looking to purchase new computer for trading

gnome · Mar 19, 2003

Quote from optionsplayer:

hey gnome, how have you been??? I finally got all of those issues worked out with video cards. I seemed to find a similar problem with running a card that had one CRT/VGA/Analog output with the other being for DVI. The DVI/VGA adapter from the DVI port can cause a very moody response in certain analog LCD screens. I noticed a large loss in pic quality along with fuzziness. I think your solution was best. Running single video cards and more of them seems to work allot better, unless of course you can find a dual monitor card with 2 ports that are both analog CRT made.

When I got my first multi monitor system in '98, there were hardly any multiport cards... and they were expensive (some still are).

You can now buy 4 good singles for <$100. I'd always been concerned about spending a lot on a card and have it go down, perhaps losing all monitors. With singles, one goes out and you still have the rest... maybe pick one up at CompUSA and be back up fully in an hour.

jay567 · Mar 19, 2003

the personal computer is a commodity... it really doesn't matter where u get it from and its what's inside that really counts.

i personally find dell a bit pricey... u should be able to find better prices at the small independent stores.

gnome · Mar 19, 2003

Quote from jay567:

I'm not sure why manufacturers would make a dual output card with one analog and one dvi output cuz using an adapter on either head would create a fuzzy image. I had this problem with my ati 7500 and got fed up with it so I just replaced my old monitor with a digital lcd (that's my excuse).

It seems that using multiple cards can be quite a problem to get working correctly... Is there a guaranteed way to do it properly?

You've hit on something. Not only can it be a bit "tricky" to get multiple cards working correctly, conflicting video drivers can lead to a total trashing of your system... such that you'd have to reinstall the OS and everything else from scratch.

If I were looking to build a multi-monitor system today, I would not try to reinvent the wheel. I'd go on ET and ask guys what they are using that's working well. MB, chipset, OS, video cards... and choose one of the known-to-be-good setups.

Ebo · Mar 19, 2003

I love cheap traders.
DUDE >>>>>>>>>>>Do you trade for nickles and Dimes?
This game is about making points.
A trader's computer as far as I am concerned is like a welder's torch. It is a vital tool. BTW........ever hear of a TAX writeoff?

burnin · Mar 19, 2003

try cyberpowerinc.com for your system
minimum 512 ram
2000 or xp pro
they offer amd and pentium sytems
mwave for digital moniters
vid card - matrox, appian eg

if you find better prices, youve done your homework.

sytem 1200
moniters 600 each
vid card 300-60alittle more than 2500 but close

FasterPussycat · Mar 19, 2003

http://www.sys.com/

gnome · Mar 19, 2003

Quote from Ebo:

I love cheap traders.
DUDE >>>>>>>>>>>Do you trade for nickles and Dimes?
This game is about making points.
A trader's computer as far as I am concerned is like a welder's torch. It is a vital tool. BTW........ever hear of a TAX writeoff?

No sense in overspending for unused resources. And yes, I've heard of a "tax write-off"

But have YOU ever heard:

"Waste not, want not" --- Benjamin Franklin, or
"Neither borrower nor lender be" --- William Shakespeare, or
"F**k You!" --- Tennessee Williams

jay567 · Mar 19, 2003

Quote from Ebo:

I love cheap traders.
DUDE >>>>>>>>>>>Do you trade for nickles and Dimes?
This game is about making points.
A trader's computer as far as I am concerned is like a welder's torch. It is a vital tool. BTW........ever hear of a TAX writeoff?

the pc is a commodity... doesn't matter who u buy it from be it dell, ibm or a small independent. if u read my post, u'd see that i said it does matter what's inside ~ a P4 from dell is the same as a P4 from Joe's Computer store so why bother paying more?

as for tax deductability, you're still paying for the majority.

as for being a vital tool, of course it is... i'm not saying that you should buy a celeron with 128mb ram and a used 13" monitor

maxpi · Mar 20, 2003

Quote from optionsplayer:

[
Leaves $1500ish for the machine. VPR matrix makes a very competitively priced machine in this ball park. I believe the only retail place you can get it is Best Buy online. THey DO NOT cary this model in the store. It runs upper $1600sih with a nice rebate. The specs are very very good for a stock computer. It comes with a P4 3.06GHz processor w/ Hyper Threading technology, a great AGP Nividia card. Several PCI slots open. Plenty of RAM running at PC2300> not the crappy kind.

If you are going to go retail, Circuit City is a great place. You can get Vaios there pretty cheap less than $1300ish with a nice $100 rebate. Their return policy is unbeatable. If your going online, Dell does indeed offer a great bundle of services and functionality for the price. I am not that big on Dell however. A friend ordered from them, and I think one of the machines I personally built blows away the Dell workstation, which did come too cheap.

[/B]

I have a VPR Matrix, am very happy with it. Intel Motherboard and processor is important for reliability in my book. Dell achieves "quality" by buying the cheap stuff and burning it in, or so I heard. Very 1970's approach to quality. The "buying experience" with Best Buy can be AWFUL, take it from me, but it can be great, depends on who you are dealing with there. Credit is very easy to get there by the way. The service guys for the VPR computers are not the ones at the Best Buy stores and they have a website which will tell you how to do "do it yourself" upgrades and things, very upbeat organization.

Max

optionsplayer · Mar 20, 2003

Quote from jay567:

I'm not sure why manufacturers would make a dual output card with one analog and one dvi output cuz using an adapter on either head would create a fuzzy image. I had this problem with my ati 7500 and got fed up with it so I just replaced my old monitor with a digital lcd (that's my excuse).

It seems that using multiple cards can be quite a problem to get working correctly... Is there a guaranteed way to do it properly?

The key is to go with Nividia...basically one driver runs the show...you only have problems if you mix and mesh. Plus if you want consistency in your pic, you really should go with the same card(s).