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I really know very little about computer hardware, besides that...Celeron sucks, Core 2 Duo is decent, Intel Integrated Graphics is generally bad.
That said, I just bought a Lenovo refurbished DESKTOP from their outlet sale with the following specs for $284. Good or bad deal?
Intel® Core™2 Duo E8400 (3.0 GHz, 6MB L2, 1333 MHz FSB)
2GB (2 X 1GB) PC3-8500 DDR3 1067MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
160GB, 7200RPM Serial ATA 2.5" Hard Drive
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500
Genuine Windows Vista Business 32 - English (is this very different than Windows 7 Prof.?)
I assume the graphics card isn't going to be good for, well, anything so I'm looking for a relatively cheap upgrade (under 70$).
Will need to support a full-res Dell U2711 (2560x1440) with a "matching" portraited Dell 1909W (1440x900).
Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Before buying a new graphics card, always make sure your motherboard can handle it. Do you know what type of slots your mobo has available for graphics?
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People generally don't upgrade notebooks unless it's memory. It's possible that your pci-e slot is not even accessible unless you take apart most of your laptop.
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On January 04 2011 05:41 prototype. wrote:
People generally don't upgrade notebooks unless it's memory. It's possible that your pci-e slot is not even accessible unless you take apart most of your laptop.
A lot of laptops, mine for example, are impossible to open unless you break the plastic that holds it all together. You can probably reach the most important parts to do service etc. but there's still loads that I can't you can't access (the fans for example, I wanted to clean them out but that was a no-no).
Edit: Fuck yeah, a Zergling!
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You're pretty much guaranteed that throwing a new video card in there can't happen as there's absolutely no space in the shell for it. There's probably no PCI-E slot either. At best you'll be able to switch out the ram and the hard drive.
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You won't be able to replace the graphics card on your notebook. Unless you bought a +1,500$ notebook meant for gaming and customizing, everything will be soldered together.
Only thing you can normally change, like other people said, is the ram, which is meant to be upgradable, and usually the hard drive as well.
Notebooks are meant to be used as is, not really upgraded. They're meant to be quick and easy to use without the hassle of a huge desktop, which is 100% customizable.
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This is a desktop, sorry for not specifying in the OP.
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On January 04 2011 06:04 exalted wrote:
This is a desktop, sorry for not specifying in the OP.
On January 04 2011 05:32 susySquark wrote:
Before buying a new graphics card, always make sure your motherboard can handle it. Do you know what type of slots your mobo has available for graphics?
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According to the user manual (http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/thinkcentre_pdf/53y9876.pdf) you have a PCI-E x16 slot which would work with xmShake suggestions's. You can also look over the Tech Support section, there's probly a thread about recommended video cards for sc2.
I would advise at upgrading to 4gb RAM, its really cheap (http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurator_new/modelsinfo.asp?SysID=51191&mfr=Lenovo&model=ThinkCentre+M58p+7483%2C+7484&search_type=&root=ca&LinkBack=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kingston.com%2Fcanada&Sys=51191-Lenovo-ThinkCentre+M58p+7483%2C+7484-xxx&distributor=0&submit1=Search) and youll see the benefits right away, right now your bottleneck would be the video tho.
EDIT : Make sure you pick a not too high end video card as heat could become an issue quickly, these SFF are built with secretary usage in mind)
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awesome, thanks a lot CoFran
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any video card without a rebate? can't do the rebate process since i'll only be in America for a few weeks.
also, it looks like I'll have to plug the Dell U2711 monitor using the DVI port or displayport in order to get the maximum resolution. HDMI only goes up to 1920x1080 or something. Do some video cards have a displayport port? (the card recommended by xmShake just has DVI, HDMI and VGA)
and I'm assuming for the smaller monitor I can just plug it in via a HDMI->HDMI cable and have no problems running the two simultaneously.
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On January 04 2011 07:05 exalted wrote:
any video card without a rebate? can't do the rebate process since i'll only be in America for a few weeks.
also, it looks like I'll have to plug the Dell U2711 monitor using the DVI port or displayport in order to get the maximum resolution. HDMI only goes up to 1920x1080 or something. Do some video cards have a displayport port? (the card recommended by xmShake just has DVI, HDMI and VGA)
and I'm assuming for the smaller monitor I can just plug it in via a HDMI->HDMI cable and have no problems running the two simultaneously.
A lot of the new ati cards come with displayport ports but you're going to have to spend more than $70. $79 without the rebate is still a pretty good deal, but if you're fine without dx11, this card will do nicely for $60.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131381
Let me also say that starcraft 2 will run fine without using dx11 if thats the only game you intend to play.
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Where did you get this info about HDMI only goes up to 1920x1080?
Personally I would just get a cheap GT210 from Nvidia. I don't like any of ATI's cheapo cards, had three that malfunctioned or dead due to drivers.
There is no reason to get any thing better because you are capped by the power supply in the Lenovo Box. You want something that is quiet and power efficient.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
Note that it supports 2560p or specifically is backward compatible with DVI. HDMI carries AUDIO and VIDEO signal over one cable with the video part equivalent to DVI.
Perfectly fine.
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On January 04 2011 07:05 exalted wrote:
any video card without a rebate? can't do the rebate process since i'll only be in America for a few weeks.
also, it looks like I'll have to plug the Dell U2711 monitor using the DVI port or displayport in order to get the maximum resolution. HDMI only goes up to 1920x1080 or something. Do some video cards have a displayport port? (the card recommended by xmShake just has DVI, HDMI and VGA)
and I'm assuming for the smaller monitor I can just plug it in via a HDMI->HDMI cable and have no problems running the two simultaneously.
Why not ask someone to buy it for you.
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Just bought that Palit card for 35 dollars. Seems like a decent deal, not really looking to play the latest games so it should be perfectly sufficient (mainly concerned with having a smooth dual monitor setup).
On to ram - where can I download some? Apparently it comes with 2GB of ram, 2x1GB sticks. I always thought the sticks needed to match? Or can I buy a 2GB and swap a 1GB out? Or is that not really recommended and if I want to buy, I need to buy 2x2GB sticks?
Seems like Lenovo really cheaped out on everything besides the processor, 1GB sticks seem so obsolete...
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You are talking about RAM in dual channel mode which is the optimal way to run on most architectures but you don't have to, you likely won't notice any difference what so ever.
But RAM is dirt cheap these days, you might as well.
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EPT
