Im finally getting a computer

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MoSeS

New Member
ok im getting a computer today and i cant wait. i know absolutely nothing about computers and to tell you the truth i chose the computer im getting because it "looked cool". i know its sad but i don't care the guy at the computer store laughed at me when i said that, and then he tried to explain what all it had. i smiled and nodded and threw in a bunch of "oh yeah, uh huh" and "well thats good". but he gave me a sheet of paper with all the specs on it so i thought i would share

Processor-Intel core 2 duo e6300 conroe 1.86ghz 2m shared l2 cache lga 775 processor
Memory-1gb ddr2 533 (pc2 4200) shared (8gb maximum memory)
Hard Drive-250 gb sata 3.0 gb/s
DVD Drive- 16x max dvd-rom
DVD-RW Drive- 16x double layer dvd-rewriteable drive
Card Reader- usb 2.0, cf, md, magicstor, sm, mm, rs mmc, sd, mini sd, ms, msd, msp, mspd, mg
Motherboard- msi p945p neo-3 socket t (lga 775) intel p945 express atk intel motherboard
Monitor- black 19" inch widescreen lcd
Video- nvidia geforce 7300gt 256mb ddr, 128-bit, dvi/tv-out, pci express x16 video
Sound- intergrated realtek alc883 8-channel audio
Modem-56k max v.92 send/recieve fax modem
Speakers- logitech x530 5.1 speakers and subwoofer, 71.2 watts rms
Case- atx tower case, 480 watt power supply, drive bays: 4x 5.25", 2x3.5", 3x3.5" (hidden)
Networking- realtek 8110s gbe
Ports- 2x ps2, 1x lpt, 1x com, spdif out
USB Support- 6x usb 2.0

plus it comes with Vista and keyboard mouse and 1 year warranty. so all you tekkies let me know how i did. is this going to be a good computer or not?
 
That seems to be the consenses in the other thread. Everyone should wait on vista to see what it looks like after it gets ran through the ringer. Im sure cDc is working on it along with the guys at 2600 plus every major security firm out there.
 
you did pretty decent for buying it from a store.
 
meeh.. its.. i wouldnt say decent, but couldve done worse and couldve done better.

heres why:

The Good:
-The E6300 is an excellent choice for a processor
-Top tier motherboard maker
-1GB of RAM, but thats pretty much standard
-Dual drives
-Separate graphics card
-Very nice set of 5.1 speakers. Have them myself and they rock.

The Bad:
-The processor is about equal to an AMD X2 3800/4200 unless overclocked, then it would be come a monster. But possibly paid more than you had to because Core 2 Duo is teh hot phrase now.
-Even though MSI is a good brand, you got an old ass 946chipset and bottom of their line board. At least its not a PC Chips or ECS board.
-1GB is good, but you got 1GB of weak and outdated RAM. To take full advantage of the Core 2 Duo chip, you want at least 667mhz, but best with 800mhz.
-Its nice that you have a separate gpu that doesnt leech memory from RAM, but dont except to playing any games thats 2 years or newer on high graphics settings. Its pretty much a starter card.

The ??:
-Since the power supply, optical drives, and LCD makers arent listed/no specs are given on them, I can only except OEM which is decent.

There you have it. Your rig rated from the good to the bad. For $1100, you couldve built yourself a sexy bitch of a system that would hump the one you bought at the store like a homosexual gorilla.
 
well, like i said before i am computer illiterate. i get confused reading the spec sheet for it. i know what ram is and im pretty much lost after that. what the hell is overclocking, and mhz and am i able to upgrade these things later on if i so choose? enlighten me people...
 
Over clocking is making your current cpu run a higher speed than it is rated from the factory. You will need a much better cooling system to off set the heat from the cpu being over clocked. Your best/safest bet would be to simply upgrade the CPU if your mother board can handel a faster chip.

Also keep your eyes open a few guys on here are thinking about doing a write up on building your own PC so hopefully that will help people out. Maybe I will work on a write up with all the abreviated terms and explain what they are/do. If you need any other input feel free to ask.
 
Yeah, well dont fell bad, even the asshats at the "GeekSquad" probably dont the different between a socket AM2 and a socket 775.

Anyway, the only thing that is really overclockable with your system is that processor. Its a caged beast, but your RAM and motherboard will hold you back. Besides, your power supply probably cant handle the extra load, so better to leave it the way it is.

Overclocking is what Drake has mentioned, but there are 2 ways to do it. One is changing the multiplier. Most modern processors are within the range of 7X-13X. Older ones can get as high as +20X. Second is changing the FSB/HTT which is often in mhz.

The M is mega or 1,000,000. 1000 mega = 1 giga. Hz is hertz or cycles per second. So a cpu at 200 mhz can do 2,000,000 cycles of information per second. Mhz is often used to express speed in most commonly RAM and processoring units, whether its CPU or GPU (graphics processing unit).

To get your CPU speed its, multiplier (variable) x fsb (mhz) = speed (mhz) Thus your stock processor has a multiplier of 7 and a FSB of 266, 7 X 266 = 1.86ghz. Most multipliers are locked upward meaning you cannot change it higher than stock except for some very few, usually the $1000 chips. You can change it down to squeeze more FSB, but usually its more stable and stuff to leave it stock. So most commonly overclocking is changing your CPU's mhz. However, be forewarned overclocking means more heat and more heat means damage. But we'll get into that next time.
 
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