BUYING A NEW DESKTOP

[bobbysteels]

need to run two large monitors, handle pokertracker and be able to run multiple apps smoothly at once (my current laptop cant run pokertracker, party, and HUD without freezing up every other minute). what size RAM, processor, etc would i wanna get. also, should i be getting a really good video card to run 6+ tables on two monitors? i dont know how all this stuff works. all comments appreciated.

also, i was just gonna go through dell.com. any other suggestions for a good value? thanks.

[excession]

I am building my own for a study in my new house
Discount Dell FP2001 monitor (I play 6 max NL so don't more than 4 table), Asus barebones with decent graphics on board, Athlon 64 3000+, 2 gig Corsair Memory, 250G HDD, DVD rewriter - works out cheaper than Dell and with more customisable components.

You just want 2 gigs memory and any modern processor. Vid cards aren't as important IMHO.

[CheckCheckFold]

You will need the latest videos cards to run higher resolutions for your two big monitors. Video cards that come standard with dell will not be able to run two large monitors.

[bobbysteels]

[ QUOTE ]
You will need the latest videos cards to run higher resolutions for your two big monitors. Video cards that come standard with dell will not be able to run two large monitors.

[/ QUOTE ]

so, where do i find a decent video card? where can i assemble a computer to my specs that would have everything i need?

and what about "dual processors". the dell computuers i looked at had this./ is this standard for most new desktops?

and how much would i expect to spend for a sickass desktop?

[DogRockets]

2 good places to start:

www.newegg.com
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

DR

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
need to run two large monitors, handle pokertracker and be able to run multiple apps smoothly at once (my current laptop cant run pokertracker, party, and HUD without freezing up every other minute). what size RAM, processor, etc would i wanna get. also, should i be getting a really good video card to run 6+ tables on two monitors? i dont know how all this stuff works. all comments appreciated.

also, i was just gonna go through dell.com. any other suggestions for a good value? thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd get two hard drives and partition both. You can try something like my partitioning scheme posted here on 2+2. Essentially you should separate WinXP and programs from data, ghost image the WinXP and programs partition to a dedicated partition on the second hard drive, back up data to another partition on the second hard drive. Radified has some good ideas on how to use Ghost for images and from the home page how to build a secure system.

I had a massive crash a while back but didn't lose more than a tiny bit of data. If I was using the utility SyncbackSE I wouldn't have even lost that.

~ Rick

[theRabbit]

Dell makes good computers that are well priced.There are reasons why they can sell for less. Besides the obvious one, selling in quantity, more important is that they can make so much more money from interest they get from the float on the cost of parts they use.(i.e. You pay right away but Dell pays their vendors, for the computer parts, in 30, 60, 90, or more days. Thats a ton of money Dell gets interest on and is a main source of Dell revenue.

It can be chaper (But not always) to build your own. But I would only suggest doing that, if you know what you are doing (or have someone close who does). Do you want to risk not being able to get the system working or having to fix it when a problem. Do you know enough about selecting and matching all the differnt parts. While many people build their own system, most of them have experience (or are gamblers). Your question about graphics cards leads me to suggest you are not that experienced with he inside of the computer.

A third alternative is to use a reputable company that configures, builds, and supports computers from a selection of parts. They will also fix it if there is a problem. On my first real computer I used www.pugetsystems.com.(I have no relation with them)

As to content, 70% of new computers chips will be dual core this year and for good reason. You will also need enough graphics power. Most modern cards are pci-x and will support 2 displays (0r one large one). Agp will also work but is older technology. Without a detailed look at your needs its hard to know exactly whats best. You can also add addional PCI based video cards to get more monitors.(extras can be added latter) WIndows XP handles this well. If you can afford it, you look toward a high end worksation (as opposed to gaming) type computer (say a dual pentium 950) 1-2 Gig RAM with medium end graphic card(s). If you like to play 3D games then get a high end card(s) where prices start at $400.

Talk on the phone with Dell and Puget. Tell the, what your requirements are and answer their questions. I am sure each will suggest a custom system to your liking. Don't forget to discuss other things like disk space, noise, case size, temperature, warrenty, etc. Also what else will the system be used for? If you use database alot getting a 10,000 rpm disk will be a good investment.

I could go on and on but I think you can get the picture.

If playing online is important to you, then you deserve to have a fast, sturdy, attractive, comfortable, reliable computer that meets all your needs.

Good luck.

[deviouz]

you should think about that your serials might not work if you are going to run these programs on a new machine, you may need to rebuy your software, this could be expensive! most programers only allow you to install ther stuff on 1 machine, you dont need a monster graphics card, all you need is a good monitor wich support a little better resolution, I can run 9 tables on my 19 inch

[deviouz]

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showth...ID=#Post5811414

[Cactus Terry]

i dont know much about computers but am looking to get a new one soon myself. i have decided to wait until Vista comes out at the end of the year though. Dunno if you can wait that long.