Computer to Layman's terms HELP

[Leetahkin]

I went out and bought a new computer. I was working with an Intel Celeron 2.2GHz, 256MB RAM DDR, 40GB hard drive.

I ordered this:

Pentium D Processor 820 w/ Dual Core Technology (2.8GHz, 800FSB)
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 533MHz (2x1GB)
256MB PCI Express Radeon X600 SE HyperMemory (I told them the only big graphic game I may play is Oblivion, so they said this should work)
250 Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive @ 7200RPM w/ 8MB cache
Dual drives
Detto IntelliMover

What does dual channel mean? And what exactly is cache?

Did I choose a good system?

[Bobmuhthol]

The second I saw the processor, I audibly said, "You fucked up."

DDR2 RAM = faster. PC4200 and above, I think, are what use DDR2. 2GB DDR2 is overkill, basically. DDR2 533MHz = PC4200. The "standard" for recent computers is PC3200, or DDR 400MHz, for comparison.

Cache is hard drive memory reserved for frequently accessed storage so that it may be quickly recovered. More cache = faster performance.


Edit: I want to hear how much this computer cost you so I can laugh, please.

[Leetahkin]

with 19" flat-panel & 4 yr in home warranty - $1200

[Bobmuhthol]

LOLOLOL. Thank you.

[Leetahkin]

And what do you think it should have gone for?

[Bobmuhthol]

I think you shouldn't have purchased it, and a great computer costs no more than $750.

[Leetahkin]

One you'd have to put together?
You'd prolly shit yer pants if I told you how much Best Buy wanted to charge me if I had them come to my house to transfer files and set up a wireless connection.

[Celephais]

Bob, you really can't expect a layperson to go out and buy a 805 and OC it. I think she did well for not being a "techie". And 2gb is not overkill, DDR2 does not necessarly mean faster (latency suffers), and the 820 is perfectly acceptable for a future proofed non-"techie" machine. As for the harddrive, is it Raid 0 or Raid 1 (or not at all)?

[Bobmuhthol]

<<One you'd have to put together?>>

If you consider buying additional RAM and a video card "putting one together," yes.

<<You'd prolly shit yer pants if I told you how much Best Buy wanted to charge me if I had them come to my house to transfer files and set up a wireless connection.>>

I'd probably shit my pants if Best Buy ever did anything right.

<<And 2gb is not overkill, DDR2 does not necessarly mean faster (latency suffers)>>

2GB PC4200 is 99 times out of 100 going to be significantly more power than 1GB PC3200, which is more than enough already.

<<and the 820 is perfectly acceptable for a future proofed non-"techie" machine>>

The 820 both sucks and is an Intel processor. Pentium D processors will never be good.

[Leetahkin]

Celephais - It's a Dell Dimension E510. It doesn't say, so I can't answer your question.

True enuff about the Geek Squad :lol:

[Bobmuhthol]

Oh, and as a rule of thumb, all Dell computers are a rip-off.

[Hulkein]

2 gigs of ram isn't overkill, it's a noticeable improvement, I just built a new computer with 2 gigs up from 1 gig. It's worth it and will continue to be worth it.

AMD 3800+ dual core CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562

ATI Radeon x850 platinum
http://microcenter.com/byos/byos_single_product_results.phtml?product_id=23436 7

KN8 Ultra mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127222

2 gigs corsair ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145486

Then get any hard drive you want/need.

[Bobmuhthol]

I have yet to have ANY system memory lag with 1GB RAM.

I think it's because I actually take care of my computer and don't run a lot of processes, you know?

[Celephais]

The 820 both sucks and is an Intel processor. Pentium D processors will never be good.

Ahh, AMD fanboy... well if 1gb PC3200 is "more than enough already" there is no way you can say that the 820 is not "more than enough already" for any application she is throwing at it.

So to answer Leet, your upgrade is going to be a great improvement, you'll have no issues running multiple programs, not the greatest graphics, but they will run Oblivion (not the best at the highest settings), and your computer is definatly ready for Vista if you plan on upgrading when it comes out (next version of windows).

Dual channel means you are effectively doubling the data rate of your RAM. Cache is faster memory, so when you tell the computer you want to look at PICT01 in some folder, the hard drive sends that pict but also grabs the next few, so when you decide to look at PICT02 it's already in the faster memory. (in laymen terms).

More cache just means it can keep more in the cache.

[Bobmuhthol]

<<Ahh, AMD fanboy... well if 1gb PC3200 is "more than enough already" there is no way you can say that the 820 is not "more than enough already" for any application she is throwing at it.>>

I have a Cybernet Zero-Footprint-PC Elite-4 with I think Pentium 4 2.8 GHz (it may be 3.0 GHz) and 1GB RAM. It's noticeably less efficient than my AMD 3400+ with 1GB RAM.

[Daniel]

I notice a huge difference between 1 gig and 2 gig ram on oblivion.

[Celephais]

Not going to argue Intel/AMD here (because we won't get anywhere). But yes, that is a perfectly reasonable assessment. Netburst is a notoriously bad architexture, but the Pentium D (based on netburst) is still a good processor, plenty capable of handling whatever she'll throw at it, and being dual core it's a significant improvement in responsiveness over a standard P4.

Now the Pentium Ms and the Conroe are much better architextures, and this is probably a bad time to be buying a PC (Core 2 Duo/Conroe could be released as soon as July 23). Anyway... Leet, I'd say you should have waited until the next processor releases from intel, but not having known about them, I think you did fine.

[Hulkein]

I have yet to have ANY system memory lag with 1GB RAM.

I think it's because I actually take care of my computer and don't run a lot of processes, you know?

It might not lag, but 2 gigs sure does a lot of things quicker. In my personal experience, things like exiting to desktop from games, playing games that are ram high-intensive (civ4), it shows a noticeable improvement.

Plus, if you hope to keep the system for a while, 2 gigs is going to be the norm sometime in the future.

[Bobmuhthol]

<<things like exiting to desktop from games>>

Virtually instantaneous on my computer, which is more because of graphics memory than RAM.

<<Plus, if you hope to keep the system for a while, 2 gigs is going to be the norm sometime in the future.>>

When I need it, I'll spend the $70 to get another gigabyte.

[Leetahkin]

I feel pretty good about my purchase then.
Now I have to figure out what antivirus I want to use. I'm saying au revoir to Norton.

[Wezas]

Oh, and as a rule of thumb, all Dell computers are a rip-off.

Ah, been a few weeks since I've heard from Bob the dell h8er. 2 minute price check:

$1019

Dell Pentium D 820 DC (2.8ghz)
Windows XP Home
1gb Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
160gb SATA (3gb/s)
Dual Drives 16x DVD-ROM, 16xDVD+/-RW Dual Layer
20" Ultrasharp Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
256mb nVidia Geforce 7300LE

Dell isn't always shitty, you just need to look for deals, like an upgrade to a 20" widescreen digital flat panel for $90.

[Leetahkin]

With my package, I got a $400 auto discount, and then another $60 for the holiday weekend. We have a Dell kiosk in the mall.

I didn't want the monitor cause I already have one, but it was a good package deal. I'll give it to my parents or something.

[Sean of the Thread]

Least it wasn't an uber emachine eh bob?

[Bobmuhthol]

<<like an upgrade to a 20" widescreen digital flat panel for $90.>>

Oh wait, non-CRT monitors blow.

<<Least it wasn't an uber emachine eh bob?>>

Believe me, my eMachine performs a hell of a lot better than what she bought.

[Wezas]

Oh wait, non-CRT monitors blow.


You're kidding, right?

If only I'd known this a few months ago, work gave away a bunch of 21" CRT monitors that weighed about 70 lbs each.

[Bobmuhthol]

Weight sure does mean anything.

For reference, Mercury's mass is 5.5% of Earth's mass. If Earth weighs 1000 pounds on Earth, then Mercury weighs 55 pounds on Earth. I'd call Earth the better planet.

[Skirmisher]

Bob is a cult like believer in the E machine line, so take his criticism with that in mind. Again, E-Machines in no way deserve the horrible rep they used to as their quality has improved markedly to the point of having fewer complaints than many brand names like HP and such so Bob has a point, but Dells also have a good reliability record even if their customer support ratings have slipped.

That being said, I think you did alright on your system. It is not some uber setup, but should be more than suffficient for your needs for several years. Sure the price could have been a little lower, but from Dell it wouldnt have been incredibly lower and the four year tech support is a nice deal for us non-techie type people.