Re: Advice re Core 2Duo

Paul
Thank you for the info and links.
I had been to Toms in the hope of seeing the E4300, but as you say it does
not feature.
Re the OS, only Vista Home Premium is on offer?
I have given a link to the system in question in my reply to Peter.
The system will have 1024MB RAM.
Having read your links and a couple of others, the CPU and GMA set-ups seem
to be more for small business systems than home use.
All in all, it would seem to me that with 1024MB Memory he will be OK
watching DVD films etc as long as he does not run a McAffe scan at the same
time as watching 'Gone With The Wind' :-) :-).
Many thanks for yours and Peters help and info.
It does seem strange that this system is quite a lot cheaper than a standard
home entry system from this particular builder.
I will try and get him to spend another £47 on the GPU (256MB Ati Radeon
X1300Pro - I am sure that would cope with no problems.
Rgds
Antioch

"Paul" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:etg1mc$ia4$1@xxxxxxxxxxx
Paul wrote:
antioch wrote:
A friend is buying a computer from a well know 'off the shelf' builder.
It has the latest Intel ViiV technology Core 2Duo E4300 CPU.
He has NO tech knowledge re overclocking.
The GPU start level on customise is an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
3000.
His main use for a system will be to play DVD films and music, browse
the net and emails.
He will not be downloading video or film editing of any kind - just
using the DVD RW to store digital photos.
Re the DVD playing, will an accelerator be sufficient for purpose or
should he have at least the entry level GPU card as offered.
Rgds
Antioch



<<snip>>

There is mention here, of GMA x3000 and GMA 3000. Apparently there is
more to this thing than just IDCT. In general, I'm always suspicious of
integrated graphics, so I'd want to see benchmarks of how much of a
difference it makes to video, before I would get excited.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2837

So apparently a G965 is more desirable than a Q965, for the motherboard
chipset and the built-in graphics. Maybe that "ViiV" moniker means
something. (I try not to drink the Kool-Aid, and that is why I don't
keep track of what stuff like ViiV means.)

http://support.intel.com/personal/shopping-assistant/pop-up/why-viiv.htm

"Unbelievably rich media. Watch crystal clear video playback with
sharper images and precise color control with Intel Clear Video
Technology combined with high-definition (HD) video playback
capabilities and support for up to 7.1 surround sound."

Yeah, assuming there is software that actually works. Usually there is
a big gap between hardware availability, and software that works well
enough for anyone to use.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/chipsets/display/ig965-gf6150_3.html

And this page of the article, compares G965 with other integrated
graphics. The new Intel features make a slight difference to
CPU utilization. Still, it isn't hitting 100% CPU, so it works.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/chipsets/display/ig965-gf6150_13.html

Paul


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