Buying a new desktop

[Jiggy]

So I am looking into buying a new desktop, just wondering which one would be a good choice. Whats the big difference between AMD Athlon dual core and Intel dual core? Is there a big difference between HP, Compaq, Dell? I don't do much gaming, just a lot of downloading. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[I_H8_Crawford]

Intels run cooler, and if you want you can overclock the hell out of them.

Build your own computer, don't buy crap from the stores.

memoryexpress.com
ncix.com

[llama64]

If you are at all technical, build your own. If you don't want to ever crack open your box, get something from Dell or Apple. I've never seen much good come out of a branded desktop computer to be honest, but of the bunch, Dell has a decent reputation.

Intel's processors are currently the best on the market. And they aren't much more money, unlike the old days of the Pentium 4/Athlon XP. A dual core processor at about 2.0 gHz will suffice for your needs. Ensure you get at least 2GB of RAM though as it will eliminate just about all slowdowns in Vista (till you get bogged down with ad-ware/spyware).

<obligatory Apple pitch>
The Apple Mini + a nice monitor is not much more expensive then the average desktop in it's performance range. The only real drawback is the lack of video accelleration which is only important if you do a lot of gaming. Otherwise it's a stable little box that won't suffer nearly as many problems as your average Dell/HP/Compaq. Shouldn't cost you much more then $900.

The only hiccup is if you need windows specific software or if you recently bought Office. Otherwise, it's what I typically recommend to my non-gaming friends. I'm not a fan of the iMac though...

[Jiggy]

Thanks for the info!

[Russic]

Just to throw my two cents in, I recently purchased an imac with the intentions of installing windows. Incredibly, I have yet to run into a problem that requires it. I picked up a copy of iwork and it runs all office documents seamlessly.

If you're going pc i might recommend building your own as well. I haven't the first clue how to go about doing it ... i'm sure there's a thread around here somewhere that'll teach you!

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

Intels run cooler, and if you want you can overclock the hell out of them.

Build your own computer, don't buy crap from the stores.

memoryexpress.com
ncix.com

Bring me the components, $50 and a six pack and I'll have it put together and running in two hours. That is if you don't want the fun of putting it together yourself.

[3 Justin 3]

I will add more support for building your own. I opt to buy a laptop 2 years ago (since I travel a lot, I won't explain the situation), but Desktops are much better when they are built on your own. As for the brands, HP owns Campaq, and they are the same. Dell is decent, customer service is good, but reliabilty isn't supposed to be as good as others, like Toshiba. I broke my F2 button off my laptop a few weeks ago somehow, I never ever use it but some clip broke on and I can't replace it.

Go intel, get 2GB ram, windows (I don't like apple personally) and buy parts from memoryexpress.

If your into downloading, like what I am, pm me.

[ericschand]

Even though this thread is going the DIY way, here's a great deal
from HP, shamelessly stolen from RFD and reposted here. The bolded
product is a very very good deal.

HP is having an employee sale:

You can go to www.hpshopping.ca and find the listed products.

When checking out use the ecoupon: "myhpsavings"

to receive 25% discount!

enjoy!

*edit: free shipping offers have expired

Desktops:

HP Pavilion a6400f Desktop PC - NOW $442.49 (MSRP $589.99)

HP Pavilion Slimline s3400f Desktop PC - NOW $442.49 (MSRP $589.99)

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HP Pavilion Slimline s3430f Desktop PC - NOW $712.49 (MSRP $949.99)

HP Pavilion Media Center m8400f Desktop PC - NOW $599.99 (MSRP $799.99)

HP Pavilion Elite m9150f Desktop PC - NOW $674.99 (MSRP $899.99)

HP Pavilion Elite m9250f Desktop PC - NOW $899.99 (MSRP $1199.99)

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Monitor:
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Laptops:
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