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gekko · 05-12-2002, 05:10 PM

Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 2.2GHz
120GB Ultra DMA
hp DVD+RW Drive (2.4x/8x/12x/10x/32x): 2.4x DVD (re-write), 8x DVD (read), 12x CD-R (write), 10x CD-RW (re-write) 32x CD(read)
speeds [:eek:]
nVidia GeForce2™ MX400 AGP graphics card [Have no clue if that's good or not]
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition

Decent processor, but Intel just released the new Pentium 4 2.53ghz models with the 533mhz FSB, which would make it much faster.

DVD-RW isn't bad, but it's a total waste of money. For the one or two times you may burn a DVD, granted you'll probably screw up burning a few, costing $5 a pop. You would be better off getting a DVD-ROM and CD-RW, both of which have speeds at least double what that drive has. On Macs the DVD burning is kinda nice, with iDVD and everything. On Windows, I woudn't get it.

GeForce 2 MX card absolutly sucks. That's beyond last generation. The best cards out right now are the GeForce 4 Ti 4600 cards. That's not a GeForce 2 Ultra, which were top-end cards 2 years ago. You aren't getting the GeForce 3 cards which will be required for games like Doom III, Unreal 2, and Quake 4. You don't even have the Geforce 4 MX, cheesy version of the GeForce 4 card. To top it all off, nVidia is releasing a new line of cards set to come out this August that will be more than twice as powerful as the current GF4 cards. ATI is also releasing a new card in September alongside the release of Direct X 9.0.

To sum that last paragraph up, you need a new graphics card, badly. The Geforce 2 will meet most of the current games minimum card in the "recommended" category. So it'll be able to handle the game, but it won't be played with flying colors. Two suggestions, if you plan on playing a lot of games with it, get a GeForce 4 Ti 4400 right now. It's about $100 cheaper than the GF4 Ti 4600, and since the next-generation of cards will come out at the end of summer, buying the top end right now isn't worth it.

All and all your computer is great for being free. But if you plan to play any new games over the summer, paying $300 for a new graphics card would be ideal. Then pay another $400-500 when the new ones come out. Remember, Doom III, Unreal II, and all those games are being developed with the programmable features found in the GeForce 3 cards and up (Radeon 8500 on the ATI side). So your computer may be brand new, but it won't be playing the games that will come out this fall.

You paid nothing for the computer, buy yourself a decent graphics cards and some games. And rememer you're using Windows, so remember to perform tons of maintenance work and always keep your drivers current.

05-12-2002, 05:10 PM	#6
gekko Knight gekko is offline Now Playing: Posts: 3,890	Re: My new PC Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 2.2GHz 120GB Ultra DMA hp DVD+RW Drive (2.4x/8x/12x/10x/32x): 2.4x DVD (re-write), 8x DVD (read), 12x CD-R (write), 10x CD-RW (re-write) 32x CD(read) speeds [:eek:] nVidia GeForce2™ MX400 AGP graphics card [Have no clue if that's good or not] Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition Decent processor, but Intel just released the new Pentium 4 2.53ghz models with the 533mhz FSB, which would make it much faster. DVD-RW isn't bad, but it's a total waste of money. For the one or two times you may burn a DVD, granted you'll probably screw up burning a few, costing $5 a pop. You would be better off getting a DVD-ROM and CD-RW, both of which have speeds at least double what that drive has. On Macs the DVD burning is kinda nice, with iDVD and everything. On Windows, I woudn't get it. GeForce 2 MX card absolutly sucks. That's beyond last generation. The best cards out right now are the GeForce 4 Ti 4600 cards. That's not a GeForce 2 Ultra, which were top-end cards 2 years ago. You aren't getting the GeForce 3 cards which will be required for games like Doom III, Unreal 2, and Quake 4. You don't even have the Geforce 4 MX, cheesy version of the GeForce 4 card. To top it all off, nVidia is releasing a new line of cards set to come out this August that will be more than twice as powerful as the current GF4 cards. ATI is also releasing a new card in September alongside the release of Direct X 9.0. To sum that last paragraph up, you need a new graphics card, badly. The Geforce 2 will meet most of the current games minimum card in the "recommended" category. So it'll be able to handle the game, but it won't be played with flying colors. Two suggestions, if you plan on playing a lot of games with it, get a GeForce 4 Ti 4400 right now. It's about $100 cheaper than the GF4 Ti 4600, and since the next-generation of cards will come out at the end of summer, buying the top end right now isn't worth it. All and all your computer is great for being free. But if you plan to play any new games over the summer, paying $300 for a new graphics card would be ideal. Then pay another $400-500 when the new ones come out. Remember, Doom III, Unreal II, and all those games are being developed with the programmable features found in the GeForce 3 cards and up (Radeon 8500 on the ATI side). So your computer may be brand new, but it won't be playing the games that will come out this fall. You paid nothing for the computer, buy yourself a decent graphics cards and some games. And rememer you're using Windows, so remember to perform tons of maintenance work and always keep your drivers current.