what windows-based PC I should Buy

[tomcruise3230]

Dear members,

Please help me decide on buying a new PC since i dont know much about computers. I already have a 6 year old toshiba laptop and which is still works fine but has fairly old features (256 mb, usb 1.1, 30 GB, old graphic card, etc). These are the minumum requirements I am looking for in a PC:

512 RAM (if windows vista isn't installed)
30 GB
usb 2.0
a way to connect to TV via HDMI or S-video inputs
at least has windows XP home edition or media center
Famous Brand Like Sony, Dell, Toshiba, HQ,
Price Range $700-$2500

I will be using mainly for selling item on ebay, surfing, downloading vidoes from site like rapidshare and saving to an external HD, watching anime/drama by connecting a TV, and playing MMORPG games like world of craft (but not games that require the latest graphic card etc).

I won't be doing nothing like video/picture editing, burning CD or DVD or anything that require a lot of processing power, transfering files from digital camera or phone, and wireless route or internet connection (but wireless keyboard/mouse is okay)

Please also let me know should I get PC that has windows vista (I have window xp home edition which is just fine for me) and any other feature I should also look for. thank you very much!

[gcrussell1]

You're going to have to be a lot more specific - your minimum requirements sound like something you could get in a laptop for $300 or less on eBay. Here are a few simple questions that will help us help you.

Do you want a desktop or a laptop?

If you want a laptop, is size or battery life an issue?

Do you feel the need to buy new, or are you willing to go with a used PC?

How much do you actually want to spend? $700-$2500 is extremely broad...

Do you want to buy a computer that will be adequate for mid-level use for another few years, or do you just want to fill your minimum requirements for the present?

[Theophylact]

You can go way beyond your basic requirements for way less money. For instance if you bought this (refurbished) system for $339 (shipping included), all you'd need is an HDTV tuner card and a decent flat screen monitor (here's a 20-inch widescreen for $200 before MIR).

[tomcruise3230]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theophylact

You can go way beyond your basic requirements for way less money. For instance if you bought this (refurbished) system for $339 (shipping included), all you'd need is an HDTV tuner card and a decent flat screen monitor (here's a 20-inch widescreen for $200 before MIR).

Let me make some thing clear so not to confuse anybody:

what i meant by minimum requirements was at least it should be that; not i want to buy the exact minimum requirements. so i didn't know the minimum req. of mine is out of date because i didn't buy a desktop pc in 6 years. I am only looking for brand new desktop pc not any laptop. Also what i meant by watching it on TV instead of laptop was not having a TV tuner so i can watch it on my PC, but watch all the dowloaded videos i have saved on my hard drive and watching it on Tv by connecting tv to pc (like one of the cables you get to connect dvd to tv or something similar to it that i want in a PC which is a MUST)

And i don't want any vista editions because of many reports on the internet of having bugs/problems etc, so i will settle for any windox xp edition (or should you think i should get linux OS type PC: will that work for my needs?) I won't be doing much business with it (like use microsoft word) on ebay just list some items normally, so that shouldn't be any concern of what pc i want to buy (sorry for that).

so with this conclusion, I think I should get a pc within price range of $700 to $1100 that has at least these requirments: 1 gb ram, cd-rom (i don't care about cd-dvd combo or any of the kind: if its included thats fine), High Definition 7.1 Sound (is their something better then this), 500 mb memory, 80 gb, last for more then 1 year, and something that connects tv to a pc (A MUST!). The real reason i want to buy a brand new PC and not a laptop is because i don't want to waste time having the laptop power on and off, will have the privilage to use a pc anytime and watch videos saved on my hard drive on a tv by connecting to it from my pc. (sorry to sound as if i am explaining it again)

So from the above notes, do you have any specific suggestion of PCs i should get and just to let you know i will be buying only with a credit card.

[Theophylact]

Well, that's what I thought I was suggesting. The particular PC I linked to (purely as an example, not a recommendation) meets all those criteria except that it has Vista Home Premium. If I bought it, I'd upgrade the RAM to 2GB, or switch to WinXP.

You might look into Dell's Vostro line of desktops; you can get them with WinXP instead of Vista.

[tomcruise3230]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theophylact

Well, that's what I thought I was suggesting. The particular PC I linked to (purely as an example, not a recommendation) meets all those criteria except that it has Vista Home Premium. If I bought it, I'd upgrade the RAM to 2GB, or switch to WinXP.

You might look into Dell's Vostro line of desktops; you can get them with WinXP instead of Vista.

The one you suggested i sold out. I guess i will try windowx vista (only that has media center) and i dont need a tv tuner because i won't be tuning anything with my computer.
Also, to let you know i will only be using credit card not store credit card (bestbuy,circuit city) so they won't take my credit card if i buy in store (maybe online and if i buy online how long does it take to arrive?)

I also won't be saving videos on internal hd but an external seagate hds (5 year warranty) thats because i don't want to have my internal hd give up on me very quick because by downloading videos on it some of the time.

I also won't be buying a MAC because it doesn't have enough features like windows, don't play many PC games and a lot expensive.

From your comments, Is this the right hardwares for me (i am not purchasing the exact product but similar to it if it meets my requirements):

Motherboard
[AMD] Asus M2NPV-VM
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=3875

CPU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ AM2 DUAL CORE
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=3805

Ram
Kingston Value 1GB DDR2-667 (2x512MB)
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=4371

Video Card
GigaByte GeForce 7300GS 128MB (256MB shared) QUIET PCI-E
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=3783

Sound Card
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=4487

CD / DVD Rom
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=4479

Accessories
ATI TV Wonder 650 PCI TV Tuner
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=4609

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium (it has windows media center)

Monitor
Undecided (i won't be watching videos from laptop from faraway but by connecting it

to tv) should i get a widescreen or normal?

should i get a tower pc or something like this:
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=3889

Keyboard
Microsoft Multimedia Optical Combo (black)
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=1440

Mouse
Microsoft Optical Tilt Wheel
http://www.pugetsystems.com/part_info.php?part=1654

System Price: $1,406.06 (with a monitor)


What must also be included in:

Dial-up modem (if possible build-in not usb connected)

Build-in Fax and Scan without using a fax machine (windowx vista business has it but

it doesn't have windows media center so i don't want that)

At least 6 Month warranty

Can play HD dvd download videos

Can you also tell me if I also buy a Remote Control for Windows Media Center will it work only with windows media player or others like zoom player? Thats all i want to know so please help me out!

[Theophylact]

Not to screw with your mind too much, but you could get a Mac and still run Windows, either by dual-booting using Boot Camp, or by running Windows alongside OSX using VMWare's Fusion.

[gcrussell1]

If I'm not completely mistaken, the PC specs you listed reflect a PC that should cost about $600-700, not $1400.

As Theophylact suggested, Dell's Vostro line will give you good bang for your buck, as would their basic Inspiron desktop line. Any of the major companies should work out fine for you, though - HP, Dell, Sony Vaio, etc.

Additionally, don't worry about burning out the internal hard drive by saving too much stuff on it or using it too often - that doesn't generally happen. Your internal hard drive will be fine, and if you use it instead of an external drive, you'll end up saving transfer times and getting better performance than you would with a USB hard drive.

And a couple more things: Vista Ultimate has all of the bells of Vista Business (such as your fax thing) and all of the whistles of Home Premium (such as Media Center), so if you're concerned about having those things, get Ultimate - you'll pay more, but if you use what you pay for, then it's worth it, isn't it? If you do use Vista, however, you should probably get a system with 2 GB of RAM, as it will significantly improve the system's performance (which can be a bit slow with less RAM on Vista).

Just for the fun of it, I configured a PC on Dell's site to a setup that would more than fill your needs for at least a couple years to come, as long as you don't start doing a bunch of high-end computing, and it came to just over $1000 (including Vista Ultimate and a few other bells and whistles to give it a little more staying power) with a 19" monitor and a mouse and keyboard. IMO, for your needs, anything over $1000 is highway robbery.

[tomcruise3230]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcrussell1

If I'm not completely mistaken, the PC specs you listed reflect a PC that should cost about $600-700, not $1400.

As Theophylact suggested, Dell's Vostro line will give you good bang for your buck, as would their basic Inspiron desktop line. Any of the major companies should work out fine for you, though - HP, Dell, Sony Vaio, etc.

Additionally, don't worry about burning out the internal hard drive by saving too much stuff on it or using it too often - that doesn't generally happen. Your internal hard drive will be fine, and if you use it instead of an external drive, you'll end up saving transfer times and getting better performance than you would with a USB hard drive.

And a couple more things: Vista Ultimate has all of the bells of Vista Business (such as your fax thing) and all of the whistles of Home Premium (such as Media Center), so if you're concerned about having those things, get Ultimate - you'll pay more, but if you use what you pay for, then it's worth it, isn't it? If you do use Vista, however, you should probably get a system with 2 GB of RAM, as it will significantly improve the system's performance (which can be a bit slow with less RAM on Vista).

Just for the fun of it, I configured a PC on Dell's site to a setup that would more than fill your needs for at least a couple years to come, as long as you don't start doing a bunch of high-end computing, and it came to just over $1000 (including Vista Ultimate and a few other bells and whistles to give it a little more staying power) with a 19" monitor and a mouse and keyboard. IMO, for your needs, anything over $1000 is highway robbery.

First does Dell online accept any visa credit card or do you have to purchase a dell credit card if u want to make monthly payments? Second, if i get one with windows vista ultimate do i need more ram and memory then if i get windows vista home preimium (don't want windows vista business because it doesn't have windows media center). I don't like Macs so i want be purchasing them (too expensive, etc)

Also, is their a software that has a fax/scan build in or a external hardware (so i don't need to buy wiindow vista ultimate only any windows edition that has windows media center).

Also, What if i decide to build my own and purchase all my parts online (can you get the parts in retail stores also) how long will it take to build it and is it hard to do it because i never build one before.

[Theophylact]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomcruise3230

First does Dell online accept any visa credit card or do you have to purchase a dell credit card if u want to make monthly payments? Second, if i get one with windows vista ultimate do i need more ram and memory then if i get windows vista home preimium (don't want windows vista business because it doesn't have windows media center). I don't like Macs so i want be purchasing them (too expensive, etc)

Also, is their a software that has a fax/scan build in or a external hardware (so i don't need to buy wiindow vista ultimate only any windows edition that has windows media center).

Also, What if i decide to build my own and purchase all my parts online (can you get the parts in retail stores also) how long will it take to build it and is it hard to do it because i never build one before.

(1)Yes, Dell takes ordinary Visa cards.

(2) I believe that the breakpoint in memory requirements is between Vista Home Basic and Premium; without at least a GB of memory you simply can't run Premium.

(3) Home Premium includes Media Center.

(4) You can get all the parts, as well as OEM versions of the operating system, online (many people here, like me, favor Newegg), and almost certainly at brick-and-mortar places like Fry's (if you live in California) or Micro Center.

(5) Your first build will probably take you a day or so while you get to figure things out and curse over lost screws, but you'll find lots of help here and other places. It WILL NOT be cheaper than buying from Dell or HP; but you'll get exactly the components and configuration you want, you won't be tied in to any proprietary stuff like motherboards that can't be upgraded, and your machine won't come half-filled with bloatware (except for Vista, but that's an inherent problem with Microsoft).