New Computer (Is this a good deal?)

Quote from larryj:

...At this point I'll only be using two monitors, so do I really need to purchase another graphics card. The HP a1250n has a ATI Radeon Express 200 card........doesn't this card support two monitors?? or no?
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Sorry I don't know. That is something that a BB salesperson should be able to answer easily.

If not, what graphics card would you recommend to use with the AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual-Core, 3800+?

Thanks again for the help.
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http://www.matrox.com/mga/corp/financial/products/gseries.cfm

or

http://www.matrox.com/mga/corp/financial/products/pseries.cfm

That's the low profile version which I get because lots of my computers are rack mountable.

nitro
 
Compaq Presario SR1650NX Desktop PC , 479.99 after rebate


http://www.microcenter.com/images/specials/1105b_page01_full.jpg



Processor
AMD Athlon 64 processor 3500+ 2.2GHz

Operating system
Windows XP Media Center

Memory
1GB DDR PC3200

Graphics card
Integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Graphics

Hard drive
250GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA [gigabyte is defined as 1,000,000,000 bytes, accessible capacity may vary]

Primary CD/DVD drive
LightScribe Double Layer DVD±R/RW drive with CD writer capabilities

Secondary CD/DVD drive
CD-ROM

Memory slots
4 DIMM (two available)

Front-access ports
9-in-1 memory card reader, 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 IEEE 1394 (FireWire) port, microphone/headphone/line-in

Communications
Integrated 10/100Base-T network interface; high-speed 56K modem

Sound
Integrated audio, six-speaker configurable (speakers sold separately)

Monitor
Sold separately


full spec from hp site
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...Z_series&subcat1=rts&catLevel=4#defaultAnchor
 
I have always despised the HPs and Compaqs. The best computer is the one you build yourself, but if you do not have time or experience to do this, just give your local computer shop a visit and I do not mean Bestbuy or CompUSA or anyother major reatail stores. Just your local mom and pop store around the corner, tell them exactly what you want including how much reliability and quality you're looking for and they'll build one right infront of your eyes. And usually it's a lot cheaper and better support than the major retailers.

Happy trading :)
 
Quote from Schaefer:

I have always despised the HPs and Compaqs. The best computer is the one you build yourself, but if you do not have time or experience to do this, just give your local computer shop a visit and I do not mean Bestbuy or CompUSA or anyother major reatail stores. Just your local mom and pop store around the corner, tell them exactly what you want including how much reliability and quality you're looking for and they'll build one right infront of your eyes. And usually it's a lot cheaper and better support than the major retailers.

Happy trading :)
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"... Usually it's a lot cheaper..."

ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!!!!!!!!!... though commonly believed... a myth. However, having one built at a local clone shop is a good idea for several reasons. But saving money is not one of them.
 
You should consider building one yourself. I'm in the process of building my own for about $500 (not including monitors and hd's, which I'll use from my old system), all top-quality components from Newegg. The thing is that by buying a good motherboard and case you can make sure your system is upgradable for years to come. This is my case, mb, processor, video card:

COOLER MASTER CAVALIER 3 CAV-T03-UW Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://tinyurl.com/ajgok

ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor

JATON Video-PX6600LE-256 Geforce 6600LE 256MB 128-bit DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card

The ASUS 939 mb will take the higher-end Athlon processors (currently going for around a grand) and 4 gig of memory. The case is large and well-ventilated, and I'm putting in an Antec 500w power supply, so I'm sitting pretty for a several years at least as far as upgrades.

Building a system is not nearly as difficult as you might think. Good components should have good manuals. A few screws for the ps, a few screws for the mb, plug in processor and memory, attach cables, install cards and drives, install software - bing bang boom, you gotta computer that'll last you for years. Something to consider, rather than paying $1200 for something that may not be as upgradable.

Harold
 
I'm just finishing up my PC build. I chose to go to a bit more of an extreme (you can build one of these WAY cheaper), but the idea is that you buy right below cutting edge and get a dependable PC that will be upgradeable and reliable for many years to come.

I am not presenting this info to get into a discussion on what is needed for trading (I plan on playing games too), but I show it only to illustrate the very few items you actually need in order to put together a PC, and how cheap they are even when you aren't buying parts that one would consider to be cheap. I did not skimp much, and this thing rings in at about $1900, supports 2 monitors, and was rather easy to assemble. The prices listed are close to actuals within a few dollars, and were accurate as of last week.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Case:
Lian LI PC61 Black $118 Page Computer
Power Supply:
Seasonic S12 500W $120 Page Computer
Motherboard:
Asus P5WD2 Premium $208 ZipZoomFly
Processor:
Intel Pentium 820 $245 ZipZoomFly
Memory:
VS2GBKIT533D2 2 Gig Low End $165 ZipZoomFly
Harddrive:
Western Digital Raptor 74 Gig $163 ZipZoomFly
Video Card:
Asus GeForce 6800 GT Video Card $249 ZipZoomFly
Optical:
NEC ND3540A Dual Layer DVD±RW $45 ZipZoomFly
UPS:
APC 800VA (SKU: BR800BLK) $143 Page Computer
Software:
Windows XP Professional SP2 $95 A2ZComp
Monitor(s):
ViewSonic VP171B2 Black 17" LCD Monitor $290 ZiPzoomFly
Mouse, Keyboard, Floppy: $50
 
If you've never built a computer, don't waste your time. I'm not saying it can't be done, but why spend the dozens (plural) of hours it would take to learn. What if you screw something up and get stuck? Spend the extra $100 - $250 and buy one from a big chain, or $200 - $400 and buy one from a mom & pop shop.

Anything less than 2 GB RAM will not efficiently execute multiple commands if you have multiple streaming data feeds. Read your news on your web browser too? Heck, I wish I had 4 GB RAM on my system at least once a day. That reminds me...
 
Thanks again for your replies everyone. I would love to build my own system, but honestly don't have the time.......it would surely take me way too many hours considering I have never built one. After a lot of shopping and debate, I may buy a relatively cheap system from eMachines and upgrade the graphics card. Here's what I'm leaning towards:

Net Price after $50 rebate: $559

eMachines Model T6524:
AMD Athlon 64 processor 3500+ operating at 2.2GHz
512KB L2 cache
Up to 2000MHz frontside bus
Large 1.0GB of PC3200 dual-channel DDR memory, expandable up to 4GB
200GB 7200-rpm hard drive with 2MB cache
DVD±RW drive with Double Layer capabilities (16x DVD±R max. write speed)
CD-ROM drive (48x max. read speed)
10/100 Ethernet LAN port
56K V.92 modem
7 USB 2.0 ports (2 in front, 4 in back, 1 in media card reader)
2 FireWire (IEEE 1394) ports
1 parallel, 2 PS/2 ports
8-in-1 memory card reader
ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics with up to 128MB of shared memory
AC '97 6-channel audio
Amplified stereo speakers
Multimedia keyboard
2-button wheel mouse
 
That's a good machine. I don't see a PCI-E slot which you will definitely want, but I assume it has one.

I believe it was E-Machines that bought Gateway...

nitro
 
Quote from nitro:

That's a good machine. I don't see a PCI-E slot which you will definitely want, but I assume it has one.

I believe it was E-Machines that bought Gateway...

nitro
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Yes, it does.....

(2) PCI slots available and
(1) PCI-E x16
 
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