Need advice

[itbeginner]

My friend has got 2 problems:
1) Currently he has a Pentium 233 MHz machine with Win98. He wanted to install a scanner, more precisely an Epson Perfection 640U. There was no usb ports in the machine so he bought a USB 1.1 controller. Win98 detected the card ok. He installed the driver for the scanner successfully. But when he plugged the scanner into the port Win98 did not detect it. He has tried rebooting the machine and search for the new hardware from the Add Hardware option in the Control Panel but still then Win98 does not recognize the scanner. He has tried the scanner in the second available port, but still to no avail. Why does Win98 not detect the scanner? Could there be a problem with the USB card?
2) My friend is an architect which means he has lots of design work to do and he doesn’t find his current pc up to the level. So he wants to buy a new pc and he wants some recommendations as to the hardware required. He does not want to invest more than $800 but he has already decided on a Pentium IV 2.4 GHz processor and a 40 GB hard disk. Besides doing a lot of graphics work, he also loves to play games and watch VCD movies. Can you please help in recommending the other pieces of hardware that will be necessary and will fit in the budget?
Thanks a lot.

 

[franklin97355]

If your friend is an architect he should spend more on his computer and write it off as a business expense. He should be looking for a computer that can handle the software he plans to run and his storage needs. Don't ever try to save money on your tools, buy the best you can get.

 

[JasonYip]

franklin97355 is absolutely right... trust me, as a former draftsman, you want the best to work with... If your friend's running any version of AutoCAD and is rendering, he's going to need to get some serious power in there... a Radeon 9700 or better, 1 gig of DDR ram and some massive amount of storage space (drawings get huge fast).

Go high or go home.

 

[YokyDoky]

With the scanner, cable the thing up and the run the install CD. Perhaps it will detect the device as part of the install routine.

On the architect, he might buy a second hand computer that will meet his needs for that money, but not a new one. He needs a 3D video processor with 128MB of video RAM, a fast processor, a gig of fast RAM, and a mondo fast hard drive. I'd tick with Pentium processor. CAD creates a lot of harddrive hits, so the more RAM and faster drive the better.

Y. Doky - "Manager" of Systems

"Leaders are like eagles - we don't have any of either here."

 

[ceh4702]

233 Mhz is a bit slow for todays software and hardware.

To save money I would just say Asus A7N8X Deluxe and a XP2500+ to XP2800 would really do the job great. Some people are stuck on P4 and are scared of AMD. I think the NForce2 Chipset runs great and is the most bang for the buck. It would work great. Add a nice High end All-In-Wonder ATI card and he could import video or play DVD's output to a TV/Monitor. A sapphire Radeon 9000 would probably work fine for about $50.00. This is where some people want to spend more or go with a video card designed for CAD/CAM Could easily spend $400.00 or more on a nice high end video card for really high resolution displays Or a 19 - 25 inch Monitor.

$800.00 may not be enough if he wants to implement a RAID setup, but you could add a large SATA or ATA 100/133 Hard drive for storage. Could probably network the old computer and use it for a file server. It may not really be fast enough or new enough to handle it though. I think if I was an architect I would want a file server to store some backups. He needs at least a 17 or 19 inch monitor. Might be enough left for a new monitor depending on the Video card used. A sapphire Radeon 9000 would probably work fine for about $50.00.

A little flash drive might help for portability.

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[JasonYip]

Unfortunately, I cannot agree with YokyDoky's idea of buying a second-hand computer... it's not going to cut it. That's a guarantee that I would stick to. AMD's new Barton chip should do the trick.

The A7N8X should do the trick. That'll handle the hardware needed with little or no problem.