New system on the way

[TheMaggedy]

I pulled the plug on this Lenovo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883108234)from New Egg - a great deal at $469. I think it will more than suit my needs for now.

I'll be buying the Dell Ultra Sharp monitor from Christa on Monday too. Can't wait until it gets here!

Of course, Vista is coming off immediately, we'll install Windows 7, and a extra HDD in a Raid. That would be my husband, the IT Ops Manager's, job.


Brand lenovo
Series IdeaCentre
Model K230(5359-4PU)
Recommended Usage Home / Home Office
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200(2.33GHz)
Processor Main Features 64 bit Quad-Core Processor
Cache Per Processor 4MB L2 Cache
Memory 6GB DDR2 667
Hard Drive 640GB 7200RPM
Optical Drive 1 DVD±RW
Graphics Intel GMA 3100
Audio Sound card - Integrated
Ethernet Gigabit LAN
Wireless Card 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
Keyboard PS2 Antibacterial Keyboard
Mouse USB Wheel Mouse
Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Special Features TV tuner
Hybrid tuner, support analog (NTSC) and digital (ATSC) signal, hauppauge Win TV-HVR-1250, PCIe x 1
Motherboard
Chipset Intel G33
CPU
CPU Type Core 2 Quad
Installed Qty 1
CPU FSB 1333MHz
CPU Speed Q8200(2.33GHz)
L2 Cache Per CPU 4MB
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
CPU Main Features 64 bit Quad-Core Processor
Graphics
GPU/VPU Type Intel GMA 3100
Graphics Interface Integrated video
Memory
Memory Capacity 6GB DDR2
Memory Speed DDR2 667
Form Factor DIMM 240-pin
Memory Slot (Total) 4
Maximum Memory Supported 8GB
Hard Drive
HDD Capacity 640GB
HDD RPM 7200rpm
Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type DVD±RW
Audio
Audio Chipset Integrated
Communications
LAN Chipset Integrated
LAN Speed 10/100/1000Mbps
WLAN 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
Front Panel Ports
Front USB 2
Card Reader 16-in-1 Card reader
Back Panel Ports
Rear USB 4
Mouse
Mouse Type USB Mouse
Keyboard
Keyboard Type PS/2 Keyboard
Physical Spec
Dimensions 17.00" x 15.00" x 7.10"
Weight 21.50 lbs.

[basroil]

not bad, but you'll want to get yourself a graphics card for that.... gma 3100 is pretty pathetic, won't even run aero properly

[TheMaggedy]

not bad, but you'll want to get yourself a graphics card for that.... gma 3100 is pretty pathetic, won't even run aero properly

Thanks for the advice - can you recommend a couple?

[MaxxuM]

ATI 4000 series and up will do just fine as will NVidia 8000 series and higher along with the 200's and up. A good between card would be the ATI 4850. That's the max you'd want to go if you're not a big gamer.

[basroil]

ATI 4000 series and up will do just fine as will NVidia 8000 series and higher along with the 200's and up. A good between card would be the ATI 4850. That's the max you'd want to go if you're not a big gamer.

+1, though the real best is probably an ati 4650, it is 50W max, so much less heat to worry about than even the 4850. Though 4850 will let you play most titles in 1920x1200 if you don't care about absolute maximum quality settings

[TheMaggedy]

Sorry for my ignorance but I'm not a gamer and have never paid too much attention to video cards.

I just searched New Egg.com for "ati 4650" and came up with 50 results. How do I know which card to pick? There's a big range in price too.

Thanks,

[basroil]

Sorry for my ignorance but I'm not a gamer and have never paid too much attention to video cards.

I just searched New Egg.com for "ati 4650" and came up with 50 results. How do I know which card to pick? There's a big range in price too.

Thanks,

look at items with 5 eggs or 4eggs, those are usually good. the low profile ready sapphire 4650 is one of the more recommended.

[TheMaggedy]

look at items with 5 eggs or 4eggs, those are usually good. the low profile ready sapphire 4650 is one of the more recommended.

Thanks - that's really helpful. I'll check it out.

[themadman]

Brand wise it doesn't really matter. I would jsut go with the least expensive.

[basroil]

Brand wise it doesn't really matter. I would jsut go with the least expensive.

bad idea actually, you'll see there's a huge gap in stability and reliability between companies and models. You should always see what that individual product is rated. Used to be the same with RAM, now a lot less so unless you get into expensive, high performance versions

[TheMaggedy]

bad idea actually, you'll see there's a huge gap in stability and reliability between companies and models. You should always see what that individual product is rated. Used to be the same with RAM, now a lot less so unless you get into expensive, high performance versions

Thanks basroil. I ordered the Sapphire card from New Egg today. Now I just need the card and my Dell Ultrasharp monitor to get here, and I'm in business.

[basroil]

Thanks basroil. I ordered the Sapphire card from New Egg today. Now I just need the card and my Dell Ultrasharp monitor to get here, and I'm in business.

That was quick... did you at least check out other cards?

[TheMaggedy]

That was quick... did you at least check out other cards?

I read around a bit, spent a lot of time looking at other cards on New Egg, but this one was the highest rated and best fit my budget. Im not a gamer. So many of the other cards seemed like way more than I needed. It also says there is no problem with Win 7, and I plan to pull Vista off asap. We shall see - hope it works as well as advertised :):)

[basroil]

I read around a bit, spent a lot of time looking at other cards on New Egg, but this one was the highest rated and best fit my budget. Im not a gamer. So many of the other cards seemed like way more than I needed. It also says there is no problem with Win 7, and I plan to pull Vista off asap. We shall see - hope it works as well as advertised :):)

Good to know you actually researched a bit, many people blindly buy things without checking alternatives ;)

[themadman]

bad idea actually, you'll see there's a huge gap in stability and reliability between companies and models. You should always see what that individual product is rated. Used to be the same with RAM, now a lot less so unless you get into expensive, high performance versions

If you look at benchmarks, most graphics cards that sport the same processor and same memory will perform very similarly. Some companies overclock a bit, but thats the main difference. Most companies have similar warrenty etc.

But anyways, have fun with your new computer!