Windows 7 New Dell computer....

[djwayne]

My old computer's motherboard died on me and so I replaced the whole computer with a new Dell 620. It comes with an Intel i3 processor, 4 gigs of memory, a 500 gig hard drive and Windows 7-64 bit. Not a bad computer for $399. I was able to plug in my old hard drive and retrive most of my old files so I didn't lose anything. This new computer is running perfect !! I don't want to mess it up by installing Windows 8 on it, nor do I want to do a fresh install. It's working great now, and I don't want to monkey it up.

All my music recording programs seem to be working fine with the Windows 7-64 bit.

 

[whs]

If you want to try Windows 8, you can install Virtual Box and then run Win8 in there. That runs like any application. Here is how.

And here is a little tutorial I made from my Win8 running in Virtual Box: https://vimeo.com/38730435

 

[djwayne]

Maybe you don't understand, I don't want Windows 8 anytime soon. Windows 7-64 bit is working perfectly for me and I don't want to jinx it. My music programs may not work right with Windows 8 as they are not designed for that. I don't want to go thru driver hell anymore, so I'll be sticking with Windows 7 for a very long time.

 

[whs]

Maybe you don't understand, I don't want Windows 8 anytime soon. Windows 7-64 bit is working perfectly for me and I don't want to jinx it. My music programs may not work right with Windows 8 as they are not designed for that. I don't want to go thru driver hell anymore, so I'll be sticking with Windows 7 for a very long time.

That is perfectly alright. I think few people use Windows 8 as their main system. We are just all curious how it looks (and it looks very different) and what it can do.

I also got a brand new Dell XPS 8300 with i7, SSD etc. running Windows 7. But Windows 8 in Virtual Box is just for fun and to keep up with the times. I am a curious critter and like to know where we are headed. But if you are all new to Windows 7, you probably have enough to discover there.

 

[djwayne]

I'm not new to Windows 7, I had the beta when it first came out. I am new to the 64 bit version though. I had lots of headaches with my old computer, in comparrison, the new Dell is like a dream come true, everything works like it's supposed to !!! I don't want to mess that up. I don't want to have to do any more due dilligence on computers or OS's I just want to work with my music programs making music, not playing computer techie all the time.

 

[NaiyaShamiso]

Okay, I'm confused here. What is the question or point here?

 

[djwayne]

There is no question. The point of the thread was to tell you that I got a new computer and am now running the 64 bit version of W7, and it's running great. I built my old computer out of individual parts, and the new computer came off the shelf all assembled. The old one had problems, the new one doesn't. The newly revised i3 processor is working great with W7.

That's my report for what it's worth.

 

[NaiyaShamiso]

Oh, okay. It all just depends on what parts you use when building a computer. Cookie cutter computers are built to just run, without any thought to the speed of it, just to have compatible and proven working parts. If you get the right mix of parts a custom built computer can out perform any cookie cutter. So it just depends on how much work a person puts into the build of that computer.

 

[catilley1092]

Yes, I'm sitting here right now beside one of those cookie cutter PC's (a Dell Dimension 2400) that's been a total PITA since given to me. Note that the PC was built in 2004. Still, after an exam of the interior, things look good, no leaky capacitors, no clogs of dust bunnies, even passed the PassMark test.

Still, it's a piece of crap, very weak (I thought a 2.4GHz CPU was good), my IBM ThinkPad T42 with the same amount of RAM (2GB), has only a 1.7GHz CPU & runs circles around the Dell. I was shocked, to say the least.

Perhaps it will make a good Linux desktop, as it's not fast enough to run Windows on.

Cat

 

[NaiyaShamiso]

Neat oh, I have two Dimensions, 4550 and 8200. I use them for servers now, and they do well with Server 2003. I know that a 4550 will run Windows 7 if you put a GeForce 7300 or better in it.

In regards to the processor. I would have to say that your 1.7GHz has better internal memory. The amount of cache that is running on your processor is really important. It can make or break a processors performance.

 

[catilley1092]

I found out about that internal memory today. Honestly, had I known all of this, I'd have left that computer at her house. It's good for a Linux box, but that's it. That 2.4GHz Celeron CPU was among the cheapest that Intel ever produced.

No matter how much RAM that I install, the CPU is the bottleneck.

Mabye one day it'll be good for one of those Newegg mid-level kits?

Cat

 

[NaiyaShamiso]

Yes, Celeron was the cost effective alternative to the Pentium. Even though it is built on the same technology, it is a little more outdated than its Pentium counterpart of the same release. They where good for mobile platforms until the Centrino technology came out and I think even that has been replaced now. I know that bunches of wireless adapters and access points still use it though.

 

[catilley1092]

I hope that I never see another one. If one is offered to me, I'll politely decline the offer. There were P3's that ran faster than this.

Cat

 

[NaiyaShamiso]

You made Pepsi come out my nose. It burns

I did hate the Celeron series of processors. Slow, clunky, never wanted to do real work, though it was cheap. LoL

 

[Drew]

Get what you pay for...

 

[djwayne]

Built in 2004 ?? That's 8 years old and very obsolete by today's standards. My old computer was built in 2007 and with a Core 2 Duo on an ASUS motherboard. I couldn't get it to work with any more than 1 gig of memory. I tried many different sticks and it would lock up. The new computer everything is designed to work together perfectly and everything on it works like a charm. I have the second generation i3 chip and it's working out great for me. It just came out last year, so it's very up to date with current technology.

 

[whs]

Dells are pretty on the outside and cheap on the inside. I own an Inspiron 530 and a recent XPS 8300. Once you open them, they are a real disaster.

The Inspiron does not even have disk bays. The disks are bolted to the chassis. I had to install my SSD with Velcro.

The XPS (which is supposed to be top of the line) is not much better. It has 2 bays but only 4 Sata ports on the mobo. Fortunately I ordered it with only 1 disk so I could slip my SSD into the open port. But that was only possible after removing a bunch of wires because wire management is non-existing.

I think that was the last tower from Dell that I bought. I would love to build one myself, but my poor eyesight makes that impossible.

 

[djwayne]

Well, my Dell has two expansion bays. One for a backup hard drive and another one for whatever you want. It only has two empty SATA ports which is plenty for my needs.

Mine also came with a cd/dvd writer, and a flash card reader already installed. The two hard drive bays are mounted so that the hard drives face the opening of the computer for super easy access. I really like that. I don't really need any extra bays as two is plenty for me. If anything a PCI slot would have been better than 3 PCI-x slots. It also came with a Wi-Fi card already installed, which is nice.

I don't think I could build one for the $399 I paid for it, plus I don't want the headaches of building one. The components of this computer are all matched to work together properly and it shows, I haven't had one problem with it so far.

Compared to ten years ago, this entry level computer is a real dynamite computer. We've become complacent with 4 gigs memory where as 10 years ago 1 or 2 gigs was considered high.

The onboard sound card is a great improvement too, it's a High Definition card that will play music with 24 bit clarity. So now I don't need to add a special sound card for that.

All in all it's a very nice computer that's working out great for my needs at a very reasonable cost. No it's not a power house by today's standards, but it's good enough for me.

 

[whs]

This sounds like a real good deal for $399. I usually buy the high end stuff, but maybe that is a mistake. Just had to RMA a $1200 Sony laptop because it had a completely retarded BIOS. Lots of stuff on it but you could not even change the boot sequence or run a live Linux CD.

 

[NaiyaShamiso]

Because it is a Sony Link Removed. Dont you remember the huge problem when they took "other OS" out of the PS3 options? It is a way that some companies are trying to kill Linux. Microsoft isn't that bad, at least they are working with some Linux distributions.

Link Removed, it is correct to say that your computer is cost effective and works well. Though saying that it is up with the most current technologies is not correct. You have two open SATA ports, so that would come out to be four or six ports total. when most new boards come with between eight to eighteen. i3 processors are Hyper-threaded dual core processors, when newest models are running 4, 6, 8 and even 10 cores. On top of that they don't support Turbo Boost, Nice little feature to have, I have used it many times in the past. The new i3 is just another set in the long line of cheaper processors that are just a little bit behind the times. Also cookie cutter computer do not have parts that are designed to run perfectly together. They have parts that are designed to work together and have been proven. They can make check mark lists because they know what will 95.1% or higher allow the computer to turn on, past that, nothing in guaranteed.

Now after that, it has to be said that, if this computer is what you need and not overkill then that is what you needed to buy. One mistake people make is they don't buy what they need. A desk jokey needs little more than a dual maybe a quad core with four to six gigs of RAM and an on board graphics card. That is no where near the top of the line but, top of the line is not needed in that situation. That set up will serve him for years to come, thought I would say stay away from on board graphics. He may latter want to add multiple monitor support. So it is great that you found one that works for you. Just remember, it can always work better.