So...how are NEC's Personal Computers these days??...

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 2:57 am

I'd like to get a Duo, and I find the PC-88 and PC-98 to be fascinating, so how "good" are NEC's current PC's?-in terms of overall performance, first of all, but also in terms of gaming.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 3:30 am

NEC's stuff is basically business class PCs, which will be mediocre at best for gaming purposes. It appears that it's been several years since NEC sold desktop PCs in the US anyway. If you're looking for a current PC, you're better off looking elsewhere. I build my own out of components, but if you don't want to take that route I generally recommend getting a PC from a reputable local shop. The major OEMs (Dell, HP, Gateway, Sony, Etc.) make reasonable systems as well, but they also tend to be more difficult to upgrade (and more expensive) later on. If you go that route, I usually recommend Dell, since if you look around you can find some incredibly good coupon deals on their stuff.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 5:25 am

Stay away from Dell. PSU unit goes bust, you have to get it from Dell themselves. And pay for the shipping and labor. No warranty, you're fuxx0red.

Vaios are only style, no substance.

Nothing like building your own. Or have one of them shops custom build you one.

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 7:33 am

Since I don't think Dave wants to build his own, I second the recommendation for Dell.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 9:53 am

Actually, my understanding is that Dell's moved away from the proprietary power supplies and uses standard parts now, although you definitely want to make sure if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need a new PSU. Even though I'd never buy a desktop system from them myself, I actually have quite a bit of dell stuff (a notebook, 2 PocketPCs and my LCD monitor.) Some people seem to have a lot of trouble with their stuff, but I've been lucky and had everything work right out of the box and never give me any trouble.

And there are alternate sources for Dell power supplies too, although I've never had the need for one. I'm pretty sure that's no longer an issue on newer systems anyway. But yes, building your own PC is a lot easier than you might think.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 4:54 pm

I appreciate the Dell reccomnedations, but my folks actually got me a Dell Laptop early last year, which ended up being a total disaster.

Now, I realize Dell is heavy into customization, which is cool, but this stupid thing didn't even come with a 3 1/2 disc drive, which I really needed at the time.

And I could write a book about the number of techincal issues I had with this laptop; not to mention Dell Customer Service, which was a complete and total nightmare. They sent me the wrong part, at which point my family and I simply gave up, sent the thing back, and got our money back. So I'd personally rather not deal with Dell again.

I do, however, have a friend from my 20-somethings church group who actually builds PC's for a hobby!

He told me that for about $400 he could build me a PC that would be better and faster then anything on the market today. So once I get some income, which won't be too much longer, I may take him up on his offer.

Then again, since I love old-school gaming, I could just get an Amiga A1200 or A1500, or MSX 2 (being the Compile nut that I am). You can actually get on the Internet with all of those computers-I dunno how fast it would be with any of them, and I probably wouldn't be able to watch replay vids anymore, but as much as I love old-school games it just might be worth it.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 5:28 pm

Heh, the web browsers for Amiga all suck. I have an A3000 (030@25mhz), and well you can certainly surf the net on it, it's not a pleasant experience. It's definitely worth getting an A1200 just for gaming (and demos), but just buy a cheap PC (or Mac) and be done with it.

As for the $400 thing, you can certainly build a good usable system for that price, but 'better and faster than anything on the market' is a long stretch. Just a top-of-the-line videocard will run you that much by itself. It's certainly worthwhile to build your own system, and you won't need much more than $400 if you're not a power user.

Accutron · Post by **Accutron** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 6:07 pm

dave4shmups wrote:Now, I realize Dell is heavy into customization, which is cool, but this stupid thing didn't even come with a 3 1/2 disc drive, which I really needed at the time.

3.5" floppy drives aren't exactly standard equipment anymore.

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 6:08 pm

1. Accept that you aren't exactly computer savvy and that you yourself were responsible for the problems you had with your Dell laptop.

2. I'm assuming that the $400 is the service fee that your "friend" is going to try to charge you to build the computer and that you will have to pay for the parts as well. Maybe you should refer to him as an "acquaintance" from now on.

3. 3.5" floppy discs are a thing of the past, which is why they're not included in modern computers. If you wanted one you should have ordered it with your laptop or bought one from your local electronics store. It's not that hard.

4. Buying an Amiga would be a waste of your money if you're thinking of using it as a computer and not a novelty. You won't be able to get online with the access you have right now (DSL, right?) and I'm assuming that you will only be able to load text through an insanely slow connection that you will have to pay extra for (and that will tie up your phone line).

Accutron · Post by **Accutron** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 6:31 pm

To use a 56k modem with an Amiga, you have to replace the serial hardware. Surfing the modern internet on a stock Amiga is essentially impossible.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 8:51 pm

To use a 56k modem with an Amiga, you have to replace the serial hardware. Surfing the modern internet on a stock Amiga is essentially impossible.

That's not entirely accurate (unless by 'stock' you mean 'absolutely no peripherals'). Some Amiga machines can't handle 57600 bps over the serial port, but you can still throttle it back and run a 56k modem over it. Also with an A1200 for example, you can use a PCMCIA ethernet card.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 9:09 pm

it290 wrote:
To use a 56k modem with an Amiga, you have to replace the serial hardware. Surfing the modern internet on a stock Amiga is essentially impossible.
That's not entirely accurate (unless by 'stock' you mean 'absolutely no peripherals'). Some Amiga machines can't handle 57600 bps over the serial port, but you can still throttle it back and run a 56k modem over it. Also with an A1200 for example, you can use a PCMCIA ethernet card.

True, I've heard about the ethernet for the Amgia.

At any rate, I'd still like to know about the quailty of NEC's home PC's and laptops; I know they don't have many out there, compared to their business PC's, but I'd still like to know regardless.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 9:57 pm

Basically, don't bother. As far as I know, NEC doesn't actually sell PCs in the US anymore, and most of the existing systems are obsolete by now anyway.

mannerbot · Post by **mannerbot** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 10:02 pm

Dave, just in case you didn't know, all of the major OEM's (Dell, Compaq, HP, IBM, etc.) use parts from the same few manufacturers, more or less. There is no reason to get attached to any specific "brand name" and the truth is that building your own computer is both cheapest and best as it ensures that the computer is custom-tailored to your needs and comes at the lowest possible price. The reason I recommended Dell is because they have frequent deals and, from what I've heard, have great customer service (it seems that you'd disagree). If you are set on buying from an OEM, go ahead and write up a list of parts that you'd want and shop around a bit. If you need help with specifications, look up the recommended requirements for games that you think you'd play -- since it doesn't seem likely that you'd want to play any new PC games, you can probably just buy the cheapest P.O.S. you can find and it'd serve you just fine.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 10:25 pm

I believe you guys, so thanks for the info.

I don't want to play games, but I don't want a "P.O.S." either, since I love watching replay videos.

I think the suggestion to buy two computers-an older computer, probably an MSX 2 (Compile BABY!!, for gaming, and another for personal computing, is the best.

As far as Amiga stuff goes, I'd rather just get an Amiga CD32; I'm into obscure hardware and there were some good shmups, like Project X, that made it onto the CD32.