webgyrl Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 TCH Fam.... In the last few years I have seriously gotten into designing websites and digital art/web graphics. My current system is a 550mHz Pentium 3 PC system with a Windows 98se platform, and quite honestly... it's outdated and getting useless! I am looking to buy a completely new system but I need to find out what the best type of system would be for my uses. I use these programs every day: Photoshop Dreamweaver Fireworks Illustrator Fontographer Quark Xpress I want to upgrade my software as I know the newest versions of all these programs are far superior than what I am using now. I need something that is fast, can handle multiple programs running at the same time and something that is more geared to a Photoshop/Web design user. I'm getting into Flash Web design and right now my system can't even handle Flash 5, so I would need something that can handle Flash MX 2004 as I'm thinking of buying that program. I was thinking that getting a system with a Pentium® 4 Processor with Hyper Threading Technology (3.4GHz w/800MHz FSB) would be a good start. Is there something better on the PC market, or is this as fast as they come? I hear that Hyper Threading Technology is great for using multiple applications at once. Does anyone know anything more about HT Technology? There seems to be a HUGE price difference between the 3.2GHz processor and the 3.4... is there THAT big of a difference, and would I really use the power of a 3.4? Not sure what the differences are. Gonna get the Win XP Pro platform as I hear it's better on the security tip than the Home Edition. I'm not sure if I need more than 1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM (400MHz)? Would I need more than that to run everything? Is it better to buy as much RAM as possible, or can I just get 1GB to start and see how that goes and upgrage later if needed? I am also interested in what Video card is the best to buy. I've had a lot of issues with my Video cards burning out about every 8-12 months and I will need something that will last longer. I'm currently using a RADEON 7500 card. I found a company that caters to audio/video/gaming systems (alienware.com), but am not sure if I could just do as well by customizing a Dell or Gateway. I am trying to find out what all this is gonna cost. Sky is not the limit as far as price goes, so I want the best performance for a good price. Other things I want with the system are: MS Office 2003 (with Word, Outlook, Publisher, Powerpoint) Ethernet Card A really good cooling fan! 56K Modem Sound System (is Sound Blaster still good?) Keyboard Mouse Speakers I'd like to get a Wacom tablet as well.... I think I might just stick with the Flat LCD I already have. Thanks for reading this and I appreciate any advice, tips you can give. Peace, Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaseytraeger Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Nat, We just bought a new computer from Dell this past December and it works very, very well. We bought a Dell XPS, 3.0GHz Hyperthreaded Tech with 1GB RAM on 800MHz bus and 240 GB RAID hard drive. This machine works like a dream. I don't know which video card we got, but it was the best on the market at the time because we do gaming on the computer and my husband and his friends want to see all the action on their "blow-em-up" games that they possibly can. It came with WinXP Pro, and some type of Microsoft Productivity Pack which we promptly scrubbed. Instead, I installed the entire Microsoft Office Suite. I don't do as much graphics work as you do, but I do have PhotoShop, Illustrator and Paint Shop Pro installed. Interestingly, I can run them all at the same time without any problems. I personally don't think you need to spend that much extra money for a 3.4GHz machine if there's a big price difference between 3.2GHz and 3.4GHz. After all, we're only on 3.0GHz, and we can keep more than one graphics application running at a time. Also, we can both be logged on at the same time without any problems. I'll run "The Sims", and he's playing "LOTR" or "Command and Conquer: Generals". Our computer easily runs one game while having the other in the background. If you're going to do "serious" work with your computer, I would recommend buying as much RAM as you possibly can. Also, a raided hard drive makes hard drive access times much faster. Our computer is lightening fast. We didn't know how much difference we'd see between the new computer and our old 733MHz system, but I can't even begin to say how much nicer it is. Please holler if you've got more questions. If I can remember, I'll check our receipt when I get home tonight and let you know which video/graphics card we purchased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaberville Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 If you are doing mostly graphics, I would say go with a G5 Mac. Mac's are much bette at handling graphics intensive aplications. I had been a pc user up until last year when I got my first mac. I will never go back. It is super fast and ROCK solid. I mean it never crashes. I still have my old pc laying around just in case i absolutly need it, but thats it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaseytraeger Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 The big problem I see with Macs is that there are something like only 5% of the computer-using population has a Macintosh. There doesn't seem to be as many applications available for them as for PCs. I have a PC at work and my sister has a Mac. She's forever griping about what a crappy machine it is. But her boss won't buy her a PC because their entire office (of like 5) is on Mac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Dick Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 This is just my own personal opinion so take from it what you will. 1) Dont buy an alienware, yes they are kick *** systems but they are way overpriced. If your feeling adventurous build the system yourself, there isnt much to a computer. Send me a link to the Alienware system you are looking at and I'll show you what it would cost to build it yourself 2) Dont bother with the 3+ GHz P4 get a 2.4C or 2.8C (C means 800 mhz FSB) 3) Invest in a good graphics card, like a 9600/9800 pro by ATI or a 5900 by Nvidia 4) Invest in good RAM like Corsair, OCZ or Crucial PC3200 is a decent speed but get PC3700 if its in your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deverill Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 I agree with Mike on this. The single best thing you can get is RAM for speed. After that you'll definitely need a quality video card and if it were me, I'd get a "real" monitor. The flat LCDs are better and better but they are far from the clarity, richness of color and "optic gentleness" of a CRT when set side by side with a quality one. The hyperthreading is a technology that makes better use of the CPU. Basically, if you have a program that requires several tasks (which all programs do pretty much) the hyperthreading will split those tasks so that the computer is "sitting and waiting" on things as little as possible. If step 1 has this widget doing something but the floating point part of the brain is not busy then hyperthreading can split it off and give the floating point components something to do now instead of waiting for the widget to finish first. It's really just better time management brought about by splitting tasks and then running them together in a more efficient way. I have it at work and it seems to be faster but for every day tasks like reading email and copying files it's not really a big deal. Trying to avoid a "religious war" on Good Friday I'd not buy a Mac because, as was said, the market is vastly smaller than for the PC and programmers go where the money is. Things will be available more readily for the PC such as cheap or free utilities that may not even exist for the Mac. This is, IMO, why Linux is playing "catch up" rather than ruling the market. I am confident and hopeful that this will change soon for them. The "big players" like Adobe say the programs are the same for both and they just change the drivers so it's a win either way as far as that's concerned. Hope it helps! Best wishes on your new purchase and let us know what you end up with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaberville Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 My switch from PC to Mac was very smooth. Everything I did on my pc I was able to do as good or better on my mac. The only area I see pc having a big advantage is gaming. Nat said she was intreasted in doing web/graphics, That is an area Mac's really shine. Ask any graphic designer which is better, I'm sure they will say Mac. On the other hand I guess you can get used to windows crashing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Bruce Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 On the other hand I guess you can get used to windows crashing. My XP system has never crashed. Can't say that for my Win98 machine though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarqFlare Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Once I got past my hardware issues, WinXP has run smoothly for me. I've had macs crash on me time and time again, however... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Hey gang! Thanks for all the great replies. Kasey- do you recall how much you paid in total for your system? If you don't want to post the price here, you can PM me with it if you are comfortable. Does the RAID drive make a huge difference over the standard ATA drive? gaberville yes, MACs are the best for music, video and graphics editing... but right now I don't have the cash to go out and buy all new software as I already have a ton of it that I just want to transfer to the new PC system and upgrade. I am aslo building a recording studio in the next few years and will be using a MAC for the basis of that. I prefer to have one PC and one MAC for the future. PC's have come a long way, not as efficient as the MAC, but like others have said.. there is a lot more software available for the PC and migrating software from PC to PC is much easier than PC to MAC. TCH-Mike- yes you are right about the Alien PC's being way overpriced! The one thing I did like was that they all come with that extra cooling fan. I am not sure if this is an issue with the new 2.8+GHz computers... not sure if they have compensated for heat well enough in these new systems. I know that my 550-MhZ gets terribly hot and the video card burns out. I am very wary about building my own system from scratch. I am mildly technical... but not overly so and would hate to mess something like my own system up. I also would like tech support and I know that if I build myself I can't get that. Thanks for all of your part suggestions.. I am pricing out different systems with different companies and just knowing what parts are good ones helps a lot. TCH-Jim-So get as much RAM as possible then? I guess the good thing is you can always buy more if needed. Maybe I will start with 1 or 2 GB and go from there. From the research I have been doing I have read that there is some new technology coming down the pipeline. I am looking to buy a system in the next 6-12 months... not sure how much is set to change... but I heart that Radeon has a new card coming out soon. I was also wondering what the difference is between AMD Athlon and Pentium 4 technology. Is there a huge difference? I have always read that Pentium is better, but some people have suggested that Athlon is fine? Does Athlon have similar hyper-threading technology? I ask because there is a remote chance that I will eventually want to do some small-time video editing (for the web)... just want to make sure I get the right processing power if I want to do this. Beng able to use multiple programs (up to 5 at a time) running is very important to me. Thanks again, Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deverill Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Nat, I would probably start with 1 GB and that should be fine for you unless you go totally gonzo on the designs. I have that on mine at home and I do all kinds of things like edit 20 photos at once while Word and Firefox is open with a web site upload and winamp in the background and very very rarely have a problem opening huge graphics files in this scenario. (BTW, the upload and music is possible due only to DSL.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Jim, Sounds like exactly the type of workload I'd be working with. And.. I really gotta get on cable or DSL... but I will wait for the new system for all of that. Dial up does suck! Do you know anything about running Adobe Premier off a system with a P4 with HT Technology and 1G RAM? Would I need more RAM if I wanted to run Adobe Premier? I'd most likely just have AP running alone while doing video editing. Thanks again Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Hmmmm... the more research I do I see that HT Technology is exclusive to Pentium. The AMD processors are cheaper and seem comparable, but it seems they have a harder time running multiple applications and having many windows open. Does anyone here use Althlon and what has your experience been? Thanks, Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Dick Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 I swear by AMD, I LOVE em. i have never had a problem having multiple apps open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Dick Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 I normally have a minimum of 5-6 apps open at once. If I'm updating my site I'll have anywhere from 7-10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellringr Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 I have AMD 1.4ghz and I have no trouble with having lots of apps open. Dreamweaver can get me low on resources, but that's because it's a memory hog and I only have 512 meg RAM. Even so I often have a dozen pics open in Lview Pro, a couple of Dreamweaver pages, and my browser at the same time and it's not slow at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Mike- are you using Athlon? Can someone decode this for me: Intel® Pentium® 4 3.00E GHz/ HT + 1MB L2 cache What is it exactly? Is it better than the 3.2GHz w/800MHz FSB? I am looking at HP Systems right now, specifically "m400y media center pc". Not sure that it has the cooling system I want tho... still perusing the specs. Just looking at all available Brands. Found a Sweet Dell Dimension XPS with the following package (For $3000) Dimension XPS SYSTEM COMPONENTS Dimension XPS Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology 3.2GHz w/800MHz FSB, Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Unit Price Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Memory 1GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz Keyboard Dell® Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard Monitors 17in (16.0 viewable,.25dp)M782 CRT Monitor Video Card NEW 256MB DDR ATI RADEON™ 9800 XT 256XT Hard Drive NEW 240G RAID 0 (2 x 120GB SATA HDDs) 3.5 in Floppy Drive Mouse Dell® 2-button scroll mouse Network Interface Integrated Intel® PRO 1000 Ethernet Modem 56K PCI Telephony Modem 56KWS CD or DVD Drive Dual Drives: 48x CD-RW Drive + 8x DVD+RW Drive Sound Card Sound Blaster Audigy™2 (D) Card w/Dolby 5.1, and IEEE 1394 capability Speakers Dell A425 Speakers with Subwoofer Productivity Software Microsoft® Office Small Business with Money® Security Software McAfee Security Center w/VirusScan,Firewall and Privacy,1-year subscription MCAFE1Y Digital Music Dell Jukebox powered by MUSICMATCH Digital Photography Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro Trial, Photo Album Starter Edition Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year At-Home Service XPS Specialized Support Dimension XPS, Specialized Support Multi-Media Players RealOne™ Player, with 14 day SuperPass trial Dell Media Experience Dell Media Experience™ DMX TOTAL: $2,993.40 Think I can get similar type system cheaper elsewhere? Anyone have any experience with Sony product? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Just found another OS I haven't come accross before: Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Ed. 2004 Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2004 evolves the home PC so the digital entertainment you want is at your command--Enjoy the convenience of having your digital entertainment right at your fingertips. Easily find, choose and play movies, music, photos, and TV. Create and manage your digital media library and keep in touch with friends and family. Use a single remote control and a unified interface for simple and direct access to entertainment. Watch the TV and movies you want when you want. Easily experience your digital photos and videos with friends and family. Listen to your music or the radio according your taste. Get the computing power, reliability and security you expect from Windows XP Professional. Any thoughts? Is it just unecessary bells and whistles thrown in or would it be something to consider for an art-use computer? Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Bruce Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 I am on my second Sony desktop system. Only upgraded because I wanted a faster processor. Here are the spec on the machine I have. • Model PCV-RS530G • Processor Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 3.20C GHz† with Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology • Cache Memory 512KB Integrated On-Die Level 2 • Front Side BUS Speed 800MHz • Standard RAM 512MB PC-3200 400MHz DDR (expandable to 2.0GB) • Hard Drive 160GB††3 7200rpm Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive • DVD±RW / CD-RW DRIVE -RW (4X max. write / 2X max. rewrite / 2X max. read) +RW (4X max. write / 2.4X max. rewrite / 2.4X max. read) CD-RW (16X max. write / 10X max. rewrite / 32X max. read) • DVD-ROM 16X max. DVD-ROM Read / 40X max. CD-ROM read • Floppy Disk Drive 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive • Video & Graphics ATI Radeon™ 9200 128MB Video Memory (128-bit DDR) VGA-out / DVI-Out (DVI output:1280x1024x60Hz max.) / TV-Out 8X AGP 3D Graphics Hardware Acceleration • Giga Pocket TM MPEG2 Realtime Encoder/Decoder board with TV Tuner • Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX Ethernet (RJ-45) • Modem V.90 compatible data/fax modem • Expansion Slots One 8x AGP (occupied by Graphics Card) Three PCI (two occupied) Multi-Media Card Reader (Memory StickTM, Compact Flash™ Type I and Type II, IBM Micro Drive™, and Smart MediaTM • Expansion Bays Two 5.25" Half-Height (occupied) One External 3.5" (occupied) Two Internal 3.5" (one occupied) • Port Connectors Seven USB 2.0 (three front/four rear) Two PS/2® (Mouse/Keyboard) One VGA/DVI Monitor Port / TV-Out One S/PDIF Out / One Parallel Port / One Line In One 6pin i.LINK Port (rear)/ One 4pin (front) One Headphone / One Microphone S-Video: Two Inputs (front and rear) Composite Video / Audio Inputs (front and rear) Stereo Line Input/Output Coaxial Input (VHF/UHF) • Supplied Accessories Speakers (Stereo) IR Remote Control and Receiver VAIO® Keyboard / PS/2® Mouse • Power Requirements 100-120V 4.7A (50/60Hz) • Power Management ACPI 1.0 Compliant • Dimensions & Weight (CPU) 7.2"(W) x 15.6"(H) x 14.9"(D), 26.5 lbs. • Sony Original Software Giga Pocket™ - Personal Video Recorder Click to DVD™ - DVD Creation PictureGear Studio™ - Digital Photo DVgate Plus™ - Digital Video SonicStage™ - Digital Music VAIO Media™ - Network File Sharing • Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition VAIO® recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP You can buy it from www.sonystyle.com with a 17-inch Sony LCD for $1849 and they have a $100 rebate going on. I love Sony products. Never have had any problems with the other desktop or laptop (wife's). You can probably do better on pricing at Best Buy on this system with extra rebates. I got back $350 in rebates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Bruce Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Just found another OS I haven't come accross before: Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Ed. 2004 I was told unless you want an entertainment system stay away from this verison of XP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Bruce! Thanks for that link and for listing your specs. And thanks for the warning on the Media Center Ed. of XP. Seems that HP's packages for digital media only come with this version. Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Bruce Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 And I'd put this 17-inch Sony LCD up against any CRT monitor for clarity. Running it in 1280x1024 resolution. Sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 I've seen this processor at Alienware: AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-53 Processor with HyperTransport Technology Is HyperTransport Technology similar to Hyper-Threading technology? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Bruce Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 From the AMD website HyperTransport™ technology enabling increased bandwidth and reduced I/O bottlenecks for increased system performance and better multitasking Sounds similar to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Dick Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Yes, I'm using an atahlon proc. AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-53 is a 64 bit processor, the p4 you listed earlier is a 32 bit processor. I would stay away from 64 bit, its to new and way to expensive. If you are considering AMD Athalons, you want a barton core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCH-Dick Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Also, if your going to buy a prebuilt, you cant go wrong with Dell. If I didnt build my own systems Dell is the only company i would concider buying a PC from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarqFlare Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 I've had some poor service from Dell regarding my new laptop... I would recommend Dell over any other computer maker, but before you go buying one of their systems, make sure to research it over Google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HCSuperStores Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Hyperthreading ... allows the computer to think like two computers/CPUs. Hypertransport .... helps memory communication between the CPU and the RAM. There's so much to hardware I wouldn't know where to begin to help you. But I can give you a philosophy. Since you're working with a 550 (me too) you're used to a particular speed. Chances are a 2.0ghz P4 would blow your socks off and probably save you $1000-$1500. Personally I base all my decisions on the limitations of the motherboard. During an upgrade, or new system, where I'm makiing a big jump in speed, I buy the best motherboard available on the market with the latest features (max Ram, Max CPU, PCI-X, Serial ATA ... maybe even over-clocking abilities, maximum flexibility for FSB and voltage regulation) and then save $300-$500 on a cheaper processor. In the future when the P5 runs at 5.5ghz, there might be a possibility of an upgrade path in 3 years where components are really cheap. When you buy memory, buy large chips that take the minimum slots up. So if each slot allows for a max of 2GB, buy a 2GB chip. Leave the maximum amount open for later increases when filliling the 2-3 that are left with another 4-6GB ... for Win2008. Me (we're in the same boat) I'm puting my dollars into making a Dual AMD Opteron system running Linux. But I'm only buying the 1 Optetron (240) now and at a lower speed, with 2GB of RAM. Later on I'll buy 2 of the latest CPU's and add 4-6GB of RAM. It will be like a new machine. My costs? About $1,500 for the parts and 4-8 hours of assembly and burn-in. Talk about your question with a thousand different answers!!!! Nat .... I'm still waiting for your "yes or no" questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deverill Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Do you know anything about running Adobe Premier Sorry, I don't. For what it's worth, I have a Sony laptop at work and it is solid but more expensive than its counterparts. I had an HP computer that was a nightmare and I'm a programmer/repair type professional so I pity anyone with similar experiences who isn't. I own a Dell Dimension 4400 that I cranked up the drive, mem, etc and love it. I think for the equipment Dells are the best, IMO. I work with HP and Compaq at work and while they are not dismal I'd rather have a Dell. Disclaimer: Everyone's experiences differ. These are my experiences and opinions only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 10, 2004 Author Share Posted April 10, 2004 Yes, I'm using an atahlon proc. AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-53 is a 64 bit processor, the p4 you listed earlier is a 32 bit processor. I would stay away from 64 bit, its to new and way to expensive. If you are considering AMD Athalons, you want a barton core. Thanks Mike... that's good into to know. Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 10, 2004 Author Share Posted April 10, 2004 I've had some poor service from Dell regarding my new laptop... I would recommend Dell over any other computer maker, but before you go buying one of their systems, make sure to research it over Google. My current system is a Gateway system... in the first week I had to do TWO drive reformats with the 'aid' of some pretty awful tech support people who didn't seem to know what the heck to do. It's been a terribly unstable system. I'd never buy from GW again, that's for sure. I've heard a lot of great feedback about Dell tho... but I guess you just never know. LOL Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 10, 2004 Author Share Posted April 10, 2004 Hyperthreading ... allows the computer to think like two computers/CPUs. Hypertransport .... helps memory communication between the CPU and the RAM. There's so much to hardware I wouldn't know where to begin to help you. But I can give you a philosophy. Since you're working with a 550 (me too) you're used to a particular speed. Chances are a 2.0ghz P4 would blow your socks off and probably save you $1000-$1500. Personally I base all my decisions on the limitations of the motherboard. During an upgrade, or new system, where I'm makiing a big jump in speed, I buy the best motherboard available on the market with the latest features (max Ram, Max CPU, PCI-X, Serial ATA ... maybe even over-clocking abilities, maximum flexibility for FSB and voltage regulation) and then save $300-$500 on a cheaper processor. In the future when the P5 runs at 5.5ghz, there might be a possibility of an upgrade path in 3 years where components are really cheap. When you buy memory, buy large chips that take the minimum slots up. So if each slot allows for a max of 2GB, buy a 2GB chip. Leave the maximum amount open for later increases when filliling the 2-3 that are left with another 4-6GB ... for Win2008. Me (we're in the same boat) I'm puting my dollars into making a Dual AMD Opteron system running Linux. But I'm only buying the 1 Optetron (240) now and at a lower speed, with 2GB of RAM. Later on I'll buy 2 of the latest CPU's and add 4-6GB of RAM. It will be like a new machine. My costs? About $1,500 for the parts and 4-8 hours of assembly and burn-in. Talk about your question with a thousand different answers!!!! Nat .... I'm still waiting for your "yes or no" questions! Grazie Professore! Thanks for the detialed explanation and for the advice on the motherboard. I didn't see in any of the customized features I was playing with if Dell lists what motherboards they use. Is there a way to find out? Thanks again for sharing the knowledge. And.... I am still trying to think of a yes or no question! LOL Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 10, 2004 Author Share Posted April 10, 2004 Sorry, I don't. For what it's worth, I have a Sony laptop at work and it is solid but more expensive than its counterparts. I had an HP computer that was a nightmare and I'm a programmer/repair type professional so I pity anyone with similar experiences who isn't. I own a Dell Dimension 4400 that I cranked up the drive, mem, etc and love it. I think for the equipment Dells are the best, IMO. I work with HP and Compaq at work and while they are not dismal I'd rather have a Dell. Disclaimer: Everyone's experiences differ. These are my experiences and opinions only. Jim, I am checking out the Sony's as well. I have heard good things about them. Gonna do more research on the Adobe Premier tip. Thanks, Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheManKnownAsX Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 Maybe I'm outta line for stepping in on this.. but I've been building PC's since the early 90's when 30pin SIMM RAM was a big deal.. oh and then 72pin.. ahhh, memories. But I digress. The one thing I want to mention here is this: Big name computer makers like Dell, HP, Sony, etc tend to use really nice name brand CPU's and Video Cards.. but the hardware that you don't hear about is generally second-rate and a lot less than reliable. This has been my experience with nearly every major-manufacturer built PC I've ever encountered. What I'm saying is.. if you want a killer system, at a really great price, my recommendation would be to buy the components and build it yourself. Either that, or get with someone who's good at it and have them do it for you... Just my opinion, I guess. Hope I'm not stepping on anyone's proverbial toes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deverill Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 No sweat, X. We're all just trying to help Natalie out here. I don't think anyone is a rep for the big guns anyway. You are right. If someone has the patience and access to the knowledge to do it a custom made by someone who knows the score is the best bet. It's just too easy sometimes to let a big gun do it for you. Good point about the "other" parts being 2nd rate. Thanks for speaking up! The more info Nat gets the better her decision will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rennemo Posted April 13, 2004 Share Posted April 13, 2004 Hyperthreading ... allows the computer to think like two computers/CPUs. HT is Intel's poor man's version of two logical cpu's in one physical.It's kinda hit and miss though, sometimes it works, sometimes it will slow down whatever you're doing. If I were to buy/build a high-end multimedia workstation today I would go for dual xeons. Nothing beats 2 physical cpu's if your os/apps support it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webgyrl Posted April 17, 2004 Author Share Posted April 17, 2004 Maybe I'm outta line for stepping in on this.. but I've been building PC's since the early 90's when 30pin SIMM RAM was a big deal.. oh and then 72pin.. ahhh, memories. But I digress. The one thing I want to mention here is this: Big name computer makers like Dell, HP, Sony, etc tend to use really nice name brand CPU's and Video Cards.. but the hardware that you don't hear about is generally second-rate and a lot less than reliable. This has been my experience with nearly every major-manufacturer built PC I've ever encountered. What I'm saying is.. if you want a killer system, at a really great price, my recommendation would be to buy the components and build it yourself. Either that, or get with someone who's good at it and have them do it for you... Just my opinion, I guess. Hope I'm not stepping on anyone's proverbial toes. I didn't consider building my own system, because quite honestly, I don't feel comfortable doing that. BUT I do agree with assembling a custom system with some help. Been doing some poking at local computer shops and found a place here that's been around for 18 years. I took in a list of the parts I wanted and they gave me a quote for a great system that comes in at $800 cheaper than Dell. I get to choose my own motherboard and brand of RAM and I can also afford to get a new LCD. I think when I am ready to buy I am gonna go with these guys. They offer a 2 year waranty and are really freindly and helpful. Getting tech support/assistance is important to me. Thanks everyone for all the help. I was really able to do better research with your input to come to a decision on what the best system would be for graphics. Thanks, Nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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