Please Rate my rig

[iblock]

Longtime lurker crossing the 4th wall

I ordered this system from dell for the ridiculous low price of $480. I am replacing the video card with an 8800 GTS which I hope will fit in the case. What are you thoughts.

Vostro 200, Mini Tower Intel Core2 Duo CPU E7200 (2.53GHZ 1066FSB 3MB L2)
3GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHZ 2X1GB+2X512MB
128MB ATI RADEON HD 2400 PRO 200MT
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive 7200RPM, 16MB Cache
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 Vostro
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
IEEE 1394a Adapter

Thanks

 

[ThreatDown]

which 8800GTS? the g80 (320 or 640 mb) or the newer g92 (512mb)
not too bad for the price though. Also what psu does it have? stock dell psu might have some trouble with an 8800.

 

[iblock]

The g92.

I am a bit concerned about the psu, i guess i might need to rig a new one. For some reason the order is listed as a mini tower, i hope the case is large enough to hold the card as well. when i ordered it the girl assured me it was a full size unit.

 

[falcodakrzz]

To be fair that rigs pretty poor, even with an 8800. Firstly it's a dell pc, probably meaning it has a crappy PSU and mobo. No only that, theres 2x512 and 2x1gb ram modules, its far better just to have the same type (i.e. 3x1gb). And if that is a small case, then the components will be hotter than in a larger one.

 

[tomdrum]

i give it my own personal rating of 3 muffs out of 5

 

[itadakimasu]

yeah... the psu will need to be upgraded...


hopefully its only costing you $500 + video card. They do the vostro packages w\ a 19-22'' lcd starting around $400

 

[trackman2010]

To be fair that rigs pretty poor, even with an 8800. Firstly it's a dell pc, probably meaning it has a crappy PSU and mobo. No only that, theres 2x512 and 2x1gb ram modules, its far better just to have the same type (i.e. 3x1gb).

Actually, that's not true.
Having 3x1GB means dual-channel is not enabled, which can significantly reduce performance in many areas. Having 2x1GB and 2x512MB is definitely the way to go for 3GB RAM.

As for my opinion on the machine, I'd say it'll be pretty good once you swap out the video card.
The only concerns would be the case and PSU, but other than that, I'd say everything is fine.

 

[SpinachEater]

To be fair that rigs pretty poor, even with an 8800. Firstly it's a dell pc, probably meaning it has a crappy PSU and mobo. No only that, theres 2x512 and 2x1gb ram modules, its far better just to have the same type (i.e. 3x1gb). And if that is a small case, then the components will be hotter than in a larger one.

I wouldn't call an Intel mobo crappy....if that is what dell still uses these days. You can get worse...ever own a mobo with VIA chipsets? It just wont be feature laden and will restrict the OP's future upgrades. If you mean crappy mobo chipsets...then you are on the right track.

OP: get your mobo model # and specs before going crazy on the upgrades. You don't want to get the wrong parts. With a Dell computer they tend to give you mobos that don't allow much room for future upgrades. You will find that you have a 4GB RAM max or only 2 SATA ports or something along those lines. Also, as mentioned above, keep an eye on your PSU because when you are talking about upgrading the video card to a NV monster, you will want to make sure that you have the proper 12V rail amps to be able to give your card and system the juice it needs.

Quality PSU...meyah...not crucial but it will help you avoid problems down the road. I was running a no name 400W PSU on my P4 computer that is still kicking. I ended up splicing into the cables for extra power hook ups. Moral of the story is...you can probably get by with the PSU you have but don't count on it lasting too long when you start taxing it's output.

Don't come back posting about low 3Dmark scores though. Something down the road that you might want to do is clean off the CPU and apply top notch thermal paste and OC the bageebus out of it. Bumping up your CPU clocks will help you get a lot more than what you paid for.

 

[rgeist554]

Actually, that's not true.
Having 3x1GB means dual-channel is not enabled, which can significantly reduce performance in many areas. Having 2x1GB and 2x512MB is definitely the way to go for 3GB RAM.

As for my opinion on the machine, I'd say it'll be pretty good once you swap out the video card.
The only concerns would be the case and PSU, but other than that, I'd say everything is fine.

+1 to this.

*Edit*


Actually, that being a mini-tower... are you going to have any clearance issues with an 8800 GTS? I mean... it's a pretty big card, both long and wide and I know most of those mini-PC's use low-profile graphics cards. I haven't seen the Vostro 200 in person so... take that as you will.

Just some food for though.

 

[iblock]

I re'd the rig from dell but havent rec'd the vid card yet from new egg. i havent fired it up yet but they did send me a mini case even though i was assured it was full sized when i ordered it. may be going back. thanks for the words.

 

[ckoryom]

A GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB would do great on that system.

 

[iblock]

i checked with dell and it camed with a stock 300w psu. I may have to send this sucker back or look at a diff vid card. Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[SpinachEater]

300W will cap you off from getting a decent card. Are you getting a good monitor with it or do you already have one?

 

[BigMac]

i checked with dell and it camed with a stock 300w psu. I may have to send this sucker back or look at a diff vid card. Thanks for the thoughts.

That is exactly why it is priced as it is, these cheap systems usually are not set up for a good upgrade path. I've been looking at this myself but decided it's not worth it.

 

[amdfangirl]

Well the 300W might work with the low profile 4670 as it is smaller and runs with less power... a 8800GS might work too, but a 8800GTS? I doubt it will fit... double check first...

 

[iblock]

UPDATE:

I swapped out the power supply for a 500w unit and purchased a 4850 which fit in the case no problem. I have loaded the works up and everything is running fine. Total additional investment was less then $200. Now my system specs are as follows:

Vostro 200, Mini Tower Intel Core2 Duo CPU E7200 (2.53GHZ 1066FSB 3MB L2)
3GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHZ 2X1GB+2X512MB
512MB ATI RADEON HD 4850
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive 7200RPM, 16MB Cache
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 Vostro
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
IEEE 1394a Adapter
500 w PSU

Doesnt seem to bad for a super budget system. i already had a decent monitor so i didnt buy wone from dell. I havent really tested things out to see how hot the card runs but the case is actually pretty well ventilated. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[rammar16]

for 700 bucks i would say the spec looks good and i am glad you replace the PSU and video card