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| Thread ID: 70808 | 2006-07-17 03:57:00 | Graphics Card Help Please... | DarkBlade4 (9892) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 471451 | 2006-07-17 08:34:00 | *Mejobloggs -- My new PC would probably be a Pentium D, 3.0 Ghz, 2GB DDRam, 256mb nVidia/Radeon graphics card, TV Tuner w/ Remote, DVD 16x Burner, Windows Media Centre, 19 inch Flat Panel display. Something along those lines from Dell. :eek: Dell? Why don't you look at making one up yourself, it's not that hard if you follow the instructions... and seeing as you're obviously capable of unscrewing a case and swapping ram you're half way there (well- almost!) :D if you want it for gaming like Battlefield/Unreal Tournament etc not just any graphics card will do... it's worth spending extra (maybe $200-$500 range?) to get one that will play the games at a decent frame rate etc. |
Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
| 471452 | 2006-07-17 09:36:00 | Now I have some questions about my new computer (which I haven't bought yet): 1. Why is Conroe better than P4 and Pentium D? 2. When I Conroe going to be available in Dell systems? 3. Is Conroe cheaper that P4 and Pentium D? 4. Are there any other things I should wait for (like Conroe) before I buy a PC so it is future proof for quite some time? 5. Is a good audio card worth spending $100 AUD on if I like music but I'm not an audiophile? 6. What is a physics accelerator? 7. Does a TV Tuner card allow me to watch TV shows only in my region (like on my TV) or shows from around the world? 8. Is a TV Tuner Card worth buying? 9. Are Dell speakers any good or should I buy Altec Lansings/Logitechs seperately? I am going to use my new computer for games, multimedia, CAD, work. What kind of system do you recommend that is future proof for a while and is under $2600 AUD? thanks for all the help btw |
DarkBlade4 (9892) | ||
| 471453 | 2006-07-17 09:39:00 | Where do I get individual components and instructions to build a computer myself? How much cheaper will it be with the same specs as a computer with Dell? Dell seems to be a good brand, is it really that bad? | DarkBlade4 (9892) | ||
| 471454 | 2006-07-17 09:42:00 | DarkBlade, so many many questions...... check-out some hardware review sites....like anandtech.com xtreamsystems.com tomshardware.com If you would like to get into heavy PC demanding applications as those listed, you will, over time need to understand PC architecture anyway. |
SolMiester (139) | ||
| 471455 | 2006-07-17 09:52:00 | I can't answer about Pentiums, I've always used AMD stuff. (someone else here will have different ideas, it seems to be 'personal taste' between the two) An on-board sound card is usually not too bad nowdays, I've got a seperate Creative card on one comp, but my newer comp has Realtek 8.1 onboard and it sounds as good. No idea what a physics accelerator does :waughh: I believe TV tuner cards will only let you watch TV progs in your area, no different to your normal TV... they get the signal from an aerial the same way. Go for Altec speakers or Logitech over Dell. You should be able to get a pretty good comp for $2,600aus. My idea would be spend more on the screen... bigger if poss as it's the last thing you'll want to have to upgrade. Next spend money on CPU. Motherboard not too important (most do all you'll need, best if it has pci or pcix16 slots for graphics card as AGP is on the way out). The rest are not expensive... HD, CD/DVD, keyboard, mouse etc are all fairly 'standard' and you can pick and choose/upgrade fairly easily later. |
Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
| 471456 | 2006-07-17 09:54:00 | Where do I get individual components and instructions to build a computer myself? How much cheaper will it be with the same specs as a computer with Dell? Dell seems to be a good brand, is it really that bad? Dell ain't 'bad'... you could just do a lot better building one yourself and have the added bonus that you KNOW what parts are in it :D There's a quick rundown on building a comp here: www.tomshardware.com |
Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
| 471457 | 2006-07-17 10:00:00 | I don't need a high end graphics card because I'm not a hardcore gamer, all I really need is most of the games to run with a decent framerate and decent graphic detail. Would the nVidia GeForce 7300LE suit my needs: www.nvidia.com ? If not then what cards do you recommend at a price lower than $300 AUD? | DarkBlade4 (9892) | ||
| 471458 | 2006-07-17 10:16:00 | A few people reckon a 7600 or 7900? are the way to go for gaming. I just bought a 6600LE (supposedly voted best Toms hardware 3 years in a row). I haven't tried any games with it but it's well under $300aus (about $200aus?). Do a bit of research before you buy and maybe try a few games on comps with different cards. The nice thing with Nvidia cards is that they also have a really good 'display tuning' program... colour/brightness/gamma/resolution etc. Makes a difference to any LCD screen. The advantage of expensive cards are that you can play them at higher resolution and higher frame rate... it also varies considerably depending on the actual game you play. |
Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
| 471459 | 2006-07-17 10:33:00 | So will building a system be cheaper? What are the benefits besides knowing whats inside? Dell still seems easier since I won't really be upgrading the internal components much but I will probably buy a seperate graphics card such as the 6600 LE. | DarkBlade4 (9892) | ||
| 471460 | 2006-07-17 10:45:00 | No, it might not be cheaper by the time you factor in your time . . . and like anything else it's easy to get carried away when buying the parts . . . "Oh wait- I really like the look of that one and it's only $100 more!" On the other hand you say now that you won't be upgrading the internal components, but you can almost guarantee 1-2 years down the track you'll be thinking "hmmm I wish it was faster/quieter/had a game port/more ram/bigger hard drive" . If you've built it yourself you can upgrade any bits you like and it is way cheaper in the long run than throwing the Dell out and buying a whole new one . |
Shortcircuit (1666) | ||
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