is this an OK system?

[pepper chef]

I am new to computers and have been reading the forums fro awhile now. great info here.
Is this an ok system to use for home apps ie, small business, personal recording keeping, surfing web?

AMD athlon 64 3700+(2.4GHZ) xp pro 1.0GB DDR-400 RAM, (2) 160GB HD,16xDVD-rom Drives,8x DVD+-RW Drive, 8x AGP nVidia FX5500 ultra video.
chipset is VIA K8T800.

I dont know much about computers, but I am slowly learning all I can.

I pick up this system from a friend who built it, and he ran into $ problems so I got it for around $700.00. I didn't think it was a bad deal.

 

[nRollo]

The video card is far beneath the computer, very inadequate if you intend to play video games.

 

[pepper chef]

No I don't play games. What would be a good video card to get?

Any other improvements I should make? thanks for input

 

[Mrvile]

Hmm you really don't need quite that good a CPU. The 3200 or the 3500 should do nicely and cost much less. You might even think of switching to Intel P4's if you don't play games since they do much better multitasking with hyperthreading than AMD.

Also if you don't play games at all, you don't need a real beefy vid card but definately something better than the FX5500. Maybe a Geforce 6600GT or a Radeon 9800PRO.

And if you aren't gonna be doing a lot with DVD's you won't need 2 DVD drives. You might just want to keep the DVD-RW drive and get a CD-RW instead of the DVD-ROM.

 

[bigshooter]

I think the Athlon 64 3700+ is going for over $450 these days, so yeah I think you got a decent deal. If you got a licensed version of Windows XP you did even better. If you consider the price of the CPU, $250 for the rest of the stuff was a good deal.

 

[uOpt]

I think you waste a lot of money on Socket 939 here.

If you want a 2.4 GHz 512 KB cache Athlon 64 then compare the offerings for Socket 754 and 939.

Also, I wouldn't want a Via chipset.

 

[UptheMiddle]

$700 for that much computer is really good. Not sure why people continue to suggest that you downgrade your processor (or even upgrade). For the tasks you've listed, that PC will last you a long time.

Can't agree withe Mrvile's statement "Also if you don't play games at all, you don't need a real beefy vid card but definately something better than the FX5500. Maybe a Geforce 6600GT or a Radeon 9800PRO."

He already owns this computer, guys. I don't think that suggesting he spends more money on an additional processor and/or motherboard to replace the one he already has is good advice. Not everybody wants to spend big bucks on their systems.

 

[Elcs]

If you dont intend to game, that system looks to be absolutely top notch and barring any unforseen events, it should last you 2 years at a bare minimum.

If you want to play games, pop over to the Video forum, take a browse around and ask questions.

What kind of Power Supply is in? (wattage and brand) That could affect our views of your new aquisition and our advice.

What kind of monitor is attached to that thing? Since you picked up a nice deal, perhaps you'd be open to upgrading your monitor or buying a new one (dual monitors? )

But look at me, Im sounding like a salesman on commission-based pay only.

Its a powerful system. Will handle office apps and websurfing without breaking a sweat. If you need any advice on quietening it down, tweaking and the like... dont hesistate to post or search the forums. Anandtech can be a great place for advice and most people are happy to help.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: pepper chef
No I don't play games. What would be a good video card to get?

Any other improvements I should make? thanks for input

If you don't play games, your video card is fine and your computer is great. (not to mention a good deal)

Don't listen to the people about your chipset or your cpu. Odds are you computer owns theirs, because they obviously don't know what they're talking about. (with the exception of your video card not being good for gaming)

 

[Alex]

wow i dont mean to threadcrap but is this a joke? your system is incredible for ANYTHING. my system is significantly slower (xp2600+, 768 ddr, nforce2 & Radeon 9500 pro) and i can play doom3 on 800x600 hi-detail with no problems and it looked awesome to me... so yeah the weakest link is definitely your video card but unless you are playing doom3 on max settings with all the eyecandy on then you should be fine!