help me choose a desktop computer. ugh!

danger boy

Processors, processors and MORE friggin processors!

Why has buying a simple desktop computer gotten so crazy with processors??

you have Intel's Core, Pentium, Celeron, Atom, Xeon, and Itanium then you have AMD's, Phenom, Athlon, Opteron, dual core, quad core, six core.. OMG!

my head is spinning with me trying to educate myself on what computer and what processor to even get.

I don't have many demands for a desktop.

basics like internet, edit and manipulate photos, and some time next year I want to be able to edit high def video. beyond that.. anything else would be wasted on me.

I'm not a gamer by any stretch... other than maybe playing slots and casino type games. but even that is rare.

so what is the bottom of the barrel processor I should be thinking of? I want it to last a few years. then what's up next from the bottom ?

help me if you understand any of this

concealer404

You building your own? What's your budget?

danger boy

i am not building my own. it'd krunk it up if I tried.. I know people say it's not that tough, but trust me.. i'd zap something and be out $$$ if i did. i'll leave it to someone else.

my budget is $750-ish

concealer404

Hrmmm... i know nothing about pre-builts these days, don't even know what the good brands are. Sorry. I'll offer to put one together for you, though.

vc69

Core 2 Duo. Plenty of juice and cheap.

Systems

danger boy wrote: »

i am not building my own. it'd krunk it up if I tried.. I know people say it's not that tough, but trust me.. i'd zap something and be out $$$ if i did. i'll leave it to someone else.

my budget is $750-ish

You need to start with a processor and go from there. I've been using the Core 2 duo 3.0 ghz on my builds lately and have been running Win 7 just fine. The price on those are pretty reasonable now. So that with 4 GB of memory, WIN 7 64 bit, should get you headed in the $750 range...

danger boy

lets say you were going to build yourself a desktop.. and knowing what I would use it for. please list what you components you would put together..

list just the important things.. not every little cable. etc.

for instance.. would you install a blu ray player or burner?

how much RAM does win7 need?

Cache, BUSS, etc all play a part in how fast the computer can process.

thanks. and remember my budget is $750-ish

cfrizz

http://www.pcsforeveryone.com/Computer_Systems/Desktops/Desktops/Category/Home_and_Small_Business

They make some boilerplate pc's that will meet most needs. Take a look at what these are & that will probably give you a good idea of at least where to start Al.

treitz3

Just FYI, coming from the computer stupid here.....

I purchased an HP Pavilion about 8 years ago and the only thing I have had to replace is the HD [two mos. ago] that cost me less than $200.00 for triple the amount of storage. I may be the lucky one but to me? The purchase of the HP was more than worth it considering it is always on and ready to go. Other than that? I can't contribute a damn thing, sorry. Good luck!

obieone

I would shop newegg. I was just perusing their selection, and you can get a pretty juiced up pc for $750. Even if you're not a gamer, that extra graphics power might be handy for editing photo's/ vid.'s.
JMO

danger boy

my computer is so old it needs viagra to get going in the morning. :eek:

danger boy

obieone wrote: »

I would shop newegg. I was just perusing their selection, and you can get a pretty juiced up pc for $750. Even if you're not a gamer, that extra graphics power might be handy for editing photo's/ vid.'s.
JMO

yeah good place to shop.. but even before I shop. i need to know what I want..

obieone

Here's a link:

http://www.newegg.com./Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229130

Again, this may have WAAAAAAY more headroom than you'll need, but it won't be totally obsolete next month?

Lowell_M

If you are going to do video editing in the future, definately go for a quad core processesor. I built an AMD Phemon X4 9950 computer with 4Gb of RAM this summer for just around $450 and it is the fastest computer I have ever seen. (that doesn't mean its the fastest ever.. just the fastest I've used by far) The only benchmark program I've run on it is Cinebench R10 and with a minor amount of overclocking I get multi CPU scores of 11,000 or so. I've been using it for HD video editing and it does a great job.

If you know anything about computers, I would consider taking it to the next level and research building one, or get some help from the seasoned builders here. It really isn't that hard after you get past choosing a processor and motherboard combination. For $750 you could put together one hell of a machine. The assembly is the easy part.

Sami

danger boy wrote: »

basics like internet, edit and manipulate photos, and some time next year I want to be able to edit high def video. beyond that.. anything else would be wasted on me.

HD video editing is the one that demands a lot. Even computers that are fast enough to play latest games will slow down editing and processing HD video. Any specific programs you have in mind that you will be using?

gtu2004

obieone wrote: »

Here's a link:

http://www.newegg.com./Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229130

Again, this may have WAAAAAAY more headroom than you'll need, but it won't be totally obsolete next month?

yes OP, if you are to build one yourself, $750 would get you a beast of a quad-core computer, assuming you don't include a 24" monitor in that $750, and even so you can still get a very good C2D computer.

if you are not into building one yourself then the PC in the link above is a very capable one. The graphic card is def not the top of the line but is in no way bad either. Plenty of juice for HD video editing.

Look out for Dell deals from slickdeals.net though, as those deals are the killers.

billbillw

If you stick with mainstream desktop CPUs, there are not near as many choices. Its basically
Intel: Core2 (Duo or Quad), Core I5/I7. All others are variants with less cache, etc. Core I is the newer technology. Pentium Dual core and Celeron are the budget versions.
AMD: Athlon II or Phenom II. Come in x2, x3 or x4 (core) variants at different speeds. The Athlon II is the more affordable, lower performing.

Personally, for what you are talking, I'd get a Core2Quad or Core I5. Either should have plenty of power for what you are doing.

EDIT: I should say that I'm only recommending a quad core because you said you want to video edit. If it weren't for the video editing, I'd say get the cheapest damn thing out there. (<$400). However, video editing/compiling/rendering (even non-HD video), is very CPU intensive.

This may help you decide:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html

Sami

I am currently looking into HD video editing myself as I got a new HD camcorder a month ago. Have not decided yet which program to go with, whether it is going to be Adobe or one of FOSS implementations.

There's also this in case you want to maximize your money and have it built from components:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88781

danger boy

Sami wrote: »

HD video editing is the one that demands a lot. Even computers that are fast enough to play latest games will slow down editing and processing HD video. Any specific programs you have in mind that you will be using?

will prob be using Adobe premiere elements video editing or similar software.

Lowell_M

Sami wrote: »

I am currently looking into HD video editing myself as I got a new HD camcorder a month ago. Have not decided yet which program to go with, whether it is going to be Adobe or one of FOSS implementations.

There's also this in case you want to maximize your money and have it built from components:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88781

Great gesture! OP should take Sami up on this. Very nice indeed.

Sami, I'm using Pinnacle Studios Ultimate V14, and although I don't have experience with other video editing software, can't complain about Pinnacle. Very straighforward and easy with a decent amount of flexibility for a guy like me who doesn't know video editing.

gtu2004

OP, please buy this one.

$423 for a quad core computer...

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/HP-Pavilion-P6127C-Core-2-Quad-Q8200-2.33-GHz-Computer/4469619/product.html

Use promo code 146950 to get 10% off.

It will not get better than this anytime soon.

bigaudiofanatic

If all you want is a simple computer go to walmart and pickup the micro emachine for 300 bucks works well and will do what you want. Plain and simple.

Systems

Please, if not for your sake, for mine, don't by an HP computer. And don't buy a $300 dollar e-machine either....Go with the Sami deal

gtu2004

Lorthos wrote: »

Please, if not for your sake, for mine, don't by an HP computer. And don't buy a $300 dollar e-machine either....Go with the Sami deal

i strongly disagree. Every manufacturer has lemons. For people like OP, going through the route of buying a pre-built machine is the way to go. If something fails in the computer, how would he find out? Especially if it's the ram, BIOS battery, HD, and in certain instances, even the video cards can cause ambiguous symptoms that take some experience in diagnosing them. Sending the whole thing to the manufacturer, and making them replace parts without having to pay for other parts is much better.

Going through Sami's route, albeit it being a generous offer, might not be the best bet.

You can argue that this one is a refurb and therefore offers shorter warranty but what i'm saying is in general, going through manufacturers might be a better way.

Just my 2 cents.

kcoc321

Since you are in WA, I would call these guys in Lynnwood.
They have price matched to Newegg for me a couple of times.
Look at the pre-configured PC's, then go to Newegg and get their pricing.
I prefer the $ vs performance of the AMD PC's. I Like Asus MB and Western Digiatal or Seagate HD's. Just call them and ask for the manager, and make him your offer. If you don't like the price, PM me your specs and I can go over here and see what I can get them to do it for, as they are just up the street from me. Course you could always come over for the Seattle-Polk get together :D and save on shipping...IF you can wait til next month...

I built a HTPC for my dad last year. They installed everything, including the OS,
FOR FREE, as in no extra charge, just the 'material' costs. We got him a 4 core AMD, Asus MB, 4Gb ram, 500Gb Western digital HD, HTPC case & 26"WS LCD monitor, for <$700 plus tax. We didn't add the extra Graphics board, as the stock MB had HDMI native. But we didn't do a BR player, always can add later.

kcoc321

NO WAY I would buy a referbed HP. Once you do, you are stuck getting your upgrades from them at twice the normal price. Alot of their stuff is "special". My brother-in-law bought one, and when I went to upgrade it, they would not even tell me what specifically in it, let alone being able to upgrade Proc ect.

I much prefer name brand components, that I can upgrade as I need.

Sami

kcoc321 wrote: »

I much prefer name brand components, that I can upgrade as I need.

That's one of the main reasons why I built my own, in addition to cost. Of course if something goes wrong I can just replace it myself, others might not be able to do that.

gtu2004

Sami wrote: »

That's one of the main reasons why I built my own, in addition to cost. Of course if something goes wrong I can just replace it myself, others might not be able to do that.

thank you. that's what i am trying to get at.

WilliamM2

kcoc321 wrote: »

I much prefer name brand components, that I can upgrade as I need.

I always build my own, always have. But HP/Compaq have not used proprietary components for years. In the last 5 years or so, all of them I have worked on had Asus boards, and were just as easy to upgrade as my own machines.

SoundEsc

I used to build every home computer myself. But lately, the Dells and HPs are so cheap, cost-wise not sure it makes sense to DIY anymore (there are still other reasons to DIY besides cost). For example, I bought two Dell Inspirons for the kids in the last 6 month, upgraded the graphic card for both of them so it is good enough for gaming and video. On average the cost is around $400/each (without monitor).


- CPU: Any dual-core CPU

CPU is not making that kind of advancements like it did 10 years ago. Today, any dual-core CPU will last you a long time. If you want to get a fast CPU with minimum cost, try looking into overclocking (well, to do this, you will have to build it yourself)

- Memory: 2GB ~ 4BG

Memory is cheap also these days. If you can afford it, go for 4GB, but minimum 2GB.

- Video Card: n/a

If gaming is not important, you can ignore this and go with the on-board graphic chip. For HTPC, it is important to have one with HDMI (or DVI) interface.

- Monitor: 22-24" LCD

You work hard enough, so reward yourself with a big LCD monitor

bigaudiofanatic

Lorthos wrote: »

Please, if not for your sake, for mine, don't by an HP computer. And don't buy a $300 dollar e-machine either....Go with the Sami deal

I agree with the HP part but not the emachine. Them, acer and asus are great bang for the buck. Just because they do not carry a main manufacture logo does not mean they are not good.

the OP does not need anything faster than a 2.0 dula core possessor, 2 gigs of ram, a 80 gb hard drive and maybe a dvd burner. That is all he needs.