Dell 8250 P4 2.4 GHz from hotdeals

[Rally1]

So..... you got a Dell, for not alot of money thanks to the hotdeals forum.


Feel free to add to this thread to discuss anything about this machine, RAM upgrades etc.

 

[Rally1]

Got mine today and updated to XP pro. Then i downloaded and ran the XP Pro SP1. As soon as I did that my USB ports didnt work anymore, which was kind of a pain considering my only internet connection wath through a wireless USB adaptor, and my mouse was a USB ifeel.

In case that happens to you too, dive into settings----control panel ---- system ---- hardware and "update drivers" for your usb controllers, and they will start working again.

 

[abaez]

Did you reformat and install pro or did you just upgrade?

 

[RossMAN]

I cancelled my order, the FedEx screw up and all the pending rebates ... just too much hassle.

 

[Rally1]

Just updated, which if it's like it used to be, is not the ideal way to do it.

ie i wouldnt upgrade from 2k to XP, I would do a whole new install.

But this was an new box so i figured it would be ok.

Other than that, everything seems fine.

Might have to get some more RAM, someone argued that 256MB of ths Ram was the same as 512 of regular DDR, that doesnt sound right to me, but maybe someone can educate me.

edit: bad sign when Rossman and Justincase dont like the deal.......

 

[Bob0]

I also got in on this deal. My plan is to wait for the Granite bay chipset to come out and stablize in price, then I'm gonna swap the processor and video card into my Granite Bay system. Then I'm going to buy another 2.4ghz B and reuse the 8500 that's in my system now and sell the dell system to a friend for about 400 bux.

 

[dcorn]

RAM is RAM, folks. This RAM will give you 1-5% faster speed in quite a few operations compared to modern DDR systems (like the DDR333 in the 4550s) but still, RAM is RAM. If your software needs 512M of RAM to work, you'll need to purchase 512MB of RAM, whether you have a DDR system or an RDRAM system.

 

[ylim11]

Why the RDRAM is so much expensive than the DDR? And most of the RDRAM do not provide life time warranty..... some of them just 1 year warranty..... too bad....

 

[dcorn]

RDRAM is more expensive because it's proprietary and fees are charged to make it. It's also more expensive because (at one time) it was vastly faster than the alternative - that's no longer true that it's faster, but it's still a bit more expensive. I don't see it as a big deal either way; it's a few bucks more, but I got a great deal on the 8250, so I'm not unhappy about that.

512M (2x256) should run $200. That's compared to $150 or so for 1x512 stick of DDR333.

I can't get concerned about the warranty bit. I've never had RAM fail. It has no moving parts - unless you burn it with static or somesuch, what's to fail?

 

[Yeahrt]

I never really followed RDRAM, never expecting to own a computer that used it, but now that I've ordered one, i have a question.

What's the difference between 16-bit and 32-bit? one requires pairs, and the other doesn't? which one would we
need to upgrade teh 8250?

Thanks

 

[chiwawa626]

hah, if someone wants to be really nice, sell me theres for a 10% mark up?

 

[Imported]

Is the 2.4 a C1?

 

[abaez]

I think its B-Stepping.

And I am going to cancel my order as well.

 

[Tom]

"I think it's B-stepping"

What are you basing this on ?

 

[Chaco]

I need advice to purchase more memory for the Dell 8250 of the deal.
It comes with two modules of 128 + 256 MB.
Can I buy a module of 256 or 512 Mb? or is the same either?
And what kind of memory should I buy?

 

[UltraWide]

gotta buy RDRAM in PAIRS for the Dell. It uses dual channel memory, i850E faster than other stuff, but also more expensive. The dual DDR intel chipsets should perform about the same as the i850E.
I think Samsung is the biggest maker of the rambus chips then other companies buy it and rebrand it.

 

[RossMAN]

My Dell 8250 order has finally been cancelled.

 

[CalcMan]

RossMAN you seemed gungho before why'd you cancel it now?

 

[Hankysmoo]

Anyone know of a good/cheap place to buy memory for this bad boy?

 

[Rally1]

I told my buddy about this deal, and he wisely added ( i say wisely because i told him to) the DVD burner for $200

It turned out to be a NEC ND-1100 DVD±RW

anyone have any good info about it?

i havent found much on it, seems to be too new.

what i have found:

The battle for the standardization for writing to DVD media continues unabated, but device manufacturers don?t want to lose profit by taking part in that. Thus, writers supporting both competing formats (+ and -) started appearing. After Sony, NEC also offered their multi-standard solution called ND-1100, an internal DVD writer using the IDE/ATAPI interface. The features of this really universal device are best presented as a list:

- read CDs - 40x;
- read DVD - 12x;
- write CD-R - 16x;
- write CD-RW - 10x;
- write DVD+R - 4x;
- write DVD+RW - 2.4x;
- write DVD-R - 2x;
- write DVD-RW 1x.

The device will start retailing in November, and the expected price is about $300-350.

 

[jamesave]

I tried to watch the DVD using the 8250- This is my first PC with DVD drive.

Everything run smoothly until certain parts that the movie become slow- it seems like the dvd is reading because I can hear it spin. Is this normal when we play DVD? When I rerun the movie, it happen in another part of the movie.

btw, i got 512 MB of RAM and no other application running-

Is there a way to fix this? I use the PowerDVD that comes with the Dell

TIA

 

[Rally1]

no reason that should happen.

You could check that the drive is setup in DMA mode,

 

[NeXus4400]

Originally posted by: jamesave
I tried to watch the DVD using the 8250- This is my first PC with DVD drive.

Everything run smoothly until certain parts that the movie become slow- it seems like the dvd is reading because I can hear it spin. Is this normal when we play DVD? When I rerun the movie, it happen in another part of the movie.

btw, i got 512 MB of RAM and no other application running-

Is there a way to fix this? I use the PowerDVD that comes with the Dell

TIA

Make sure your dvd isn't scratched or scuffed. The will cause the drive to reread the disc for data it thinks may be corrputed.

Hey guys, I can't wait until I get my system. I ordered it with 256 mb of ram to skimp on money. I've decided that 256 won't suffice in the long run so I will probaby upgrade in the next couple of weeks/months. I found a stick of Samsung 128 RB to be $60 shipped at http://www.micropro.com. Anyone know of better deals? Also,

-Samuel

 

[Azurik]

Rambus' RDRAM (especially 1066 speeds) is significantly faster than DDR as the speed of CPU rises. The difference gaps bigger and becomes more noticeable at 2.0ghz+, and especially noticeable on the new 3.06ghz Pentium 4 chips with Hyperthreading.

 

[ylim11]

Will the 800 RDRAM can be used on this 8250? What's the difference among 1066 and 800?