Hyrid computer

[Topaz]

I was just watching the shopping channel, www.shoppingchannel.com (that was for Dancer) and Dell has what they call a "green computer" because it uses 70% less energy to run it. The processor it the size of a digital bedroom clock but the power is of regular desktop. The speakers, keyboard and mouse are all wireless, it has 9 USB ports and a 20 inch screen, price for 30 days was 1299 then goes to 1573.00 This is the first hybrid I've seen.

[AngusThermopyle]

Interesting, for others, not me. When they say it has the power of a regular desktop what exactly do they mean? There are a plethora of processors, video cards, RAM, MB's etc available. All these components offer different levels of performance ranging from adequate to smokin hot, so the bit about as much power as a regular desktop is pretty meaningless.

For instance my machine utilizes a quad core CPU that runs at 2.4, mine however is OC'd so it actually runs at 3.1, this obviously does not fall into any easily defined performance category (actually it does, the faster than you can believe category).

It's too bad they don't offer any specs that really matter, wireless is a nice little gimmick but the MB, VC etc are far more important than wireless. On top of that its a piece of Dell scrap. You couldn't pay me enough to use one of those junkers.

Power usage. As die sizes shrink the power requirements of CPU's also diminish. The low power consumption aspect merely tells me that this machine has no balls. The other components add significantly to the power consumption of the machine. A powerful VC will suck the power supply dry (that's why I run a 1000 watt PS in my machine). With two 8800 GTX cards running in SLI I need at least a 650 Watter, Add the two drives running in a Raid 0 stripe and the Raptor running as a gaming drive and the power requirements rise even more.

So in short this machine they advertised may not consume much power but I'm willing to bet its a dogs dog when it comes to performance. The best advice in these cases would be to avoid Dell, HP, Compac and all the other mass producers and just build your own. That way you can hand pick the components and get the best bang for the buck.

Oh yes, if you want performance from your peripherals stay away from wireless. Thats why I use a Razor Lachesis corded mouse and a Saiteck Eclipse keyboard, wireless just sucks when it comes to gaming.

[White Doors]

www.shoppingchannel.com (that was for Dancer)

lol

[AngusThermopyle]

Well I just checked it out and as I suspected its a dog. Low end last gen Intel processor, integrated graphics, hohum drive, miniscule power supply. In other words its okay if you just want to surf the web or run word processors and get e-mail.

If like me you demand that your machine be capable of just about anything realistic then it would fall far short of the mark.

As for all this hybrid stuff, why is it a hybrid? If you look at the specs you'll see that it really is no different from any other machine using energy efficient components. It looks to me like the true breakthrough here came from the advertising department, not the R&D department.

Also some misleading stuff included as well. They say that the 4 gigs of ram allows you to do this and that. What they don't mention is the fact that a 32 bit operating system can only "see" a maximum of 2.4 gigs. So the other 1.6 gigs are essentially wasted.

Like I said earlier, I wouldn't buy this dog, sure is pretty though, all those different colours to choose from. That probably makes it go faster.

Anyway, here it is for those who are interested.

This dog won't hunt.

[M.Dancer]

As for all this hybrid stuff, why is it a hybrid?

Hybrid? I thought it was Hyrid....I thought that was the brand name....

[AngusThermopyle]

Hybrid? I thought it was Hyrid....I thought that was the brand name....

Well when you consider the fact that this machine is nothing special at all the brand name could be very significant. Maybe they should just call it Hyrid and drop all the crap about how special it is.

[Topaz]

For one, I wouldn't buy a Dell have heard too many bad things about them but the guy showing it had three different task going at once and it didn't slow down the machine any. I just couldn't get over the size of the processor to other desktops.

[AngusThermopyle]

I think you mean the size of the enclosure (case), the processor will be the same size as any other processor from Intel. Small is the new sexy, have you ever seen an SFF (small form factor) computer? They're a little bigger than a shoebox and have all the power of a high end gaming rig.

Sometimes I think that I should build one but I always change my mind. Even though SFF's are cool they still have their limitations, amount of drives supported, no SLI capability and so on. Instead Ive been toying with the idea of building a dual CPU rig, two quads and quad SLI would be very cool and monstrously powerfull compared to anyhting else, pricey but fun to build. Run a 64 bit OS and load up on high speed DDR 3.

[GostHacked]

AngusThermo

Well I just checked it out and as I suspected its a dog. Low end last gen Intel processor, integrated graphics, hohum drive, miniscule power supply. In other words its okay if you just want to surf the web or run word processors and get e-mail.

That machine is not targeted at people who are looking for a cutting edge machine. These people are looking for a machine that you described, are looking for something like this. Estheticaly, this machine is very nice. I really love the looks of the tower.

Also, wireless is just as good for gaming. Trust me, been doing it for years. However, I have had bad luck with wireless keyboards in general. They last a week or two on me. I can handle a chorded KB which I do now (cheap 25$ Targus KB) but my mouse NEEDS to be wireless. No chord in the way, and no chord to kick out of the way. Awesome. And if people suck at gaming, no matter what equipment they invest in, they will still suck.

I will not call this a hybrid computer. I will call his an energy wise PC. There is nothing hybrid about it.

Also, I have a Dell laptop from work. Great machine. It is not a gaming laptop, but for the purpose that the PC is meant for, it does it fantasticly well.

A couple of my friends run on Dell XPS laptops for gaming. Awesome machines.

Topaz

For one, I wouldn't buy a Dell have heard too many bad things about them but the guy showing it had three different task going at once and it didn't slow down the machine any. I just couldn't get over the size of the processor to other desktops.

Even companies like Dell, HP ect, all of them put in software that is horrible. Bundled software is a killer on these kinds of computers. You really do not need all that garbage on the PC. Put in what you need and that is it. The more useless things running on your PC, the worse it will perform. My PC is about 10 months old now, and it flies pretty good. I have not overclocked it yet, have not had the need to.

A good install of Windows XP Pro (will not invest in Vista anytime soon) and some freeware from the net, can not only save you hassles with your PC, it can save you money in the long run. Vista will be replaced next year by Windows 7.

[AngusThermopyle]

That machine is not targeted at people who are looking for a cutting edge machine.

True, I just can't stand low end hardware, or Dell. They pissed me off with their proprietory designs, I've heard that situation has improved lately but can still be a problem.

If I had my way I wouldn't run Windows at all, Linux is far superior but Bill has the PC gaming market sown up with DirectX. Given that you have to run Windows if you want to game then XP is the only choice really. Vista sucks big time, one of my machines runs Vista ( wanted to see what all the fuss over DirectX 10 was about) its subject to crashes for no discernable reason, program incompatabilities and some hardware problems too. Its not doing too well in the market place from what I hear as well, rightly so. Microsoft (and some other companies) are the only ones who can get away with selling you a broken product and then tell you to wait because they're going to fix it later.

I didn't need to OC my machine, I just love to see how far I can push the hardware. Since this is a G0 stepping chip I'm running I expect I can get even more out of it than 3.1, when my Zalman Resorator liquid cooling system arrives and I've installed it I'm expecting much better OC's. In fact I've read that people have exceeded 4.0 Ghz with the G0 stepping chip and liquid (one guy hit 4.7 stable under load for 24 hrs). Fun fun fun.

The best advice I can give people who buy a mass produced machine is to buy a copy of XP (not everyone needs Pro) and format the machine then reinstall. They should also identify the primary components of the machine then go to the manufacturers website for the latest drivers. Quite often even the bundled drivers are full of junkware and are always outdated, they'll do in a pinch but are far from the best.

Like I said, I'm tempted to build an octo core machine but the latest word now is that octo chips are going to be availlable some time next year. Its probably wiser to wait and save a bundle of money. A decent dual chip board that will support dual quads is outrageously priced, about $800.00 or so if I remember correctly, of course quad SLI is already here. For now SLI is more than adequate and my board will support 1333 FSB and triple SLI. Running two 8800 GTX's is wild, three would be awesome, even though the 8800GTX is no longer a new video card it still kicks ass.

Actually my frame rates in anything are pretty impressive. Counter Strike Source, they're out the window, Crysis, I'm averaging 90 to 110 FPS, World in Conflict, same thing, even in graphically intense scenes my FPS don't drop below about 65FPS.

This is why I won't use a console, they're boring, the games are kind of reminiscent of Kindergarten (even PC ports have way more content) and I really dislike gamepads, I'm a keyboard and mouse gamer. My mouse is corded but it's the best I've used. The Lachesis just feels good and is very fast and responsive. I had a Logitech cordless (I think it was the G8 if I remember correctly) but I far prefer the feel of the Lachesis.

Anyway, its good to know that someone else on the forum games.

[GostHacked]

Angus

Been gaming for 13 years now, longer if you consider consoles. Consoles are great and serve a purpose. I have a PS2, I play now and then, it is not my preferance, but there are some great games on consoles.

And again, this PC is not targeted at people like us. They are for the average user who does not give much of a damn about max performance. Hell I am not even into the latest and greatest. I wait a few months for prices to drop. I love new hardware, but I will not pay new hardware launch prices.

And if you want to talk proprietary, Sony takes the cake on this matter. HP and Dell have much to learn from them.

[AngusThermopyle]

And if you want to talk proprietary, Sony takes the cake on this matter. HP and Dell have much to learn from them.

Very true, they're basically throw away computers, more so than the others.

When it comes to new hardware I generally don't buy it as soon as its released, I wait a few months, new prices are outrageous. Even then I won't buy the very best in all categories, why pay roughly $1400.00 for an extreme edition Intel CPU when you can buy a $400.00 CPU and O/C it to levels equal to or exceeding the extreme edition one? Motherboards are a different story, I don't mind paying top dollar for the M/B, it is the foundation of everything after all, cases are another important area as well. Right now I'm using an Antec 900 gamers case, I love this box, it looks good, has plenty of room inside and is all ready for the Zalman Resorator to be installed (gotta buy some extra water blocks because I want to cool the GPU's and RAM on both video cards as well as the North Bridge).

I've used consoles, they just don't do anything for me. Technically speaking, the first digital game I ever played was a console, Pong. One of the high points of my gaming experience was the first time I programed a simple little game in Commodore Basic for my Vic 20. That was what really hooked me on computer gaming, I don't do any kind of programming anymore though, the art has advanced too far and I've been out of it for too long now.

In short I'm pretty much a hardware junkie ( no sh*t eh, I've got eight computers in my home right now and am thinking about building a dedicated media box as well). Since I live alone and have a pretty good job I have the leisure to indulge myself to a certain degree. It is necessary for me to have the power though, when you run games like Crysis or WIC at high res with all effects maxed out it can bring a machine to its knees in a big hurry.

Anyway, back to the point. This Dell is a Hybrid in the minds of the Dell marketing people and their minds alone. In truth its just a low end machine, not much different from any other low end machine out there.

Edited October 5, 2008 by AngusThermopyle