Pvt. Ryan Posted August 5, 2000 Share Posted August 5, 2000 I am considering buying a new system to replace my PII 300, basically so I can fully enjoy CM. I am going to get a Dell PIII 933 4100 series. I was wondering whether to get a DVD drive or just a regular CD-ROM drive. I am not going to watch movies on my computer, so that is not an issue. Will DVDs become the standard software format in the near future replacing CD-ROMs? Also, is more than 128MB of RAM necessary? The upgrade to 256MB is $200 and the upgrade from CD-ROM to DVD is $110. I'd rather not spend the extra money if it's not necessary. Of course, I am going to get the 64MB GeForce2, which in itself may be overkill, but can you blame me? Any advice would be appreciated. [This message has been edited by Pvt. Ryan (edited 08-05-2000).] [This message has been edited by Pvt. Ryan (edited 08-05-2000).] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted August 5, 2000 Share Posted August 5, 2000 To enjoy CM to the fullest, get the strongest CPU and the best video card you can get. Don't know about the future of DVD. Get at least 128MB of RAM. ------------------ Blessed be the Lord my strength who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 8, 2000 Share Posted August 8, 2000 Pvt Ryan - Just ordered that exact system last night myself (should be shipped by friday!). If you look closely on their webpage, a CD-RW unit is FREE (as is the upgrade from the 17" to the 19" monitor!) with the 933 and 1000 MHz systems. I ordered the DVD-ROM (never know if you might need it in the future), 128 mb ram and the 32MB DDR GeForce 2 video card. From everything I have read, the 32mb version is already more powerful than current PCs can use. Save the extra cash from the video card. If you want to see the quote page they sent me, e-mail me and I'll send it to you ASAP. Can't wait to get my hands on it! ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 9, 2000 Author Share Posted August 9, 2000 Yea, CG, that is basically what I am going for. The free monitor upgrade and the free CD-RW really make it a bargain. I wish I knew how long those offers are going to last because I won't be ready to order for a couple of weeks. I still want the 64MB GeForce though. I am sure CM2 will require it. ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 9, 2000 Share Posted August 9, 2000 PR - CM2 May require it, but how long will that be? 1-2 years? (Not a complaint by the way) By the time that comes, the GeForce 2 will be old news (NVidia is already working on the successor - their product cycle is about 6 months), and we'll be trying to decide between the 2500 MHz and 3000 MHz Pentium 4's! Save the money now, and be able to upgrade later. Just my $.02 and good luck with your purchase - I'll let you know how the machine with the 32 Mb GeForce 2 runs as soon as it gets to my house (Hopefully Friday, but probably Monday - DAMN!) ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 13, 2000 Share Posted August 13, 2000 Ryan - IT's F**KING AMAZING! BUY IT NOW! I don't think you need the 64mb version. The pc takes under 10 seconds to process any scenario I've played (largest so far was a quick battle with 3000 points perside)and the scrolling is seamless smooth. 19" monitor with 1152*768 picture is incredible! Have fun ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 15, 2000 Author Share Posted August 15, 2000 CrapGame, I ordered the 933 with 128MB SDRAM, 75GB HD, DVD, CD-RW, 19" monitor, and 64MB GeForce2. I couldn't help myself. It should get here by Thursday, but I am going out of town on Friday and won't be back until Wednesday night. I hope it doesn't get here until I am gone, otherwise I might not get around to packing for my trip. Does Windows have to be kept at the same resolution to play CM at hi res? I don't want to do word processing at such a high resolution. ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 15, 2000 Share Posted August 15, 2000 Congrats - you'll love the machine. My only complaint is that the HD (I got the 45 gig one) is louder than the one in my old machine, which is not so bad considering how much faster it is. To answer your question, I don't know if you'll have to keep it at the same resolution. I would try putting the resolution on the desktop up as high as you want it for the game first, install CM and get it set at the resolution you want, and then getting out of CM and putting the desktop back at the setting you want for word processing. I believe that CM remembers the settings you specify when you first turn it on, and will use those when you play it. Check back tonite, I'll try it at home and let you know what happens by posting the result here. ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 15, 2000 Author Share Posted August 15, 2000 CrapGame, I tried what you said on my current computer, but when I reset Windows down to 1024*768 CM would not load 3D graphics. It led me to believe that Windows had to be in the same resolution as CM. Maybe it is just a limitation on my current system. ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ACTOR Posted August 15, 2000 Share Posted August 15, 2000 Pvt. you have to remove the preference file from your cmbo directory if you change resolutions. As far as I know, you cannot run CM on a higher resolution than your desktop. Hope that helps. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 16, 2000 Author Share Posted August 16, 2000 ACTOR, thanks, I knew about the preference file, but you have confirmed what I thought about desktop vs. CM resolution. Maybe the higher desktop resolution won't look so bad on the 19" monitor. I can't wait to get this system. Hurry up Mr. UPS Man!!! ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 16, 2000 Share Posted August 16, 2000 Ryan, ACTOR is absolutely correct. I tried to do what I described above, and got the errors described. Perhaps you could set the desktop at the high resolution level and then play with the size of the icons and other stuff through the Appearance tab? Just a thought. Also, my PC arrived at 9a.m. on the date Dell calls the "Ship By" date. Basically, I ordered Monday afternoon, and it was in my garage in NY Friday at 9a.m. - No complaints. Best of luck with it. ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 17, 2000 Author Share Posted August 17, 2000 CrapGame, I ordered my computer on the night of 8/10 and I was given a ship by date of 8/16. The order status page said it shipped on 8/13 (a Sunday - cool) but I can't get a shipping status report yet. It could get here by Thursday. I wish I weren't going out of town! ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 17, 2000 Share Posted August 17, 2000 Ryan, My system was in my garage before the website had a delivery status update. I live in NY, and it was 36 hours for delivery. So, unless you live in the upper northeast, it will probably be there in two days. UPS works well with Dell. You'll have to let me know how to use the CD-Burner, because I haven't done a damn thing with mine but play CM. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 18, 2000 Author Share Posted August 18, 2000 I got my system today. I had it up and running in 5 minutes, but I couldn't configure my cable modem. I spent 3 hours on hold waiting for tech support and it turns out I made a stupid installation mistake. I installed CM immediately, but it isn't quite the same without the mods (which I couldn't get until my modem was working). So now I am downloading all the mods and the patch. I kept thinking one thing while carrying the massive 19" monitor into the house: Why didn't I get a laptop? (Then I remembered it was because I bought this computer for the sole purpose of enjoying CM.) You said that your hard drive made some noise. I don't hear the HD, but my fan is noisy as hell. Is that what you meant? It is really distracting. I am going to call Dell as soon as I get back next week. It may be a long time before I figure out how to burn a CD. After getting CM squared away I am going to network my two computers together and transfer all the stuff I want to the new one. Then I'll play CM for a long time. Then maybe I'll check out the other features on this thing. (I did watch A Bridge Too Far on the DVD while waiting for tech support.) Man, I am rambling, but I am so thrilled with this thing. ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 18, 2000 Share Posted August 18, 2000 Ryan, I felt the same way about the monitor. It was all worth it once I got the damn thing plugged in though. That noise must be the fan on mine as well. I just thought it must be the hard drive spinning. Let me know what dell says. I have my 2 pc's networked together through a MaxGate Ugate 3200 switch/router, which just arrived with the UPS man yesterday. It lets my pc's share their dsl connection. It's awesome. Highly recommended, and even a relative tech newbie such as myself got it configured in under 5 minutes. I haven't watched a DVD on mine yet. Does it just automatically turn on when you drop a disk in? Drop a line when you get back. ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 18, 2000 Author Share Posted August 18, 2000 I am networking the two temporarily just to transfer the larger files from my old computer to the new. Then my mom gets my old computer. Yes, the DVD just runs automatically. But I configured it so that it starts up in full screen mode. With this monitor it is basically like watching TV. I played CM with the various weather effects last night. The fog is amazing. I didn't get any fog effects on my old computer. Off to the airport now. ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ACTOR Posted August 18, 2000 Share Posted August 18, 2000 Well now I am drooling, hearing about these fast systems and networking the computers. I am in the process of ordering a Gateway with a 1Ghz Athlon processor and then I will network it with my existing Gateway. Since I have not networked anything before, what are your suggestions regarding networking the two computers so that they can share my cable modem connection? Thanks in advance for any ideas. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 18, 2000 Share Posted August 18, 2000 Actor, I have learned quite a bit about sharing broadband connections and newtorking pc's together in the past week. I suggest these two sites for some very informative reading. I got quite a bit of help from the forums on the second site. http://www.timhiggins.com/ http://www.dslreports.com/ In a nutshell, the amount of effort to network the two and share the cable connection depends on the ISP you use, as there are a number of different systems used. Mine was one of the slightly more difficult, but even as a newbie to networking, it didn't take that much. Search the DSLReports site for posts by CrapGameCPA (that's me, but someone beat me to CrapGame), and you will see my story unfold. Basically, with the easiest ISP's (the ones that allow multiple IP addresses), you could connect your cable modem to the uplink port on a small hub (say 4 ports or so) and then connect each of your pc's to the hub. As long as TCP/IP is running on each of your NIC's (network cards) you might be able to get right to the net on both machines. Some systems have different authorization schemes, or only allow one IP address per account (such as mine). My ISP allowed only one address, and that was frozen to the network card in my old PC. I ended up having to buy a home router (not too expensive) which I then programmed (very easily in under 5 minutes) to mimic the address of the network card on my old pc. I got rid of the hub, and plugged both my pc's into the router, rebooted the pc's and voila - Internet on both pc's at the same time. All traffic to the outside world is presented to my ISP as if it was coming from my old pc, and incoming traffic is routed to the correct pc. It is great! The router provides a firewall from the outside world, and the built in ports act as a speedy hub. If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to post here or e-mail me. My address is in my profile. I might be able to help, or get you in contact with someone who can. ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Mitchell Posted August 20, 2000 Share Posted August 20, 2000 On the Dell newsgroup,a number of folks are complaining about the fan noise-to the point of sending the systems back. Dell is well aware of the problem,and rumor is that new systems have a quieter fan,so you may be able to call support and have them send you a new fan. Bill 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 21, 2000 Author Share Posted August 21, 2000 Bill, thanks for the info. I was going to send mine back to if Dell couldn't fix the fan noise. I will call them as soon as I get back home (typing on my mom's laptop). I am in serious CM withdrawel. ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 21, 2000 Share Posted August 21, 2000 Bill, Thanks for the info. I was contemplating just sticking it under my desk, which worked pretty well in the past. I feel it would be pretty hard for me to send it back now - I would miss CM too much to go back to playing on the old machine. Ughhh, what to do... ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ACTOR Posted August 21, 2000 Share Posted August 21, 2000 Hey Crapgame did you get my e-mail? Just wanted to make sure that it got to you. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted August 21, 2000 Share Posted August 21, 2000 ACTOR - Got it this am (at work). Sent a reply to you. Let me know if you didn't get it and I'll resend it to you. ------------------ CrapGame 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted August 24, 2000 Author Share Posted August 24, 2000 CrapGame, I just called Dell and they said new fans will be ready to ship in early September. They send a tech support guy to install it. Call them up and let them know you want a new fan and they will call you when the fans are available to set up an appointment. ------------------ Ow, my leg! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.