Buying an AlienWare Computer... Good price, good computer?

[Zelig]

And before somebody says "I've already got Windows, I don't need to buy it" go and read your single user EULA agreement first.

At the risk of sounding like an idiot because I haven't ever bothered to read the EULA on any MS products, I'm pretty sure you're allowed to use retail versions of XP on any one computer you want to, only OEM copies provided by the manufacturer are limited to their original computer.

 

[zulu9812]

I was looking at the Voodoo website and I noticed that they do PCs with dual video cards. Does anyone know what concrete benefits that might get you?

 

[stormbind]

SLI

Do you remember the old Voodoo2 - you could stick 2 together for double performance. Actually, you could put four together for quad perfomance. I think 8 Voodoo2 in SLI was the most ever demonstrated.

But, anyway, now the GeForce 6 -series also has SLI.

 

[stormbind]

On the eyesight issue: Use a monitor is good lighting conditions. I don't know why it matters but it does.

 

[Zakharov]

Where are you getting the 4ms figure btw? For a crt to have a response time equivalent to 4ms, it would have to be running at 250 Hz. My crt runs at 109 Hz at 1600x1200, which is hardly typical, and would give a response time of about 9 ms, unless I'm calculating something wrong.

I'm getting the 4ms figure from an article I read in a pc magazine a few months ago. Obviously I can't provide a link, but I explicitly remember it saying that a LCD panel would need a 4ms response time to give gaming performance comparable to a quality CRT screen.

You are correct that a 4ms response is the same as 250Hz, but the 4ms figure is for LCD panels. Due to the way that the two screen types produce visible light, a LCD screen needs to refresh at 4ms to give an equivalent series of images as a CRT refreshing at 100Hz.

On a CRT screen each pixel remains glowing until it is scanned again, so the transition between images is smooth. With a LCD panel the pixels have to switch off for a moment (dead time) before they can be lit again, which can produce a stuttering effect if the image is changing rapidly as it does in some games.

The 4ms figure is really only appropriate for high detail FPS games. When you are using less visually demanding tasks such as web browsing, the difference between the two types of screen is negligible at a much higher response time such as 20ms.

On the eyesight issue: Use a monitor is good lighting conditions. I don't know why it matters but it does.

That is the exactly why I do not get eyestrain from looking at a CRT screen. I always use the pc and watch the tv in a room lit by a 100W bulb. The reason for this has something to do with the size of the pupil being determined by the amount of light entering your eye. In a darkened room more light from the screen will get in, so you increase the risk of overexposure.

I was looking at the Voodoo website and I noticed that they do PCs with dual video cards. Does anyone know what concrete benefits that might get you?

The only benefits I can see is if you buy two 6800GTs at the same time for the immediate increased performance.

However the official nvidia sales pitch for SLI is that you can buy one card now and get another when the price drops. I just don't see the point because by the time the price has dropped enough, the next generation of cards will have been released. Just one of these next-gen cards will give a greater performance than two of the current generation cards in SLI, so it will more cost effective to upgrade.

 

[stormbind]

The nVidia sales pitch is bogus. It was exactly the same scenario for the Voodoo2.

History repeats itself: Hardcore gamers bought 2x Voodoo2, and everyone else went with 1x Voodoo2 allowing for upgrade if needed.

However, when an upgrade was needed, V2 was obsolete and cheaper cards based on the next-generation TNT2, Voodoo3, Savage4 were much more enviting.

By the time you desire 2x GF6, the GF6 feature set will be obsolete. So it's just for hardcore gamers.

This is my professional opinion!

 

[MarineCorps]

Okay, from your feedback, this computer... isn't that great and I should build my own...
Few questions on that...
All I need is:
Case (Whatever that will hold all the crap)
MB (939, several PCI slots and atleast 1 agp, integrated sound)
CPU (I dunno, AMD Ath. 64 3600+?)
2x512 RAM
Vid Card: What that one guy said
Hard Drive (180 GB & 8mb Cache?)
Dvd/Cd Drive
and... anything else?

Also, aside from anything I left out... After I put everything in (I think I will buy the case and MB together so I don't have to screw it in), like the vid card and stuff... does the HD and stuff come with the wires to plug into the mb and everything? is it clear where all the wires go, or do they come with clear manuals on where the wires go?

I'm thinking on either getting the parts off of tigerdirect.com or newegg.com, but is there anywhere else that is better?

... Step by step instructions? what is the best of everything for gaming for the next several years w/o needing to upgrade?

newegg.com is best. I built a low end gaming machine for about $600. Through if you get a PCI-e video card you have to make sure your PSU is a 24pin type otherwise the moniter won't turn on as I have found out much to my annoyce.

 

[Zelig]

newegg.com is best. I built a low end gaming machine for about $600. Through if you get a PCI-e video card you have to make sure your PSU is a 24pin type otherwise the moniter won't turn on as I have found out much to my annoyce.

It can work with a good 20-pin psu, but it's really recommended against by most mobo manufacturers due to the various problems it can cause.

 

[rbis4rbb]

How can you tell if you have an LCD or CLT monitor?

 

[Zelig]

Well, crt monitors stick out the back and have glass screens. LCD monitors are thin and turn colors when you poke them.

 

[rbis4rbb]

Well, crt monitors stick out the back and have glass screens. LCD monitors are thin and turn colors when you poke them.

Oh ok I thought that you were reffering towo two types of flat screens

 

[stormbind]

Well, crt monitors stick out the back and have glass screens. LCD monitors are thin and turn colors when you poke them.

I think some LCD might have glass screens. I say this because the screens I owned came with different amount of flex in the screen. Some are soft, and some are quite hard and rigid. I'm thinking that glass would be slightly better if costing a premium.

 

[Zelig]

Oh ok I thought that you were reffering towo two types of flat screens

Well, high end crt monitors all have flat screens... and not so high end one have curved screens with flat pieces of glass, and are marketed as "flat" anyhow.

 

[cidknee]

Okay, from your feedback, this computer... isn't that great and I should build my own...
Few questions on that...
All I need is:
Case (Whatever that will hold all the crap)
MB (939, several PCI slots and atleast 1 agp, integrated sound)
CPU (I dunno, AMD Ath. 64 3600+?)
2x512 RAM
Vid Card: What that one guy said
Hard Drive (180 GB & 8mb Cache?)
Dvd/Cd Drive
and... anything else?
Also, aside from anything I left out... After I put everything in (I think I will buy the case and MB together so I don't have to screw it in), like the vid card and stuff... does the HD and stuff come with the wires to plug into the mb and everything? is it clear where all the wires go, or do they come with clear manuals on where the wires go?
I'm thinking on either getting the parts off of tigerdirect.com or newegg.com, but is there anywhere else that is better?
... Step by step instructions? what is the best of everything for gaming for the next several years w/o needing to upgrade?

canadacomputers.com.. better than tiger direct...and alien ware are great. but $$$. I had an alienware laptop to play with SWEET. Now 200 GB? OK what ever. I have 80 and well its 60% empty... thats totally up to you.. most
ppl go between 40-120 go with MIN 256 ram. DONT BY DELL...when u by the pcs it should all be there and not all that hard to put together.

 

[Damnyankee]

Here is a EXCELLENT site to buy a custom comp from, www.pugetsystems.com They have great service and are realiable. I bought a comp a year ago and I got great serivice.