Building new office computer

[Chapbass]

Alright all, im an avid gamer, but my current task is to build an office computer that is very quick when it comes to office apps (word, windows, email, etc.), but its only need for video is POSSIBLY for DVD playback.

My first instinct was to go with onboard video, but i just wanted to make sure itd be fine with DVD playback, and also that it would be able to support the native res of a lot of LCD monitors (im thinking 12x10 on a 19" LCD)

You think it would be worth the money to spend like 50 bucks on a low end video card? Itd be on a PCI-e board, so that kinda limits my low end options, unless i were to go with like a TC nvidia board or like an x300 or something....

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Chap

 

[drum]

I think all of our office PCs use on board video, with the exception of our CAD guys of course

 

[Duvie]

Well this can definitely be had for sub 100....I have always liked ATi for their playback.... The 300 or even a 6200 from Nvidia could do this fine and both be better then INtel extreme graphics or Nvidia onboard...

 

[Chapbass]

Well i know they would be BETTER, but for the average user (not myself), would you notice any difference going from onboard video (like the S3 Unichrome) to something like the x300?

better 2d image quality or smoother DVD playback or anything?


Thanks for the responses guys.

 

[Duvie]

The asnwer is two fold and has more to do wit the rest of the system config....amount of ram, cpu speed...onboard is just going to dump more of this off to the system resources and depending on your current load (other work being done) it could effect playback....I would get a stand-alone...Look into the workings of pure video (pci express only card) and see if it is avaialble in the 6200 models...I dont know for sure...

 

[blckgrffn]

2d performance/quality is usually much improved with a real graphics card. If you are going to be looking at the monitor a lot, do your self a favor and spend $50

Nat

 

[Chapbass]

As for the rest of the specs, what im looking at right now is:

(keep in mind the budget for this project is pretty high, with the hope of being able to keep from upgrading soon)

A64 x2 3800+
Some sort of Skt 939 PCI-e MB
1gb of Corsair VS pc3200 memory
onboard sound
x300 or something like it in that price range
Various other things (PSU, 19" LCD, wireless KB+mouse)

The 3800+ seems like overkill, but if your going to be using a lot of office apps at once and also be prepared for the future, this seems like the way to go.

Anyone have any recommendations for this?

EDIT: Ya know...if im gonna get an LCD, i suppose i might as well get a DVI monitor and then a dedicated video card to connect it via DVI instead of vga, eh?

 

[blckgrffn]

Originally posted by: Chapbass
As for the rest of the specs, what im looking at right now is:

(keep in mind the budget for this project is pretty high, with the hope of being able to keep from upgrading soon)

A64 x2 3800+
Some sort of Skt 939 PCI-e MB
1gb of Corsair VS pc3200 memory
onboard sound
x300 or something like it in that price range
Various other things (PSU, 19" LCD, wireless KB+mouse)

The 3800+ seems like overkill, but if your going to be using a lot of office apps at once and also be prepared for the future, this seems like the way to go.

Anyone have any recommendations for this?

EDIT: Ya know...if im gonna get an LCD, i suppose i might as well get a DVI monitor and then a dedicated video card to connect it via DVI instead of vga, eh?

Yes, definitely Make sure to get something without a fan though, as you don't have to worry about noise or failure that way. The chaintech NF4 board looks like a very nice one for the money, and I have used one in a build and it went very smooth.

Nat

* I would also consider a 2005FPW for the ultimate office app monitor and feature - widescreen. So much more surface! 1280*1024 simply is not enough for heavy office use with multiple apps open IMHO.

 

[Chapbass]

Thanks bro, ill look into the chaintech. I used a chaintech in a skt 754 build a while ago and it went really smooth.

EDIT: YEah man i thought about the 2005...its still a definite possibility. I gotta see what options there is...

Right now im in a deal where i might grab a dell e193 for cheap...

We'll see.

 

[Fern]

Can't comment on playing DVD's. My staff better NOT be doing that

But I've got a small office, only about 5 rigs. Used to be all onboard. But now we've got the following in various rigs; TNT, GTS 2, Ti4200, some other $15 AGP card I bought somewhere (can't tell if it's a Savage or an ATI) and maybe an onboard somewhere.

I don't think anybody notices the diff in IQ between cards and onboard. At least not in the apps you mention above. They only seem to care about the monitor.

We've got a mix of LCD's and CRT's. I think the TNT is running an LCD, no problems whatsoever.

Personally, I prefer inexpensive gfx cards to onboard, gives much more choice in selecting mobo's and doesn't use system ram.

Fern

 

[Chapbass]

yeah man. I think ill spring for dedicated video....the DVI would be nice to a bigger monitor.

 

[Duvie]

Originally posted by: Chapbass
As for the rest of the specs, what im looking at right now is:

(keep in mind the budget for this project is pretty high, with the hope of being able to keep from upgrading soon)

A64 x2 3800+
Some sort of Skt 939 PCI-e MB
1gb of Corsair VS pc3200 memory
onboard sound
x300 or something like it in that price range
Various other things (PSU, 19" LCD, wireless KB+mouse)

The 3800+ seems like overkill, but if your going to be using a lot of office apps at once and also be prepared for the future, this seems like the way to go.

Anyone have any recommendations for this?

EDIT: Ya know...if im gonna get an LCD, i suppose i might as well get a DVI monitor and then a dedicated video card to connect it via DVI instead of vga, eh?

With those specs onboard would do just fine...save money and get better monitors...

 

[Keeir]

Although not strictly needed...

A 50 dollar video card would be a good addition... especially if you can turn around and save some money on a motherboard.

Even these cheap cards (ATI x300, etc) can provide 3x + the performance if they are ever used.... furthermore, if there is a problem then it is usually much easier to replace a 50 dollar video card than an entire motherboard...

 

[Chapbass]

Originally posted by: Keeir
Although not strictly needed...

A 50 dollar video card would be a good addition... especially if you can turn around and save some money on a motherboard.

Even these cheap cards (ATI x300, etc) can provide 3x + the performance if they are ever used.... furthermore, if there is a problem then it is usually much easier to replace a 50 dollar video card than an entire motherboard...

OH very good point keeir about the replacement of video cards....

Yeah, i think ill just go with that...plus i know a helluva lot more about ATI/nvidia drivers than i do about S3 or VIA or any of the other onboard manufacturer...itd just be easier to work with.

As far as saving money and going with a bigger monitor... I'm actually building this for a relative (i know what your all saying, customer support problems...i know ive thought about it, but it shouldnt be too bad), and they've given me a specific budget that is basically like whatever is under that budget i get to keep for myself...

And i also know that their desktop (meaning the physical desk) isnt too big, so I think nothing more than a 2005FPW...although i wouldnt mind a 2405FPW for myself...to replace my brick of a 21" CRT...



Thanks for all the input guys.