I'm after a chess computer, want a good fast machine with a high rating to teach me openings (i'm sitting at about 1500 but really about 1400).
Been looking at the 'Excalibur Deluxe' as that's peaking out my price range.
I want to know if anyone can give me any advice.
Any free software advice would be appreciated too.
thanks Gents (and Ladies)
WCW 😉
Originally posted by westcountrywizardWhy not just get ChessMaster?
I'm after a chess computer, want a good fast machine with a high rating to teach me openings (i'm sitting at about 1500 but really about 1400).
Been looking at the 'Excalibur Deluxe' as that's peaking out my price range.
I want to know if anyone can give me any advice.
Any free software advice would be appreciated too.
thanks Gents (and Ladies)
WCW 😉
Originally posted by XanthosNZSounds like he is looking for software and hardware. The newest CPU's are doubled, and Intel is working on a 4 core. So a 2 core CPU would be a good bet now. Dell and Gateway are decent but they throw a lot of extra un-needed software at you like AOL and the like. If he could afford it, he could get a custom built job that would have dual core processors and a couple gigs of memory, DVD burner, firewire and the like. Plus Vista is coming out very soon so it might be faster than XP.
Better would be Fritz. Chessmaster doesn't get the bull off the ice.
There is always the top of the line Apple's but they are pretty expensive, but a good way to get around being sucked in by Mr Gates.
I suspect that if you are rated under 1700 you don't need a supercomputer to learn openings.
I run Fritz 9 on a laptop with a puny 1.6 ghz processor, and 512 RAM. I have no problems whatsoever. And I can tell you that the thing calculates way, way faster than I need.
I wouldn't put a lot of money into it, were I you. A $2000+ desktop will be a doorstop, technically speaking, long before you are good enough to gain benefit from it that you couldn't get with a $600 desktop. Moreover, by the time that you do get that good, the $600 replacement you'll then be able to buy will be ten times faster than the most expensive of today's consumer-oriented computers.
Sounds like you want a table top chess computer, there are several in the 150-200 dollar (US) price range that have large opening books and play in the 2000-2100 range. I've owned several, and they give a lot of entertainment value for the money, plus there's something about looking at an actual board and pieces that seems better for your OTB game than looking at a computer screen. I have a game going constantly at home on mine.
I don't know why, but even the best stand alone chess computers costing $500 don't have the strength of Fritz, etc., on a PC. The best are supposedly around 2300 rating. I'd get the best table top model I could afford and spend $10 on Fritz, that'd give you the best of both worlds. Chessmaster may also be good because of it's tutorials, etc.
The Excalibur Deluxe you mention is a handheld LCD screen, right? You may be disappointed in it's playing strength.