Author: David Dory
Date: 11:52:36 06/13/02
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On June 13, 2002 at 12:26:02, Jose Gonzalbez wrote: >I want to improve my old PC and I only use to play chess: programs and ICC. If >you could give me some advice I should be very grateful. The offer they gave me >is, basically, Pentium 4 2,0 GHZ memory dimm 256MB 133 MHZ. Maybe better 512MB >of memory or it is enough with 256? What other important things I have to see? While the P4 runs cooler, I chose the AMD Athlon. The 1900+ costs less, but more importantly, runs chess programs faster than a P4 2.0Ghz. One of the better mobo's is the MSI (Microstar International) K7T266 (there are several versions of this board. The only feature you really NEED is the Kt266A VIA chipset. I got the Pro2. This has the front side bus (FSB) speed of 266, and is (according to the hardware testing guru's), a very stable and fast mobo. Also, it's not expensive! It uses DDR memory (I got 512MB PC2100 and would recommend it - it's not too much. 256MB of memory just isn't enough.). My HD is reliable, quiet and not expensive, Western Digital (WD) 80GB, 7200 RPM. It's not fast enough to do video editing, but I don't edit video's, and it performs very well for chess, etc. You can get good reviews on all HD's at storagereview.com I'd put any $$$ you save into a good monitor. You'll be looking at it a lot, so make it one you don't have to squint at. I like the 17 or 19 incher's. A good CPU heatsink and fan. I'd spend a few extra bucks and get the all-copper heatsink. Aluminum can do the job, but if you overclock, definitely get the all-copper heatsink. (Good tip from Aaron) My case has an extra fan on the side because cooling air-flow from the front of the case is somewhat restricted. 56K V.90 PCI modem (utterly cheap and reliable) CD ROM drive. You don't need a burner, or a DVD player for chess. Another way to save money for a better monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Floppy Drive and inexpensive sound card and speakers round out the system. I'd stick with XP (or win2000) if you want Windows. Win98 was fine, but it's headed out the door (obsolete), and WindowsME I found unusable and junked. I'd avoid WinME like the plague. David
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