New Computer!

[Greg]

I'm currently configuring our new home PC - A Dell Optiplex GX280, 3.2 GHz Pentium 4, 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard drive, Windows XP Pro. 8)

 

[riverc0il]

1 GB of RAM

:shock:

i can't even begin to tell you how that blows my computer away.

 

[Greg]

i can't even begin to tell you how that blows my computer away.

We're coming off an older Dell Dimension, PIII 1 GHz and 256 MB RAM. My wife does some DV stuff and as you can imagine I spend a fair amount of time on the PC, so part of the tax return came in handy...

 

[hammer]

I'm currently configuring our new home PC - A Dell Optiplex GX280, 3.2 GHz Pentium 4, 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard drive, Windows XP Pro. 8)

Congrats on your new toy.

Let's see how it compares to mine...
- twice the clock speed
- 4 times the RAM
- 2 times the HD storage

Does it still have a floppy? Did you also go with the DVD?

I know that my computer is starting to show its age; my son is now able to get gaming software that it has a hard time keeping up with. :-?

 

[Greg]

Does it still have a floppy? Did you also go with the DVD?

Yep. Still has a floppy. I didn't get any optical drives in it as we have a DVD-RW and CD-RW in the old PC I'm going to move over. Problem is not being able to install software... :blink: ...which I have solved by connecting to the new PC from the old via remote desktop, setting up a share from the CD drive on the old PC, and installing software on the new machine currently sitting on the dining room table over the home network. I'm a geek, I know...

 

[skijay]

I had to buy an external floppy drive for my new PC. I did not realize that is not a standard feature and noticed it when I tried to insert a floppy. I went to Ebay and purhcased a new USB port/powered IBM branded drive. I think this is what is sold to ThinkPad consumers as it is very small and portable.

I just plug it in to one of the ports when I need to access a floppy. It was $18 and for Win XP, did not require any drivers.

 

[bvibert]

Congrats, its always fun to get a new computer!

 

[ctenidae]

Nice one, Greg.
Hammer, I feel your pain. The $10 bargain bin games are too much for my laptop to handle. A single CD has more storage than my entire harddrive.

 

[hammer]

Nice one, Greg.
Hammer, I feel your pain. The $10 bargain bin games are too much for my laptop to handle. A single CD has more storage than my entire harddrive.

Fortunately for me, at this point, it's not the basic SW yet (although my 5YO work laptop would struggle with basic stuff).

I remember years ago when I purchased a Gateway 386 system with a 13" monitor for $2500...jeez, I'm getting old... :-?

 

[ctenidae]

I remember getting our first Commodore 64, and how I was cooler because I had a disk drive, while my freind used a tape drive for a while.How many hours of our youth was wasted waiting for a tape to load up? Then, we got the 128, and it was a whole different ballgame....

 

[Greg]

I remember getting our first Commodore 64, and how I was cooler because I had a disk drive, while my freind used a tape drive for a while.How many hours of our youth was wasted waiting for a tape to load up? Then, we got the 128, and it was a whole different ballgame....

I got you beat. I had a Commodore VIC-20 with a tape drive. A whopping 5 KB of RAM and a 1 MHz processor... :lol:

 

[Vortex]

We had a vic 20 couldn't work that either.

 

[ctenidae]

Ah, the Vic-20. Only slightly worse than the Trash-80. Anyone remember the Timex computer that came out? I don't remember what it was called, but I wanted one, just because it looked cool.

 

[hammer]

Ah, the Vic-20. Only slightly worse than the Trash-80. Anyone remember the Timex computer that came out? I don't remember what it was called, but I wanted one, just because it looked cool.

Sorry I started on the trip down memory lane...I should have figured it was a matter of time before someone would mention a TRS-80.

Next thing we'll have are stories about working with punch cards...

 

[ski_resort_observer]

My first computer was an Apple IIe..circa 1982. The crazy thing about all this is the prices.

In 1995 my brother bought a state of the art puter...16mb of RAM..it cost $4,000. In the past 6 months I have bought 2 Dell's(512 RAM, 2.5ghtz processing speed) for about $500 each.

I wish this happens with ski equipment? :lol:

 

[Greg]

Anyone remember the Timex computer that came out? I don't remember what it was called, but I wanted one, just because it looked cool.

You must mean the Sinclair. My brother had that before we got the Commodore VIC-20 and then the TRS-80. Here's a cool site for old computers:

http://www.oldcomputers.net/

 

[MichaelJ]

I'm with you right up until that "Windows" word.

I'm either going to upgrade my Linux desktop with just a new motherboard to dual 3GHz processors and 2GB of RAM, buy a PowerMac dual G5, or buy a PowerBook G4. Since I don't have the money yet for any of these options, I have time to think about what I want to do...


Oh, and I programmed the VIC-20 and Atari 800 in school, and had a TI-99/4A at home until our first 8088-2 PC compatible with 256K of memory and dual floppies.

 

[SilentCal]

Whoa I remember the TRS-80. I still have the TV that it was hooked up to and it works great. You couldn't really even do much on that system. Dungeons of Daggerath was a cool game to play on it though. Surprised I even remember the name of that one.

 

[Greg]

I'm with you right up until that "Windows" word.

Oh brother, here we go...

For the past few years, I would have said Windows 2000 Pro was the best operating system I've ever worked with. However, lately I've learned to love XP Pro. Two primary reasons: Remote Desktop and plug-n-play that actually works. Couple P-n-P with Windows Update device configuration and new devices now seem to install themself!

All hail Microsoft... :beer:

 

[Greg]

I'm currently configuring our new home PC - A Dell Optiplex GX280, 3.2 GHz Pentium 4, 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard drive, Windows XP Pro. 8)

Motherboard fried today. Luckily I have 84 days left on my warranty. New MB and power supply coming Tuesday. Opening a support ticket with Dell and dispatching the parts took 5 minutes. This is precisely why I purchase PCs from reputable vendors with good support, vs. building my own or going with some cheesy brand.