Which pc

garykeane121

Hello. I am planning on buying a pc for Christmas but need some advice on which one to get. The two I am considering are:

Hp Pavilion t 2345
Processor- AMD Athlon 3700+
Ram- 1gb ddr-sdram
Hard Drive- 250 Gb
Dvd Drive- 16x max
Dvd Writer- Double Layer +R/+RW 16X/8X WITH LIGHTSCRIBE
Video Card- Nvidia GeForce 6200 Turbocache
Internal Audio- Integrated 5.1 sound sollution
External I/O ports- 7usb2.0, 2firewire
Memory Card Device- 9in1 memory card reader
Microsoft Works Suite
Total Cost 1249

Fujitsu Scaleo 6701
Processor- Intel Pentium 4 Processor 630
3.0GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2Mb Cache
Ram- 1024 mb ddr-ram
Hard Drive- 200 Gb
DVD-ROM Drive
Multi-Format Dual Layer DVD Re-Writer
Video Card- 256Mb ATI Radeon X600 Graphics
Sound Card On-board stereo. Fujitsu Siemens speakers
Soundcard included No
External I/O ports- 6usb2.0,
Memory Card Device- 11in1 memory card reader
Total Cost- 1149

I plan to use the pc for downloading music e.t.c, schoolwork and moderate gaming e.g. football manager, sims. On another thread the ALDI computer was suggested but when i add in the cost of a monitor its about €1400. €1250 is really the top of my budget. So do people have any advice/preferences of the above two pc's or could anyone suggest any other pc's. Thanks

shanethemofo

i'd personally go with the AMD one

commited

I would go for neither...
The 6200 is an awful card.

What monitors come with these?

Not a dell fanboy, but
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b&c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&oc=D12916&rbc=D12916&s=dhs&sbc=iedhsrsdimen_9150_2
is better.

The 820 is better than the 630, the graphics card is ok, 1gb ram etc

garykeane121

Thanks for the advice

They both come with 17" TFT Monitor

With the dell pc would I have to add a sound card?

Also the Dell PC doesnt come with a firewire connection. Does that really matter?

angelofdeath

you can use the onboard sound, you won't notice any difference unless you plan to use surround sound speakers, you can always throw in a soundcard yourself later

lack of firewire doesn't really matter unless you plan to use external harddrives alot, and even if you find you need it later you can add a pci firewire card

garykeane121

Thanks for the advice

I customised a pc on dell. I hope the link works. It has a smaller hard drive than the HP but overall would you think that this is better pc


http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&oc=D12915&rbc=D12915&s=dhs&sbc=iedhsrsdimen_9150_3

Wolverine_1999

Get rid of the 3 year warranty crap. 1 year is more than enough for a desktop.

commited

Your customised spec doesnt work.

The one I originally linked to is pretty much the best dell for around €1200

garykeane121

Thanks commited. I was also looking at the 5150 and just wanted peoples opinions. The two pcs are identically custimised ram, graphics e.t.c but they have different hard-drives and processors

Dell 5150
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 640 with HT technology (3.20GHz, 800MHz fsb, 2MB cache)
320GB (2x160GB 7200rpm SATA) Hard Drive
Cost €1247

Dell9150
Intel® Pentium® D 820 (2.8GHz, 800FSB, 2X1MB Cache) [Included in Price]
250GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with 8MB DataBurst™ cache
Cost €1229

Is there much difference in the 5150 or 9150.
Which processor is better
Does it matter that the 5150 has 2 160GB Drives.

Again all advice apprecieated

BopNiblets

*insert standard Dell booing here*

Since no one's mentioned it yet: Komplett.ie's custom computer builder.

AMD ones can do all the standard downloading music and schoolwork (unless it's 3D graphics work) you need but has the bonus of being able to handle games better, and last I checked they were cheaper than Intel too.

garykeane121

Any ideas on which of the dell pcs to choose or any other suggestions.

Also the above prices include speakers with subwoofers. If I am not buying a sound card is there any point in getting subwoofers. OR Would it be better in the long run to pay the €120 (aprox) for sound card and 5.1 surround speakers now?

Thanks

DemonOfTheFall

€120 for a sound card is an atrocious rip off. You can get a decent one for 25 - 40 euro from anywhere other than Dell. They really are just reaming you when they ask for 120.

I'd recommend the dual core chip ( The pentium D ). It'd survive having loads of random junk installed a lot better than the P4 640 would. More horsepower to spare for antivirus and firewall and the likes.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

You could get the first one built for half that if you knew someone that's in the know...

I would go for the AMD, I changed from AMD to P4 a few months ago but I will be changing back to the AMD in about 6 months...

The 6200 is a pretty decent card too. I have the 5900XT.

Gurgle

What I'd buy:
€1286 + delivery
& I'm sure 'someone' would assemble it for another €100 or so

Khannie

I wouldn't recommend a custom build myself. The dell that commited recommended looks like a decent machine (though the 19 inch monitor is probably overkill for a home user).

Out of the initial two, I'd go with the HP machine, given the choice.

garykeane121

Just to clarify the €120 was for a sound card and 5.1 surround speakers.

Is the 6200 as bad as a card as was initially said? The dell 9150 comes with a 256MB PCI ExpressT ATI RadeonT X600 Hypermemory. Any advice on should I get the dell 9150 or the hp, I still cant make up my mind.

Snowbat

The assortment of (mostly donated) computer junk in my garage ranges from a Compaq Deskpro 286 to a Computer City Pentium 200 MMX. This motley testament to beige includes two Dell machines. All the junk actually works except for... you guessed it... both Dells.

/ different models, dead motherboards
// personal experience
/// in no way a reflection on Dell's fine quality products
//// go for the HP

DemonOfTheFall

The 6200 will have you playing almost all new games in 800x600 on lowest everything. The X600 hypermemory wouldn't be too bad...

Khannie

Yeah, that graphics card is a bit of a showstopper if you want to play graphically intensive games at all.

garykeane121

Damn. Was all set to order the 9150 and found out the €150 off offer has changed to free delivery meaning the pc has gone up by €90. Do they regularily have the €150 off offer as I might wait for it to come back.

Would it make much difference to the running speed if I changed either
(a)The pentiumD procesor 820 2.8ghz gown down to the pentium4 630 3.0ghz
(b)The hard drive from the 250 gb down to 160 gb

Thanks

DemonOfTheFall

I doubt you'd feel much of a difference in every day use, with the processor speed change.

Depending on if you download much stuff/backup many dvds/rip many CDs, you might fill that 160 GB hard drive. Probably enough though

garykeane121

I do plan on storing alot of music and movies on it so I might opt for the larger hard drive.

I am going to Cork tomorrow, does anybody know of any pc shops there where I might see a better pc?

Also do Dell have a January sale and what type of offers did they have last year?
Thanks

hobie

Dell is a bit like 'Man U' ...... you either like them .... or hate the $$$$$$$ :cool:

I had a Pent III machine for over 5 years ..... the warranty cost me 12 cents a day over the first 3 years (130.00 Euro's) ..... one Hard disc replaced F.O.C. in that time and the PC only gave up the ghost in a dramatic lightning storm that brought down many local machines (surge protection didn't save me - don't know why)

If your not into adding/changing your PC get the best spec you can afford and get the warranty cover for 3 years and you will never have to worry about getting crazy repair quotes or giving it to your best friend(computer expert) who keeps it for two weeks - changes everything - and then gives it back to you and says .... it's $$$$$$' :mad: .... 'get a new one'

now where was I? .....

commited

I dont like Dell. I do, however recommend them every now and again if they have something ridiculously cheap..
I wouldnt diss the "best friend(computer expert)" - I fix all my friends & families PCs for the cost of the components+a pint. €4 isnt alot for several hours work
If you can fix the PC yourself you're going to save yourself time and money in the long run, and with the internet (mainly google) there is no excuse for not knowing how to fix a problem

garykeane121

Thanks for all the advice.

Ive decided to go for the dell 9150 but am hoping to save some money by going for the cheapest version;)

Is there a huge difference between
(a)Intel Pentium 4 630 (3.0GHz, 800FSB, 2MB Cache) [Included in Price]
or
(b)Intel Pentium 4 640 (3.2GHz, 800FSB, 2MB Cache) [add € 48.40 or € 2/month1]

Or should I wait till I have the money and get the dearer version with
Intel Pentium D 820 (2.8GHz, 800FSB, 2X1MB Cache)

Ill be using the pc for typing, downloading and gaming so do could I cut costs by going for cheaper processor or will I better for now or in future by buying the dual-core.

commited

A 630 will be fine if money is tight.

garykeane121

Thanks commited

I dont mind paying the extra €150 but I dont really need the larger hard-drive or the larger monitor. However if there is a big performance difference in the pentium 4 630 and the pentium D 820 ill buy the dearer one.

The computer shop has offered the following pc. How do people think it stands up to the dell 9150.

Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo P Home PC
AMD Athlon 64 Bit Process 3.2 Ghz
160 Gig Hard Disk
512mb Memory
DVD D/L Burner/Reader
On-Board Sound
ATI Radeon X600 256mb Video Graphics with TV Out
Built in Networking
Fax Modem
Speakers
Windows XP Home
Silver 17” Flat Screen monitor

Price €1065 inc. VAT

All advice appreciated.

DemonOfTheFall

Thats a pretty nice deal from the computer shop. The X600 would be pretty good for games, decent hard drive, fast processor, decent enough RAM, DVD burner and a flat screen. I think that Fujitsus are reliable enough. Any of them that I've been fixing before have all been in perfect physical condition, nothing going wrong with them.

Alkers

I'd just check whether that Fujitsu is a Socket 939 or 754 before going for it.

garykeane121

Galaxy Computers are offering the above scaleo P but also another version with Pentium 4 630 3.0 and with a different graphics card 256MB ATI X550. Which would be better?

Would the Dell not be a better option with 1024mb of Ram?

Which of the graphics card is better 256MB PCI ExpressT ATI RadeonT X600 (Dell)Hypermemory or the 256MB Nvidia X600 PCI Express (fujitsu)

Ill e-mail them to check which socket it is.

Thanks for all the advice

Alkers

If you're planning on doing any sort of gaming I'd go the AMD system. The x600 is better x550 aswell. I have a 9600 (previous gen.) and it plays Bf2 etc. alright. I wouldn't worry too much about RAM - it's probably the cheapest and also the easist to do upgrade so if you find the pc a bit slow you can always just throw some in after buying it on the net. You can also easily and cheaply enough upgrade the HDD at a later date also. Check it's SATA with the manufacturer also. If it is and the cpu is socket 939 I'd deffo go with that.
That is if you haven't ruled out a custom build? I was bored so had a look on komplett. For €855 (excl. delivery) you can build a nearly identical pc. After looking on the Fujitsu website It seems those PCs are IDE and I'm not sure about the CPU being a s939 or s754. The komplet system was
AMD 3200+ - 175
Hitachi 160gb Sata - 88
Samsung DVD+_ RW burner - 44
X700 256Mb - 110
512Mb pc3200 - 42
XP home - 92
17" flatscreen crt - 119
case + psu - 63 (350W - same as in Fujitsu)
120mm fan - 13
Epox mobo (onboard sound and lan)- 78
logitech 2.1 speakers - 32
That's got a better GFX card, is cheaper and easily upgradeable.

garykeane121

Thanks Simona but I think I can rule out a custom build. I emailed computer shop about which socket is hopefully theyll reply quickly. If it is socket 939 will I go for that.

Comparing it with the dearer dell however for an extra €200 (ish) Id get the pentium D 2.8ghz, 512mb more ram and 90 GB bigger hard drive and a 19" monitor.
Would this be better or would the fujitsu with the amd processor be bettter?

Alkers

If the Fujitsu isn't socket939 AND SATA I'd have to say I'd go with the dual-core Dell if it's only €200 more... Is there a 19"CRT with the Dell? The Dell would also be upgradeable in terms of GFX card, RAM and HDD if the power supply is powerfull enough.

garykeane121

The monitor the dell comes with is
Dell E196FP 19" Midnight Grey (TCO99) Flat Panel Monitor [Included in Price]

stevejazzx

garykeane121 wrote:

The monitor the dell comes with is
Dell E196FP 19" Midnight Grey (TCO99) Flat Panel Monitor [Included in Price]

don't go for the dell
don't go for a pentium

here are some checks

psu should be around400w or higher
decent graphics card 6600gt and up
good hd size 200gb and up
dvdrw
nice quiet case
an athlon 64 or x2 processor
socket 939 mainboard
a gig of ram


this will make you happy

Gurgle

garykeane121 wrote:

Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo P Home PC
AMD Athlon 64 Bit Process 3.2 Ghz
160 Gig Hard Disk
512mb Memory
DVD D/L Burner/Reader
On-Board Sound
ATI Radeon X600 256mb Video Graphics with TV Out
Built in Networking
Fax Modem
Speakers
Windows XP Home
Silver 17” Flat Screen monitor

Price €1065 inc. VAT

All advice appreciated.

Buy this one ^^
Get the shop to add another 512Mb RAM (for less than €60) & you'll have a nice system for a couple of years.

commited

or spend an extra €40 (on top of the 1065 and 60) and get this:

(D12517) Dimension 5150 3.2GHz
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 640 with HT technology (3.20GHz, 800MHz fsb, 2MB cache)
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
1-Year Collect and Return service
1024MB Dual Channel DDR2 400MHz (2x512) Memory
320GB (2x160GB 7200rpm SATA) Hard Drive
16x max. DVD+/-RW Drive
Internal 13-in-1 Media Card Reader
Microsoft® Works 7.0 - English
Dell E196FP 19" Midnight Grey (TCO99) Flat Panel Monitor
256MB PCI ExpressT ATI RadeonT X600 Hypermemory
Dell A525 Speakers with Subwoofer
V.92 Data Fax Modem
Dell Entry Quietkey USB Keyboard - UK/Ire (QWERTY)
Dell USB 2Button Wheel Mouse
Adobe Reader 6.0 - English 20764 [640-10399] 601
Photo Album™ SE Basic 11920 [640-10339] 85
Paint Shop™ Pro® Basic Edition 11922 [640-10340] 86
Dell Colour Printer 720

€1169

Not a fan of intel or dell but it genuinely looks like a better option for someone who's never going to mess about upgrading.

Alkers

Media Centre Xp?

commited

Indeed have you not heard of it?

Alkers

Lol of course I have. Just wondering whether it was appropiate for this users needs?

commited

it has all the functionality of home with the media centre included so its a bonus if anything.
It was the basic os supplied by dell in the options.

garykeane121

Dell now have a €100 off offer as well as free delivery meaning the 9150 now costs €1170
This model includes.
Intel® Pentium® D 820 (2.8GHz, 800FSB, 2X1MB Cache
1024MB Dual Channel DDR2
250GB (7200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
16x DVD+/-RW & 16x DVD Drives
19" Flat Panel Monitor
256MB ATI Radeon® X600

If you add on the cost of buying ram for the other pc they come to roughly the same price. Does this seem the better deal now?

Alkers

Lol - this is getting confusing. I'd still go AMD IF it's s939 and SATA - otherwise that's your man.

garykeane121

I found these specs for the fujitsu off kelkoo
Dimensions 373x200x435mm (H x W x D)
Video Radeon X300HM 128MB PCI-X
CPU AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Socket 939
Chipset Crush K8 939
Memory 512MB DDR
Storage 160GB SATA
Optical Drive DVD+/-RW
Modem 56kBit
Card Reader Yes

Alkers

Thats a different GFX - x300 - worse than the ones above.

garykeane121

Damn that must be for a slightly different model. I have e-mailed computer shop and galaxy computers hopefully they will respond quickly.

garykeane121

Galaxy Computers just e-mailed back
Its socket is Crush K8 939 and it is PATA.
Should i opt for the dell instead so?

Alkers

I'd go for the Dell yeah unless the motherboard also had a SATA port...