motherboards they use. Which means it could be proprietary, which means it could be a piece of sheet, but run with what they shipped with it, but cause problems later when you try to upgrade. Like my Acer did. _Every part_ should be an independently available name brand, so you can find reviews on it before you buy it. _No exceptions!_ ? -Also, I can’t find it written anywhere if Gateway ships regular Windows OS CD’s or OEM-specific recovery CD’s. The problem with recovery CD’s is that the one that came with my old PC checks both the motherboard (somehow) and the HD size. If both aren’t right, it won’t do anything but give error messages. The computer is now about 4 yrs old, and the 6.3 gig HD won’t last forever, and I don’t have anywhere to get a matching replacement HD… so when the HD dies, the OEM Win98 CD won’t be useful anymore, and I’ll need another Win98 CD to install from. That’s 100 I wouldn't have to spend if Acer had shipped a "real" Windows CD. For the 500c, it looks like they only offer WinXP too… (frowning) ? -Also, what is this shit? In the “software and training” section they have something named “Surfing the Internet and using E-mail with Internet Explorer your way”-----for _ **$99** _??? Talk about internet crime… ~ -This is kinda fun, rippin’ on Gateway’s sheet. I never looked before. \>:D - MC ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/24 "2001-10-30T15:47:38Z")
- - - Regarding the OP: I see one little thing you might want to avoid. ~ Motherboard: MB- Intel 850 Based MB w/1 AGP/5PCI/1CNR RDRAM ~ As the RDRAM has been discussed, this is okay except for the CNR slot. -The CNR slot is a special slot, for nothing useful. They were supposed to put this special slot on motherboards, and then make really great soundcards and modems that fit into it. The second half of that plan is not yet been put into action, and may never be. All the good internal modems and soundcards are PCI. - If you can get one, find a board with 6 PCI slots and no CNR. - MC ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_the\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Mojo\_the\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_the_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/25 "2001-10-30T21:09:35Z")
Think about getting a PowerMac. They’re much more competitive on price/performance than you’d think. And you don’t have to deal with Windows or support Bill Gates’ hegemony. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/26 "2001-10-30T22:39:14Z")
- - - Do Macs have DirectX support yet? - MC ---
**Author:** ![Tyklfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@Tyklfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyklfe)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/27 "2001-10-30T23:07:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enigma42 \* > \*\* > The Pentium 4’s have higher clockspeeds, but the Athlons execute more instructions per clock. The Athlon XP 1800 is about as fast as the Pentium 4 2 Ghz in most benchmarks, but it is less expensive. \*\* Sorry, but what I’ve read says you’re wrong - the Athlon 1800 is much faster than the P4s. For verification I suggest this [site](http://www.xppcentral.com) ---
**Author:** ![Tyklfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@Tyklfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyklfe)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/28 "2001-10-30T23:20:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC \* > \*\*I likely won’t move from 98 until new hardware and software aren’t supported by it, seeing as XP has no significant benefits above 98. Plug-and-play was MS’s last good idea. - MC \*\* XP has one very big advantage built in that I’m really looking foward to intergrating into my home network - _wireless networking_ ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/29 "2001-10-31T00:40:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tyklfe \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by MC \* > > \*\*I likely won’t move from 98 until new hardware and software aren’t supported by it, seeing as XP has no significant benefits above 98. Plug-and-play was MS’s last good idea. - MC \*\* > > XP has one very big advantage built in that I’m really looking foward to intergrating into my home network - _wireless networking_ \*\* Um…Wirless networking works in 98, me, 2k, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/30 "2001-10-31T01:04:31Z")
> [@](#): > > DVD- None… Why would I want to watch DVD’s on my comp? I would strongly recommend getting a DVD player for your computer if you have any DVD’s at all (Or think you might get some soon). The reason for this being two things: First, they’re MUCH less expensive than stand-alone DVD players. Second, computer monitors have much higher resolution capabilities than most TV’s. This means you don’t have to buy any accessory S-Video (around $30-$40) or Component Video (About $60-$80) cables in order to get best picture quality. You can also connect your computer to a larger TV if you so desire, since most GeForce 3’s come with Video Out. I would recommend giving XP a try before you switch to 98. XP has a streamlined boot code, and boots much much faster than any MS OS previously released. It also seems to streamline the boot code for other Windows OS’s you might be dual booting (My dual-booted 98 SE loads about 22 seconds faster after I had installed XP. Now I never use 98). Also, Windows 98 only recognizes 256 MB of RAM for use by the OS. If you get any more than that, the OS will NOT use it at all. 3rd party programs you install can still use it, though. Windows XP can use up to 2 GB of RAM, so the more RAM you have, the faster your OS will run. > [@](#): > > Think about getting a PowerMac. They’re much more competitive on price/performance than you’d think. And you don’t have to deal with Windows or support Bill Gates’ hegemony. Thank you for this nonsensical input that none of us have requested, nor do we care all that much about. Why don’t you save this for a thread about, you know, something like “Should I get a PC or a Mac?” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/31 "2001-10-31T01:09:21Z")
> [@](#): > > XP has no significant benefits above 98. This line is totally insubstantiated (And completely false). I’ll prove it with a few simple words: NT-based kernel. If stability isn’t a significant benefit, I don’t know what is. ---
**Author:** ![urban1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d07c76/32.png) [@urban1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/32 "2001-10-31T02:37:51Z")
Sounds like a great computer, but, you know, you could build one just as good (or better) for half the price. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/33 "2001-10-31T03:47:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC \* > \*\*- - - Do Macs have DirectX support yet? - MC \*\* I saw a thread on a Mac board asking when/if MS plans to port DirectX to the Mac. And on the MS DirectX downloads page, there’s no mention of anything Mac. So the answer’s apparently no. [/end hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/34 "2001-10-31T12:12:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mojo the Monkey \* > \*\*Think about getting a PowerMac. They’re much more competitive on price/performance than you’d think. And you don’t have to deal with Windows or support Bill Gates’ hegemony. \*\* Feh. Run Linux! Anyway, to plant myself more firmly on the “ **CnoteChris** is doing right” bandwagon, here’s a little more on my experience w/ upgrading my Area 51. Added/switched: More RAM A new video card (Radeon VIVO from a TNT2 Ultra) Two additional hard drives (for, um, video editing) A SCSI CD burner Sound card (from an Aureal card to the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum) A modem (y’know, for just in case) Win2K/Win98 dual boot (for stability and compatibility w/ certain pieces of software respectively) All of these upgrades were accomplished without a hitch (well, except for a couple goofs that were my fault). So you want upgradability, you’ve got it in spades, my friend. On another note, I’m probably going to swap out my mobo and processor for something zippier. (Probably going to replace my 600 MHz P3 on an Abit BE-6 for an Athlon XP 1500 on an Abit KG7 RAID, if anybody’s curious.) ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/35 "2001-10-31T12:37:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monster104 \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > XP has no significant benefits above 98. > > This line is totally insubstantiated (And completely false). I’ll prove it with a few simple words: NT-based kernel. > > If stability isn’t a significant benefit, I don’t know what is. \*\* Absolutely. I personally think this is the best OS Microsoft has come up with by far. It’s what I had hoped 2k would be. It has the stability of NT, but all of the compatability that NT and 2k were missing. If only I could convince the higher ups at work to upgrade our entire site. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/36 "2001-10-31T12:41:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CnoteChris \* > \*\*… and it’s price. > Case- Dragon Full-Tower Case (340-Watt PS) > Processor- Intel Pentium 4 Processor 1.8GHz 400MHz FSB > MB- Intel 850 Based MB w/1 AGP/5PCI/1CNR RDRAM > Memory- 786MB RDRAM (PC-800) P4 Only > Keyboard- 107 Enhanced Windows Keyboard > Mouse- None (Using an optical mouse) > HD- 60GB HD 8.5ms seek time, 72000RPM, UltraATA > Video Card- (Vid card w/be an NVIDIA Ge-Force 3 AGP, but not included in the price) > Sound- SoundBlaster Audigy 5.1 Gamer > DVD- None… Why would I want to watch DVD’s on my comp? > CD-RW- PlexWriter 24X/10X Write 40X Read CD-RW Recordable-IDE > Speakers- Klipsch ProMedia 4.1 400 Watt THX Speakers & Sub > Printer- HP Photosmart 1218 USB > OS- Windows XP (But I’ll scrap that and use win 98SE Not too far from my system 🙂 . Substitute a 1.4 GHz Athlon-C ( not the latest XP chip ), add a DVD drive, change the CD-RW to 16X, change the Klipsch from 4.1 to 2.1, cut the memory back to 384, and add a 19" monitor and a zip ( much faster than CD-RW for small files )and it is the same. And it’s also from Alienware. I’m entirely pleased with it 🙂 . I second ( third? tenth? ) going with AMD and adding a DVD-drive ( it really is nice having a second drive ). I also think more than 512 MBs of RAM, cheap though it is, is overkill unless you are going into serious graphic design, but of course more doesn’t hurt ( but probably won’t help ). I like Dell’s and Gateways’s in a general sense and have owned both. In fact I would recommend both ( or Micron’s ) for most folks. You’ll probably get better value for your dollar. But frankly if you have the money to blow, you might as well get the fancier Alienware system - the build is better. Building your own really _is_ the best way to go, but I no longer have any interest in doing so for the same reason I don’t like working on my car anymore - It’s a frustrating, tedious pain in the ass 😃 . Again, if you have the money, might as well let somebody else do it for you. And Alienware ( or Falcon Northwest, or VoodooPC in increasing order of expense ) does a decent enough job of building PC’s “just like you would” ;). The only caveat is that I hope you’re not in a rush - Alienware will take several weeks to build and ship the thing. Oh, and I’m running WinXP and I like it ( I always disliked Win98 and preferred using Win2000, even for games - the stability was worth the tiny performance hit IMHO ). If you have enough RAM ( and it looks like that won’t be a problem ), like _at least_ 256, I’ve found it runs pretty smooth. And it’s rock solid. No game conflicts for me yet, but then I lean towards strategy and RPG’s, rather than shooters or sports titles. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/37 "2001-10-31T17:20:49Z")
- - - I never understood the whole “stability” argument, and I never heard of any actual proof that any OS was any more stable than any other, except when used under rather particular test circumstances. From a practical standpoint, it’s usually easiest to just get rid of the _individual programs_ that cause crashes than it is to go jumping from one OS to another searching for one that won’t crash while running poorly written software. -And if WinNT ever had a “money-back-crash-proof-guarantee”, I never heard about it… - MC ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/38 "2001-10-31T23:52:46Z")
> [@](#): > > I never understood the whole “stability” argument, and I never heard of any actual proof that any OS was any more stable than any other, except when used under rather particular test circumstances Although I never really had problems with Win98 stability on my system (I hit the “Sweet Spot” perfectly, somehow…), my friend had a miserable time with it. When he got XP RC1, he was amazed by the improvement. And I hear similar stories to this every day at work from customers who have bought XP. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/39 "2001-11-01T19:03:53Z")
Well… I went ahead and ordered it. I got the full tower (340-watt) AMD Athlon XP 1800+ Processor with 266Mhz FSB. I went with 512MB DDR SDRAM, a 75GB HD, both the DVD drive and CD-RW drives, and the Klipsch 4.1 speakers. I upped the OS from the XP-home version to the pro because the home version won’t support dual monitors (Go figure. Win 98 does). Adding an HP printer, some minor stuff here and there, and a hundred bucks off because I waivered a bit with the guy, and it came to $2536.00. So, as you can see, I took your advice to heart. Barring anyone coming back in here and saying ‘April fools, sucker!!’, I thank you one and all. Oh, and since it’s in the build stage and will take a while to get here, if there’s anything I’m missing, please let me know. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371/40 "2001-11-01T21:26:29Z")
> [@](#): > > … Feh. Run Linux!.. - K. Battousai - - - For the benefit of the uninformed: Linux has some interesting features, but it still can’t run most hardware because there are still no drivers available. The most common problems on Linux support forums involve finding hardware drivers or making hacked drivers work acceptably, and many Linux enthusiasts have an amazing ability to ignore this fact while recommending it. The situation _is_ improving, but it’s still got a looong way to go before Win98 stops beating it with an ugly stick. - MC [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-computer-that-i-want-to-buy/90371.md?page=3)