New system specs!

Hey hardware gurus !!! I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting the following system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM SoundBlaster Live Digital card AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram 19" Monitor CD rom and CD-RW I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P Laser printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND I just got DSL ! What do you think? The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to constantly upgrade !!!!! - Tim A. Deatherage [email hidden] www.timdeatheragecpa.com

I would say scrap the Dell idea completely and put it together yourself or pay a shop and have them build it for you. It may cost you a few dollars more but you end up with an "open" box vs Dell proprietary crap. Also go for more CPU (2.0+gb) and scrap the sound blaster altogether in favor of a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. Everything else is ok though :-) Just my 2 cents. Mitch "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting thefollowing

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> system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > 19" Monitor > CD rom and CD-RW > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P

Laser

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> printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND I > just got DSL ! > > What do you think? > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to constantly > upgrade !!!!! > - > Tim A. Deatherage > [email hidden] > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > >

Oh yea more RAM! "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting thefollowing

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> system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > 19" Monitor > CD rom and CD-RW > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P

Laser

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> printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND I > just got DSL ! > > What do you think? > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to constantly > upgrade !!!!! > - > Tim A. Deatherage > [email hidden] > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > >

the P4 1.6 gig gives the same performance as a P3 800. get a different processor. I suggest an AMD. (yes, i'm a p4 1.6 gig owner), plus I waited 9 freaking days for them to ship the stupid thing 10 miles to my house. fuck you dell. "Mitch Alatorre" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:t9Wf8.16807$[email hidden]... > I would say scrap the Dell idea completely and put it together yourself or > pay a shop and have them build it for you. It may cost you a few dollars > more but you end up with an "open" box vs Dell proprietary crap. Also go > for more CPU (2.0+gb) and scrap the sound blaster altogether in favor of a > Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. Everything else is ok though :-) Just my 2cents.

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> > Mitch > > "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:[email hidden]... > > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting the > following > > system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > > 19" Monitor > > CD rom and CD-RW > > > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P > Laser > > printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND

I > > just got DSL ! > > > > What do you think? > > > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us toconstantly

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> > upgrade !!!!! > > - > > Tim A. Deatherage > > [email hidden] > > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > > > > > > >

Build it yourself or have a local shop build it. "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting thefollowing

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> system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > 19" Monitor > CD rom and CD-RW > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P

Laser

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> printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND I > just got DSL ! > > What do you think? > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to constantly > upgrade !!!!! > - > Tim A. Deatherage > [email hidden] > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > >

Faster proc, at least 256 MB of RAM, an Audigy SC, vid's okay, get a DVD instead of a CD, and get a DSL modem...other then that it is good. -Stuart Becktell "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting thefollowing

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> system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > 19" Monitor > CD rom and CD-RW > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P

Laser

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> printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND I > just got DSL ! > > What do you think? > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to constantly > upgrade !!!!! > - > Tim A. Deatherage > [email hidden] > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > >

"Dell proprietary crap" I have to agree. Dell especially. Recently I built my own, but two years ago, I bought a Micron after hearing about the components that Dell uses. Even some sound cards are not supported by the manufacturer because Dell chose to use a modified version of the component thus making it incompatible with the original manufacturers reference drivers. That just seems lame. At least Micron used the same parts I could find locally. And in defense of Micron, they have replaced a CD-R drive, a HD and my video card for free, no BS. I was impressed. I just called a toll-free number and they shipped new replacements out and paid for shipping for the old parts back. And two out of three times the components were upgrades of the version that came with my machine. This time I decided to save some cash and build my own. 1600+ AMD / 512 Ram / 20&40Gb HDs / GeForce3 Ti200 / Hercules Gaming Theatre XP / Monsoon 5.1 speaker system / CD-R All for $1400!!! I paid $3000 for the Micron. It was somewhat of a pain to put together for a newbie like me, but it works well and smokes N4, hi-res GPL, etc. I'm starting to think that Dell is coasting on their former reputation. But then again, what the hell do I know...

I'd get a 1800+ Athlon based system with 256MB of DDR-RAM. That will cost no more (or even less) than the P4/RD-RAM system, but will be considerably faster and better equipped to run todays games, as 128MB of RAM simply isn't enough anymore. The 1800+ Athlon currently really is excellent value for the money. The SBLive isn't really state of the art anymore in terms of sound - it's still a very fast card which produces hardly any CPU load, but the Audigy certainly sounds better. I don't know about the Santa Cruz's sound (never heard one) but assume it produces a higher CPU load than the Audigy. However, the Audigy can have compatibility issues with some systems. I'd find the graphics card the wrong choice. The new GF4-MX boards will not cost more but are faster than the card you chose, so I think you should have a look at the GF4-MX versions (I think there are two or three versions), and maybe, if available, also consider getting a 128MB graphics card, as some games (N2002 in OpenGL) will profit from that amount of RAM on the graphics card. As for DSL, if you have a choice, avoid getting a USB modem, as USB increases the pings (latency) as compared to Ethernet-based solutions (i.e. modems that connect to Ethernet cards or combined modem/Ethernet cards for the PCI slots). Good luck! Achim "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting thefollowing

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> system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > 19" Monitor > CD rom and CD-RW > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P

Laser

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> printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND I > just got DSL ! > > What do you think? > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to constantly > upgrade !!!!! > - > Tim A. Deatherage > [email hidden] > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > >

"ArcLight" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:3c804674$0$[email hidden]... > Build it yourself or have a local shop build it. That is what I just did. AMD 1800+ Athlon Epox 8HKA+ MB 512 MB 2100 Ram Radeon 8500 DVD drive SB Audigy Gamer modem etc.. For just over $1100, added a Plextor 40x writer for $150. And am very happy, system is very stable, scored over 8100 in 3DMark 2001SE. And now I can play Nascar. I definitely recommend the local route as well. Replaced a Dell system BTW. Bill

Thanks for the suggestions !!! I will get the system locally as soon as cash flow permits. What FPS in Nascar 4 can I expect with a 1.6 gHz processor and a 64 mb GForce video card ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? As always THANKS ! -- Tim A. Deatherage [email hidden] www.timdeatheragecpa.com "Joachim Trensz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:a5q2k5$935ed$[email hidden]... > I'd get a 1800+ Athlon based system with 256MB of DDR-RAM. That will cost no > more (or even less) than the P4/RD-RAM system, but will be considerably > faster and better equipped to run todays games, as 128MB of RAM simply isn't > enough anymore. The 1800+ Athlon currently really is excellent value for the > money. > > The SBLive isn't really state of the art anymore in terms of sound - it's > still a very fast card which produces hardly any CPU load, but the Audigy > certainly sounds better. I don't know about the Santa Cruz's sound (never > heard one) but assume it produces a higher CPU load than the Audigy. > However, the Audigy can have compatibility issues with some systems. > > I'd find the graphics card the wrong choice. The new GF4-MX boards will not > cost more but are faster than the card you chose, so I think you should have > a look at the GF4-MX versions (I think there are two or three versions), and > maybe, if available, also consider getting a 128MB graphics card, as some > games (N2002 in OpenGL) will profit from that amount of RAM on the graphics > card. > > As for DSL, if you have a choice, avoid getting a USB modem, as USB > increases the pings (latency) as compared to Ethernet-based solutions (i.e. > modems that connect to Ethernet cards or combined modem/Ethernet cards for > the PCI slots). > > Good luck! > > Achim > > > > "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:[email hidden]... > > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting the > following > > system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > > 19" Monitor > > CD rom and CD-RW > > > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P > Laser > > printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND I > > just got DSL ! > > > > What do you think? > > > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to constantly > > upgrade !!!!! > > - > > Tim A. Deatherage > > [email hidden] > > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > > > > > > >

Similar to what I did, I just bought the Epox 8HKA+ with an XP 2000+, 512mb Crucial PC2100 DDR, and a new Antec 400w power supply. I use a Gainward GeForce 3 Ti "450" 64mb and SB Live Value. This system pushes NR2002 at 1600 resolution, 16bit color depth, All graphics options maxed, 42 cars ahead, 13 behind, Draw ahead at 70%, 12 sounds, No AA or Filtering, and with a full 43 car field at Coca-Cola the lowest I ever drop is to 30fps. Usually average between 40 - 60 fps. -- Scott B. Husted ICQ# 4395450 http://www.Husted.cc "FerretBill" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > > "ArcLight" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:3c804674$0$[email hidden]... > > Build it yourself or have a local shop build it. > > That is what I just did. > > AMD 1800+ Athlon > Epox 8HKA+ MB > 512 MB 2100 Ram > Radeon 8500 > DVD drive > SB Audigy Gamer > modem etc.. > > For just over $1100, added a Plextor 40x writer for $150. And am very happy, > system is very stable, scored over 8100 in 3DMark 2001SE. And now I can play > Nascar. I definitely recommend the local route as well. Replaced a Dell > system BTW. > > Bill > >

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says... > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > Lose the Rambus (RDRAM.) Intel announced just a couple of days ago that they were dropping RDRAM compatibility from their chipsets. Since they are the ones that started the whole RDRAM thing in the first place, this is a sure sign that RDRAM is dead. DDR is just as fast and much cheaper. -- ______________________ Todd Walker http://twalker.d2g.com Canon Pro90IS ______________________

Bandwidth for RDRAM is 1.2GB/s and for PC2700 DDR 500K/s. Price is nearly identical. 512MB PC2700 DDR is $142. 512MB RDRAM is $133. The i850 chipset was designed from the ground up to be fully compatible with RDRAM and will not change. Perhaps intel may drop that chipset but I don't see that happening anytime soon as it's intel's high end line. Mitch "Todd Walker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] > says... > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > > > > Lose the Rambus (RDRAM.) Intel announced just a couple of days ago that > they were dropping RDRAM compatibility from their chipsets. Since they > are the ones that started the whole RDRAM thing in the first place, this > is a sure sign that RDRAM is dead. DDR is just as fast and much cheaper. > > -- > ______________________ > Todd Walker > http://twalker.d2g.com > Canon Pro90IS > ______________________

Depends on the detail setting you use, but I'd say, you won't be able to turn everything on to max with that system. You need fps between 35 and 45 to run well on all tracks, and the system you outlined won't achieve that with things maxxed out. Still, you'll be doing ok. With the system _I_ suggested you'd do considerably better ;-) Achim "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Thanks for the suggestions !!! > > I will get the system locally as soon as cash flow permits. > > What FPS in Nascar 4 can I expect with a 1.6 gHz processor and a 64 mb > GForce video card ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? > > As always THANKS ! > > > -- > Tim A. Deatherage > [email hidden] > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > > > "Joachim Trensz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:a5q2k5$935ed$[email hidden]... > > I'd get a 1800+ Athlon based system with 256MB of DDR-RAM. That will

cost

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> no > > more (or even less) than the P4/RD-RAM system, but will be considerably > > faster and better equipped to run todays games, as 128MB of RAM simply > isn't > > enough anymore. The 1800+ Athlon currently really is excellent value for > the > > money. > > > > The SBLive isn't really state of the art anymore in terms of sound -

it's > > still a very fast card which produces hardly any CPU load, but theAudigy > > certainly sounds better. I don't know about the Santa Cruz's sound(never

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> > heard one) but assume it produces a higher CPU load than the Audigy. > > However, the Audigy can have compatibility issues with some systems. > > > > I'd find the graphics card the wrong choice. The new GF4-MX boards will > not > > cost more but are faster than the card you chose, so I think you should > have > > a look at the GF4-MX versions (I think there are two or three versions), > and > > maybe, if available, also consider getting a 128MB graphics card, as

some

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> > games (N2002 in OpenGL) will profit from that amount of RAM on the > graphics > > card. > > > > As for DSL, if you have a choice, avoid getting a USB modem, as USB > > increases the pings (latency) as compared to Ethernet-based solutions > (i.e. > > modems that connect to Ethernet cards or combined modem/Ethernet cards

for

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> > the PCI slots). > > > > Good luck! > > > > Achim > > > > > > > > "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > > news:[email hidden]... > > > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > > > > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting the > > following > > > system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > > > > > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > > > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > > > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > > > 19" Monitor > > > CD rom and CD-RW > > > > > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P > > Laser > > > printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier.

AND

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> I > > > just got DSL ! > > > > > > What do you think? > > > > > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to > constantly > > > upgrade !!!!! > > > - > > > Tim A. Deatherage > > > [email hidden] > > > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

With my AMD 1600+ and the GeForce3 Ti200, I get killer frame rates in N4. I don't have specs, but I just checked my config and I run all max settings at 1024 x 768 (on a 19" monitor) with 3D sound and FF. I've never had "framey" performance. Obviously, I would reduce my settings if so. I'm guessing around 40fps. Maybe less at the very start with all 43 cars. The visual quality of N4 is awesome. Makes me disappointed in F1 2001. I just wish GPL was that nice. The 3D add-ons help, but the replays don't look that "real". Good luck with the new system. I think you'll be surprised by the cost-savings and performance. Take the surplus that you would've spent on the Dell and buy a righteous new wheel. "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Thanks for the suggestions !!! > > I will get the system locally as soon as cash flow permits. > > What FPS in Nascar 4 can I expect with a 1.6 gHz processor and a 64 mb > GForce video card ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? > > As always THANKS !

It all depends on how much money you have to burn. Go for the latest fastest video card such as the GF3 Ti 500 or better still the GF4. Video cards are nearly always a bottle neck. The only reason to go Intel these days is the very latest chip ie a 2.2Ghz, otherwise there are cheaper AMD equivelants. P4's go best with RAMBUS but needs the 850 chipset mobo, the 845 is slower. You'll need 256MB. Ditch the SB Live for an Audigy, Creative boards still off load more from the CPU. 19" monitor is great but make sure it is the lowest dot pitch (.24 or so) som cheap monitors give really crap results (especially if they have Dell written on them). Andi. "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Hey hardware gurus !!! > > I have always had good luck with Dell systems and I am getting thefollowing

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> system and I thought I would ask you guys what you think? > > > Intel Pentium 4 1.6 gHz with RD 128 mb "RD" RAM > SoundBlaster Live Digital card > AGP GForce 3 Ti 200 Video card with 64 mb video ram > 19" Monitor > CD rom and CD-RW > > I already have a Altec Lansing 5 speaker system along with both HP 5.P

Laser

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> printer and a Canon Color Inkjet Scanner, Printer, fax and Copier. AND I > just got DSL ! > > What do you think? > > The racing software ( N4 , N2002, etc.) definitely forces us to constantly > upgrade !!!!! > - > Tim A. Deatherage > [email hidden] > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > >

On Fri, 1 Mar 2002 19:09:10 -0600, "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote: Not a guru Tim but I just set up my new Dell system. I got the 2.2 processor and 512mb of ram same video and sound card you are talking about. Its a super system. I looked into haveing it built for me and decided to go with Dell for their reliability and customer service. I also get good money for my used systems go and try and sell a "I had mine built system" its hard to sell. The customer sevice available 24\7 to me is also a huge factor. The built systems are great dont get me wrong but I just like Dell and have owned a few of them. I know it all costs money but I would get the fastest processor available they become obsolete fast enough the way it is and the 512 of Ram. If you cant afford that the system you have outlined is a great system. Brad

If you're looking to get a gaming rig, you're better off to go the AMD route. If that's the case, it's unlikely you'll get much higher than 1.53 GHz (XP1800+). You have to remember that the AMD CPU's are MUCH faster than the same speed P4's. An AMD 1800 compares better with a P4 1.9 or 2.0. Until recently, I always purchased Intel CPU's but after picking up an AMD 1800+, I've been converted. I'm just stunned at how much faster than my P3-850 this system runs! If you do decide to the Intel route, get a DDR board and a 1.6 or 1.8 Northwood CPU (they are available...my supplier carries them). These at least use the .13 process and as such, should be easy as hell to overclock. They also have 512K 2nd level cache to improve performance. The Intel P4 CPU's suffer with current software (a P3 1.2 will beat the heck out of a P4 1.5) but 2 years down the road (when hopefully you've upgraded to P4 optimized software) they should run great. That was my reasoning for buying an AMD XP...I wanted something that ran my existing software FAST (GPL, N4, F12001, etc...). Two years down the road I'll have a different system : ). Jeneral "Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Thanks for the suggestions !!! > > I will get the system locally as soon as cash flow permits. > > What FPS in Nascar 4 can I expect with a 1.6 gHz processor and a 64 mb > GForce video card ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? > > As always THANKS ! > > > -- > Tim A. Deatherage > [email hidden] > www.timdeatheragecpa.com > > >

"Tim Deatherage" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>... > Thanks for the suggestions !!! > >FPS With "mew" system So you're getting one of these, then ;)? http://www.colorcases.com/cases/0602.html Seriously - if you're still thinking about a 1.6ghz P4, let me add my name to people encouraging you to get an AMD system. Price/performance wise, especially for gaming, AMD Athlons stomp all over the P4. If you insist on the P4, do like the other poster mentioned and go for one of the latest Northwoods. If you want to go all Intel, you can even get Intel chipset motherboards with the new 845 chipset that supports DDR. I'd make your mind up soon - RAM prices are starting to climb again. HTH, Kendt

On Sat, 2 Mar 2002 22:24:56 +0000 (UTC), "Andi Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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> >19" monitor is great but make sure it is the lowest dot pitch (.24 or so) >som cheap monitors give really crap results (especially if they have Dell >written on them). > >Andi. >

Gee, I'm staring straight at a Dell logo on my 21"Trinitron and it looks pretty good to me. Brad

>ship the stupid thing 10 miles to my house. fuck you dell. Dude, you got a Dell!