Potential purchase - opinions, please

[scotbruce]

Replacement for silver surfer, but with visiting gamer teen, so trying to keep the price down, but the spec up to at least middling.........
Any/all opinions welcomed.

P4 2.53Ghz, 512Mb DDR RAM, 80Gb 7200 HDD (Maxtor or Seagate), 1.44Mb FDD, CDRW (Liteon), DVD (various incl. Artec/Mercury), 64Mb GeForce4 MX440, Jetway P4X400DAP mobo with VIA P4X400 MCH & VT 8235, Socket 478, supports 533Mhz system bus in data transfer rate, 133/166/200MHz Memory clock frequency, DDR266/DDR333/DDR400 DDR Module, ATX form factor 4 layers, PCB size: 30.5x21.0, 5x32-bit PCI slot, 1xAGP - supports AGP 2.0 & 4X/8X mode. On-board sound, on-board LAN 10/100, ATA 133, USB 2.0 Port x 2 and Headers for 4x USB (9 PIN CLOSE), 56K Modem,
300W ATX Case.
£500.
Would then add 15" TFT eg AOC LM520 or Ilyama BX3814UT for @ £200.

Thanks.
:(

[Strawbs]

That all looks very reasonable with the exception of the Graphics card.

My advise is to stay away from any GeForce MX card, they tend to be of the very cheap variety and can't always produce the goods during gaming.

ATI 9500, 9500pro or nVidia GF4 4200 would be adequate without breaking the bank.

:t

[bassman]

I'd go for an AMD CPU, but that config is pretty nice ;) Agreeing to Strawbs, I'd only swap out the graphics card for a Radeon 9500 Pro; it's better to spend another 50€ or so and get a way better card.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

Yeah, what has been said about the graphics cars by the fellas is good aqdvice. Alos going amd may shave off some of the cost which sould then be put toward a larger monitor. 15" is waaay too small and 200 quid for one seems a bit steep for one considering a igot an AOC 17" 7Vlr+ for only just over 100 quid about a year back :eek:

--Jakk:t

[bassman]

Originally posted by Bigjakkstaffa
15" is waaay too small and 200 quid for one seems a bit steep...
****, I didn't notice that part (maybe because of my 14" :p ) I totally agree, get a 17" :)

[chubtub]

The Geforce 4200 is a good deal right now. If you take your time and look around you can find a good one for under 100. Best Buy and CompUsa have had them for $80 in the last couple of adds that they run.

Opps, might have to check online for them did not see that you were in Scottland.:)

[whargoul]

I wouldn't go for that VIA based P4 board if at all possible.

Try getting an Western Digital "JB" harddrive.

People, did you notice it is a 15" TFT.

If you play alot of games, I would at least try for a Radeon 9000/9100.

[bassman]

Originally posted by whargoul
People, did you notice it is a 15" TFT.
Yes, and it's 15"

[whargoul]

Is a 15" LCD not comparable to a 17" CRT?

[bassman]

Screen Size VIS: 15" (38.1cm) Diagonal
Panel TFT Active Matrix LCD, Slim Cabinet
Pixel Pitch 0.297mm x 0.297mm
Display Area 304mm x 228mm
Brightness 250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio 350:1
Response Time 40ms
Viewing Angle Horizontal: 120 Degrees, Vertical: 100
Compatibility VESA, XGA,SVGA,VGA
Scanning Frequency Horizontal: 30K~60KHz, Vertical: § 55~75Hz
Pixel Frequency 100MHz
Maximum Resolution 1024x768@75Hz
Recommended Resolution 1024x768@60Hz
Resolutions Supported 740x400@70Hz, 640x480@60/75Hz, 800x600@60/75Hz, 1024x768@60/70/75Hz
Color 16.7M
Signal Input Video: 0.7Vp-p, RGB Analog
Connectors RGB Signal: 15-pin D-sub Male (Attached) Power: Coax Power Jack
Power Source DC Input: 12VDC 2.5A Power Adapter Input: Universal 100~240VAC, 50/60Hz Power Adapter Output: 12VDC 5A (Max)
Power Consumption 25Watts (Max.)
Plug & Play DDC1/2B
EPA ENERGY STAR® Yes
User Control OSD Shuttle, Stand-by Power, OSD
OSD Function Brightness, Contrast, Focus, Clock, H/V Position, Language, Color Temperature(C1, C2), Reset, Exit, RGB
OSD Languages English, German, French, Spanish & Italian
Emissions Standard TCO99
Regulations UL, CSA, FCC, TUV/GS, CE, ISO 13406-2, Windowsr XP Logo
Other Features VESA 75mm Wall Mountable*, Kensington Security Slot
Dimensions (WxHxD mm) Monitor: 356x360x165; Carton: 423x436x158
Dimensions (WxHxD inches) Monitor: 14.0x14.2x6.5; Carton: 16.7x17.2x6.2

Altough it's an active matrix, IMO 1024x768 is a low max resolution...

[scotbruce]

Guys, thanks very much for all the comments so far.

Monitor - this is for a senior surfer (my mother), who currently has a 14" CRT (my first one), so a 15" TFT looks big to her. We compared a 15" TFT to a 17" CRT right next to each other and she likes the 15" TFT just *fine* :) .

Graphics card - the gamer teen will only be visiting, and then infrequently. I actually think the MX440 would suffice, but have heard so many bad comments about them that
1) I bought him a GEForce2 Ti when I upgraded his system and
2) I've already asked and the supplier will vary the graphics card (at my cost, naturally!)

Mobo/chipset - this deal is from a small independent, but it's not (that) local, @ 200 miles away, so it's a mail order deal. I don't know if they would change the mobo/chipset as it's not a customer-configured request build and, if they did, I would't really know what to ask for as a budget board (Gigabyte?) or what it should cost (although I can research any suggestions.
Whargoul - any particular reason for your adverse comment on the mobo/chipset?

Thanks again.

[scotbruce]

I'm being offered an ATi Radeon 8500 R200A1D (64 MB DDR, TV, DVI) for an extra £20 instead of the 440MX (which is being defended as "an excellent card").

Any thoughts on the Radeon 8500, please ?

[Strawbs]

it's not quite cutting edge, but while it can lock horns with a GF3 ti500 it can't be a bad card. Also ATI image quality is usually one step ahead of nVidia's.

>Here's (http://www.guru3d.com/review/ati/radeon8500/)< a review.

:t

[scotbruce]

Strawbs
Thanks for the opinion. Saw that review, but 90% over my head!
Worth £20 over an MX440?

[Strawbs]

It has similar potential to the ti200 you put in his system, It will play the games the "Teen" wants to play, and look pretty good doing it too, so...Yes! worth that little extra IMO.

:t