View Full Version : Help me out people... (need advise)
Right-o... christmas has left me with some money and I intend to invest it on my computer (what else do you think I'd spend it on???;))
Sorry about the currency, but I can only buy stuff where I live, and my selection is rather limited... (Colombia. Currency: pesos).
I have $280 (bare with me, PESOS) cash.
Recently I bought 512mb pc2700 but ended up having issues with the 256mb module I previously owned. I can sell the 256 module for $80.
The point is I'm not sure what to buy...
- Samsung semi-flat 17" monitor $400
- Maxtor 80GB 7200rpm $215
- Maxtor 40GB 7200rpm $175
- DVD ROM Sony 16x oem $115
- Barton 2500+ $295
- Creative inspire 4.1 4400 $220
I can also replace the 256mb module for a 512mb one by adding $140 approx.
Most things are within acceptable price ranges from what I have, except the monitor, but I can surely get the cash.
In a nutshell:
What should I buy? (see current specs in sig.)
Originally posted by Tuork
Recently I bought 512mb pc2700 but ended up having issues with the 256mb module I previously owned. I can sell the 256 module for $80.
The point is I'm not sure what to buy...
- Samsung semi-flat 17" monitor $400
- Maxtor 80GB 7200rpm $215
- Maxtor 40GB 7200rpm $175
- DVD ROM Sony 16x oem $115
- Barton 2500+ $295
- Creative inspire 4.1 4400 $220
I can also replace the 256mb module for a 512mb one by adding $140 approx.
Dude the prices are a bit erm hefty? $295 for barton 2500+...it should like less than $100! The HDDs should be half the price you quoted. In fact where are u gettting your erm price quotes? They are well over what they should be. With $500 should get you decent parts dude.
2500+ and an abit nforce2 motherboard should be $160-$180. 120GB HDD with 8 mb cache should be around $100. DVD roms should be like $50! dunno about speakers. and $80 for 256 MB is quite steep as well unless u have them ultra low latency corsair memory. In fact I bought 1 GB of RAM for $160-180 or so. That means around $90 max for 512MB module!
He's from Colombia the currenty conversion is diffrent.
If you only have 256MB then i would get extra memory the min is 512MB and i recommend about 768+MB for gaming.
I would suggest upgrading to the Barton first if your motherboard supports it, I see that as having the biggest impact on gaming performance.
It really comes down to what you can put up with the most.
Ah right he has 768MB, after reading your last thread i thought you removed the 512MB as you where having problems. Anyway i would also say get the XP2500+
Originally posted by Dazz
Ah right he has 768MB, after reading your last thread i thought you removed the 512MB as you where having problems. Anyway i would also say get the XP2500+
I currently have the 512 mb module installed seeing as the two of them are creating some conflict and games crash (max payne 2). with only one module it works fine.
I also think the processor is pretty essential with my current specs... but what I fear is the fact that as soon as I buy it... it will be outdated within 6 months! (stupid Moore's law). That's the good thing about the monitor... no need to change it for years!
As I've found out, the barton 2500+ can be used on my board after I upgrade the Bios, which I already have a newer version thanks to someone here I can't remember...
Would changing to 2*512mb fix my ram issues?
I have another thread going with the "ram situation".
oh, and BTW Muya, COLOMBIAN CURRENCY.;)
Hard to say, some board don't like single & dual sided memory working at the same time, it might be the slot isn't working correctly any number of things, i would still say get an XP2500+ as you can still get more out of your video card. At a later date try some more memory, at the moment try swaping them about and see if it's 1 chip or if it's due to being mixed, also see if the DIMM socket at fualt also.
Wouldn't the 2500+ be outdated pretty soon?
PenguinJim
12-28-03, 09:23 PM
IMO, get a fabulous new monitor. You should be able to get a pretty nice 19" CRT nowadays, or even that 17" Samsung you've got your eye on should be a hell of an upgrade. An XP1600+ isn't that old, and pairs nicely with your Ti4200. I'm sure you'd definitely appreciate the difference between a 14" and a 17" monitor. And the CRT prices, they are a-dropping! Keep shopping around for a nice one at a bargain price :).
ALobpreis
12-30-03, 02:59 PM
If I were in your place, I'd first buy the hard disk, because 15 Gb is quite too little nowadays.
The new monitor would be the next good choice, but it's a bit more expensive than the other stuff. Can't you get a cheaper one? A standard 17" monitor like a ViewSonic E70 or Samsung 753?
What do you FEEL it's necessary for your PC? For example, I have a P3 800 256 Mb GF2 Ti, it's 3 years old, and it's still strong! Ok, can't play at full the new games, but I still can play anything. After 3 years I'm thinking about upgrading (I live in Argentina, so I guess we have similar economies). I could live with a 1600+ for a while still, and upgrade later (specially if you feel the new CPU would get obsolete soon).
Alobpreis, you're probably right. My computer is running pretty good up to date and I have been able to play latest games with no problem at all (not at full). I think the best buy for now would be a monitor, seeing as that won't be easily outdated and I do need it.
Additionaly, I have a schedulled trip to NY and california sometime in June/July, so I think it's best to wait, save money, and see the prices drop;). (I don't think it's feasable to buy the monitor there, although I could probably get a 19" CRT for what I oculd get a 17" here... still thinking about it.)
Originally posted by ALobpreis
The new monitor would be the next good choice, but it's a bit more expensive than the other stuff. Can't you get a cheaper one? A standard 17" monitor like a ViewSonic E70 or Samsung 753?
I think the monitor I'm buying is the Samsung 753, at approx $145 US dollars. (hence the thought of buying it in the states)
About the memory issue, I used a memory diagnostics thingamagig someone gave me on the other thread and it appears to be I have some problems with one of the modules (Stride6-something problem). I have to test each module individually to see which is damaged.
On another nore, using DIMM slots 1 and 3 (512 and 256, respectively) appears to have solved the problem.. still running tests.
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