yeah, so i'm a n00b. anyway, here's the requisite stupid n00b question... i'm gonna be getting an ABS (i think) computer soon, and i've got a few ?'s about it. first off, does anyone have any info i should know about it? aaaaand what're my BIOS options gonna be? my other question is a lot more general... if you buy an OEM comp, can you replace the mobo or flash/replace the BIOS? alright, i hope someone read this
Umm not really. When I killed my HP I put a new mobo in it but it took some case tweaking to get it in. Also OEM companys void the warrenty the moment you open the case.
and if you buy a gateway (why? im not sure) you need to flash the friggin bios if you want to even change the processor or anything like that. i would not reccomend buying oem computers unless you get them on refurb or open box or something where they are cheap. i find that most times you have to replace many things, such as the heatsink and videocards. all the better if you can line up someone to buy these things off of you before you get it, it can help defer some of the costs.
Also be careful of Dell if you are intendinhg to upgrade. They have specially made mobo power connectors and psu's so you cannot upgrade either. I don't know if anyone else does this, but its a lousy trick.
wow, that's irksome. anyway, does anyone know about these specific comps? i checked, and it is ABS computers... the site is ABS Computing, and i'm gonna get mine with the Gigabyte GA-7DXTE (is that right? i don't know.) mobo. in any case, i want to OC it, but i don't know if i'll be able to :-/ and that's why i came to you guys thanx a bunch
If you wanna fiddle inside - build your own. The more practical experience you get the more you get into it and the more confidence you have. Learning by doing m8, best way forward. You can get a better PC, and prolly cheaper PC if you build yourself most of the time. If you dunno what to get - give us a budget, generally what you're after and we'll see what we can find <turns on gramma-phone, old war music plays> I built my first puter when i was just 14... ahh yes, a 233 Cyrix.. <lights pipe> Since ive built many for friends and family and have also got my brother into computers (actually - into modding, he's 11 and has more ideas then Kool - even though most are inpractical, but he's creative). </spits out pipe, chucks gramma-phone away, turns on minidisk >
very true, and i intend to build my next one but this one is going to be a present from the parents and they won't let me build my own ("you don't know how to," etc. ) so i will be doing it. anyway, the price range for this one is $1000, and i have no idea for the next one.... whatever the bank account's got in it, i guess. thanx blindibadgi yeah, i'm working on that. i think i'm gonna try to get a job at a local computer repair/sales store... and i'm definitely going to build one as soon as i can muster the cash.
Explain to your parents that itll keep you ocupied for longer, and also develop a greater understanding of computers which will benefit you in the future and make you more employable in an commercial industry as EVERYWHERE now has computers and people with overall experience are generally looked upon more favourably (trust me - helped me get 3 jobs). You're generally gonna have v. little/ no Ocing options from manuf. puters cause they lock them down and put in bog standard components to cut down on costs. Also as soon as you open the case - you viod the warrenty. Its the whole retail thing - fast processor, slow ram (but large qty) and slow mobo. Read between the lines - notice they ONLY emphasise the good, advertisable points of the PC. Id say there's very little point in buying one if you're gonna rip out the insides as soon as you get it. This is pretty good though if your gonna get an ABS:- Multimedia System 2 AMD Athlon 1.0GHz $1089 #M823 MS Windows 2000 Professional 128MB DDR SDRAM PC2100 IBM 40GB Ultra ATA100 HD Pioneer 16X DVD-ROM Lite-On 24x10x40 CD-ReWriter nVidia Geforce 2 GTS 32MB DDR 4X AGP w/ TV-Out 17" Hitachi CM615 (16.1" viewable) SVGA Color Monitor Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Sound Card Altec Lansing AVS500 Powered Stereo Speakers w/Subwoofer Zoom PCI 56K V.92 Technology Data/Fax/Voice Modem PCI Ethernet 10/100 Base-T Card Microsoft Intellimouse Optical Microsoft Internet Keyboard 3 Years Limited Parts and Lifetime Labor Warranty Gigabite KT266a mobo for +$20 is a good bargin too, also it *should* have BIOS OCing options, but ill put money on youll only get a teeny tiny CPU cooler, so if you wanna OC youll probably have to change that *IF* you can open the case without voiding your warrenty. Get at 256meg ram too if poss - and ask what the manuf. of the RAM is if poss. Wow this company is actually suprising me - 40gig 7200 IBM drive bog standard! whow.. nice Everything else seems fine.. dunno how much you play games and whether ud probably want to invest in a GTS Ti over the GTS 2.
i think that's pretty much the system i'm getting, except with an athlon xp 1600+, winXP pro, and no normal CD drive (just the burner) i'm also putting in the extra 20 to get the gigabyte GA-7DXTE board, which i checked for a review of and it apparently has BIOS overclocking options... and, as i said, and thanx for your help
