Author Topic: New CPU (Read 2757 times)

Golfer · « **Reply #75 on:** June 02, 2005, 02:22:05 PM »

I R teh ubaR!

Jo0 suxxorz?

Is that how it's done?

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #76 on:** June 03, 2005, 07:40:21 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Monster0
Building a pc for the first time many forget 2 factor in the cost of software. U will spend atleast 299 for xp, while burning software will come included with the dvd/cd u purchase.

.

If you build your own PC Do not. I repeat DO NOT go out and spend $299+ for the full version of XP.

Instead pay $150 or less for XP Upgrade.
It is the exact same software cept when you go to install, it will ask for your old windows CD (Win 98,ME etc) All you have to do is instert your old windows CD and click OK.
If you dont have an old windows CD Borrow one.

Golfer · « **Reply #77 on:** June 03, 2005, 09:04:15 AM »

I bought XP pro from newegg for $80 with a student discount. It asked me for student info (which school and what not) but I didn't have all the information. Who knows their school code anyway??

If you're not a student...have one order it for ya

Stick it to the (microsoft) man!

Clip121 · « **Reply #78 on:** June 03, 2005, 03:45:24 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Golfer
I bought XP pro from newegg for $80 with a student discount. It asked me for student info (which school and what not) but I didn't have all the information. Who knows their school code anyway??

If you're not a student...have one order it for ya

Stick it to the (microsoft) man!

The company I work for has some deal with Microsoft so we get pretty sizable discounts with a lot of different companies. Microsoft included. Knocked $748.00 bucks off of this pretty new puter I have..... So check at work - may find your employer offers the same!

Clip

Tabasco · « **Reply #79 on:** June 03, 2005, 04:02:51 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by 68DevilM
in the end its so much better to just build your self

I built myself using parts purchased from the county morgue and various underground sources. My joints are a little stiff and I don't smell too good, but it was so much cheaper than what the Big Guy charges.

-Abby Normal

715 · « **Reply #80 on:** June 04, 2005, 04:31:29 PM »

There are lots of people on this board that will say it is easy and cheap to build your own computer and that buying a Dell (or other prebuilt system) is a mistake. I have no doubt whatsoever that is true for many people, but I can guarantee it is not true for all people.

Let me tell you my story (for entertainment purposes- competent system builders will find it quite funny). Because my frame rate zoomed in on trees can fall to 1 - 2 fps (with detail sliders maxed) I decided to pay big bucks for a new graphics card: $383 (-$50 rebate) for an ATI Radeon All in Wonder X800XT 256MB. Based on published reports this card should be a minimum of about 3 times faster than my old card, a 128MB 9600XT.

I did everything right, supposedly. I uninstalled the old graphics drivers and I did not click on OK when Windows XP "Found New Hardware" tried to install its drivers for the new card. I used the shipped CDROM and that started a multi day nightmare. The CDROM install would hang part way through. After uninstalling and reinstalling, I finally downloaded the latest Cat 5.5 drivers and installed them and downloaded Microsofts' DX9.0c and installed it. None of the multimedia (ie TV tuner etc) features would work- the ATI diagnostics even saying DX wasn't installed properly and that the chip wasn't even a Radeon!

More importantly, my 3D performance in AH, under identical conditions as before, was actually one half as fast! I then uninstalled All in Wonder card and drivers and reinstalled the 9600XT. It's performance was now also one have as fast, and identical to the X800XT. I then did a system restore to before all this pain, and reinstalled the X800XT with the new Cat 5.5 drivers. The performance exactly doubled, but so did the 9600XT- ie I had paid $383 and gone through multiple days of pain to get almost exactly the same performance as I had before. Finally I removed everything, did a system restore again, put the 9600XT back in with its drivers, and installed DX9.0c. Result- slightly better performance than I had before: ie the free download of DX9.0c (upgrading from 9.0b) gave me about 50% better frame rate in certain difficult conditions that I had before.

So the bottom line: I did it myself and I paid $383 to get 1/2 the performance. Was doing it myself cheaper than buying a new Dell? Yes indeed, if I pay myself less than minimum wage for all the time spent on this.

So- don't feel bad about just paying the $200-$500 extra for a prebuilt system. There is a chance you are saving yourself from immense pain.

Now I gotta check Newegg's return policy- after all this pain I may pay them to take it back ;-)

[system info: 2.8GHz P4, Intel D865PERL mobo, 1.5GB 400MHz DDR2 dual channel RAM, Win XP pro]