Help me buy a computer.

[PokerBob]

I am going to buy a Dell desktop (I am a teacher and can get a nice discount through school) that I intend to use ONLY for my poker. Currently I use my Inspiron 5000 laptop that is 5 years old and a dial-up connection. (4-tabling on that is kinda tough.) My problem is that I know very little about computers. I want to be able to run PlayerView (which I haven't even attempted on my current setup for fear that it will slow things to a crawl), PT and be able to (eventually) 8-table. What should I get? (I'm a teacher, so I'm poor. Keep it cheap if you can /images/graemlins/grin.gif)

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, PBob

[ThePinkBunny]

A gig of RAM and a non celeron processor. You should consider getting high speed internet access though before a new computer.

[Twitch1977]

If you're ordering a Dell make sure you check the deal sites, like slickdeals etc. and look for deals and/or coupon codes to make your system cheaper. Dell always seems to have a few good deals or a few good coupon codes out. I'd give specific sites but I'm canuck, so only familiar with our deal sites /images/graemlins/frown.gif

T

[cjx]

Yeah, pretty much what the other two guys said. Target a machine with a P4 rather than a Celeron, get 1 GB ram, and an 80 GB Hard drive is probably a good buy.

Aside from that make sure your video card can do 1600x1200 resolution (the resolution that allows you to play four Party tables with no overlap)... it shouldn't be an issue on a desktop machine, but most laptops will not be able to push 1600x1200 and if they do they will not be able to do it on their little lcd screen (you'll need an external monitor). Additionally, the monitor you get with your machine should probably be a CRT (typical big box) rather than an LCD because unless you get the Dell 2001FP or similiar LCD (starting at around $550 if you find a good deal) you will not be able to view 1600x1200 resolution which again is the four table no overlap sweet spot.

cjx

www.fatwallet.com (http://www.fatwallet.com) is a decent Dell deals site.

[PokerBob]

I think I can spend $1500, so hopefully I can get the 2001FP with the computer. Is $1500 enough?

[wbrumfiel]

Dell was running a deal last week that I built a pretty monster machine (for poker anyways) with the 2001fp for right about $1500. I definately think that is doable.

[PokerBob]

What did you get? I'm curious.

[ThePinkBunny]

It ended up being just under $1700 with the monitor

Order detail - order placed 2005-02-01 14:56:37
Dimension 8400
Pentium® 4 Processor 550 with HT Technology (3.40GHz, 800 FSB), Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Qty: 1
Unit Price: $2,105.00
Dimension 8400 Pentium® 4 Processor 550 with HT Technology (3.40GHz, 800 FSB)
S348H
[221-5712]
Memory FREE UPGRADE! 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x512M)
1GB4P
[463-1259]
Keyboard Dell Quietkey® Keyboard
QK
[310-1582]
Monitor 20 inch Ultrasharp? 2001FP Digital Flat Panel
2001FP
[320-3850]
Video Card 128MB PCI Express? x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon? X300 SE
X300SE
[320-3934]
Hard Drive FREE UPGRADE! 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive(7200RPM)w/ Native Command Queuing
160SP
[463-6663]
Floppy Drive and Additional Storage Devices No Floppy Drive Included
NFD
[340-8442]
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
WPXP
[412-0409]
[412-0688]
[463-2282]
[420-4838]
[420-4927]
[412-0749]
[420-5101]
Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
OM
[310-4037]
Network Interface Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
IN
[430-0742]
Modem 56K PCI Data/Fax Modem
DFAX
[313-2279]
Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0
AAREAD
[412-0705]
CD ROM/DVD ROM Single Drive: 16X DVD-ROM Drive
16DVD
[313-2619]
[420-5079]
Sound Card Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio
IS
[313-2758]
Speakers No Speaker Option
N
[313-2198]
Productivity Software WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing
CORELM
[412-0701]
Security Software McAfee SecurityCenter with VirusScan, Firewall, Spyware Removal, 15-months
MCAFE1Y
[412-0739]
Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software
MMBASE
[412-0741]
Digital Photography Paint Shop? Pro® Studio trial, Photo Album? Starter Edition
DPS
[412-0744]
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1Yr Ltd Warranty, 1Yr At-Home Service, and 1Yr Technical Support
S111OS
[950-1260]
[950-3337]
[950-9797]
[412-0360]
[960-2800]
Dial-up Internet Access 6 Months of America Online Membership Included
AOLDHS
[412-0585]
[412-0625]
[420-3224]
[412-0687]
Miscellaneous Award Winning Service and Support
D84SAP
[463-5447]
Wireless Networking Solution Dell Wireless 1450 (802.11 a/b/g) WLAN USB 2.0 Adapter
DW1450
[430-1183]



Dell Home Customers: Save $500 on the purchase of select Dimension? desktops priced at $1999 or more (before tax and shipping)! (affiliate only online offer)
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[PokerBob]

Thanks

[o0mr_bill0o]

pinkbunny, that is waaaay more than he needs. if you're not planning on playing some heavy duty 3d games, there's no reason you need a video card that nice. furthermore a 3.4 ghz p4 is a pretty expensive option, downgrade that processor! a 160 gig hard drive will be nice, but without broadband, i guarantee you'll never fill it up. and even with broadband, unless you take a liking to downloading lots and lots of illegal movies, you'll never come close to needing that big of a hard drive.

[PokerBob]

I WILL have DSL or some other non-dialup soon. I'll be using PT and (hopefully) PlayerView or GT. I will use this computer almost SOLEY for poker, (I intend to buy a laptop for my school/other stuff) with the occasional internet browsing a possibility. What, in your opinion, should I get?

[ThePinkBunny]

"pinkbunny, that is waaaay more than he needs"

yeah, but he seemed curious, and also I think it shows him that he can get what he needs easily for under $1500.

Actually its way more than I need to /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[kenberman]

[ QUOTE ]
"pinkbunny, that is waaaay more than he needs"

yeah, but he seemed curious, and also I think it shows him that he can get what he needs easily for under $1500.

Actually its way more than I need to /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

he could get what he "needs" for < $750. $200 for a 1600x1200 CRT, $500 for a budget P4 Dell (which is all you need for 4 tabling/PT/GT).

the other suggestion would be to build a PC. I just built one for $250, that would have cost about $500 through Dell. it wasn't that hard, although it did take a bit of prep work (it was my first time).

[o0mr_bill0o]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"pinkbunny, that is waaaay more than he needs"

yeah, but he seemed curious, and also I think it shows him that he can get what he needs easily for under $1500.

Actually its way more than I need to /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

he could get what he "needs" for < $750. $200 for a 1600x1200 CRT, $500 for a budget P4 Dell (which is all you need for 4 tabling/PT/GT).

the other suggestion would be to build a PC. I just built one for $250, that would have cost about $500 through Dell. it wasn't that hard, although it did take a bit of prep work (it was my first time).

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, building a PC is by far the cheapest solution, and it's about as hard as putting together legos.

as for what you need, i think just about anything dell sells nowadays ought to be fine for playing poker. basically, you're not going to be able to find a new computer that's not well powered enough for poker+playerview and PT. my 800mhz laptop that's pretty old can take care of 4 tabling+ playerview, for instance. and the suggestion that you shouldn't get a celeron is not necessarily sound either. celerons are going to be fine for poker, and a lot cheaper. and if you're not totally set on dell, i would check out a system with an AMD processor. they tend to be the best bang for your buck.