Author Topic: I got my PC...  (Read 4224 times)

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I got my PC...
« on: September 07, 2003, 02:43:09 PM »
OK, I bought a PC, have it up and running and I like it somewhat, but my Mac is still #1 and will always be.  I did get exactly what the eBay seller was selling.  A brand new Sony Vaio/15" LCD in an unopened box.  That is what was delivered to my door last Friday.  I am happy with it, but need more ram and a PCI video card with at least 64 mb or higher.

If any of you on Techsurvivors know where I can get a good deal on Ram and Video Cards for a PC, I truely THANK YOU!


For 749.00 + 50.00 shipping, is it a good deal? What do you think? I still have my number 1 iMacG4!


Brand new and sealed .

15-INCH SONY SDM-HS53 FLAT-PANEL COLOR LCD MONITER

256 MB DDR RAM expandable to 1 GB
266 MHz memory speed
533 MHz frontside bus
512 KB level 2 cache
80 GB ATA-100 hard disk drive
3.5-inch floppy disk drive (1.44 MB)
40x10x32x40x CD-RW drive
16x maximum DVD-ROM drive
Intel integrated graphics with 64 MB shared memory
10Base-T/100Base-TX fast Ethernet
V.90 modem
One 3.5-inch internal expansion bay
2 PCI expansion slots
Two front and two rear USB 2.0 ports
Serial port
Two PS/2 ports
Parallel port
6-pin and 4-pin i.LINK ports (IEEE 1394)
Headphone output
Microphone input
Audio line input
Stereo speakers
VAIO smart keyboard
PS/2 wheel mouse
Multimedia software includes PictureGear Studio, DVgate Plus SonicStage and VAIO Media
pre-installed software includes ,window xp home edition,Microsoft Works 7.0, Quicken 2003, Money and McAfee Security Center
PC dimentions are 7.2"W x 15.6"H x 14.9"D
PC box weight 52 pounds s/h $50
COMPUTER IS BRAND NEW IN THE BOX, FACTORY SEALED, NEVER REMOVED FROM THE BOX OR USED.

Offline amk285nyu

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I got my PC...
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2003, 03:14:09 PM »
Why did you need a second computer? Was it just a deal too good to pass up? (I read the specs, but I've been out of the market since I got my Powerbook, so I have no sense of pricing).

Sorry, I don't know where any good deals are (obviously).

Offline ljocampo

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I got my PC...
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2003, 06:41:15 PM »
Tonye:  I'm so glad for you.  I guess I owe you a mea cupa for this one.

Good luck with it.    WOW.gif

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I got my PC...
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2003, 06:50:14 PM »
Thanks!  I am happy with the deal, but my Mac is my Baby,

 biggrin.gif

Offline Epaminondas

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I got my PC...
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2003, 08:20:12 PM »
Toyne,
 
Nice box.  
But the first thing you really need to do is open that box and get the computer outa there - it's yearning to breathe free.
 
I didn't catch the motherboard, processor type, processor speed and Microsoft OS - could you help me out?
 
DDR
 
1000 MB DDR seems to be a sweet spot, depending on your budget and what you want to do. This thread may be useful.  I would go 1000 MB if budget allows - and I'm a cheap date.
 
Some DDR performs better in matched pairs - others, it does not matter. Depends on the motherboard and such.  That is where your computer manufacturer's tech support earns it's keep.  Determine what DDR you have first - brand/speed, etc. - look on the DDR chip itself and copy down brands and numbers - before buying more.  Here are some guides if you wanna really dig into it.
 
Two separate sticks of RAM (instead of one larger stick) can make a real speed difference on some boards with on-board video sharing motherboard RAM.
_______________________________________________________________
 
Video cards:
 
It depends on what you are gonna be lookin' at.
 
2D?  I.e., staring at print / typical schoolwork / office apps all day - go Matrox.  You will be glad you did.
 
3D gaming?  It may depend on your game and your budget.


Then again, if this has an integrated monitor, I'm not at all sure that you can use a separate video card, anyway.

Monitor integrated or separate?

And I do not see an AGP slot in the specs you quoted - without one, your video card choices may be a little limited.

This may be more of an internet/word-processing machine than a graphics/gaming workhorse.


If you know what video card you want, try the same places you are shopping for DDR.
 
If you are not sure, get back to us and we can all be unsure together.
 
 
Happy computing,
 
Epaminondas
« Last Edit: September 07, 2003, 08:24:45 PM by Epaminondas »

Offline Paddy

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I got my PC...
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2003, 09:05:44 PM »
Judging by all the similar auctions on eBay, it's a Sony Vaio PCV-RS312V - 2.4GHz Pentium 4, takes up to 1GB DDR, has 2 free PCI slots (third one is occupied by the modem) and no AGP slot, according to the specs on Sony's web site.

Walmart sell this same configuration (with the 15" LCD) for $998, as do a couple of other places. From Sony, it looks like it's over $800 without the monitor, though they give you 512MB of DDR RAM with that model. So, it looks like you got a good price. smile.gif
"If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into committees. That'll do them in." ~Author unknown •iMac 5K, 27" 3.6Ghz i9 (2019) • 16" M1 MBP(2021) • 9.7" iPad Pro • iPhone 13

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I got my PC...
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2003, 09:06:22 PM »
Epaminondas, hi there.

The computer uses DDR 2100 and only 4 PCI slots, no agp, but I found a 256 mb of the 2100 and a 64 mb video card, both for the price of 104.99, that includes the shipping and handling.  Heres what I got...


NEW* PNY 256MB DDR PC2100 RAM MEMORY 256 MB

NEW ATI Radeon 7000 64MB DDR PCI Video Card

I hope I got good deals because the Intel extreme graphics on the motherboard is blah!  I don't like it.  So I will like having the other Videocard to use and make things go much more smoother.  

I will have a total of 512 mb ram on the computer after I put in the new ram and I am only abler to go up to 1 gig on the PC.

Thanks all for the info and help...

Tonye biggrin.gif

Offline Epaminondas

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I got my PC...
« Reply #7 on: September 08, 2003, 12:15:08 AM »
Graphics Card Comparison Chart


Toyne,


The Radeon 7000 is a nice bargain card.  It is in the Radeon VE family (see chart, above).  It is generally rated significantly below the Radeon 7500.  The 7000 is not a gaming card.  2D is very good in the ATI-manufactured Radeon cards, but can be considerably lower in quality in the cards sporting Radeon chips which are put together by other manufacturers.   On a good ATI Radeon card, 2D is typically much better than on the typical Nvidia card, though well below a Matrox G400, G450 or G550.

Depending on your needs, a Radeon 7500 PCI card might also be a good choice.

If you are into quiet, I understand that the Radeon 9000 series is passively cooled (no fan).

Consider also the availability of DVI output.

Good pricing can be found on www.Pricewatch.com   Search thread:  ATI PCI Radeon (number of your choice).
________________________________________________________________

PNY DDR is bargain DDR.  Some negative and some lukewarm reports on it - no raving positives that I have seen. You should be OK unless you aren't.  Check it out with a good software utility, particularly if your computer gives you any grief after installing it.  Keep your receipts.
________________________________________________________________

                                      GNUWin II

Looks like you are pretty well set up for basic software.  

If you would like to look into some additional free software that will run on Micorsoft Windows, you might consider downloading a free ISO of  GNUWin II

If you would prefer a GNUWin II CD over a free download and you can scrape $2.49 together, you might consider getting GNUWin II from Edmunds


Toyne.


Over and out -

Epaminondas

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I got my PC...
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2003, 01:36:29 AM »
Epaminondas

thanks for all the input and for all the other info to my questions.

you guys and gals are all great...

later