TSGL: Foxconn motherboard

[H Davis]

Don,

I have no first hand experience with Intel vs AMD but everything I've 
read supports what Glen said below.

The rest of the specs look fine.

As far as the LCD goes - yup, get it. I held out until my desk started 
to buckle under the weight of my 19" CRT. My older system has a 
Viewsonic VA912b which I'm very happy with. This model has the speakers 
built into the bottom of the screen saving a little more desk space if 
sound quality is not critical to you. You can save a few bucks on the 
identical model (sorry don't know the number) without the speakers.

If you haven't had experience with LCD's before be sure to set the 
screen display font to "Cleartype". Right click on a blank area of your 
desktop then click properties. Click Appearance, Effects then under "Use 
the following method to smooth edges of screen font" select Cleartype. 
This really improves the screen font. Most laptops come with this preset 
(because they have LCD screens) but even my latest desktop did not come 
with Cleartype set as the default.

Also, if you're a member of our secret seniors club, get the biggest 
screen you can afford. 19" seems to be the sweet spot price wise, at 
least here in the States. That way when you run at higher screen 
resolutions you can still make out the letters instead of squinting at 
everything or spending your day 6" from the screen.

Good luck with your project.

H Davis

Glen Bigelow wrote:
> Don,
>
> I think this is a fine little bundle...depending, of course, on what you're
> paying for it. In answer to your question about AMD, I certainly wouldn't be
> the least bit concerned. I worked for Intel for 10 years, and I have the
> utmost respect for the company and their processors. However, I also am a
> firm supporter of AMD and you usually get more bang for the buck with their
> processors. I keep my family and extended family in computers and about half
> of them are using Intel processors and the other half AMD processors, and
> I've had no issues with either.
>
> In regards to the Athlon 3200 running at 2GHz, I think it actually runs at
> 2.2GHZ, but the main idea is that AMD claims the architecture of their chips
> makes an Athlon 3200 run "as if" it were performing at 3.2GHz. I can't
> comment on this other than to say the AMD processors that I have experience
> with, have always appeared to be very fast and comparable to the Intel
> processors that I have experience with.
>
> Finally, in regards to paying the additional $100 for the LCD...I can't
> recommend loudly enough...DO II...DO IT...DO II...DO IT!  Less heat, better
> resolution, more viewable area and let's not forget a much smaller
> footprint.
>
> My two-cents from the old "what it's worth" department.
>
> Glen Bigelow
> Sacramento, CA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: list-bounces at tsgserver.com [mailto:list-bounces at tsgserver.com] On
> Behalf Of Don Penlington
> Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 6:51 AM
> To: Tech Support Guy Mailing List
> Subject: TSGL: Foxconn motherboard
>
> I'm considering buying a used computer (clone) with the following specs, to 
> replace my aging and very basic Celeron2000:
>
> AMD Athlon3200 chip
> Foxconn Mother board  IGPSK7MA-ERS
> 1Gb RAM
> 180 Gb HD.
> N-Vidia graphics card.
> Superior case.
> Flatscreen Viewsonic top-of-range 19" CRT monitor (brand new)---I may elect 
> to pay an extra $A100 for LCD.
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations, for or against, these specs?  I'm not 
> familiar with either Athlon chips ( I see the 3200 is actually 2000 GHz 
> speed---is this a fair comparison, or marketing hype?) nor Foxconn mobos, 
> and I can't find any reviews of this mobo.
>
> At the price being offered, it's a much cheaper alternative to upgrading my 
> present computer, or buying a  new clone.
>
> Don Penlington
>  From the Beach at Surfers Paradise in sunny Queensland.
> Computer tutorials, local scenery,  and other things at my website:
> http://users.tpg.com.au/deepend/index1.html
>
>
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-- 
H Davis   hdavis1 at gmail.com