Kevin's Watch

I'm shopping for a new computer. I'm thinking about a Dell Dimension 5150, but it doesn't meet my entire wish list. Any suggestions?

Here's what I need:

<$1000 total cost (without monitor).
1 GB DDR RAM (with room for upgrading).
At least 80 GB SATA HD, 7200 RPM. (RAID controller would be nice for future upgrading.)
16xPCIe slot, preferrable already filled with a 128 MB or greater video card.
SLI compatible motherboard would be nice for future upgrading to two video cards.
S-video port for transferring my old Hi-8 videos to my HD, and burning them to DVD.
Dual layer DVD+/-RW
At least a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4, 2.8 Pentium D (dual core), or AMD 64 3700, the AMD 64 X2 dual core would be even better.

Any suggestions that fit these criteria? What computers do you all have? Am I missing any important features?

If you need a pci express video card (256mb, radeon x800gt) that was only used for one week (as I bought a powerful beast of a card a week later) I can sell you one very cheap free postage. Still have the packaging and discs and manual.

I'll do some research and get back to you. Let me ask: why the new card? I'd like to be able to play Quake 4 and Doom 3. Is the card you're selling going to have trouble with those?

Well, the card seems to compare nicely with the GeForce 6600GT, and it tests well with Doom 3 at 1024x768 with anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering. However, it seems to only have DVI ports on the back--I wasn't planning on getting an LCD monitor. My old CRT works just fine. Let me think about it. If I can save quite a bit on the card, maybe it is time to get an LCD after all (though I've heard for 3d games, a CRT has faster response time and better black levels).


[Edit: it looks like the Powercolor has two DVI ports, while the Sapphire has a DVI and a VGA. Which brand is yours?]
[Edit #2: I suppose I could just use a DVI to VGA adapter. Did it come with one?]


How much were you asking?

I bought a new card so I could play Oblivion on full settings (and it was on sale). The card for sale is Sapphire, and it comes with two ports - dvi and vga (I think - pretty sure).

I will sell it to you for half the price - so it's $300 Australian, so that's $150 . WIll double check and think on price as I dont want to charge you too much.

Well, I appreciate the offer, but I've seen them recently on Ebay for around $100 including shipping. So maybe I will pass on that card.

I did buy a computer. I found a Dell 5150 for $549 shipped. It has 160 GB HD, 1 GB DDR2 RAM, 3.0 Pentium 4, etc. I'm very pleased. I saved $200 off the Dell price. (Considering that this is an upgrade from my very old 500 MHz P3 computer, it's quite a move up for me.)

So, I've got a little room in my budget for extras like a video card. But I'll probably shop around a little before deciding on one. I'd also like a high quality audio card, one that supports 24 bit/196 sampling for high resolution music.

Any other extras you'd like to get rid of, let me know.

No problem, Malik23