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Thread ID: 97459	2009-02-17 00:47:00	PC for kids..Value for money or a dog?	Gedc (11466)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
748515	2009-02-17 00:47:00	Guys Built the new pc and its running like a dream. Thx again for your inputs. Pulled the old one apart for the kids and suffice to say its goosed. 3 caps on the board burst ( brown crusty stuff like a little pile of dog poo on them), the rest swelling like a rotten watermelon. BSOD after windows install etc..Fans sound like a diesel, two of the case fans totally siezed...Quite proud it kept running until the end! It got biffed last night after some cannibalism... So the kids are somewhat miffed :( as I promised them a pc..Saw the following for $500 in Dick Smiths and keen on your thoughts. It will be used for games (school and educational), surfing the net, emails etc. Not a whole heap more. No doubt they may try to load older versions of battlefiled, COD etc onto it. Would it kill the board or could it run it at low res? Its an HP Pavillion a6120a ...Older model undoubtedly. Pentium D 3.0Ghz, 512 Ram, 160gig HDD, DVD writer, Intel GMA 950 Graphics and Windows Vista, keyboard and Mouse. Even buying the cheaper components around including case and PSU I cant seem to come close to the cost including Operating System etc. Your learned thoughts and inputs once again greatly appreciated. Ged	Gedc (11466)
748516	2009-02-17 00:49:00	That machine you saw at DSE is sh1t. 512MB of RAM on Vista is like 64MB on XP = unusable :) You could custom build a cheapie for around $700 or so....	jwil1 (65)
748517	2009-02-17 00:53:00	Can't even find it on DSE website. 512mb of RAM + Vista = Problems. Edit: Something like this (www.playtech.co.nz) would be much better.	stormdragon (6013)
748518	2009-02-17 00:56:00	Agreed the first thing I would look at would be adding a minimum of 512mb, probably 1 gig to the memory. Another $80.	Gedc (11466)
748519	2009-02-17 01:00:00	Not bad, but like the other posts, I think you'll need more RAM, and maybe (maybe) a dedicated graphics card (if it's got a slot) depending on what type of games your kids will be playing. Edit: according to this (h10025.www1.hp.com) page, it's got a pci-e slot, so you could pick up a low-mid range graphics card for around $100 - $150	davidmmac (4619)
748520	2009-02-17 01:07:00	Can't even find it on DSE website. 512mb of RAM + Vista = Problems. Edit: Something like this (www.playtech.co.nz) would be much better. It appears to come without an operating system, though. So completing it would actually cost more than the stated price of $619.00..	Laura (43)
748521	2009-02-17 01:09:00	True forgot about OS. If the existing systems dead though you might be able to use the licence from that.	stormdragon (6013)
748522	2009-02-17 01:22:00	Its a UK pc..Mesh computing 2002 windows xp...Licence still works but requires LOTS of downloads to get it upto speed but certainly doable... Quick question....It was a recovery disc with XP on it that came with the PC...Will that also load relevant drivers for the old motherboard - Asus nforce chipset or would it be fine on the new mobo i.e would it cause any clashes you would be aware	Gedc (11466)
748523	2009-02-17 01:26:00	It probably wont work if, if its from a recovery cd/dvd If you're going to install it on a new system It may install but activating it maybe a different / another matter	Speedy Gonzales (78)
748524	2009-02-17 02:13:00	Its a UK pc..Mesh computing 2002 windows xp...Licence still works but requires LOTS of downloads to get it upto speed but certainly doable... Quick question....It was a recovery disc with XP on it that came with the PC...Will that also load relevant drivers for the old motherboard - Asus nforce chipset or would it be fine on the new mobo i.e would it cause any clashes you would be aware If it's a recovery cd then, yes, it will load unnecessary drivers onto the computer. And as speedy said before me, activating may/will be difficult.	davidmmac (4619)
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