Whats a GOOD computer these days??

[Aeson]

The only thing I dont have I guess is a case. I never really though about that.
does it matter? I dont think what case is very important at all but Im probably wrong lol

A case can be rather important, but it's mostly a matter of preference. Proper airflow will extend the life of your components by allowing them to run cooler. The sound characteristics can be crucial to some, irrellevent for others. A few extra dollars into better fans can make a world of difference if sound matters. And a $2k+ box might as well look good.

Something else to consider is the operating system if you don't have one for it already. A good headset too.

The PSU and RAM looks good. I don't know about the UPS, never used one myself.

 

[Chopperhead]

Well my Opertating system will be Win Xp Home as I dont need office whats the diffrence between XP Home and Xp Pro. I think thats what it is called anyway.

Also I recently heard of something called Windows Vista. What the hell is this?
is it like the next version of windows after Xp or just an upgrade for XP

 

[Aeson]

LOL I would answer you on whether we would actually use any of the features your talking about Ie RAID or SLI but I have no idea what your talking about so if someone could fill me in that would be helpfull thanks.

RAID is basically using 2 or more hard drives at once. There are different types of RAID setups. Some duplicate data for safety, some split data between both hard drives to increase data transfer rates, some do both.

SLI is using 2 nVidia PCI-e cards in much the same way. Both graphics cards are used to render each frame, and if the program is written to take advantage of it, it can give big performance boosts.

And No I didnt relise that the DVD drive also had CD Rom drive in it as well I dont need 2. I dont think anyway what good would having more then one do? It's not like you can play to diffrent disks at the same time. can you?

There are uses. With (those) 2 drives you would be able to burn directly from a CD to a CD or DVD without having to first copy the data to your hard drive. Or you could have 2 different play disks for games without needing to swap.

What Im wondering is if I could scavenge the RAM off of it to upgrade my current computer.

Do you know if the current computer has SDRAM or DDR? The P3 might be RDRAM or SDRAM, but won't be DDR.

Well first off Im not sure how fast that RAM is so Can someone tell me away to figure that out without the Internet. Will it be labeled on the RAM itself?

There generally should be a sticker on it. The chips will be marked, but what the markings mean isn't always apparent.

If you go into BIOS when booting up (often holding Delete, or F2) there should be a way to display the information. Just what that is will depend on your MB. Look around at the various options until you find it, try not to change anything, and just exit without saving.

If none of that works, you could just see if it will fit the slot in your current computer.

But the main thing is, is this computer still worth anything today? Because if it's worth like $50 then I will just scavenge some bits off of it but if it could still bring in a few hundred then i will end up selling it so...... ya thanks for your help so far.

Looking at EBAY, $50-150 is about what you could expect.

 

[Chopperhead]

Thanks alot for all your replys.

anyway ya I think we might end up using the SLI feature somewhere down the road but I very highly doubt will ever use RAID.

I pulled out the RAM from my other computer and besides a bunch of numbers all I could make out was 128MB 100Mhz so thats WAY to slow to add to my computer.

 

[Aeson]

Even the cheapest SLI boards will have some form of RAID probably. The MB you chose should be about right then. You could get cheaper SLI boards, but they wouldn't enable SLI through software and/or might not support a X2 CPU.

 

[Speedo]

Also would a Power protecter be worthwile?

ULTRA 1000VA UPS - $80

You will want a good quality surge protector (not a cheap $5 deal). An actual UPS is useful - it will keep your PC from shutting off if the power flickers, for example, or if the power goes out it gives you time to save what you happen to be working on then shut the PC down normally. You can also connect them to the PC, allowing Windows to see the UPS battery and shut down the comp automatically when the battery charge gets low. Whether or not you need that is up to you...

If you do get one I would go with a name like CyberPower or APC. Cyberpower is good, but you can't go wrong with APC. If you're going with any other brand, I would look up some reviews of the unit, and also be sure that the warranties equipment attached to the unit - the same goes for surge protectors (my current UPS is a Cyberpower and, IIRC, they will pay up to $75,000 if equipment connected to the unit is damaged by a power surge).

Depends on whether or not he's using the extra features. For someone not putting their own computer together (and asking us ), could pretty much rule out all the overclocking stuff. Going with one hard drive and not planning on ever setting up a RAID, could rule out all the RAID stuff (especially secondary RAID). Dual LAN may or may not be useful. Same with onboard 1394. The onboard audio isn't really a consideration in this case. And of course, if SLI isn't going to ever be used, neither is it. There are wide array of options to choose from when going with a solid MB. Every extra costs, whether it's used or not.

Better to have features that are unused than to come up short a year or two down the road and be forced to replace your mobo

Do you know if the current computer has SDRAM or DDR? The P3 might be RDRAM or SDRAM, but won't be DDR.

A P4 2.4 is most likely DDR, perhaps DDR2. The P3 will have SDRAM. No joy there.

Well my Opertating system will be Win Xp Home as I dont need office whats the diffrence between XP Home and Xp Pro. I think thats what it is called anyway.

Mainly networking features. Stuff that you'll never need.

Also I recently heard of something called Windows Vista. What the hell is this?
is it like the next version of windows after Xp or just an upgrade for XP

Next version of windows, due out late next year.

You could get cheaper SLI boards, but they wouldn't enable SLI through software and/or might not support a X2 CPU.

All nForce4 boards should support X2, and I beliece updated BIOSs have been released to allow many nForce3 boards to support them also.

 

[CruddyLeper]

There are uses. With (those) 2 drives you would be able to burn directly from a CD to a CD or DVD without having to first copy the data to your hard drive. Or you could have 2 different play disks for games without needing to swap.

There is another benefit to having a burner and a DVD-ROM - longevity. Use the DVD-ROM to read disks for installing games, drivers, Windows etc, and save the burner just for burning.

That way, the cheaper drive has most of the work to do, so should prolong the life of your burner. It makes long term sense to do it that way.

As for UPS - a surge protecter is useful against spikes (hence the name) but it's not as good as UPS like Speedo mentioned. UPS gives you a few minutes running time to save things and close down normally even when there is no power going to the computer (your main electricity is gone). UPS are big and quite heavy, but can save you a lot of hassle.