[lordavenger]

Originally Posted by rki2007

Hi to all. I have a PC which is an assembled one. The configuration is:-
P4 2.4ghz,
intel motherboard,
samsung 80GB HD,
756 MB Ram,
LG 15" Monitor(i am not sure about the size. Please excuse),
creative speakers(basic),
HP Inkjet printer 3745 series,
LG DVD Rom,
1.44 FDD,
Wipro UPS 500,
Logitech keyboard and mouse.

Can anyone please give a resale value quote for the same.

The printer and the UPS are the only things for which you might get some resale value! Overall, I would not be surprised if the highest quote you get is sub 7k. My suggestion, keep the PC. Some of the components could be reused in a second PC/ Media Center build.

[rki2007]

Thanks lordavenger. I also had the idea to retain the pc initially. But if have to upgrade almost all the internal components have to be changed. For ex if i am upgrading to Intel Dual core then the Hard disk,motherboard has to be changed. these are the major components and if all these are replaced then almost the major part of the cost is covered. Therefore i finally arrived at a conclusion to sell the complete set.

As you said the price may be around 6-7k without the printer and ups being sold.

[lordavenger]

Even that is an optimistic estimate at best! Btw, sell the RAM separately if you have a DDR/ SD. Reason being these have gone out of production and are actually more expensive than DDR3s.

What I would still suggest is sell off the monitor, printer, UPS, speakers, and the KBD+mouse. Upgrade to a better hard disk, install Windows Media Center, and a WLAN card. That way, you'll have a nice backup media center PC for your home.

Trust me, the 5-6k resale is not worth it. You'll make that much in the monitor/ UPS sales only.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Upgraders might consider giving their old system away to a student who can't afford a computer at all.

I say this with a blush, because my old machine is sitting in the store room, even though we know of such youngsters. One of those "Doh!" moments! We need to get a DVD drive and a mouse; we will be able to source an unused monitor from someone else; then it will be given away.

Of course, I recognise that Team-BHP members come in all levels of income/wealth and that not all can afford to do this.

[inreverse]

My current one is an old Compaq laptop (Presario M2000 before HP took over Compaq and ruined it) and it does the job pretty well. I've been using it for 6 odd years without a single glitch. Not even a single OS re-installation has been done on it. The config compared to the ones available now is stone age nothing to write about. It was priced about 38K six years ago :-)

1. Weighs 5 bricks.
2. 256MB RAM.
3. Intel Celeron
4. DVD R/W
5. 40GB HDD
6. 15" TFT Screen
7. 5-in-1 card reader
8. Three 2.0 USB ports

@THAD: Surely my old laptop would serve a poor deserving student for another 2 years. Thanks for the tip.

But, the one I'm planning on to replace the good old Compaq is an Alienware M17x R3. Yeah! Baby! <GRIN>

[rana_kirti]

Hi friends,

I'm looking to make myself a new PC. I've been using a 15" laptop with a Core 2 Duo for 3 years and it has served me well. The only reason to upgrade is because i would like a Bigger Screen probably 21-23" and also because i have to look down at the laptop screen which is inconvenient.

I don't game at all. I don't do any professional work like decoding/encoding etc. I also don't use any fancy software.

My uses are...

1. Web-surfing ( i keep upto 50 tabs open in Google Chrome )
2. Music being played via itunes.
3. Watching videos on you tube.
4. Other general stuff.

All the above will be happening simultaneously. Is that multi-tasking...?!?

I do have a few special requirements.

1. The PC has to be Super Quiet as it will be right besides my bed.
2. The new PC should be small and compact in size so i guess a Micro-ATX motherboard will be prefered.
3. I'd like USB 3.0
4. I'd like the Sound of the new PC to be superb as i'm going to do my music listening through this via USB DAC --> Stereo Amp --> Speakers
5. I'd like the PC to be very responsive to my commands and be fast with what i need it to do. More like i click and it happens and don't want to be waiting on it to do things. Come to think of it my current Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66 Ghz in my laptop nevers makes me wait on things.
6. The Screen 21-23 inches should have glorious colors and be best in class. I'm a very visual person

I have not set a budget because i seriously don't know how much needs to be spent on the PC setup that i'm looking for. I would be willing to spend a justifiable amount of money on a PC if it can meet my above 6 requirements.

I'm looking forward to recommendations for "Components" for a new PC. I have no parts from before and will buy each and every part new.

Regards,

Rana

[Mr.Boss]

If the issue is your 15" screen, I would suggest not to invest on a new PC rather you can get a 22" screen connected to your laptop since you are happy with the performance of your machine. Get a wireless mouse and keyboard.
This saves you vitamin 'M' and space. Also I hope laptop is always super silent than a PC

[ottocycle]

The only reason to upgrade is because i would like a Bigger Screen probably 21-23" and also because i have to look down at the laptop screen which is inconvenient.

Yes, Even I would suggest the same. Get a good monitor and connect to the laptop. You can also use this as dual monitor setup.

[cranky]

Apart from the more mundane requirements, I'll comment on the display and sound.

The Dell U2311H is a nice IPS-based display and may be a slightly better bet than most other options in the 22-24" range around 15k. It will have the typical IPS issue of low black detail and white 'shimmer' but that's a small tradeoff for the much better contrast and accuracy the monitors exhibits.

For sound, there is the Wadia 151 at $1200 or so. Lower down, Nuforce makes some decent DACs and amplifiers. Unless you already have the audio set up, in which case any component is already good enough as long as the software and hardware are correctly configured. Note that USB is slightly flaky unless you're using a USB 2.0 device (not the ports, not just 'compatible', a *proper* USB 2.0 device with a proprietary driver).

Most modern systems are quick and responsive enough for pretty much any mainstream task. Since your task list seems fairly undemanding even a basic dual- or quad-core processor with a decent amount of memory will work well.

Note that Windows 7 is slightly 'laggy' compared with Mac OSX and Windows XP itself, so is you're used to the nifty response of an XP system use it on the new machine as well. There are some tradeoffs but it might still work better for you. Attaching a monitor and input device to your existing laptop will also be a decent solution - except it sounds to me as if you aren't really asking for much if a C2D is enough for you.

[rana_kirti]

guys,

you have given me some excellent advice. the more the think about it, it comes down to the fact that this is more about my back and neck comfort than anything else as i'm currently satisfied with everything else like speed, space etc.

So now i'm keenly looking at some 21-23 inch monitors and also at the Dell U2311H which has phenomenal reviews across the internet.

Buying a new monitor and avoiding the rest will save me a bunch of money. I do have a query about adding a new monitor...

1. My Acer 5920 had a VGA out with a native resolution of 1280 x 800. If i add a Full HD 23" monitor to this will i get 1280 x 800 or will i get 1920 x 1080 ?

Slightly confused about the above.

Regards,

Rana

[cranky]

The maximum resolution at the VGA output terminal is usually dependent on the capability of the graphics chip, not the screen.

In your case it may be close to 2048x1536. The trouble with Intel chipsets of that era is the ability to switch to widescreen resolution. It may work or it may not - I had this specific problem with some specific Intel chipsets with an EDID bug that prevented them from working with resolutions that were not hardcoded in the chip.

The newer ones don't have this issue, depending on the driver software to read the monitor's capability. No way to tell without trying it out.

[Aroy]

Take your laptop to the shop and test it out with different monitors. You will know immediately what works and what does not!

[rana_kirti]

sounds complicated if it this adding a new Screen is going to work favorably or not. I researched a bit more and seem to have found a new solution

How about i buy a wireless keyboard + wireless mouse and setup it up with a Laptop riser like these...

1. Notebook Riser N110

2. Notebook Kit MK605

I think i like the option 1 of just the Riser because that gives me the freedom to choose a keyboard and mouse of my choice.

What say guys ? Either i buy one of these Risers and call it quits till my laptop lasts which is doing perfectly fine till now or if i want a 23" screen i'll have to make a new PC. Then maybe i can use my laptop as a spare which i don't i'll ever need since i have a smaller 11.5 inch travel laptop.

If i get a new PC the laptop will just be lying around. Probably i could sell it but i'm sure it'll fetch nothing as they are so cheap now. Probably i could donate or gift it to some friend/cousin etc.

Though i do have a few doubts...

1. How long do you think my current laptop will be able to serve my current needs ? I assume if i'm only going to surf and listen to music it probably could last as long till probably till it konks off. I'm sure the PC Hardware requirements for surfing the web and listening to music won't go any higher any time soon.

2. I could get a new PC and that might be future proof for a long time but i guess other than a large screen it really won't add anything else to my life right now at this point in time.

I feel it'll be more sensible to go with the Riser rather than a new PC just for a 23" screen.

What say guys ?

Regards,

Rana

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by rana_kirti

I feel it'll be more sensible to go with the Riser rather than a new PC just for a 23" screen.

Better choice. Try with the riser + wireless keyboard & mouse, if you aren't comfortable go with 23" screen.

[Mr.Boss]

Latest buy

HP Pavilion entertainment laptop
Model: dm4-1050ea
Processor: Core-i5 (gen 2) M450 2.50GHz
RAM: 3 GB DDR3
HDD: 320GB SATA
Graphics: Integrated Intel HD
Screen Size: 14"