Shopping for a new Computer, what should I look for?

ErMaC · Post by **ErMaC** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 5:40 am

klinky the 9000 Pro and Geforce4MX's are just fine for doing work. You don't need anything better than them unless you just have to play Unreal Tournament 2003 @ 1280x1024 with all the whizbang options turned on.

I was running on a TNT2 Ultra for the last like 4 years without any problems. I moved to the 9000 Pro because 1) it was cheap 2) it played Warcraft 3. The other cards which are about TWICE as expensive will just give you higher framerates, that's all. And since rubyeye said nothing about games in the original post, I don't think it's right to recommend those kinds of cards when they really aren't warranted.

klinky · Post by **klinky** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 6:46 am

My statement is not that they NEED it, but it's cheap enough that it might as well be added.

OEMs are rip offs. The Mx brand is basically so comapnies can put the word Geforce4 on their comptuer spec list and charge GF4 prices. Meanwhile it lacks the shaders of a actual Geforce4, uses SDRAM & really has nothing to do with the GF4 line. Carmack said it himself.

It's just brand-name PCs are such a money-flusher-down-the-toilet. Let's integrate everything or use every single "Value part" we can find. I use the value high end stuff. ^_^ You'll probably be paying just as much for the low end card from a vendor as you would purchasing the high-end card yourself.

A Dell PC w/ 2.4Ghz P4, 256MB RDRAM, a 30GB hard drive w/ onboard sound/video. $1600. That is no where near worth it.

Bah... I don't like them...

Maybe I am stating this more in the fashion of I would not buy them because you can get much better for not a whole lot more.

Of course it would be a waste if it never went to use.

Okay, I guess my suggestion has no play on the inept, joe schmoe, doesn't know his cd-rom from his coffee coaster type of user...

~klinky

Sub0 · Post by **Sub0** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 9:10 am

klinky wrote:Okay, fine we can say the 9000 Pro is "okay". The reason I don't like it is because it's a 9000 Pro, but it's more or less equal to a 8500. There is really no point to that silly product. It's ATI's version of the Geforce4 MX, which is not really a Geforce4, it gets performance around what a Geforce2 gets

They're misleading, thus I hate them.

yeah

coarse it costs a little less, has pixel shaders... but yeah

Sub0 · Post by **Sub0** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 9:28 am

klinky wrote:My statement is not that they NEED it, but it's cheap enough that it might as well be added.

OEMs are rip offs. The Mx brand is basically so comapnies can put the word Geforce4 on their comptuer spec list and charge GF4 prices. Meanwhile it lacks the shaders of a actual Geforce4, uses SDRAM & really has nothing to do with the GF4 line. Carmack said it himself.

It's just brand-name PCs are such a money-flusher-down-the-toilet. Let's integrate everything or use every single "Value part" we can find. I use the value high end stuff. ^_^ You'll probably be paying just as much for the low end card from a vendor as you would purchasing the high-end card yourself.

A Dell PC w/ 2.4Ghz P4, 256MB RDRAM, a 30GB hard drive w/ onboard sound/video. $1600. That is no where near worth it.

Bah... I don't like them...

Maybe I am stating this more in the fashion of I would not buy them because you can get much better for not a whole lot more.

Of course it would be a waste if it never went to use.

Okay, I guess my suggestion has no play on the inept, joe schmoe, doesn't know his cd-rom from his coffee coaster type of user...

thinky klinky meany retail ;-p

Original Equipment Manufacturers produce the hardware and are known to sell it alone, along with to Retail companys (with applications). (may have to read that sentance twice...)

... and more often than not you pay extra so you don't have to contract help yourself (intel does I think... at least did 2 years ago o.0, fer 50 a year) or find a chat that's helpfull enough (pc911.com) and free. Also Dells in particular is REALLY easy and nearly automated as they keep close tabs to zere kinda. Dell is very worth it dude! but Retail made computers ARE for those who don't wanna work on their computers if/ when they mess it up.

*somebody has a clump of retail shit stuck in their throat ;-p*

if you trust you won't mess it up after it's put together I'd gather the parts from OEMs like www.mwave.com or www.newegg.com than pay a local store (Best Buy'd do it!) to put it together... should be ~$70 + cost! simple really

HP is the only one that has that XP Multimedia Center thingy AFAIK ;-p

klinky · Post by **klinky** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 9:43 am

No sir.

OEMs are companies like HP, DELL, Gateway.

If you purchase a OEM version of a product, it usually comes in a white box with a driver disc.

If you got a retail version, it's got nice fancy graphcis on the front, a manual, a bunch of foam and plastic and maybe a game or two.

mwave, newegg and others sell OEM as well as retail parts.

The reason for OEM's coming in plain packaging is that when a PC vendor builds computers they don't need all the packaging(duh) or the fluff, just the hardware.

OEM parts usually have a shorter warranty period as well. The support is usually done through the OEM, not the original hardware manufactuer.

~klinky

klinky · Post by **klinky** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 9:48 am

You also consider mwave or newegg as a OEM as well since they do build computer systems as well. However, they are also a computer hardware distributor.

The idea of a OEM is that they're a retailer of complete computer systems.

~klinky

Sub0 · Post by **Sub0** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 10:05 am

I know what I get and I get what I get so nyah! besides I provided a deffinition!! Think yur getting mixed up cuz Compaq, HP, IBM constantly sell stuff rebranded in their names, therefore they are OEM... but also Retail computer companys...

klinky · Post by **klinky** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 10:35 am

Here's one meaning :

http://www.directron.com/oem.html

and one that is completely different:

http://www.cnet.com/Resources/Info/Glos ... s/oem.html

yet another:

http://www.investorwords.com/cgi-bin/getword.cgi?5702

another:

http://isp.webopedia.com/TERM/O/OEM.html

~klinky

Sub0 · Post by **Sub0** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 10:46 am

this is quickly becoming boring and over done... I like your new av images though ;-p

ErMaC · Post by **ErMaC** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 11:07 am

klinky the thing is it really isn't "just a little more" - even to get a GF4 4200 it costs almost twice the price as a GF4MX, and I can't justify that kind of expenditure.
You're pefectly right when you complain about their performance compared to the more expensive cards, and yes the GF4MX nomenclature is misleading. I know all this, but I still bought the cheaper card because regardless of how "little" the extra money may seem... it's extra money for something I just don't need.