Home Computer

T8urmoney

In the market for a new home system. Will be using it mainly for online play, but I have no special requirements.

As I'm not exactly a computer expert, if anyone who is could chime in.

I'm looking at this one at Costco (mostly just for the 27" monitor), but does it have everything I should be looking for?.....Below are the specs:

They have it listed for $1500....good buy?

The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-142cb delivers an excellent home entertainment experience and power for the most demanding PC tasks. Take control of your digital entertainment with a PC that helps you consolidate, organize, and play your favorite movies, music, photos and home videos. Watch DVD movies on the amazing 27-in. full 1080p HD display or organize and store your memories on the huge hard drive. The HPE-142cb also features a very fast Intel® Core™ i5 processor and wireless N connectivity.

Processor and Memory:

Intel® Core™ i5-650 dual-core processor, 3.2 GHz with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost Technology (4 MB Smart Cache)
8 GB (shared) DDR3 SDRAM, upgradeable to 16 GB

Drives:

1 TB Serial ATA
LightScribe CD-RW\DVD±RW SuperMulti drive
15-in-1 card reader

Display and Graphics:

HP 2709m 27-in. HD LCD display with BrightView™ technology (1080p)
30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
512 MB (dedicated) ATI Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics
DVI, HDMI™, and VGA capabilities via the Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics

Audio:

Integrated high-definition audio with 8-channel audio support
External ports: Line-in, line-out, microphone, and speakers

Communication:

10/100/1000 integrated Gigabit LAN
Integrated wireless LAN, 802.11a/b/g/n

Keyboard and Mouse:

HP USB English keyboard and HP USB French keyboard (the system ships with both keyboards)
HP optical mouse

Ports:

9 USB 2.0 ports (3 front, 6 back)
IEEE 1394
RJ45 Ethernet
DVI - via the graphics card
HDMI™ - via the graphics card
VGA - via the graphics card

Operating System:

Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium-64 bit version

Additional Software:

Microsoft® Works 9
Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (60-day subscription)

Specifications:

Case dimensions (L x W x H):
41.4 cm x 18 cm x 39.6 cm
(16.3 in. x 7.1 in. x 15.6 in.)

Warranty and Returns:

Costco extends manufacturer warranty to 2 years
Returns accepted within 90 days from date of purchase

ReefAquarium

I put together a new system that's close to yours.

i5-750 Quad core $315
Socket 1156 Motherboard $110
AMD/ATI 5770 Graphics card $180
4G DDR3 memory $115

Reused the case/powersupply/DVD etc.

Mainly I wanted the 5770 graphics card to support 3 monitors, Extra screen area is so handy when playing poker.
And the i5-750 is quad core so when you have big poker databases it can crunch stuff faster.

I'm looking for another monitor.

There are a ton of cheap $150 1920x1080 monitors but I want 1920x1200, since it is cool to use in portrait mode.

I'm probably going to buy the 28" 1920x1200 monitor from tiger direct for $309, unless anyone can find a better deal????

T8urmoney

ReefAquarium;217244 wroteI put together a new system that's close to yours.

i5-750 Quad core $315
Socket 1156 Motherboard $110
AMD/ATI 5770 Graphics card $180
4G DDR3 memory $115

Reused the case/powersupply/DVD etc.

Mainly I wanted the 5770 graphics card to support 3 monitors, Extra screen area is so handy when playing poker.
And the i5-750 is quad core so when you have big poker databases it can crunch stuff faster.

I'm looking for another monitor.

There are a ton of cheap $150 1920x1080 monitors but I want 1920x1200, since it is cool to use in portrait mode.

I'm probably going to buy the 28" 1920x1200 monitor from tiger direct for $309, unless anyone can find a better deal????

Tks, I'll use your spec's, as I suspect I'm looking for the same as you.

Who's Tiger, are they just out east?.....sounds like a good deal on the monitor.

actyper

My Dell Inspiron isn't too bad, and just wait for a Dell Deal of the day special and pickup a 27" The whole package should be way < $1500

ReefAquarium

T8urmoney;217249 wroteTks, I'll use your spec's, as I suspect I'm looking for the same as you.

Who's Tiger, are they just out east?.....sounds like a good deal on the monitor.

TigerDirect.ca- Computers, Computer Parts, Computer Accessories, PC Components & Electronics

moose

You want to play online but you are getting this?

The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-142cb delivers an excellent home entertainment experience and power for the most demanding PC tasks

You don't need an i5 processor and 8gb of RAM for that.

24in monitor. Price=win

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

T8urmoney

moose;217277 wroteYou want to play online but you are getting this?

The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-142cb delivers an excellent home entertainment experience and power for the most demanding PC tasks

You don't need an i5 processor and 8gb of RAM for that.

24in monitor. Price=win

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

It would be the standard home system.......ie. g/f will be using as well (ie. pic's and music and whatever else she does) me: poker, surfing porn.

Have a 24" monitor now that I use with my laptop, but I thought it'd be nice to have one 27" where I could play 9 tables comfortably, rather than use 2 - 24".

Agree with the price though....27" monitors are not cheap

moose

Two monitors rock. Been using that setup since 2005. Bigger screen does not mean more tables. As Reef says, it's the resolution that counts. From what you describe, any bargain basement PC will do what you want, as long as the video card runs 2 monitors.

T8urmoney

moose;217280 wroteTwo monitors rock. Been using that setup since 2005. Bigger screen does not mean more tables. As Reef says, it's the resolution that counts. From what you describe, any bargain basement PC will do what you want, as long as the video card runs 2 monitors.

Does PT3 have any requirements?

moose

I run PT3 on a laptop with no problems with a dual core processor, and one gig of ram. Poker software clients really don't use a lot of power. I played for 3 years using dial up and a Pentium 4 and multi-tabled/cliented no prob.

ReefAquarium

moose;217277 wroteYou want to play online but you are getting this?

The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-142cb delivers an excellent home entertainment experience and power for the most demanding PC tasks

You don't need an i5 processor and 8gb of RAM for that.

24in monitor. Price=win

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

To play poker, you don't need a lot of power.

But to run the database on hand histories takes a lot of grunt work.

I have several gigs of hand histories in my database... So crunching them in real time is important to me.

Also I like playing stuff like Left For Dead on 3 screens so that's what the graphics card is for.

Now that 24" screens are under $150 it makes sense for everyone to run them.

This year we will probably see LED screens start to replace LCD.

Already LED screens are cheaper to make than LCD, but they will probably initially sell for more than their LCD counterparts to rip the early adopters off...

folded

Moose;

I ordered a new one from Dell on January 6. They told me 7-10 days and then they said February 1st delivery. Then i call them on the 3rd when it didn't show up and they say estimated delivery Feb 23rd. Is still being "produced" in New York state from my lovely customer service guy in India.

is this common for Dell treatment? unreal. i ordered just a new system and no monitor, etc. right from the Xmas flyer over boxing day.

i can't believe the unreal customer service from Dell !

moose

Big sales there seems to be a big backlog. I ordered a new desktop just before Christmas and it shipped in 3 days. I ordered 4 Nintendo DS's during a big sale and waited 6 weeks.

I like the Vostro stuff. My laptop had a problem and they shipped me a new one and told me to put the old one in the box that the new one came in and send it back.

Ineedanick

I've ordered from Dell at least 10 times, and only had a problem once. Usually the service is decent. If you need a copy of Windows with a new computer, Dell prices are hard to beat. You can do better with a custom build (certainly better quality), but be prepared to do your homework. The vostro desktop line is decent, but they charge a big premium for video cards (and other accessories), and the power supplies suck. It can be difficult to add to them later.

Other places to consider, especially for accessories (monitors, extra drives, etc):
tiger direct (previously mentioned)
NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store - Great Technology, Service and Selection.
Newegg.ca - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Staples has some good deals on occasion

Good luck.

BlondeFish

T8urmoney;217281 wroteDoes PT3 have any requirements?

As I mentioned in the In Search of the Ideal Poker PC Setup thread, you want a 7200 RPM hard drive for PT3, which I never saw specified in any of the retail PCs I looked at. My supposedly powerful Dell PC is once again laggy multi-tabling, but I don't know if PT3, the poker client or the hardware is the main cause. I have to stop at 8 tables even though I want to play more, as the display lag is causing me to time out and my AA are getting auto-folded again! :arghh:

If I ever find the time, I would switch to HEM instead of PT3, which keeps falling behind in features and performance.

westside8

moose;217280 wroteTwo monitors rock. Been using that setup since 2005. Bigger screen does not mean more tables. As Reef says, it's the resolution that counts. From what you describe, any bargain basement PC will do what you want, as long as the video card runs 2 monitors.

+1. I would definitely run 2x24 > 1x27.

ReefAquarium

BlondeFish;217357 wroteAs I mentioned in the In Search of the Ideal Poker PC Setup thread, you want a 7200 RPM hard drive for PT3, which I never saw specified in any of the retail PCs I looked at. My supposedly powerful Dell PC is once again laggy multi-tabling, but I don't know if PT3, the poker client or the hardware is the main cause. I have to stop at 8 tables even though I want to play more, as the display lag is causing me to time out and my AA are getting auto-folded again! :arghh:

If I ever find the time, I would switch to HEM instead of PT3, which keeps falling behind in features and performance.

Solid state drives will speed your computer up.

SSD's are much cheaper in the last few months.

Just put your database on the SSD.

T8urmoney

westside8;217387 wrote+1. I would definitely run 2x24 > 1x27.

Agreed.....but does 2x24 = 2x27.....or does the price on the 27" make it not worth while?

moose

I run 2x20 and it is fine for me @ 1600x1200 for 12 tabling. But I usually six table on one screen and have the lobbies, msn, chrome etc going on the other.

actyper

Dual 27s might be too much imo, size wise. Thats a lot of screen to look at especially at that distance. Personally I would prefer duals 24s over dual 27s