Brief Advice re new Desktop specs, pretty plz...

[dogsballs]

Looking for a wee bit of input re a new desktop. Mainly for poker; will want it to easily handle 8-10 tables over several poker clients/PAHUD/PT/iTunes/Internet browsing. I'm sick of my slow old (well 3 yr lappy) thing and willing to pay for anything that will keep full speed up under load. I'm not worried about cost, if it's something that'll give me any benefit.

Big question: Can I use 3 seperate monitors with these video card options.

Any comments appreciated. My notes in bold after each choice...


Dell Inspiron 530

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E4400 (2MB L2 Cache,2.00GHz,800 FSB) [Included in Price]
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E4500 (2MB L2 Cache,2.20GHz,800 FSB) [add $50 or $2/month1]
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6550 (4MB L2 Cache,2.33GHz,1333 FSB) [add $100 or $3/month1]

I'd prolly get the expensive one cos its prolly best & I dont know much.

Memory
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs [Included in Price]
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs [add $100 or $3/month1]
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 4 DIMMs [add $250 or $8/month1]
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 4DIMMs [add $370 or $12/month1]
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 2DIMMs [add $150 or $5/month1]
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 4DIMMs [add $420 or $13/month1]

I'd prolly get the expensive one cos its prolly best & I dont know much.


Hard Drives
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ [Included in Price]
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ [add $80 or $3/month1]
DataSafe 250GB Secured Storage and Data Recovery Solution [add $70 or $3/month1]
DataSafe 320GB Secured Storage and Data Recovery Solution [add $170 or $6/month1]
DataSafe 500GB Secured Storage and Data Recovery Solution [add $330 or $10/month1]

I'd get the 2nd choice, 500GB Serial ATA (7200 rpm). I dont need fancy storage/backup

Video Cards
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 [Included in Price]
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8300GS [add $50 or $2/month1]
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT-DDR3 [add $150 or $5/month1]

I'd prolly get the expensive one cos its prolly best & I dont know much.



Edit: here's the end specs.
Dell Inspiron 530

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6550 (4MB L2 Cache,2.33GHz,1333 FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium + Belkin Easy Transfer Cable
24 inch UltraSharp™ 2407WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 4DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
Optical Drive 16X DVD+/-RW Drive edit
Video Cards 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT-DDR3
Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Keyboard and Mouse Bundles Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
Bluetooth Options None
Modem & Wireless 56K PCI Data Fax Modem
Optional Ports None

[highlife]

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E4400 (2MB L2 Cache,2.00GHz,800 FSB) [Included in Price]
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs [add $100 or $3/month1]
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ [Included in Price]
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8300GS [add $50 or $2/month1]

you will need a 2nd vid card to run a third monitor, just pick that up on newegg or whatever

[dogsballs]

[ QUOTE ]
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E4400 (2MB L2 Cache,2.00GHz,800 FSB) [Included in Price]
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs [add $100 or $3/month1]
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ [Included in Price]
128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8300GS [add $50 or $2/month1]

you will need a 2nd vid card to run a third monitor, just pick that up on newegg or whatever

[/ QUOTE ]


Thanks. Any recomendations? Or is it six and half a dozen choosing between those types of video card? Will any old one that does more n 3 monitors be good enuf?

[Beavis68]

highlife has it all wrong.

You will see a huge performance difference between the E4400 and the E6550.

THe E6550 processor is an easy and cheap upgrade. The RAM is ridiculously expensive. You can add a second GB if you need to for 35$ or so.

That 8300 graphics card really doesnt seem worth the $ to me. You can get card with more RAM and a better engine for the same price from Newegg too. You can bet an 8600GT for about 110.

Get the E6550, with the FSB and L2Cache increase it is the best bang for you buck on that list.

[dogsballs]

[ QUOTE ]
highlife has it all wrong.

You will see a huge performance difference between the E4400 and the E6550.

THe E6550 processor is an easy and cheap upgrade. The RAM is ridiculously expensive. You can add a second GB if you need to for 35$ or so.

That 8300 graphics card really doesnt seem worth the $ to me. You can get card with more RAM and a better engine for the same price from Newegg too. You can bet an 8600GT for about 110.

Get the E6550, with the FSB and L2Cache increase it is the best bang for you buck on that list.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool. tyvm. Would this 8600GT allow me to run 3 or more monitors on its own (or would that only be possible if used in conjunction with the installed vid card?

Once again, thanks for all advice.

[funkyworms]

[ QUOTE ]
Cool. tyvm. Would this 8600GT allow me to run 3 or more monitors on its own (or would that only be possible if used in conjunction with the installed vid card?

Once again, thanks for all advice.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, you will need another video card if you want to run a third monitor.