Gaming Computer Questions????? URGENT

[sillycrown]

Ok i have yet another question to ask. The more feedback i get the better.

I can buy this computer right here:

2.4 ghz 800mhz fsb with hyperthreading
fic mobo
52x24x52x cdrw drive
2 80 gig western digital hard drives with 8mb cache (both still under a 2 year warranty)
geforce 4 ti 4200 128 mb video card
512 ddr memory
sound blaster audigy

This computer i believe has Windows XP. And not sure what kind of case it comes with.

Id like to have this computer for a gaming computer, downloading alot of movies and mp3's and surfing the net. I would be hooking up dsl or cable whatever is cheaper in my area.

My few questions are?

1. What would you upgrade if you had this computer?

I was thinking to upgrade the 512 Ram DDR Memory to 1 GB in time.
The video card not sure i hear this is a pretty good video card. Im not a true gamer but id like to get into gaming so this might be a great start for me.
The other upgrade id like to do is put a cdr/dvd RW burner in it.

What could i do to this comp to make it better or is it already pretty good? Would this computer be good for gaming and downloading on the net???

Also i can buy this coputer for $350.00 shipped for just the case and everything inside the case. Is that a good deal for this computer with what it comes with???

Please give me all the info you could or advice about this computer you can. Is it better than a dell in its current state???

Cause i would need to decide and purchase this comp in the net couple days

thanks very much

sillycrown

 

[johnjkr1]

It is not a bad deal overall. The 4200's play most games just fine. The only upgrade I woluld consider would be the ram also, 512 is plenty, but 1gig helps. It is cheaper than a dell with similar stuff, but it depends on what you need. Does this one come with an operating system disk and COA? If not, you might need that one day. Also, warranty. If something breaks, would you rather have dell fix it or pay for it yourself?

also, the only dell in that price range is the 2400 which does not have an AGP slot, so you could not upgrade the video card, making it horrible for games.

 

[Lonyo]

I was playing UT2k4 and it got up to 800MB RAM used. Just a little FYI.

 

[Corporate Thug]

add another 512, get rid of the FIC mobo

for $350 i think its more or less a no-brainer. good buy

 

[sillycrown]

This computer comes with a year warranty on anything that would go wrong. Some of the stuff is still under warranty so if it goes wrong it would get replaced.

Yes i would upgrade to 1 GB Ram after i have the computer for a few weeks. The i think i would be all set. Unless i decide to upgrade the video card to ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB DDR but im not sure. I hear this video card that is in the comp is pretty good as well. Like i stated im not a gamer but im wanting to get into gaming. So this sounds like a good affordable comp that dont need much money put into the computer. My goal is to be building my own comps by winter time. So if this computer can get me through till winter and do good for me and is worth that price of $350.00 then id be very happy The computer i got now is 6 years old so this comp should be helly faster.

When you say a operating system disc i take it you mean Windows XP disc right? Im not sure i will be finding out i asked this guy that same question. I believe it does though this guy builds computers in a shop and he guranteed his work and labor for a year and said that if anything goes bad part wise and is under warranty hed replace it for free. If its not under warranty and goes out within a year he would also fix it for free. So that is a good deal...

Im new to comps so what is COA??? Let me know.

As for a dell 2400 i would never buy one of them. I could get a decent dell for like $425.00 but im told this computer here is better.

Let me know what you think i mean $350.00 sounds pretty cheap for a computer that has that stuff in it. The two hardrives and Video Card are around that price range i believe.

How would this computer play games??? Good bad Max??? Also how well would this comp be in terms of speed of downloading and surfing??? As long as i have a good net provider with cable or dsl it should be fast right???

Those are things ineed to know. Im on a budget but at the same time i want a good computer that will do the job. I dont want to have to upgrade to much right now. I want to get by with what i can. the main thing is Adding Ram and then a DVD RW burner.

I have a computer here im gong to be taking apart in the next month and building it up to see what i can do then ill sell that and then start to build my computer i want for gaming.

Let me know

also how is that 9600xt video card??? this guy that builds computers says that is a good card and that hed rather have that card than the 9800 pro but everybody has there own opinion.

give me some more info

thanks
sillycrown

 

[sillycrown]

What mobo do you guys recommend??? I have no clue on mobos what to get??? What would be a good one to go with this computer???

yes i would be adding another stick of 512 if i do that does that then mean i got 1 GB of ram???

yes i agree on the price that it is a good computer. i dont know how old it is though but it seems to be good and has some good stuff in it.

for that price shipped i cant resist. i just want to know what i would have to do to make it a better computer that would last me for awhile before i had to upgrade it. i mean a new mobo and some more ram that isnt to much to really do. i can afford that plus a new cd dvd rw burner i got a nice sony here now i could add to it.

maybe some day id upgrade the video card but i hear that video card is a good one. so i might just stay with that video card

anymore help would be great

keep em coming

thanks for all the help so far

sillycrown

 

[Corporate Thug]

How would this computer play games??? Good bad Max??? Also how well would this comp be in terms of speed of downloading and surfing??? As long as i have a good net provider with cable or dsl it should be fast right???

the 4200 will do ok with games with minimum settings on newer games. with a 9800 pro, it will tear up most any game. as far the 9600XT, its really not worth it considering the 9800 pro is in the $200 range

as for downloading, as long as you have a nice connection, its all good

 

[dguy6789]

i would get an extra 512MB of ram, and at least a radeon 9600 pro. The ti4200 just doesnt cut it anymore for the newest games. far cry will bring a ti4200 to it's knees, while a 9600 pro will be a good fps throughout at highest settings. and in older games, you can add aa/af to make it look better. Try to get a 9800 pro if possible.

 

[johnjkr1]

If you are just getting into gaming, the 4200 should do you fine. Just make sure you get an operating system disk with this computer, a real one, not a cdr or anything. A COA is a certificate of authenticity. It comes with windows so you know it is a legit copy. If this guy will not give you a real disc, or a COA with a product code, then that is why he can sell it so cheap. FIC makes an acceptable motherboard, if you want a really good board you could have him switch in an ASUS or an EPOX...ABIT too...all very good brands. But more important is the chipset it comes with. Good chipsets are the intel 865 and 875, the VIA chipsets are o.k. and the SIS chipsets are junk. Ask him what chipset or model that motherboard is.

 

[vshah]

imho the 4200 should be fine for just now. I'm running one right now and most every game plays fine at 1024 with med-high settings, albeit mine is oced quite a bit.
a 9800p would just be a waste of money right now, youll kick yourself in a few months when the prices plummet.

-Vivan

 

[sillycrown]

i appreciate all the help

yes the computer is guranteed for 1 year warranty by the guy who built it. now how reliable is he i have no clue but i guess you have to take his word.

Pentium 4 2.4 ghz 800mhz fsb with hyperthreading
fic mobo
52x24x52x cdrw drive
2 80 gig western digital hard drives with 8mb cache (both still under a 2 year warranty)
geforce 4 ti 4200 128 mb video card
512 ddr memory (pny and Viking brand ram 2 sticks of 256mb)
sound blaster audigy

there is some more info put next to the things that i found out since asking more questions it is a Pentium 4 and the 512 Ram is two sticks pny and viking brand 256 x2) the first thing id like to do is update the ram.

then id like to get a nice cd/dvd rw burner and have that put in.

i thought about adding a 56k modem to it. right now i dont have cable or dsl i have to get that stuff hooked up but from what i hear it doesnt take long.

the guy im buying this from has pictures so i will be taking a look at them. he says the computer is in great shape.

the case is a aluminum case with a blow hole

this comp has all the hook ups for dsl or cable

this is the kind of mouse that comes with it (mx 310 logitech mouse) are these any good???

the biggest downfall about this computer is that the windows xp does not come with operating disc therefore i take it that the progarm is stolen or burned or whatever??? i dont know much about computers. but i take if i got this and i ever had to get it repaired and they had to reinstall windows or something like that and needed the disc and i didnt have it then they would know and i wouldnt be able to get the comp fixed.

so i guess my first big thing i need to do is get a original windows xp operating system and have that installed that way i dont have no problems.

also he says he can put on the computer any programs i want basically for nothing. i thought about gettin a few but not sure what ones

any suggestions???? is there any good gaming programs i might want to consider.

or any good prgrams period for downloading music or movies and what not???

please get back to me

thanks

 

[nick1985]

someones gotta say it, A64!!!


:beer:

 

[johnjkr1]

The computer should be fine for gaming, but a warranty from a guy who put on pirated software is not worth much. Many of the parts will have their own individual warranty though, but the RMA process that way can take weeks. 56k modems are cheap, $15 or less, so getting one is not a big deal. Here is my one scenario though...

Let's say, one day, windows crashes, or your hard drive dies. You have to reinstall windows. How are you going to do that? So he loads it all up with programs when he gives it to you, great! But what if you get a virus, or the hard drive starts to go bad, you are completely out of luck. Do you know what it costs to buy a full copy of windows? It is at least $100, more like $150. If you took it in to be "fixed", there are all kind of things that could happen. Most likely they would tell you they have to reinstall windows and would ask you for the disc. Most reputable computer shops do not go around installing illegal versions of windows for customers.

So, to sum it up. Yes, you are getting a nice deal on the parts. All the parts by themself are priced farily, I am just asking you to look a bit down the line. For someone like me, I have several Operating Systems to choose from, you do not. In your situation it might be worth it to buy a dell for $100 more with a decent warranty and a real XP disc.

 

[sillycrown]

Nick if you dont mind me asking. I appreciate the help but what does A64 pertain to my questions could you explain?

thanks

 

[johnjkr1]

He is referring to an Athlon 64. He wants you to buy that instead. Great idea, except that AMD athlon systems do not cost $350.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: johnjkr1
He is referring to an Athlon 64. He wants you to buy that instead. Great idea, except that AMD athlon systems do not cost $350.

it was a joke hence the and the :beer:

 

[jerome12345]

asus p4c800 e-deluxe mobo...best 875 mobo out there
get dsl dont get cable
get audigy 2 zs and speakers or 5.1 headphones (Zalman) to take advantage of the sb card
get your stuff at newegg
get plextor premium cd burner
get cpu cooler instead of using stock one
get arctic silver 5 thermal paste
get a floppy drive
get a WD Raptor
get Logitech MX Duo

ya...its more than 350, but pick and choose what you want

 

[johnjkr1]

Hmmm, I never look at those things. They are so damn tiny at my resolution. Good catch nick, thanks.

 

[johnjkr1]

Jerome, I think the point is that he does not want to build it himself.

Also, DSL is horrible, Cable is better. Oh wait, I meant to say ketchup is better than mustard on a hot dog.