Buying a second hand pc: hardware questions

[Thun]

Hello, in short I know nothing about computer hardware. Im about to purchase a second hand pentium 4, while it's necessary for studies (my OLD computer can no longer read the newer document types from online uni papers) Id also like to play some games. Namely Warcraft and Temple of elemental evil. To those ends could some people please inform me whether there is anything particularly wrong with these components:

Mainboard - Gigabyte GA-8PE800(-L)

256Mb DDR 333MHz

Graphics Card - Gigabyte GV-R9200-128D (128Mb)


that's about it, any insight would be appreciated. I really dont need a perfect machine, but would like to know whether there is anything really bad about these parts. Thanks in advance.

[Abbadon]

It's not bad at all, allthough it's certainly not a top of the line system. It would be nice to know what kind of processor you're running, and how much you would pay for that, then we can tell if you have a bargain or not :)

either way, 256mb of ram is on the light side should you choose to run WinXp. It will run, but markedly slower then with 512mb.

If you have more questions, just shoot

oh, and welcome to the guide ;)

[Thun]

Hi and thanks Abbadon

The processor speed is 2.6ghz, and it will cost approximately 500 Australian dollars, unsure what that would be American.

Chances are if I get this one or another like it, I'll be haunting this board shortly to decipher some issue or another.

[pave_spectre]

For any kind of newer gaming the 9200 graphics card is kind of low end, but should be capable of playing most current games.

If the $500 is for the entire system, thats a fairly reasonable deal, though may depend on what hardrive it has.

I also agree that 256MB RAM is a little light if you run XP, and it would be worthwhile forking out for another 256MB stick.

[Thun]

Hello can someone tell me what this means

Integrated Intel® 815E Uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology

is this an unworkable video card for games such as Temple of Elemental Evil and Warcraft III ?

[ErnieK]

This is the ONBOARD video (built into the motherboard) and when you have a graphics card installed it is disabled in the bios. If you graphics card is working OK just ignore it.

Onboard Video uses up a part of the RAM inserted into you computer as follows. If you have 128MB ram installed and the intgrated memory needs 32MB this would reduce your working memory to 96MB

[Thun]

So in theory if I have enough ram + additional ram to suffice for the video card requirements (eg 128 + 32) this card would operate ok ?

Also how important is wattage for games ? As I see some other systems which have low wattage but good features overall.

AMD Athlon 2000+
256MB pc3200 DDR 400mhz ram with lifetime manufacturers warranty!,
40gig Seagate HDD 7200Rpm,
Samsung 52x 32x 52x CD-RW new model,
128mb 3d onboard Graphics,
8x AGP port for future upgrades
Motherboard Supports upto AMD 3000+ with 333fsb for future upgradability
onboard sound
supports high speed ATA 133
10/100 Network,
6 usb ports, 4 back and 2 front,
450watt ATX tower case


Is there anything wrong with the above as a suitable machine to run games ? Would it be worth approximately 400 Australian dollars ?

[HeadachesAbound]

This is approx $585 USD. What is the make/model of the motherboard and case?

[pave_spectre]

Originally posted by Thun
Is there anything wrong with the above as a suitable machine to run games ? Would it be worth approximately 400 Australian dollars ?

Personally I think that particular onboard video is junk for gaming, but even with that limitation, 400 bucks is a reasonable price.

RAM, hard Drive and Processor alone, will come close to that.

It's not the best deal I've seen but it's good for a low-mid range system.

[Thun]

Headaches Abound I inquired about the specifics of your questions but have gotten no response as of yet.

Thank you Pave_Spectre, it's probably the machine I'll pick up. After going over various prices and pieces I realised that buying parts separately is probably the most economic way to go but am curtailed with having to buy an operating system (which I suspect is very costly).

I guess the "onboard graphics" means it will detract from the computer's portion of ram. I'll probably buy a budget video card (128mbs) when the opportunity arises, any suggestions ?

[pave_spectre]

Depends on how you define 'Budget'.

You could pick up a Radeon 9200 (not a lame 9200SE) for around $100-$130 and that will do alright for a lot of games, but won't be up to par for the latest stuff. The 9200SE will go for less than $100.

For a better 9600PRO you are looking in the rang of $250-$300.
The Nvidia 5700 series if I remember correctly runs similar cost/performance to the Radeon 9600 series, and I'm personally trying to decide between these two for my system.

[HeadachesAbound]

I ran this quote for another post yesterday and it seems to apply here to. Some of the prices may have changed as they do from time to time.

Just my 2 cents. Comes to a little over $580 and doesn't cover everything (cd-rom, kybrd, mouse, monitor, speakers, and maybe a couple of other things).

This will give you an Athlon xp 2000+ with 1GB of RAM. I currently run something similar and play quite a few games and do alot of digital video and music without any real issues.

It's all from NewEgg.

GIGABYTE "GA-7VT600 1394" KT600 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Model#: GA-7VT600 1394
Item#: N82E16813128197
Price: $64.00

Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
Model# KVR400X64C3A/512
Item # N82E16820141424
Price: $79.00 (Get 2 of these)

Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack SP1a - OEM
Model# E85-02179
Item # N82E16837102143
Price: #135.00

Aspire X-Dreamer II(Black) ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, With Window, Model "ATXB4KLW-BK/350"
Model# ATXB4KLW-BK/350W
Item # N82E16811144026
Price : $49.99

AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 266 FSB, 256K Cache Processor - Retail
Model# AXDA2000BOX
Item # N82E16819103383
Price : $57.00

ECS ATI RADEON 9200 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "R9200-128DV" -RETAIL
Model# R9200-128DV
Item # N82E16814134108
Price : $50.00

Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD800JB, OEM Drive Only
Model# WD800JB
Item # N82E16822144122
Price : $65.95

[pave_spectre]

Originally posted by HeadachesAbound
I ran this quote for another post yesterday and it seems to apply here to.

Not really. We're dealing with Australian prices and yours aren't.
Just ran a quick check, and the components you list there without a case come to nearly $AU900. With a good quality case and supply that will take it over $AU1000.

[HeadachesAbound]

Originally posted by pave_spectre


Not really. We're dealing with Australian prices and yours aren't.
Just ran a quick check, and the components you list there without a case come to nearly $AU900. With a good quality case and supply that will take it over $AU1000.

Sorry, too early in the morning for the brain to function. I did the conversion wrong.

[saphalline]

Onboard video is not something I would recommend for playing modern 3D games. It can be done if you play at a low resolution (640 x 480) with the details turned down/off, but that's not very fun! Intel's 815 series of chipsets would be totally inadequate for any 3D games made after 2001. I recommend a dedicated video card because even a pathetic Radeon 9200SE can beat the pants off any onboard video. Start with a regular 9200 and increase as your budget allows.

RAM is cheap and plentiful, relatively speaking. DDR is as cheap as it's gonna get, and PC2700 is dirt cheap even in sticks of 512MB. It's also the easiest and most effective upgrade you can do. Don't worry so much about getting a lot up front because it's so cheap and easy to upgrade. For WinXP, 512MB of RAM is the minimum if you want to play games (and 4GB is the max!).

I think processor speed is the least important factor in buying a computer these days. It's very difficult to get less than 2GHz/2000+ and you'll rarely be wanting for more speed than that! Only the latest & greatest DX9 system-punishing games require more CPU horsepower, and even then the video card always makes the biggest impact. I hate to say it, but 95% or more of all computer users will never stress a 2GHz CPU.

The prices for complete systems that you've been quoting all look good. Desktops are so cheap now it's not even funny. I really think that if you follow our guidelines, you'll get an upgradable computer that you'll love.

[Thun]

thanks again for all the advice.

Ive taken note of all suggested. I'll ask one last question in this thread and then come back when ive got my computer with more specific queries.

Anyway, will operating system have any affect on performance for gaming ? Because I'll be using windows 2000 initially, whereas many have refered to xp. Is there any difference for performance issues, and is it substantial ?

[saphalline]

Win 2000 can be hit or miss for game playing, but most recent games support it. Older games probably won't work since 2000 and XP don't have a DOS-based kernel, but XP has more backwards compatibility modes.

As for performance, 2000 is lean and mean whereas XP is a hog! That's only relatively speaking, however, so the OS itself isn't an issue for a 2GHz CPU. :rolleyes: As long as you have lots of RAM, either one will be quite happy playing games.