This Time I Am Really Buying It

**Ed Orum** · 03-09-2005, 12:41 PM

Hello--
Sorry to ask this again, but what would be a good off the shelf Dell computer primarily for Chief? I would like to keep the price under $3,000. I don't need a monitor.

Thanks in advance,

Ed Orum

**quickdraw** · 03-09-2005, 01:24 PM

I would call Dell with the specs for CA and ask them. Pretty much any Dell would do it. 512 ram would be good for raytracing.

**ARCHIJEF2000** · 03-09-2005, 01:33 PM

3000 dollers seems to be a lot for a computer, you can get a very good one for less, but if you must spend so much then go for lots of ram and two big harddrives, a good video card, but dont go nuts on a 3d labs, probably not worth it. why do you want a dell, why not get a shop to build a good custom job one.

**mcqueenhomes** · 03-09-2005, 05:10 PM

I would go to www.mwave.com and fill your cart up with the needed parts. Then add the assembly to your list. They assemble and bring up the machine for $80. I had them do that on my computer and it is the best computer I've had. They don't install all of the crap software like Dell and HP do. If you make a mistake selecting parts the techs at mwave will ask you about it.

I would suggest:
1. case and power supply, healthy wattage but not overboard, 400 should be enough. You want enough power but remember you still have to pay the electric bill. Matching colors may seem vain but it really makes you feel like you've got a slick computer.
2. motherboard with i915 chipset, make sure you get 1 x16 PCI Express video card slot, and fewer x1 PCI Express slots than old PCI slots. There are no x1 PCI Express cards to buy. Also get the fastest possible front side bus speed.
3. Processor, Pentium 4 w/HT, any speed you can afford as long as it has HT.
4. 1GB fast memory for selected motherboard and front side bus speed.
5. nVIDIA PCX5750 or better video card
6. 120GB or better SATA hard drive, 2 if you want RAID
7. 1 be-all-end-all CD/DVD reader/writer
8. be sure to include your choice of keyboard, mouse, monitor, and OS. mwave.com discounts the OS if you order it with a computer build.
9. optional are the sound card and TV tuner or video capture card.

You should be able to get the machine above in the less than $2000 range. Mine cost $1500 but was only 3.0GHz.

**Chris Higgins** · 03-09-2005, 05:31 PM

Try www.xicomputer and spec one out. You should get it for much less than 3k. When you call for service, should you need it, you will get a live person right away. I would recommend a raid system too. Good luck.

**papy** · 03-09-2005, 06:12 PM

Im also interested in a new computer. The problem I have is I know nothing about the internal components of a computer. I do know that, that is about the same amount of knowledge a dell salesperson knows. Cant expect legit help from them. I would love to buy from dell if I knew what i was purchasing. I would like to upgrade from v8 to 10.???. soon and I want a new computer. Wonder if these companies listed above can help in building a perfect computer to run chief?..

**Tim Schrock** · 03-09-2005, 06:17 PM

About the best thing to remember when specifying components for a new computer is that Chief uses OpenGL programing for its 3D renderings. Need a video card that performs well with OpenGL

I would highly recommend the PCI Express graphics cards!

**kernsdan** · 03-09-2005, 06:22 PM

I had a computer custom made for me and it was a great experience and a good deal. If anything goes wrong I go right to them. If you can find some one in your area that would be a plus in my estimation. I had already checked out some places even before I needed a computer to find who I wanted to use

**jpb** · 03-09-2005, 08:01 PM

I went through this process several months ago and after looking at all the options (including building my own) and crunching the numbers, I decided to buy a Dell 8400.

I could not have gotten a lower price <anywhere else>--even if I had matched components and built it myself. Add in the warranty and free software and you're ahead of the game. (At least for a moment in time)

**mcqueenhomes** · 03-09-2005, 10:25 PM

You could also try a local builder. They try to give you a good deal and they know a lot about a computer's innards.

**DBJMain2** · 03-09-2005, 11:09 PM

One other thing to remember if you buy from Dell, or any other supplier. Make **** sure it is UPGRADABLE!!! This is very important if you want to change anything down the road.

Upgradable items should be Processor, Ram (memory), Graphics card at a minimum.

Also chek to see what the maximum speed of processor the motherboard will support, Same for Ram.

On board sound is no problem because you can always disable it in the bios if you decide to add a sound card.

**slatta** · 03-10-2005, 07:20 AM

Forget Dell

unless they are in your town, trust me, after doing this computer stuff for a million years it sinks in, when things go wrong, and they will, even with a 3,000 dollar machine, and it will happen the day before you said you were going to be done, now try to explain to your client that you got a good deal, after he cut you a check for more than your computer and printer is worth that you have to wait for it to be shipped, repaired, and shipped, no way!!!!

I'm buying whatever machine is in town from a guy with a cell phone I can call after hours to bring me a new one

(actually if you do get a dell, get 2 so you can work on 1 while the other 1's being shipped and fixed)

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