What to look for when shopping around for new pc

[Gee]

I'm thinking about getting something a little better then the Dell OptiPlex I've been running the last couple of years. What should I look for while I am looking dual processor, memory, expansion? I'm not a gammer but I like the media portion of a pc.

Thanks


Also how can you tell what processor are in a pc. I do a system information from the accessories file menu it has two processors listed and both have this:

x86 family 15 Model 4 Stepping 3 GenuineIntel~4784 Mhz

Can anyone translate that to english?

[squeeforever]

Assuming you have XP, go to control panel, and then if I remember correct, its under System and Security, and it'll tell you what processor you have. Its obviously a 32bit Intel, but other than that I'm not really sure.

You only said PC, and not desktop or laptop, but I'm assuming your looking for a desktop. I would mostly look for things such as 4gigs or more of ram, AMD processor (I would never buy a Intel, but thats just me), Windows 7 (obviously, but some older models are still out there with Vista and no free upgrade, but its not to common to find one), x64 (64 bit) processor is the only way to go I think, and a BluRay drive would be nice (DVD+RW minimum but thats pretty much the standard), yada yada. Personally, I would go to ibuypower.com and build one you like. You can build a kickass computer for less than 2k, or a very very nice one for 1k or less. Hard to say what to get or anything though since you didn't really give a budget.

[JERRY2KONE]

Can you say Apple? We have several PC's in our home. My wife has a very nice HP laptop that has been with us for just over 5 years now and it is still going strong. We have two Dell laptops, and our 14 year old just bought himself a Toshiba laptop for gaming and doing all of the usual email, research, and school projects. Our 13 year old has a Dell laptop, but we have not been too pleased with that one. My personal PC is one that I built myself and it is now 16 years old. I started with an expandable motherboard and worked my way up from there. It is an AMD Athalon 1.8ghz with dual hard dirves, and 4 gig of ram, and I use a LCD flat panel ITV 26" multi system TV/monitor for my aging eyes. I do allot of case work at home, so bigger is better for me.

I am looking at some of the newer stuff as well. The first thing I try to notice is the RAM, which these days is a must if you do not want to spend allot of time waiting on your PC to get things done if you are one of those who does more than one thing at a time. 4gig is the least I would put up with nowa days. Our BX has a couple of HP mini towers that come with a dual core intel 2.6gig processor, 6 & 8 gig DDR3 RAM, which would be my choice. Some of the Apple PC's now come with 8, 12, or 16 gig of RAM which is unbelievable thinking of where we were with these just ten years ago. Those two units run about $500 to $600.

Most of my friends are raving about the Apple PC's saying that they were diehard microsoft geeks until they began using the Apple PC. Those that have them claim that they are the best thing going right now. I sure do not know.

[shaunjohnson]

i'd say if you can get used to em try an apple...but i'm a pc fan, i just belive that apple's are better for non-gaming.
i built my PC for nothing by using bits that no one else wants and the end product is...
3.4ghz dual core 775 socket
2GB ddr2 ram
1x 40gb IDE drive for windows only (if it crashes, no biggie,,,just replace with spare one)
1x 160gb drive for...well...you know
DVD burner/ram drive
512 graphics card w/ HDMI support
crap load of SATA ports.

if you wanna get a cheap pc, build it yourself and it ends up better than the retail store pc's like mine did

[JERRY2KONE]

That is true. Build it yourself and end up with a kicka$$ system, plus you learn some things about computers along the way. If you do some research you can find out exactly what you want and need first, and come up with your own configuration. You need to determine what type of processor you want to use first. Then select the motherboard that matches up with that processor. When you pick out the mostherboard you need to really look into what it has available for the rest of the stuff you want on your system such as graphics and audio. One of the most important things to make sure of is that you not only have space for allot of RAM, but that the motherboard and processor allows enough RAM to suit your taste. Like I stated earlier at least 4gig is a must, but if you can get even higher RAM space the better your system will run such as 6 or 8 gig. The gigahertz of the processor and the number of RAM will determine how fast your computer works when multi-tasking. Once you build the system you can have someone else help you with the software like the "OS" operating system, Anti-Virus, Word, and whatever else you wish to have on it.

Most importantly do your research first. Read up on everything you can find for the kind of stuff you are thinking of using. Don't make a move until you have decided on what you want and check it out with someone you trust that knows computers. Don't trust some schmuck that works at Best Buy. He just wants to sell you the stuff that is overflowing in their store room and look good to his boss. If you do it the hard way you will not regret it. Even if you do manage to setup the best system you have ever had as soon as you get your system completed and start to use it you can bet that half of it will be obsolete or outdated. Still I have a system that I built in 1994 and it still kicks butt. Of course I have updated it twice since then with better hard drives, and more RAM. The only thing that has ever gone bad on me was the video card, which got damaged during shipping from one country to another. I also bought the Logitech 9600 5.1 surround system, which is still one of the best ever made. After 16 years my system still works great and still has room for improvements.

You can do allot of your shopping on line at places like TigerDirect, Overstock.com, Amizon.com, Cheapguys computers.com, and a whole host of others and compare prices to make sure that you get the best deal available. Watch for sales and take yoru time acquiring what you want at rock bottom prices. Best of luck.

[ClodMaxx]

i've been a long time mac user, but i just bought a toshiba satellite 15" laptop to use flight simulator software (all my macs have pre-intel chips). i have to say, i'm really surprised how much machine i got for $550. it has the new dual core intel i3 chip (2.25mhz i believe), 4 gigs of RAM (on a LAPTOP!) and a 360 gig hard drive.

i held my breath when i installed Phoenix and ran it for the first time. i have it at the highest quality settings, at the highest resolution.... it runs flawlessly! supposedly the new intel chips (i3, i5 and i7) are better at gaming due to the hyper-threading. i don't even have a dedicated video card!

so.... i'm singing the praises of this little sucker. it moves, and moves fast...and was cheap (compared to macs, at least).

[rabosi]

Originally Posted by JERRY2KONE

.................................................. . My personal PC is one that I built myself and it is now 16 years old.

16 yrs!!! What's it called? An Abacus?

I'm from the built it yourself school but that's not for everyone. Though it's not difficult it could be a headache if you are a novice and you run into problems. Check out Tomshardware. They have charts comparing cpus, graphics, memory with various applications. This will give you a good baseline on what you can expect.

I haven't trusted Tomshardware for years. He gets paid under the table from manufacurers and as a result, is hardware reviews have always been slanted and biased and the forum isn't much better. Anandtech, overclock.net or hardocp.com are better choices.

If you can swing the cost, go with an quad core as that will greatly extend the life of your PC usage down the road as everything is becoming multi core based. Do no less then 4 gigs of RAM, 6 is even better and HDD's are so cheap nowadays you can get a 600gig- 1 terabyte drive for screaming low deals in most machines. Onboard video is fine if you don't plan on gaming. Decent 5.1 onboard sound is fine as well for your use.

FYI, your old machine is running an older Pentium 4 which was top of the line back in 2003-2004. Needless to say, it wouldn't hold a candle to todays current dual and quad cores, either AMD or Intel. Download and run CPU ID and it will tell you everything about your hardware specs, and then some

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

You can get a nice specced machine for less built on an AMD quad core, but Intels quads will still beat it in most areas, they just cost a bit more. I"m also from the "build your own" camp, but for alot of tech challenged people, its simply not the best option. I build gaming rigs like this for myself as gaming and PC's are my primary hobby as well as career.

[rawfuls]

Just a headsup, I may be building a friend a new computer... So he doesn't need anything MAJORLY fast, but would like something up to the 21st century.
Fry's always has some nice deals, but as long as you don't overclock too hard, or at all, you'll be fine.

I'm thinking this deal is a nice deal, a 3.4 Quad Core (AMD Phenom II X4 965), with a Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2....

Both items are getting some good reviews on newegg and elsewhere, and is quite cheap at Fry's.
Unsure if you have a Fry's near your place, but Fry's deals are usually B&M (Brick and Mortar), and sometimes even variable for each county/district/state, etc.

http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/...28353324&type=

[squeeforever]

Originally Posted by rawfuls

Just a headsup, I may be building a friend a new computer... So he doesn't need anything MAJORLY fast, but would like something up to the 21st century.
Fry's always has some nice deals, but as long as you don't overclock too hard, or at all, you'll be fine.

I'm thinking this deal is a nice deal, a 3.4 Quad Core (AMD Phenom II X4 965), with a Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2....

Both items are getting some good reviews on newegg and elsewhere, and is quite cheap at Fry's.
Unsure if you have a Fry's near your place, but Fry's deals are usually B&M (Brick and Mortar), and sometimes even variable for each county/district/state, etc.

http://newspaperads.mercurynews.com/...28353324&type=

Not sure Fry's price, but I'd say Newegg is one of the cheaper plaaces to buy things. I always use GearXS. There extremely cheap on practically everything. I bought a WD 1 terabyte harddrive from them like 2 years ago it was only like $150. Now there less than $100 I think.

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by rabosi

16 yrs!!! What's it called? An Abacus?

I'm from the built it yourself school but that's not for everyone. Though it's not difficult it could be a headache if you are a novice and you run into problems. Check out Tomshardware. They have charts comparing cpus, graphics, memory with various applications. This will give you a good baseline on what you can expect.

Yes funny poke. My son just picked up that new Toshiba laptop and is still confused as to why my machine is faster than his. So yes it is an older model, but that is why I was lead in the direction to build my own system in the first place. If you chose wisely on the motherboard it leaves you room to improve upon the components you put into your PC. Yes the processor is 16 years old, but that shows you just how reliable they can be when you make the right choice. I am looking now pricing out stuff for my next generation PC, but my R/C purchases come first since this PC is still running fine. With all of the great goodies comming out in the R/C world I don't want to miss out on some of the great products that are available. MonsterMike's new Maxx center diff/motor mount is at the top of my list, and I plan to pick up two or three of them. So my ideas for a new PC just have to wait.

Your best bet is to hook up with a firend who knows computers somewhat and learn from them, but do not take everythign they tell you as Gospal. Purchase one of those build your own PC's for dummies books to start off with. Learn teh basics and move forward slowly. If you make a purchase here and there as you find really good deals it can be a little bit easier on your wallet by not breaking the bank all at one time. That way you can also spend a little bit more on getting the best stuff you can aford as well. Like anything it is a learning curve and you can make mistakes to. Take your time and do it the right way as it applies to your own thought process. Nothing is perfect, but anyone can build a very classy system on their own. Good luck with that.

[zeropointbug]

Combo deal at Newegg.com
-Intel i5 750
-Seagate 1500GB HHD
-G.Skill 4GB RAM
-Gigabyte motherboard
-700W PSU
-NZXT LEXA PC enclosure (case)

extras (but required)

-POWERCOLOR 5670 Video Card (for media)
-Zalman CNPS 9700 CPU heatsink
-Windows 7 Home Premium


With that great deal of a combo, along with the 9700 CPU heatsink, you can overclock the i5 processor from 2.66GHz to roughly 3.6GHz no problem on the stock Vcore (CPU voltage). This system will do anything you want it to do, even play games, albeit with lower settings. Plenty of HD space, processing power and RAM.

$830

Oh, I forgot to mention you have to build this system, which you may not want to do, so if you have any friends who can do it for you, go for it.

[BP-Revo]

You should be able to find out what processor you have just by right clicking on my computer and clicking properties. It should be under the default tab (General).

Otherwise, I think it is far cheaper (and better) to build your own.

If for whatever reason you do not build your own, do yourself a favor, make sure it is one what comes with a disc that allows you to re-install windows.

Then, the SECOND you get your new, shiny computer home, reformat it and reload windows yourself and then get the latest drivers for all the components off the manufacturer website.

I did this for my laptop and it ran so much better than when I used it for 2 days with the factory installed "Special Dell Edition Driver."

Also, I'd definitely go with a Quad Core since, like other have said, it will extend the time before you'll need to upgrade your computer again.

zeropointbug definitely built you a solid computer above, and you'll more than likely never ever find a computer with comparable specs for even close to that price.

Everything there looks great, except I'd replace the Seagate with a Western Digital HD (albeit maybe more expensive, but Seagate is the same company as Maxtor, which are TERRIBLE). Rarely have I heard anything bad about WD.

I'd also probably swap out the video card for an Nvidia one, but I just happen to be an Nvidia guy - just me though.

[shaunjohnson]

Originally Posted by Freezebyte

mine has less fans ....i'm with brianG with PC's as well although that looks like the same CPU cooler that i have, but i dont have them silly light up-power wasting fans
modded my powersupply to take a quieter fan, cut a rough hole in side of case and stuffed 4 more USB ports in it.
man...to give you an idea...my case is sooooo old that it has had EVERY single pentium in it!! it has all the stickers across the front to prove it
pent 1-4 stickers

Well, I'm just gonna throw this out there.
The Dell 8100xps has as good of specs as what you can build, for 650.
i5 650
3gb ddr3
500gb hd
310 Video

IMO, if your not looking for a gamer, it's a very good deal. If you want to run a Video card that draws big power, and overclock, then I would look in a differeny direction. But for a plug and play, good computer, it's the best I've found.

BTW from Microcenter you can save some money if you decide to build from scratch. They are cheaper on most things.