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My New Family PC

Author:	the_short1 [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 11:29 am ]
Post subject:	My New Family PC
Heres The Stats..... Dimension 2400 Series <started at $499, but i customized (more ram and dvd burner) + some extras.... -IntelÂ® CeleronÂ® Processor at 2.4GHz with 400MHz front side bus -MicrosoftÂ® WindowsÂ® XP Home Edition -256MB Shared DDR SDRAM at 333MHz -Dellâ„¢ Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard -17 in (16.0 in v.i.s., .27dp) E773 Monitor <their monitors 'burn in' easy dont they? (well all dells at school did, but they leave them on a long time... ) (screensaver?) stupid ADSB... all the ACER monitors didn't burn in tho... and they were left on all the time too...(this monitor was with package already so that was a plus:)) -Integrated IntelÂ® 3D Extreme Graphics <this is gona let me play CS rite? -40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive -3.5 in Floppy Drive -Dell Optical USB Mouse -Integrated 10/100 Ethernet -56K PCI Telephony Modem <cant remove this either.. -8x DVD+R/+RW Drive with CD-RW including Sonic RecordNow and MyDVD LE -Integrated Audio -Altec LansingÂ® ADA215 Speakers -WordPerfect Productivity Pack < NASTY! cant remove from package... -Norton Internet Securityâ„¢, 90 day trial < yay! thats the second 90day trial i have... so i can use them back to back ! 6months! (i dont have HD space for it rite now on shit comp so i kept CD tho..) -Dell Jukebox powered by MUSICMATCH < doesn't lower price to remove it.. so why not... -Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro 60-day trial, Photo Album Starter Edition < doesn't lower price to remove this.. so why not... -1 Yr Ltd. Warranty, 1 Yr In-Home/On-Site Service, 24x7 Phone Tech Dell -Dell Media Experienceâ„¢ -FREE Dell 720 Color Inkjet Printer <anyone wana buy it? ahha lexmark better or at least.. we gona stick with ours... (refilling lexmark cartridge till they dont work... then buying the newest lexmark printer that comes with cartridges for the same price as 1 black and white and 1 colors cartridge ) were on our fourth lexmark printer... z22,z32,z45,1200 or something.. TOTAL: $869.00 or $1010 with tax and shipping, $26 month / 48 month @ 9.99% interest... sound like a good deal? i dont like dell... really i wanted a acer.. or compaq.. but dell has good package / customization / support / delivery... so i guess u gota go with that ... right? (well its for family comp and parents when i leave..2 years later.... ) plus this is buying online... what you guys think? i get to buy the computer.. parents gave me 1k $ limit.. (and i think that means before the taxes... so i think i did good) do u think i can get better comp for the money? *that dvd RW + CD RW combo drive was like $250 extra to add on... but its needed downloading DVD's HErE i come! ... now to get parents to buy a DVD player for living room.... isntead of using my ps2 ... then i can just download a DVD burn on a DVD-RW watch it upstairs... and erase and start again please vote and post any comments....

Author:	Martin [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 12:12 pm ]
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No. That computer is two things: a) Junk b) Overpriced. First off, if you order a packaged computer, you are immediately getting ripped off. They think that 100 buck markup for their 20 min assembly is reasonable. Then they charge you $150-$250 for Windows XP. Then they have to pay their employees extra for being as useless as possible. So, out of that 1100 or so dollars, only maybe half is actual hardware, if you're lucky. Also, the software bundle that comes with it is crap. Now to rip it apart even further: Celeron processors are the worst in the world. Cheaper than Pentium processors, sure, but vastly outpreformed. A quick benchmark: P4 1.6 GHz vs. Celeron 2.6GHz overclocked to 3.2GHz. Otherwise, the systems were identical. Guess which processor won? The P4. And $250 for a DVD burner? Are you kidding me? You could get them for cheaper than that when they came out. You can get a DVD burner for as little as $60 today, $150 for the top models. And knowing dell, they aren't giving you a top of the line one. So that's a $150 installation fee? So avoid celeron with your life. Go for an amd system. Here's what my system, which I bought and built a year ago, contains: AMD XP 2000+ (this performs about as well as a 2GHz pentium, or a 500GHz celeron processor) 512MB PC2700 DDR333 Ram. (The bare minimum for a computer running windows xp, or else everything will feel beyond belief slow) ATI Radeon 9000 pro, 128mb video. (note that your system doesn't have a video card. So gaming on that = no.) 40GB 7200 rpm HD. (Yeah, same thing as yours) 24x10x40 CD-R/RW drive. 19" KDS Xtreme flat monitor (flatscreen CRT monitor) Guess what the total was, with shipping, tax, and a 1 year warrenty? Just under $1250 canadian. And that was a year ago. Everything (except for the ram) has gone down in price substantially since then.

Author:	Martin [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 12:19 pm ]
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So now I imagine that you want an alternative. Here, you have two choices: a) You can buy parts online, build the computer yourself (this is way easier than it sounds). b) Buy a prebuilt computer online (usually costs about the same as buying parts, but you don't get as much customizability). In either case, you are saving yourself a lot of money. And if you get a blank hard drive, you can find a copy of windows somewhere and use that, saving yourself $250. Also, you get pretty much the same warrenties on it as well. If you want help making a system, I can build one for you and just send you the link. If I was dell, I'd charge you $300 for that. Fortunately, I'm unemployed.

Author:	Paul [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:04 pm ]
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Um... do they all sell your PC to you with operating system on? or do they still let you choose if you want to install it yourself? cause it'd be huge rip off if I let them install windows for me for $150...

Author:	wtd [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:07 pm ]
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Paul Bian wrote: Um... do they all sell your PC to you with operating system on? or do they still let you choose if you want to install it yourself? cause it'd be huge rip off if I let them install windows for me for $150... You can order some Dell computers without an OS (I believe they include a boxed copy of FreeDOS to get around Micrsoft's requirement that they include an OS). However, I've recently spoken with someone who did just this, and the hardware used in that machine is absolute junk. So... avoid Dell like the plague. Build it yourself.

Author:	Andy [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:10 pm ]
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the only good thing dell has is the laptops... the passed the three story window test...

Author:	Cervantes [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:14 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: My New Family PC
the_short1 wrote: do u think i can get better comp for the money? yes. my computer, which I bought a full two years ago for the same price, is better than that. as everyone says, build it yourself. If you can't, go to a store called Summit Direct. If you can't find one, I guess MDG is the next best thing. I dislike MDG, but it's better than dell. and darkness, he does have a video card, it's just that it's integrated. so, it sucks.

Author:	Martin [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 5:26 pm ]
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www.tigerdirect.ca www.hltechnology.com www.pccanada.com All prices in Canadian dollars.

Author:	the_short1 [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:38 pm ]
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thanks... i thought it was a little expensive.... and i was gona see if acer (they sell them at algoma business computers) could match that package for better deal... cuz as i said before.. Quote: i dont like dell... really i wanted a acer.. or compaq yea... i dont like dell.. ive used them... and thoguht they were slow as hell (even thought they had same speed as acer';s in class..).. the Verizon model of ACer is pretty good from my use.... i used them in Computer Science for half a year... fast.. let me run a lot of shit..(winamp musik, turing (running progams)...visualization (winamp)..norton anivirus/firewall... plus whatever else is running in background that i dont know about... and it was still goiong smooth.. . integrated intel extreme 3d graphcis = total junk.... okz... i keep note of that.... cuz i want to play CS and Wc3.. (dont need to go extreme like 1000 for a dam video card..) but i want to be able to PLAY it... i know i looked at www.mdg.com ... they didn';t have monitors with package... so it was a bit more then 1K (without the tax) so i couldn't get.. i also tried compaq.ca and www.compusmart.com ... no luck.. too expensive.. no cutom (well not on compusmart)... so i was again.. out of luck... i talked to parents.. they woulda bought that comp (if i said i was done shopping).. so im good on the 1K deal btw... that Dvd drive is a DVD-+r/RW and cd-RW COMBO drive... so yes.. it is way more expensive... their was other cd drives and they were 100-170 $..(like u said). but they weren't the combo... they were DVD rewrite only and (seperate drive) cd-rw only... or w/e..... meh... still that is something i really needed... will get a better price.. ill phone around and see if they can match that package... yea i know them making the computer is a rip off... but i dotn want to make myself.. warrenty out the window then... at least i was able to get custom PC on a list...(by using their website) (with all the parts and stuff) are u saying i need 512 MB ram just to run XP? (further shows why i hate XP) ... man that would be crzy on win98 (the ram) yea.. i forgot to ask in first post about celeron... thx for info.. i didn't really know the diff... I will run from dell as much as i can... parents want the 48 month payment plan tho.. ... or ill have to wait month or two ..for 1k to save up... (good thing we have a 3 floor house) we rent 3rd floor out.. so we get 550 a month from that thanks peeps..

Author:	Martin [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:44 pm ]
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A nice thing about futureshop and integrated graphics cards. 64mb Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics Controller. Woah, that's got a long word, and it says extreme in it (extreme jello anyone?) so it must be good. A few facts. The Integrated Graphics Controller uses shared ram. What does that mean? If you have 256mb of ram, actually 192mb of ram is used as memory, the other 64 is used as video memory. Sucks, eh? It gets worse. Take your average $100 motherboard with the Intel Extreme Integrated Graphics. Futureshop: Okay, we have to charge them $100 for the motherboard. Futureshop: Alright, since it's from futureshop, we should add another $50 to that. Futureshop: 64mb Extreme graphics? That's worth $75 more at least! Futureshop: Okay, that comes to $225. Do you want the extended warrenty with that? Really. Don't buy a packaged computer. They all rip you off. Honestly, I'll make you the computer and send you the link. And you'll love it, or no money back!

Author:	wtd [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:53 pm ]
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And whatever you do, don't make payments on a frickin' computer. Save up for a bit longer if you can't afford what you want right now. The banks Dell and other resellers work through can be very nasty.

Author:	Raugrist [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:57 pm ]
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And by the time it's paid off it will have been too long for you to say "my computer is less obsolete than yours!"

Author:	Paul [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:18 pm ]
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so how would one go about "building" one without any knowledge for it?

Author:	wtd [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:27 pm ]
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Paul Bian wrote: so how would one go about "building" one without any knowledge for it? Google is your friend. As is ArsTechnica.

Author:	the_short1 [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:34 pm ]
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buildign a comp aint that hard... its all just pluging it into the MB.. the hard part is doing it without fucking up the components..... (static ... or just being rough) ... that and jumpers... i have no knowledge on jumper settings... i dont mess with them.... but its not hard to install ram... Hd.. all ur cards... pwersupply aint hard.. like i say... dam jumpers.. and worring about scrweing it up... specially an expensive pc.. then u also dont get warenty.. sokz... i will exchange the celeron for a non celeron.... nah.. dont want AMD... and then i will submit tl other companies saying BEAT THAT PRICE! \ how are ACERS in ur opinions?

Author:	the_short1 [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:46 pm ]
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there... i gona give this to other companies.. -IntelÂ® Pentium Processor at 2.4GHz (can vary slightly) -MicrosoftÂ® WindowsÂ® XP Home Edition -256MB DDR Ram -Keyboard -17 in CRT or LCD Monitor (whatevers cheaper) -3d graphics card (as long as it aint integrated) -50 GB (can vary slightly) Hard Drive -3.5 in Floppy Drive -Scroll Mouse -Integrated 10/100 Ethernet OR Ethernet Card -8x DVD+R/+RW Drive with CD-RW (Combo Drive or Seperate whatevers cheaper) -Integrated Audio OR Sound Card -Set Of Speakers -1 Yr Ltd. Warranty, 1 Yr In-Home/On-Site Service, 24x7 Phone Tech (can vary slightly) Want For: $800 (can vary slightly) (with taxes and shipping) to me that sounds like a better deal... and without the excess shit.. (wordperffect, multimedia shit, 56k modem, digital photo shit, norton) but notice some changes... like the 3d card.. bigger HD.. .. etc..

Author:	wtd [ Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:05 pm ]
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Use an AMD processor. Better bang for the buck. Athlon XP 2200+ or better. Either use Linux (your choice of distros) or XP Pro. XP Home is deliberately crippled by Microsoft. 512MB of RAM You can probably reuse the keyboard. 17" LCD. As much viewable area as a 19" CRT, easier on the eyes, takes up a heck of a lot less desk space. 64MB card. Find a GeForce 4MX 440, minimum. You can probably get by with a 40GB hard drive, but it'll be hard to find one anymore. The minimum's probably 80GB anymore. No floppy drive. Save yourself $20. You'l never use it anyway. You can likely reuse the mouse, but if your old mouse sucks, go Logitech. If you get a DVD burner, consider this: Do you own a digital video camera? If you do, go for it. Otherwise, your PC's probably gonna have room for another optical drive. Expand later if you want it. They're nly gonna come down in price and increase in capability. If you do buy one, you'll need Firewire, either integrated, or via a PCI card. You'll also want another hard drive. Make it at least 120GB. Oh, and you'll want good video editing software. The costs add up. Most MoBos come with decent onboard sound these days, as long as they're not bottom of the barrel Celeron boards or something.

Author:	Cervantes [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 7:32 am ]
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no floppy drive?! I use mine all the time. and not having one when reformatting the hard drive can be risky. If the CD dive doesn't work automatically (I had that problem twice), you need the floppy drive. but it's up to you, short1.

Author:	Martin [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:45 am ]
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You can't get a 50 gig HD. Just give me a price, and I'll make the best computer for that money.

Author:	Martin [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 12:01 pm ]
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Here's what you should go for: AMD XP 2600+ 512MB PC2700 DDR Ram 80GB HD ATI Radeon 9600SE 128 mb DVD +- RW (the +- is important) If you don't get a monitor, that'll come to about 700 bucks before tax and shipping.

Author:	Martin [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 12:03 pm ]
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And a floppy drive is a must for a computer. If something fucks up, and you need to use a boot disk....well...you can imagine the implications of not having a floppy drive. They're only 10 bucks anyway (or $79.99 from Futureshop)

Author:	the_short1 [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 1:47 pm ]
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Woa... thx for support peeps... Darkness... u have my list... that exact list (+- speed / +- HD space) and + ram if u can (for the price) for < 1K (with the tax and shipping).. and on payment plan so i can get it NOW... not christmas.... MONITOR NEEDED and i have LOTS Of space for big monitor.. my computer desk is acually a huge dinner table (seats 10) so its all good. i mite get a BTO PC from www.compusmart.ca (they have store in town, and iv shoped there more then anywhere else (for router, patch cable, socom2,twisted metal black,4 usb 2.0 PCI card, + more) NOTE: the BTO is not online or anything ... they dont normally offer that... likelyhood im gona get a deal at compusmart cuz i shop there alot... i gona give him my list and see what he can do... also gona do some other places with that list... but if u find a better deal online (that list) then ill look into that too... i dont need an EXTREME PC... and i will only be using it for next two / three years... then i moving out... so it dont matter..its gota LAST so parents can use it for email / internet / minor games / msn.. without crashing... XP home = more dumbass friendly (parents iliterate kinda) (I gona buy a kick ass laptop <when i move out> and keep my current shitty comp <thats in my room> to use for printers etc (so i dont have to unhook cables when i want to take labtop...) and for lan games ... . family PC dont need to be realy good.. and cost is an issue... like i said.. 1k (on payment plan) (that has monitor and shipping and tax included..) .. and im used to having a shitty ass pc... l RETARD!!! KEEP FLOPPY!!!! ARGH! man... without my good old floppy drive... id be so fuked rite now.. bootdisk 10$ anyways.. and pentium.. not amd.. meh.. easier that way... and the DVD drive is so i can burn DVD movies (i download from kazaa) or suprnova (for those anti kazaa lite ppl then bring upstairs to watch on TV!

Author:	Dan [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 3:05 pm ]
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Darkness wrote: And a floppy drive is a must for a computer. If something ****s up, and you need to use a boot disk....well...you can imagine the implications of not having a floppy drive. They're only 10 bucks anyway (or $79.99 from Futureshop) I dont think it is that import, you can make boot cds. Floppys are being pahsed out and porbly not going to be worth having in a few years. Esplaty with the cost of CD-R and DVD-R media droping fast.

Author:	Raugrist [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 3:58 pm ]
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Even without bootable CDs, can you honestly say that you don't have at least one spare lying around? Even just one that you can swap out of another computer for an hour? I've got about 5.

Author:	the_short1 [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 4:01 pm ]
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still floppy is that small easy way of transport files.... its time consuming and stupid to burn a CD just for a little picture or document.. plus schools dont have burning software / burners... no kidding.. now u can get 50 CD-R 's for only 20 $... before it was like 150 $ for that many...

Author:	wtd [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:48 pm ]
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the_short1 wrote: still floppy is that small easy way of transport files.... its time consuming and stupid to burn a CD just for a little picture or document.. It is ridiculous to burn a CD in this case, but floppy disks are horribly unreliable, and incredibly slow. USB thumbdrives, or network storage are a far better option.

Author:	the_short1 [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 7:08 pm ]
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again.... Windows NT does not allow u to use USB... so... USB keychain drives are not unsable.... (schools use NT a lot..) and u would beed software installed to use that usb thingy.... or at least win install CD for drivers.... so not good for public computers... yea... i want one of those.... tho... good for going to friends house etc... but CD-RW is good for that too...

Author:	wtd [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 7:14 pm ]
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Really? I haven't ever seen NT in a school. Seems most went straight from 98SE to Windows 2000 Pro, where, if memory serves, any decent USB thumbdrive will simply mount as an external drive. Floppies were dead technology 6 years ago.

Author:	Raugrist [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 7:36 pm ]
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the_short1 wrote: again.... Windows NT does not allow u to use USB... so... USB keychain drives are not unsable.... (schools use NT a lot..) If you want to bring a file to school, why don't you just host it on one of your super cool shaw servers?

Author:	shorthair [ Fri Jul 16, 2004 7:40 pm ]
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or as i do it , you can just boot from my Ipod

Author:	the_short1 [ Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:35 pm ]
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i know... i never use flopppys to bring to school... i use shaw and / or the school email.. the department head that takes care of email for ADSB is a good guy.. he has over the years always insisted that heir be no limits... (u have unlimited inbox size (i had 300 + MB of stuff in there... <granted he asked me to clean it out eventually.. >) and i was able to attach files 30 MB in size.. < never tried anything bigger... but i dont think they had limit on that either.... also school caped download speeds on ALL internet sites except GOOGLE.. EMAIL.. and a couple others.... so sometimes shaw was slow... i sent myself a 20MB zip file of mp3s and it downloaded at 800KB a sec... no shit... yet.. i tried to download a 4mb file from somewhere else... it was going 3KB a sec... anyways.... back to subject.. thumbdrives auto configure without drivers? hmm... interesting... also wonder if u need admin privalege for dat.. meh... idk ... ive never used one... my bet.. unless in win 98 or 2000 or xp etc.. they would not autoconfigure... (win98 for sure cuz i have gamepad and it does it automatically..no install...) two schools ive been at use win NT...

Author:	Martin [ Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:14 pm ]
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How about: AMD XP 3200+ 512mb ddr ram 160GB HD DVD+-RW mouse keyboard etc. No monitor, and integrated video. 680 bucks from tigerdirect.ca

Author:	Raugrist [ Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:30 pm ]
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Integrated video = yuck. Other than that, the lack of a monitor, and a dvd burner it looks pretty nice. Wanna make one for me with a good ol' CD-RW instead? And a ~17" monitor and a decent graphics card (nVidia please; I'd rather not have no name). Integrated Lan and Audio are OK. Thanks Martin.

Author:	wtd [ Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:48 pm ]
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Integrated video doesn't have to be the end of the world. Just make sure that the system also has an AGP slot, so that later on, if you have the means and desire to do so, you can install a proper video card.

Author:	Andy [ Tue Jul 20, 2004 9:28 pm ]
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agree wit darkness http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=934502&sku=E400-T3265&SRCCODE=CANEM181

Author:	Martin [ Wed Jul 21, 2004 1:56 am ]
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Throw in a 19" monitor, and you're at your 1000 dollar mark (before tax, unfortunately...). Free shipping though.

Author:	wtd [ Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:51 am ]
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Oh, and make sure it has a decent power supply, in the event that you do upgrade in the future. Throw in a good video card and another optical drive and the kind of power supplies that come with really low-end computers just won't cut it.

Author:	Andy [ Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:53 am ]
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http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=934502&sku=E400-T3265&SRCCODE=CANEM181 http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=588461&Sku=P450-8503 http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=583586&Sku=J156-1902&CatId=169 $1078.64 tax included already

Author:	the_short1 [ Wed Jul 21, 2004 9:30 am ]
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thank you dodge... thats muchos better... 1K with tax!... btw... yea as long it has an AGP slot is fine... i gues... but i dont wana have to upgrade video later.. cuz then i gona have to buy it,... this way parents will withuout knowing.. heres my opinions on the comp (dodge gave) wait a sec... how is tax included ? sometimes.... ok.. add that item to ur cart... then enter ur postal code and it will add TONS of tax.. TONS of S&H (150 for shipping!)... that monitor turned into 350 for the monitor!!!! afta tax and shipping... so.. tax NOT included... and that means that goes way overbudget again.. plus acording to friend travis emachines total junk.. he got one for his last bday (similliar to that one) but thanks for the effort dodge!!! is AMD processors cheaper???

Author:	Martin [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 2:32 am ]
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Don't listen to your friend. Emachines isn't the same company that it used to be. The old emachines went out of business, and was bought by Gateway, which uses it now to target home users, while the Gateway pc's are targeted at government and schools. Every computer company makes crappy computers. Most of them also make fairly nice computers too (which are usually insanely overpriced). Like Dell. Emachines is one of the exceptions. They give you the crappiest software bundle imaginable (who cares, just format and install some skillfully aquired apps.) and in exchange give you better hardware. Trust me, I've built a lot of computers. That is a nice computer. I'm on an emachine laptop typing this, and I love it.

Author:	Martin [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 2:42 am ]
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And yes, AMD processors are less expensive. They also outperform Intel processors dollar for dollar.

Author:	the_short1 [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 9:59 am ]
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still their packages done come with monitors and therefore adding one gets really costly.... i went to emachines.com and tried to get a good PC but i didn't come out with anything really good for the price... i am able to get that computer (-DVD drive) from algoma business computers (they sell acer and compaq) for 1K (with tax) .. but im still awating emails from 2 other companies... he just bought that emachine NEW like 1 1/2 year ago .... how long ago did the old company die???

Author:	the_short1 [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:05 am ]
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how about this offer i just got!!!! Quote: I have an ACER Power C2601 with 2.6 Ghz 256 Ram 40Gb/ HD CD-RW DVD-RW 10/100 ethernet card/modem Norton anti/ 3 month trial free Keyboard/scroll mouse XP Home 1 year warranty 17" monitor flat crt surge protector mouse pad $70.00 rebate fair game card operates quake 3/ jedi knight etc.... open office/avg/ ad-aware 6.0/ms updates All for 1007.00 tax 151.05 Total 1158.05 minus 70.00 =1088.05 how about that!

Author:	Andy [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 1:20 pm ]
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u can build it for cheaper

Author:	Mazer [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 3:39 pm ]
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Anyone know where I can get monitors cheap? I know of a place that sells a 19" monitor for $95. It's refurbished, but that's fine with me, the problem is that the guy tells me he doesn't know any more details (like max res, refresh rate, dot pitch, etc). Obviously I'm in no hurry to jump on this deal, which is a shame because... 19" c'mon!

Author:	wtd [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:54 pm ]
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Get a 17" LCD instead. Your eyes will thank you.

Author:	Mazer [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 5:21 pm ]
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How so?

Author:	wtd [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 7:34 pm ]
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LCDs are well known to result in dramatically less stress on a user's eyes. And a 17" LCD is easily equivalent to a 19" CRT. Don't go for 19" LCDs, as they usually don't offer any resolution advantage over 17" displays.

Author:	Mazer [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:08 pm ]
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But the LCDs are more expensive... well, I'll just look around a bit.

Author:	wtd [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:13 pm ]
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Mazer wrote: But the LCDs are more expensive... well, I'll just look around a bit. The pair of glasses I'm currently wearing cost $300. If you can spare yourself that, you'll more than make back the investment in an LCD.

Author:	the_short1 [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:53 pm ]
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not bad deal on that new comp tho??? dont forget this is in town... has it advantages for fixing .. or w/e CRT stands for cathoad ray tube rite? meh... whats advantage of flat screen over not flat?

Author:	wtd [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 9:25 pm ]
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the_short1 wrote: CRT stands for cathoad ray tube rite? Indeed. the_short1 wrote: meh... whats advantage of flat screen over not flat? Well, to be cear, "flat screen" can refer to CRT displays with a flat screen. LCDs are, as I previously noted, easier on the eyes (they don't flicker). They produce far less heat that CRTs. They put out a LOT less radiation. They generally use less power. They weigh a LOT less. They take up far less space on your desk. The size of the screen you're getting is almost always real. A 15" CRT might actually be 13.3" of viewable space, but I know my 17" LCD has 17" of viewable space.

Author:	the_short1 [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 9:52 pm ]
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whats the advantage of a flat screen CRT against a not flat CRT? that was the question.. yea i know lcd better... i have lots of space for monitor.... meh.. my eyes are pretty good.. but cost.. its not up to me... parents laid down the price... is it better then a 11in vieable peice of shit monitor and 120 mhz, 64 mb ram, and 2 gig hd space comp that cant play roller coaster tycoon 2 without lagging...? << thought so... therefore i cannot bitch.,. hows deal on that comp tho... need ur advice on that... of course dodge can beat that price... but thats not local and that would be a emachine no doubt...

Author:	wtd [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:00 pm ]
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the_short1 wrote: whats the advantage of a flat screen CRT against a not flat CRT? that was the question.. If your only real concern is cost, then there wouldn't be a compelling advantage. I'd still advise holding out a bit and scraping together the cash for an LCD. The advantages are tremendous, and the price difference is only a few hundred dollars. I stringly advise you to break the costs down over time and explain them that way. If you buy a $500 LCD and keep the system for three years minimum (generally the extent of the warranty), then that's 45 cents a day. That's one tall Starbucks' drink a week.

Author:	the_short1 [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:09 pm ]
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ur like an LCD monitor spokeperson! hahah.... good stuff lol... still curious as to advantage of flat CRT against non flat.....

Author:	Paul [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:13 pm ]
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really? maybe I should get LCD... my eyes are bad and I'm on the computer alot, are LCDs the ones with different shades if you view it from another angle?

Author:	wtd [ Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:19 pm ]
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the_short1 wrote: ur like an LCD monitor spokeperson! hahah.... good stuff I only speak from experience. Paul Bian wrote: are LCDs the ones with different shades if you view it from another angle? They're much better than they used to be, but yes, if you are at a fairly high angle to the screen, the colors will darken.

Author:	Andy [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 2:22 am ]
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is it bad to view an lcd monitor when it is completely dark in the room?

Author:	Cervantes [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 7:15 am ]
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^ same question only with CRTs as well?

Author:	the_short1 [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:57 am ]
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yea... thats one thing about the LCD that is GOOD! u have a little more privacy on the computer..... but if u have a friend sitting next to u (watching u play)... it gets pretty anoying im shure.. radiation>?? what kind .... ? doesn't anyone know the advantage of a flat CRT against a non flat?? im really curious.... thx...

Author:	Mazer [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 1:41 pm ]
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dodge_tomahawk wrote: is it bad to view an lcd monitor when it is completely dark in the room? It's bad to see anything bright in a dark room. Flickering (not from the device, but from whatever is being displayed), ie flashing from dark to bright scenes, puts strain on the muscles in your eyes as they constantly have to shrink and enlarge your iris to allow more light or block it out as necessary. But I don't know if LCDs have any special issues to be aware of.

Author:	Amailer [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 2:12 pm ]
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LCDs don't completly protect your eyes you know... they still do get dmg, but it's way better then those old damm screens, bulky ones

Author:	the_short1 [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 5:08 pm ]
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good point amailer.. anyways.. i just thoguht i would take a peak at gateway... but they way too expensive... but.. http://www.gateway.com/home/products/hm_dtp_710.shtml check out the 710 xl on the far right... DAM! for 3300$$$ would u buy that PC? .... and remember that thread about what u would do with 700gig? well.. this one has a 500gig HD,... i didn't think u could buy a computer with that much space.(well from a public company like gateway, dell,acer etc).... not to mentio nthe 256 MB 3d card.... holy mofo.. me would want..... anyways.. i thoguht i would share and let u guys drool.... . also... please tell me if u think that ACER comp is a ok deal.. cuz as soon as i get one more email back ( if that deal sucks)<another company.. then i get to buy acer one .. thanks..

Author:	wtd [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 6:04 pm ]
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The brand names in Wintel PCs are (almost) never going to be bargains. And yes, you can easily have 500GB of storage in a desktop these days. Currently Serial ATA hard drives are being manufactured in sizes as large as 250GB. Decent motherboards will support at least two of these, giving you 500GB right there. At the same time, you can install a PCI card which will offer additional internal connectors, and often allow you to create a hardware RAID.

Author:	the_short1 [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 8:32 pm ]
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well.. this was ONE 500 gig HD... meaning.. u could have 3 of those bad boys in there..(plus 1 CD drive).. 1.5 terabytes... HOLY MOFO....

Author:	wtd [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:05 pm ]
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Bah.. what you really want is one of these.

Author:	Martin [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:21 pm ]
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You're not catching on. Don't buy a computer from the retailer. Get it from a wholesale site. $680 + 300 = 980. Free shipping from tigerdirect, and no PST. You're at about 1050.

Author:	Martin [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:23 pm ]
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the_short1, do you use AOL?

Author:	JayLo [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 11:19 pm ]
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anyone know any good sites for laptops?

Author:	wtd [ Sat Jul 24, 2004 11:39 pm ]
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JayLo wrote: anyone know any good sites for laptops? iBook PowerBook

Author:	the_short1 [ Sun Jul 25, 2004 9:48 am ]
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HELL NO! i dont use AOL that is the WORST f ing shit... (and ive never installed on my PC, but ive used it at a friends house a couple times) yea... but buying wholesale has disadvantages. shipping times, leasing, on site service.. but has its advantages too like not pst..better price and good selection.... i looked on tiger direct... u cant search by components can u? like find a omputer with all these parts...DVD RW, CD RW, 256 RAM, 40 GB HD, penitum or AMD CPU type of thing? i didnt find one.. u have to look thru so many dam computers... it sucks... and the ones that have ALL the stuff in them that i want, have lots of crap i DONT want.. or very expensive parts... IE computer has wireless keyboard and wireless optical mouse, and i dont wnat that.. i just want a simple mouse and keyboard so it saves money ... / other wise u need to get a BTO PC to get the things i want in a PC... simply because it is an unusual setup... going wholesale would be very easy if i had another 500 $$ to kick around... but i dont... but here in town, its easier to make that PC or find one thats close and just edit it abit......

Author:	Mazer [ Sun Jul 25, 2004 12:05 pm ]
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Darkness wrote: the_short1, do you use AOL? LOL. CAD... gotta love it.

Author:	the_short1 [ Sun Jul 25, 2004 2:12 pm ]
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o... hahahah i read that one.. funny stuff.. yea... CAD goat love it...

Author:	Martin [ Sun Jul 25, 2004 4:13 pm ]
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I'm just being a jerk, don't mind me.,

Author:	rizzix [ Wed Aug 04, 2004 11:35 pm ]
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Mazer wrote: dodge_tomahawk wrote: is it bad to view an lcd monitor when it is completely dark in the room? It's bad to see anything bright in a dark room. Flickering (not from the device, but from whatever is being displayed), ie flashing from dark to bright scenes, puts strain on the muscles in your eyes as they constantly have to shrink and enlarge your iris to allow more light or block it out as necessary. But I don't know if LCDs have any special issues to be aware of. if thats the case mazer.. thats good for u eyes. i'm serious ... it strengthens the muscles in ur eys.. no i'm not kididng.. i'm damn serious. one of the exercises ur doctor will recomend to u (if u have weak eyes) is to switch focus on near and far objects to strengthen the muscles

Author:	Mazer [ Thu Aug 05, 2004 6:21 am ]
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I didn't mean near and far, I meant bright and dark. Switching really fast like a strobe light or one of those newbie turing programs. It actually puts strain on the muscles. Could strengthen though, I don't know that much. It might be cool if you watched something really flashy and then you got supervision because of it.

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