The College Computer

Carol · July 12, 2002, 14:25 hrs

Ok, after much soul searching about this I think we have finally decided.
I believe we have looked at every laptop and desktop on the market. In the stores and on the internet.
Even though a laptop has many advantages, I am concerned about several things with it. One is theft, also the fact that if something needs to be repaired it would more than likely have to be sent somewhere, and who knows how long that would take. So with a desktop if someone spills something on the keyboard, it will be very simple to just get a new keyboard and keep going. And cost played into the factor also. Due to the fact that he has chosen an expensive college, it leaves less money for a computer.
So this is what we are thinking about.
KT266 Chipset DDR ATX Motherboard Base System with Audio
AMD Athlon™ XP Processor 1800+ with QuantiSpeed™ Architecture
256MB PC2100 266MHz Non-ECC DDR Memory (we might up this I'm not sure yet)
40GB Ultra ATA (7200rpm) Hard Drive
ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 64mb DDR Graphics Card
24x10x40 (max) CD-R/RW Drive
15" LCD Flat Panel Monitor
10/100 PCI Ethernet Adapter
Cyber Acoustics 2022 10 Watt Amplified Speakers - CA-2022
Systemax 104-Key PS/2 Keyboard
Systemax Scroll Mouse
Microsoft? Windows? XP Home Edition
Microsoft? Office? XP Small Business
16x (max) DVD ROM Drive
Creative SoundBlaster Audigy Sound Card
56K (max) v.90 PCI WinModem
5/3-Years Ltd. Warranty, 1-Year On-Site & Lifetime Phone Support
This is by Systemax. This what Eric has been using for more than two years, and my Dad also has one. I don't believe that we have ever had to call tech support with either of them. Also we wanted and athlon instead of a pentium. We will buy better speakers, as this will not only be a computer he will use it for stereo and tv and to watch movies on-that is if he has any time for movies.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks,
Carol

Joanie · July 12, 2002, 14:42 hrs

Hi Carol,

I think you made the right decisions and I can certainly understand your thoughts on the possibility of theft, it could happen easier than not. A desktop would be harder to pickup and run with.

Systemax has advertised their Computers in the Computer Shopper Magazine for years and the worst thing I ever read about them was that they were slow and that was a very long time ago and I am sure that has all changed. And best of all you have experience with the company and they have proven to you their product is dependable and we all know how important that is.

Wishing Chris the best of luck with his new baby. Your babies deserve the best.

Joanie

pat · July 13, 2002, 13:55 hrs

Hi Carol,
Just for the fun of it I did a little compare with the Systemax system you are thinking of.
I did try to stay as close what was offered at the Systemax web site. After running your system up at the Systemax site I came up with 1627 for a total price without shipping. My total price for the system I generated at newegg is 1617 with shipping. Of course there is no 5/3 warranty and no phone support and you would have to put it together yourself. But you would always have us for support.

I think this price could be cut even further with a lower priced case and monitor

Anyway I just did a little compare to satisfy my own curiosity and so you could be a little more informed as to what you could build for about the same money.
Hope this helps,
Pat

ANTEC Performance PLUS Model PLUS860- with AntecAMD Athlon XP 1800+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL Original TRUE P4 Power Supply 330Watt
125.00

3.5 in. drive 15.00

SOLTEK SL-75DRV4 (Purple Ray Ver.) VIA KT266A AMD Althon & Duron DDR **ATA133** 200/266 MHz FSB Socket
79.00
If I were to build a system today I would pick this board, but prices for similar boards are close.

AMD Athlon XP 1800+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU ? RETAIL
108.00

256mb Crucial PC2100
60.00

ATI ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON 7500 64MB AGP RTL
158.00

MAXTOR Quiet Drive 40GB 7200RPM Model # 6L040L2 -D740X OEM, DRIVE ONLY
80.00

ASUS CRW-2410A 24x10x40 CDRW Drive ? Retail
54.00

LITE-ON LTD-163 16X DVD ROM Drive ? Retail
40.00

CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER BLASTER AUDIGY MP3+ - RETAIL
92.00

US Robotics 2977 56K V.90 Internal PCI Modem Data/Fax Only (No Voice) ? OEM
45.00

Logitech Cordless Freedom Keyboard & Mouse
53.00

Win/XP Home OEM 94.00

Office xp small business OEM 183.00

SAMSUNG SyncMaster 151S 15" (IVORY) LCD MONITOR - RETAIL 1024 x 768 max
381.00

Altec Lansing AVS500W Multimedia 5 Piece Speaker System for Gaming
46.00

scuzzy · July 13, 2002, 14:02 hrs

Carol,

It seems that overall you've given plenty of consideration to notebook vs. desktop. It also looks like you've selected a nice system, although I'm not familiar with Systemax.

I believe Ace can probably give you some really good input on this, but I would suggest looking closely at the newer KT333 system board. I am currently running a KT266A, and I am very happy with it. However, if I were buying now, I'd want the KT333.

Which reminds me, if you decide to go with "KT266", make sure you get KT266A, not KT266.

pat · July 13, 2002, 14:29 hrs

I would gently disagree only from the standpoint that from what I have read in order to take advantage of the full potential of the 333 chipset you need to use cas2 ram. I understand right now that is in short supply and priced quite high. I don?t think Crucial even offers this yet.

Even Tom Pabst from Toms Hardware says in his review of 333 based boards there is no compelling reason to jump from the 266a chipset just yet.

Of course if we all had Ace?s bankroll it wouldn?t matter. ;D

scuzzy · July 13, 2002, 14:36 hrs

True, I wouldn't trade in my 266A for a 333, since there isn't a sufficient advantage. However, I would definitely buy 333 if I were in the market for a new computer.

As for the RAM, it will eventually come down in price. Until then, PC2100 will suffice. Remember that the 333 chipset will likely outlive the 266A, and will be better supported years from now.

pat · July 13, 2002, 15:01 hrs

True enough, but there was a 133 then a 133a to fix some bugs, a 266 then a 266a for the same reason. Now we have a 333, I?ve read that the 333a is already in the works.
I?m not trying to start a great debate or anything but I?m still quite happy with my old 133a based system.
I just read here http://www.ocprices.com/ scroll down to 7/7
that the prices of ram are ?on the brink of soaring?

scuzzy · July 13, 2002, 15:12 hrs

You're right. The 333A is unavoidable.

Ditto with my pleasure for my 266A. It has been a trouble-free board.

Carol · July 13, 2002, 15:13 hrs

Are you seriously suggesting that I build a computer? :o
We want this for college this year, he has to be there in a month!

I don't think I'm up to that challenge. Although I'm sure that Eric would love to try it. But I think I would be afraid we would run out of time if something went wrong. But thanks for the thought.

I'm not sure how much the shipping is on it, as we haven't gotten that far with it. And the monitor isn't a trade off. That was one of the agreements in switching from a laptop to a desktop.

I'm not sure if Systemax offers a choice in boards, but I can look.

But, I will discuss the thought of building a computer and see what everyone thinks. I guess it really hadn't entered my mind as a possibility.

Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know what we decide.

Carol

scuzzy · July 13, 2002, 15:36 hrs

I don't recommend that you build a computer unless you feel up to the challenge. Not that it's impossible, but you need patience and time. Of course, we will encourage to build if you are so inclined, and we are more than ready to give you good advice.

If building interests you, you will find that it's rewarding, and there's a lot to be learned.

pat · July 13, 2002, 15:49 hrs

Yep, I agree with Scuzzy. There are certainly pros and cons to building your own.
But I think all things being equal you get a bit more by building your own. You can pick all the components and be sure they are interchangeable and not stuck with some proprietary components that are hard to find down the road. I have no idea how reputable a company Systemax is and they might be good as gold.
I was mainly trying to see what you could build for about the same price as what you would have to spend to buy one.
If you decide to build I?m sure you will get all the help you need here.
Good luck in whatever you decide,
Pat

Eric M. · July 13, 2002, 16:55 hrs

I personally would be too afraid to put together a computer for college since it's so close, and since I've never done more than put ram or a card in.

scuzzy · July 13, 2002, 17:16 hrs

Eric,

You might be surprised. I have a strong feeling that you have what it takes. Agreed that the first time takes a little longer. I do understand that in your family's situation it may be better to buy.

Carol · July 13, 2002, 17:40 hrs

Thanks for moving this Scuzzy. I debated where to start the thread.

Well, I think the best thing for us is to go ahead and buy a computer. I think time wise it would make me to nervous to still have to make sure the computer went together well. I do think Eric could do it, especially with all the great support here, but maybe we'll wait a year or so when he'll need one for college, and start earlier and let him build that one.

Thanks,
Carol

dcsun · July 13, 2002, 18:03 hrs

Carol:

Sounds like you've already had lots of good advice, but here are my two cents: (that's 2 cents Canadian, so more like 1.3 cents US, but that's another topic for another time!)

- I'm building two systems for college-bound family members this summer, so we've been over these issues a fair number of times. I'm making sure that everything is ready to go 3 or 4 weeks before they leave so that they can play with the system and work all the bugs out. As that would apply to your situation, I would definitely suggest that you buy one, simply for the issue of time. I've found that in building your own system there's always some small thing that has to be played with to get it right. That's not to say that between you and Eric you couldn't build a system just fine, but it probably wouldn't be too good to do it with such a small amount of time.

- The other thing I thought I'd mention, perhaps it's already been discussed, is the monitor. You mentioned that it might be used for movies as well, so perhaps an lcd screen isn't the way to go. You could probably get a 19 inch crt monitor for close to the price of the 15 inch lcd. Something to consider, anyways.

David

Carol · July 13, 2002, 18:28 hrs

Thanks Dave.

I know about that Canadian money as I have relatives living there. Been there a couple times myself, but a long time ago.

Yes, I think it really does boil down to an issue of time now, since he has to be at college on the 16th of August. I really hadn't even thought about building one as Christopher really was wanting a laptop. But we started weighing all the pros and cons, and decided to go with a desktop.

As far as the monitor goes, he really is set on a 15" LCD, and I have to give in somewhere, since I want him to be happy. He did give give in to not getting a laptop, so I had to give some too.

Thanks, Carol

dcsun · July 13, 2002, 18:41 hrs

Life is about compromises, isn't it? I just thought I'd include that in case you didn't already know. Sounds like he should have a great system for his studies.

David

scuzzy · July 14, 2002, 09:53 hrs

Carol,

Look closely at buying the LCD panel from a local dealer. I strongly recommend the latest panels from NEC and Samsung. I bought a 17" NEC MultiSync LCD1700M+ from Circuit City, and I am bent over backwards pleased with it. It is a fantastic monitor, and it is good enough to watch action movies on. I paid about $800 for it, but the 15" models are under $500.

If you buy the LCD panel from Systemax, you may or may not be getting good quality. Odds are that you can do much better on your own.

dcsun · July 14, 2002, 10:15 hrs

Alex:

I'm looking into an LCD to replace my dying AST Vision 7u. The ones that I have available from Computer Depot (my local store of choice) that I'm considering are:

- Samsung 171s ($1,045.00)
- ViewSonic VE170 ($1,206.00)

Any thoughts?

Dave

Carol · July 14, 2002, 10:19 hrs

Thanks Scuzzy, I will check into it this week. I appreciate all the advise.
Carol

Joanie · July 14, 2002, 11:29 hrs

Hey Carol.

At one time I remember Scuzzy mentioned the NEC digital Monitor was flawless. With a review like that when my Q 19" needs to be replaced I am seriously going to check on the NEC he referred to.

Joanie

Joanie

scuzzy · July 14, 2002, 21:25 hrs

Quote from: David Cook on July 14, 2002, 10:15 hrsAlex:

I'm looking into an LCD to replace my dying AST Vision 7u. The ones that I have available from Computer Depot (my local store of choice) that I'm considering are:

- Samsung 171s ($1,045.00)
- ViewSonic VE170 ($1,206.00)

Any thoughts?

Dave

Huh. Dave, I was certain that I answered this poast once already, but I must have messed something up. Regardless, here I go again...

When I was in the market for an LCD monitor, I narrowed my choices to Samsung and NEC/Mitsubishi. Although I did consider ViewSonic, I crossed them off the list for the many poor reviews for their LCDs. Samsung and NEC/Mitsubishi placed consistently toward the top. When I saw my current LCD at Circuit City, I knew this was the one for me. No regrets, either. It's been an excellent monitor.

John · July 15, 2002, 01:54 hrs

Carol, I just purchased another LCD display from Samsung. They make great monitors. I have bought three for personal use this last year. The one just delivered was the Samsung Syncmasters 770TFT. I got it for $629.00 plus shipping from www.cdw.com Here is a review from CNET . There has been only four (4) LCD monitors that CNET has rated a 9 out of 10 and the Samsung Syncmaster 770TFT is one of them. Take a look at this

CNET reviews

I just looked and CDW is out of the one I bought. They are for sale at other locations I hope. I wanted to get another one.

Carol · July 25, 2002, 06:01 hrs

Well, we are waiting on the new computer. We did change the ram to 512MB.

I did go look at the NEC monitor. It is very nice, but $400.00. And since we were trying to get the actual computer with more in it, and we still have better speakers to buy, we went with the one that will come with the system.

There is so much to buy this first year to get him started, and we still have some dive equipment to get (that alone can break you), so we took the cheaper monitor. I figure that will be something that will be easy to upgrade a little later on. This will at least get him started.

Anyway, now I am in the market for speakers. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. He wants a sub woofer and either 4 or 5 speakers. Remember, this will basically be his stereo.

Thanks a bunch,
Carol

Joanie · July 25, 2002, 11:09 hrs

Hey Carol,

You think like I do. When one is working with-in a budget I feel it is always best to put the dollars into the most important things first. Although a monitor is very important a monitor does come with the system and can be replaced at a later time but with all of the things Chris will want to do with his system lots of Memory is going to be a necessity.

The better Altec Lansing speakers are always a good selection and usually you get a good deal and good quality sound. There are a few music buffs here who will probably better advise you with the speaker selection but the Altec Lansing speakers are hard to beat in my opinion.

Good Luck.

Joanie

scuzzy · July 25, 2002, 11:56 hrs

For speakers, look closely at Altec Lansing, and also Creative Labs. I would pretty much avoid most other models, especially the too expensive and over-rated Bose models.

In the $100 range, here are two to consider:

Altec Lansing 251
Creative Labs 5300

In the $200 range:

Altec Lansing 641

Carol · July 25, 2002, 12:55 hrs

Thanks, I knew there would be some good advice here.

Eric and I both have Altec Lansing speakers. Eric's are much older and much better than mine. Mine haven't worked right in awhile (almost like they have a loose wire), but I know they are a good brand. But then there hasn't been much on this computer that hasn't been a disappointment. One day it will be my turn to get a new computer.

Thanks, Alex, we will go by Best Buy tomorrow and check them out. He is very critical of the sound, but gets that honestly from me.

Thanks,
Carol

Carol · July 25, 2002, 13:15 hrs

Well, I just looked at NewEgg, and the Altec Lansing model 251 is only 68.00. I'll still go look at them tomorrow, but I might just order them instead.
Thanks, Carol

scuzzy · July 25, 2002, 13:27 hrs

Carol,

That's the best way. Good thinking.

Alex

Carol · July 26, 2002, 09:41 hrs

Ok, this seems like a stupid question to me, but, if I go look and listen to these speakers, won't they possible sound different with the computer depending on the sound card you have?
Thanks,
Carol

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