A new PC for Poker!

JTheViper · 08-02-2006 1:52pm #1

Id appreciate any help from anyone who knows more about pc's than me, mainly everyone.

I am typing this on a 5 year old laptop which is just too slow and old for what I want it to do.

What I want to buy is simple,

A desktop PC for my house. The PC will be used 75% for playing poker and the rest for surfing ect but not for work or any other gaming.

I want to be ably to multi table more cos the laptop can fit only 2 tables on the screen but there is about 60-70% crossover. Its impossible to play more than 2 tables and 2 is quite difficult on this laptop.

Waht would be a good PC for me to buy, I know Dell are ok but sometimes you head bad things about them. Budget is 600 to 800 .I dont even have the euro sign!!

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

slegs · 08-02-2006 2:11pm

I would go with a high spec laptop if i were you...it gives you more flexibility with mobility round the house etc...very handy for long poker tournaments...if you set up a wireless router you can pretty much play anywere including the bog (as is sometimes needed)!

Dell are very good and even the higher spec laptops are not as aexpensive as they used to be...I got a Dell 9300 last summer for 1300 euro and its a beast of a thing with a 17" screen...there are very good Dell laptops also in your budget range

my 2 cents

masterK · 08-02-2006 2:19pm

You're existing laptop should be OK for playing poker and surfing the web, neither of which are exactly highly resourse demanding. The main problem seems to be the screen size on your laptop, you could try changing the resolution to see if this seems any better. It is also possible to hook the laptop up to a TV screen if the TV has the correct inputs.

If you do decide to buy new, maybe a PC instead of a Laptop would be the better option, you're always going to be limited by screen size, there's only so much you can do when messing with different resolutions. Just buy a pretty basic machine from Dell but go for a decent sized screen, it doesn't have to be and LCD a CRT will do fine. The best place to get a Dell machine for a cheap price is the Dell Outlet store.
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=ie&cs=iedhs1&l=en&s=dfo

You should consider if there will be anything else in the future you may need the PC, especially things like Video Editing/Encoding, these will require a higher spec of PC.

mewso · 08-02-2006 2:26pm

As masterk says for playing poker the actual PC doesn't need to be much. It's about screen resolution and monitor size. As to the dell outlet it does have the best prices but I don't think those PCs come with a monitor. You could also use the general website to pick a mid-range PC and then pick a decent monitor.

BrokenArrows · 08-02-2006 2:28pm

For what you want to do you dont need a powerfull pc.

You really just want a bigger monitor.
Go onto dell website and get a cheap pc and just order a 17 or 19 inch screen.

Dell Computer

Just configure the stuff you want and it.
Its a cheap pc and does all you need it to.

masterK · 08-02-2006 2:30pm

No they don't but you can add a monitor on at the end, you can get a 19" CRT for €170 and an 19" LCD for just over €200. You could also have a look at the FS forums, people are always trying to get rid of CRT's these days.

gerry87 · 08-02-2006 2:46pm

You probably don't need a new computer. What you could think of trying is buying a monitor or two that you could plug into your laptop, then you can set it up that you can use all the monitors, say drag a window from one monitor to another.

There should be a place to plug an extra monitor on your laptop, and you can probably get a special cable if you want to add more monitors. It would work out alot cheaper and be more what you want.

Ste05 · 08-02-2006 2:50pm

Also just make sure the graphics card allows for the increased resolution. Ideally you want 1900 x 1200 (I think) to allow you to multitable 4 tables without overlap.

Can push up the price though.

ntlbell · 08-02-2006 2:52pm

Ste05 wrote:

Also just make sure the graphics card allows for the increased resolution. Ideally you want 1900 x 1200 (I think) to allow you to multitable 4 tables without overlap.

Can push up the price though.

If you're looking for this sort of res you'll require a good monitor to support it also, the cards not enough.

Imposter · 08-02-2006 2:54pm

I've connected a new monitor to my laptop and that's what I use. You need to get a 20" lcd screen in order to get 1600x1200 resolution which gets you 4 tables without overlap (unless you use party which has a bigger crappier window). That screen alone costs upwards of 500€ so your budget may need to be bigger is you get a PC/laptop as well as a screen.

Ste05 · 08-02-2006 3:20pm

ntlbell wrote:

If you're looking for this sort of res you'll require a good monitor to support it also, the cards not enough.

Ye I thought that was mentioned above

,

ntlbell · 08-02-2006 3:24pm

Ste05 wrote:

Ye I thought that was mentioned above ,

It was sorry

Vamos · 08-02-2006 3:29pm

I've a Dell 6000 with 1920X1200 resolution on a 15" screen that gives 4 tabling with no overlap. I'd go for a laptop over a desktop. Way handier and has more than enough power for what you need.

Ardent · 08-02-2006 3:45pm

For playing poker the majority of the time, I recommend you buy a medium spec PC but with a decent graphics card and two monitors for a dual monitor set up.

I have an nVidia 6800 GT hooked up to two 19" LCD monitors at 1280 x 1024 resolution each. I got the second monitor about a week ago and I already don't know how I survived before without it.

It's the only way to multi table without squinting at a screen. Also, playing poker can be tedious at times as we all know and I find it great to be able to watch a movie or do something else while playing long tournies.

A new PC for Poker!

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