I finally bought a new computerFollow

My old lappy took a dump on me last September-ish and I needed to get the cash for a new one without delving into the family budget. My solution? Play backgammon on the job against coworkers for money using the doubling cube. Over the past six months I've managed to siphon three grrrrr out of their pockets (done against a number of victims at various times so no one compares their losses against another's). I've become a veritable frogskin vampire with a belatedly realized talent for statistics and probability equations, resulting in what is likely a 20:1 win/loss ratio.

Seriously? There are times when I feel like that character Russell Crowe played in "Beautiful Mind" where numbers literally jumped out at me as I was calculating chances and likely rolls. I'd frequently call my shot and name the roll I'd get, much to the amazement and chagrin of my increasingly poorer opponent.

The payoff is a new Dell XPS 2.33ghz, duo 2 core, 2 gig 667 RAM, 512 nvidia 1950GTX, 120 gig 7200 RPM HD, with 17" display with native 1900x1200 resolution. And it's free. F-r-e-e. F. R. E. E. Free, as in I practically stole it from my coworkers. I almost pee myself every time I think about it.

Totem

Backgammon? Are you Shitting me? Couldn't you have at least doctored up the story a bit and said it was Bones or something?

Dude, you shouldn't have blown 3 G's on a 710. You coulda saved a few bucks on a 410 and gotten a 19" monitor. Of course, you couldn't get the 1950GTX, but seriously, what games are you playing these days?

Old age can be cruel...

/doublehandedgunsalutewithbothhammersdropping @ Aegis

Thanks, man. Tonight I'm working with one of my "ATMs," lol. Time to earn some money for a new game. Any you suggest? I'd prefer single player, since the company's slow wireless makes for less than a stellar MMO experience. I already have Oblivion and F.E.A.R. I am considering Civ IV and Company of Heroes.

Totem

will play anything that comes out for the next two to three years at max settings

So you got a DX9 graphics card. Good thinkin.

:)

9 months, three years, same thing.

Yeah, I thought about that, but my thinking was most companies will legacy the better graphics cards into the programming somehow.

Oh they will, but you won't be running anything at max settings in 2008.

Lol, his experiences actually influenced my decision making process. I had been interested in their comps, but I did some reading on some forums about their customer service and found Alla was exactly correct-- Alienware has no customer service. Maybe there is a cubicle with that title hanging over the door, but to judge by the discussion there is no one who actually works in said cubicle.

Totem

A friend of mine really enjoys F.E.A.R., and I've played Oblivion (on the 360), and I was completely immersed. They did a good job tweaking the combat system so it isn't as God awful as it was in Morrowind, plus it just looks amazing.

As for new games, you can't go wrong with a good RTS. I would suggest Starcraft/Warcraft 3, but I'm sure you've already played those.

Ahh, the laptop. I stand corrected. That's a pretty good deal. Mostly the same as some AW models but the XPS sticker is a lot less expensive than the backlit alienhead logo.

/hijack

Deb, you are our resident Dell expert... what is your opinion on the Optiplex series?

Sorry, I only do home systems and the Optiplex is a business-class machine. In general though, you'd find it to be a well-made piece of machinery, and the business-class tech support is better than residential service.

The Optiplex is certainly better than the Dimension.

I've rarely had problems with Dell's customer service. The level warranty you have probably does make a great deal of difference though.