New Computer Questions.

[DTSLAY]

Hi all,
I'm ordering a new computer and have some questions. I'm getting an Alienware Aurora DDR computer. Here are the specs.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

-Case: ATX Mid-Tower Case (300-Watt PS) (Space Black)
-Processor: AMD Athlon 1.4GHz Processor 266MHz FSB w/Heatsink & Cooling
Fan
-FIC AD11 DDR Motherboard
-Memory: 256MB DDR SDRAM (PC-2100)
-Keyboard: 107-Enhanced Windows Keyboard (Space Black)
-Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer USB
-Hard Drive: 30GB HD 9.0ms seek time, 7200RPM, UltraATA
-Video Card: VisionTek NVIDIA GeForce3 w/64MB DDR TV-Out 4X AGP
-Video Cooling: KoolMaxx Video Cooling System
-Sound Card: SoundBlaster LIVE! Value
-DVD-ROM: Pioneer 16X DVD 40X w/Software MPEG-2 Decoder
-Modem: US Robotics V.90 56K Internal Voice/Fax/Data
-Windows Me
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


O.K now the questions I have are as follows-

1) Now does this machine look like it should be able to handle pretty much anything out on the market?

2) Is Windows ME really a good choice for gaming?

3) Any thoughts on the Motherboard as this is the only one they offer for the Aurora? Is it a stable, and reliable Mobo?

4) And should I invest in better cooling or should I be safe with what I'm getting?

By the way this is going to be used for gaming mostly.

Any thoughts you might have will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[crzyc]

looks damn sweet! i bet it could handle anything

 

[walla]

1) If by 'anything out on the market' you mean any game, then yes! That's a nice machine.

2) i've heard ME is buggy, and that Win98 is probably the best MS-OS for games. i've never used ME, though.

thats all the advice I can give

 

[walla]

1) If by 'anything out on the market' you mean any game, then yes! That's a nice machine.

2) i've heard ME is buggy, and that Win98 is probably the best MS-OS for games. i've never used ME, though.

thats all the advice I can give

 

[Oyeve]

Looks great. Winme, IMO, is the best os for games. I never had a problem with games in Winme. As a matter of fact, I went WinME because win98 would not run porsche unleashed properly. I would go with Winme, but then again, I use an Intel platform, so this may not apply for you.

 

[MallowJr]

How much did all that cost? If it's reasonable I may purchase one too, though I'd much rather upgrade myself than buy a whole new system...

 

[DTSLAY]

I'm getting the system for $1737 including shipping. Kind of high but they are supposed to stand behind their products.

 

[wonkajunk]

Got the Visiontek Geforce 3 and it rocks. My suggestion if you are looking for the ultimate gaming machine? Go with Windows 2000. Why for gaming? Here is the main reason, you can adjust the CPU priority to any application you run. By default everything that runs is on a level 3 priority(1-6). When I play a game I set that game to a high priority like 5 and the performance is astonishing! WinME is a system hog and has to many integrated features you have no control over. Win 2000 you can tweak the hell out of and have almost full control over what you want. Some say it to is a system resource hog. Yeah when you run all the services as default, but after a few well known weaks you have a sweet OS that is a gamers delight. hell even the guys on the Screensavers on TechTV put Win 2000 on their Ultimate Gaming Machine. Compatablity issues? Ha,I have yet to encounter one. And if there ever is one(older games) there are monthly compatabilty patches available at Windows Update. Go woth W2K if you can with your sweet system, you'll thank me later!

WwWonka

 

[wonkajunk]

....spelling errors due to being up all night fragging newbs in Unreal Tournament.

 

[acidtear]

i would invest another 75$ on ram

 

[NelsonMuntz]

<< Looks great. Winme, IMO, is the best os for games. I never had a problem with games in Winme. As a matter of fact, I went WinME because win98 would not run porsche unleashed properly. I would go with Winme, but then again, I use an Intel platform, so this may not apply for you. >>


No offense, but I have no problems running Porsches Unleashed on my 98SE machine, but Me is a fine OS. This system s/b able to handle any program you throw at it, so that shouldn't be a concern. They used the FIC mobo probably because it is one of the cheaper ones available, but it does have the AMD 761 northbridge which is good. Don't expect to be able to tweak it too much though. I didn't notice a monitor in there, are you planning on getting a &quot;space black&quot; one too? Also, does the Mouse come in &quot;Space Black&quot;? Have fun with it! Oops, almost forgot the RAM. They are giving you 256 Mb which s/b sufficient, but it is probably two sticks of 128 Mb, so in order to add RAM you have to take out a stick which makes the upgrades a little more expensive.

 

[crzyc]

i have 256ddr and it is working fine playing some DoD