Dell 5150 Dual Core 2.8GHz inc 19" LCD Monitor & Free Printer £429 (merged)

planetf1

See the dual core XP fix at http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=983781. Refer to fix #2 (ignore #1)

Whirly

Well I put in the X800GT today.

I took the decision to ask on the Dell forums and was answered by a moderator. The instructions given were:

* Power the PC off
* Disconnect the power cord
* Open the case cover
* Insert the PCIe video card
* Close the cover
* Reconnect the power cord
* Power the PC on
* Go into the bios (Press F2)
* Make sure Video is set to AUTO

No BIOS adjustment was necessary (it was already set to AUTO) and it was simply a case of putting in the PCI-E Video card, attaching the monitor cable, starting Windows, removing the old drivers and installing the ATI ones.

Now all I have to do is find time to buy & install a game that can test it...I wonder if Oblivion would work with this setup? It looks kinda interesting and before this I did not expect to be able to play it.

JIT_3

This is now £398.98 with 1GB RAM.

Is this the best offer so far?
I know it was previously £429 with 1GB RAM and 160GB HDD.

borgs

JIT wrote:

This is now £398.98 with 1GB RAM.

Is this the best offer so far?
I know it was previously £429 with 1GB RAM and 160GB HDD.

That's a repeat of the offer that was on a couple of weeks ago (which I got by the way). I think that it is a better offer as you can get a second bigger than 80GB SATA HD for not much more than £30. Or, if 80Gb is enough for you just leave it as it is.

Edit: You can get a 160Gb HD for £47 from eBuyer, giving you an extra 80Gb over the £429 spec for only £17.

darkovo

Does the motherboard support 2x SATA Hard Drives, so add another drive to the PC?
What's the on-board Intel Graphics like for outputing to a TV (or even can it?)


Nice price on the 512MB USB Stick - Add £70.50!!!!

borgs

darkovo wrote:

Does the motherboard support 2x SATA Hard Drives, so add another drive to the PC?
What's the on-board Intel Graphics like for outputing to a TV (or even can it?)


Nice price on the 512MB USB Stick - Add £70.50!!!!

Yes and there is an enclosure for the second drive. I think you'll need another SATA cable mind.

The on-board graphics CAN output to a TV BUT there is no port on the computer for it. You can buy an ADD2 card that provides a digital output.

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/intel915g/sb/cs-013296.htm

darkovo

borgs wrote:

The on-board graphics CAN output to a TV BUT there is no port on the computer for it. You can buy an ADD2 card that provides a digital output.

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/intel915g/sb/cs-013296.htm

So plugs into the PCI-Express connection and gives extra outputs I presume.

Any idea how much these cards are? Or should I just get an ATI or nVidia card with DVI out etc instead (can get a decent card for gaming and TV for £100 ish).

Whirly

Quick update to my X800Gt addition:

I installed Oblivion this morning and it works great - not at the highest detail levels (what PC does?) but it looks absolutely beautiful. It's hard to describe how amazed I was at how far graphics haved moved on sinced my 4200Ti.

One word of warning to anyone thinking of adding in a good video card though: it does increase the noise significantly. Nobody could call it loud but before it was hard to tell if the computer was even on, now it's obvious.

darkovo

I suppose it's best to get a fanless Video Card then, a bit limited if you want the extra graphics power though! I know I'd rather just watch TV in peace, depends what you want the PC to do.

borgs

darkovo wrote:

So plugs into the PCI-Express connection and gives extra outputs I presume.

Any idea how much these cards are? Or should I just get an ATI or nVidia card with DVI out etc instead (can get a decent card for gaming and TV for £100 ish).

Just found one on Amazon for about £21. Search for 'ADD2 Adapter Card' They use the PCI-Express. Beware, I think I remember reading that there are two types, so make sure you get the right one for your motherboard chipset.

The one on Amazon has a digital type connector - I would assume that you can get adaptors to convert that to a composite output etc. but don't quote me on that. Don't seem to be to many places selling them to be honest.