Pinky needs a hand choosing a PC - EFD comp

[dragonfred]

No eBay?

Oh well. Just wanted to add that I found a pink computer. Dell sells a couple of laptops in pink. The cheapest one I found (Inspiron 1521) was 578 though.

[safara]

Originally Posted by PINKY

can anyone tell me the difference between the processors.. is one faster than the other?

I think the second is slightly better due to the 20" monitor and HD size.

Any comments?

HD size is better on the Dell, but, adding an extra 120gb drive at a later date to the Novatech is a very cheap upgrade later on

The monitor is bigger on the Dell, this is good.

And as for the comparison on Pentium vs Athlon - I have no idea. I have thought in the past that Pentiums are a more robust processor, but I do not know if this is still the case. You would need someone like Elite and Co to offer their expertise on this.

Basically, 2 very similar specced machines, with not much that you would notice as a difference. The Dell has the bigger screen, this is a difference you will appreciate. On the other hand, has anyone ever had a good experience with Dell support??

But then as you are "only" paying £500 for a machine, you are going to skimp in some areas. I say "only", £500 is a lot for me, and probably for you Pinky, but in the world of PC's it should get you a decent machine, but not a great one.

If it were me, in the past, I would not buy a Dell. In the past there were too many Dell specific bits and pieces in the machine, that would make upgrading bits at a later date difficult. And sitting on the phone for 4 hours to be asked to log into some website, when the bloody thing is not even turning on used to be a chore. But it must be said that I have not had the occasion to order anything for clients or support clients stuff from Dell for over a year. So, I have no idea what they are like now. Need more input from guys in here who have.

But then I am the sort of person that would buy a barebones system and build it myself. I like getting in there and fiddling with the bits.

Do you have to order the machine this evening??

Could you wait a day or 2 to get some more current info from others in here?

Rambling now and on the third beer. Going to head ingame now and bash some Aurli's to clear the head

Edit, found a Pink one
http://dump.slickhouse.com/lazlow/pc...1/DSC00485.jpg

[PINKY]

Originally Posted by safara

Do you have to order the machine this evening??

Could you wait a day or 2 to get some more current info from others in here?

Rambling now and on the third beer. Going to head ingame now and bash some Aurli's to clear the head

Edit, found a Pink one
http://dump.slickhouse.com/lazlow/pc...1/DSC00485.jpg

Love the pink one!

Has to be tonight, as I tend to be more sensible and not put £500 I dont have on my credit cards - have a feeling if not tonight I will be more sensible tomorrow and not get one

[Konve]

Originally Posted by PINKY

I think the second is slightly better due to the 20" monitor and HD size.

Any comments?

Second one has faster RAM. Faster = Better.

[Pirx Danford]

Uh if you can avoid Windows Vista then by all means do.
Windows XP is completely sufficient and much less of a resource hog.

Regarding specs the one suggested by Brass looks very good.
But should you ever want to run linux and use 3D the ATI card will make trouble.
So should you want to use linux ever chose one with a Nvidia card.

[sob]

take a look here aswell they are without a monitor, but the price is fair.

http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/cc.aspx?bn=10306

[Brass]

The 7600 nvidia is a better card than the ATI 1300.
Some 3D software is designed with certain cards in mind.. Some work better with nVidia and some with ATI. Overall the nVidia is a better card, however both will allow to interact with EU without much lag.

The machines that the both safara and I quoted would preform similarly in most situations. Other than that, the big difference is the 20" lcd.

[PINKY]

Originally Posted by Brass

Unfortunatlly not in pink, but for £488.99, it's pretty good.

AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4000+
Windows Vista Home Premium
20" Black Wide Flat Panel Monitor
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 Memory
320GB SATA Hard Drive
256MB ATI Radeon X1300 graphics card
16 X DVD RW

Dell Dimension C521

If you could stretch up to £700 you can get a far superior machine

Ok, after some serious consideration, i am going for Brass' recomendation.

EFD are on their way!

Many thanks for everyones help, plus reps all round!

[PINKY]

Originally Posted by PINKY

Many thanks for everyones help, plus reps all round!

Ah crap I cant give out rep for some reason. Big imaginary hugs all round instead

[Brass]

now get downloading.. there's funky new hair styles to be discovered!