This is MINE - Get Your Own! (Advent)

Member Name: carolinesite

Product:	Advent
Date:	18/05/01 (2066 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast off-line, large memory and processor

Disadvantages: Big blue 'Advent' written across case.

My very first computer capable of using the Internet, was a Mitac 166 MMX. I purchased this nearly 4 years ago at a cost of £1300, including scanner and printer. Within 2 years it had become very outdated with the launch of Pentiums and 56k modems. I was gutted to learn that this computer would only fetch £250 if I sold it!

I vowed never to buy a brand new computer again, just as I would never buy a brand new car from a showroom - you loose hundreds of pounds as soon as you walk out of the door. So two years ago, my boyfriend decided to build me one (being very good at electronics etc.). We purchased the parts cheaply from auctions, direct from PC manufacturers and computer shops. I ended up with a 400mhz Celeron processor, 56k modem, 64mb ram memory and a 17” monitor, which all totalled £500. Of course, that soon became outdated and I was in desperate need of more memory.

I then saw an advert on the TV for a 1300mhz computer with 128mb memory and a Pentium IV processor. The price: £999. I wanted it, but didn’t have the available cash, so I rang the company and asked if they could do me an interest free ‘buy now, pay next year’. No, sorry, we don’t do that! I was starting to get desperate. Where could I get a grand from without going short?

Anyway, I rang a few major stores like Tempo, Time, Tiny, Curry’s and PC World. I was stunned when PC World told me that they could do me an Advent with a Pentium IV, 1400mhz processor, 256mb memory, 56k modem, 17” monitor and a DVD CD Re-writer all for £1199. They could also do interest free ‘buy now, pay next year’. Great!
That afternoon I rushed my boyfriend to the store to be told that they had sold the last model that morning. I could have screamed. Gutted again, we went home where I rang other PC World stores around my area only to be told that they too had sold out. Nobody at these stores could tell me when they expe
cted a delivery.

The next day I rang some of the other stores again (Time, Tempo etc.) but none of them could do a computer like the Advent. I was starting to get very disheartened as I rang our local PC World again, and spoke to the same person that had originally told me about the computer.
“It’s such a popular computer” she said. “People are paying for them before they arrive in stock”.
That’s what I had to do then. Go and pay for a computer that I had never laid eyes on.
I did this the following day. She told me that it could be 7 - 10 days before any more arrived in stock. But she was wrong, two days later I got a call from PC World to tell me my new baby was in stock, and that I could come and collect it. I was ecstatic.

And here it is. All set up. Shame you can’t see it. And I know that in another two years time, there will probably be a Pentium Super Charger or something like that, but for now I’m happy with what I’ve got.
So what exactly have I got?

~Advent Hard Drive~
It is an upright case with 40gb of hard drive space. A floppy disk drive with space for another. A CD-ROM/DVD drive with space for another or separate drives. Pentium IV Processor 1400mhz, 256mb ram memory, 56k modem and a 64mb video card.

~Monitor~
This is a Samsung SyncMaster 750s with a 17” screen. When it first arrived it looked smaller than my old monitor, but when I measured the dimensions, they were indeed the same.

~Keyboard~
This is an Internet keyboard. By that I mean that as well as the usual keys, it has 3 extra buttons to allow you access the internet, put your computer to sleep and an email button to access email.

~Mouse~
Just a plain mouse with a scroll button.

~Speakers~
A pair of Creative SBS35 speakers (35w output), made by Cambridge SoundWorks. I have decided not to use these speakers as my old o
nes are of better quality.

~Software~
Microsoft Windows Millennium.
Microsoft Works 2001
RollerCoaster Tycoon
Grand Prix Simulator GP 500
Mosby’s Medical Encyclopaedia
Compton’s Encyclopaedia 2000
Worms Armageddon
Mech Warrior 3
Super Karting
Compton’s 3DWorld Atlas
Civilization II Test of Time
Risk II

So is it lightning?
Yes and no. It works well on the Internet but can only be as fast as my ISP connection and telephone line. Off-line it works great, I can notice the difference in speed. The case is slightly longer than my previous case, so it sticks out by a few inches.
There were no ‘frills’ with this computer like a printer or scanner, but that was not important. I’m happy with the software, especially Microsoft Windows Millennium edition. This is so helpful on the Internet. And as I have been a fan of Theme Hospital and Theme Park, I can’t wait to play RollerCoaster Tycoon.

For the money it is an excellent buy for what you get. Other stores had quoted me far more money for less, and remember I brought this ‘blind’ so to speak, I never saw it until I got it home. The design is ok but I don’t like the name ‘Advent’ in big blue letters across my hard drive.

Just for those technical people out there, I am told that the 256mb memory is 2 sticks of 128mb.

Summary: