| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/3/2009 5:28:25 PM | I'm going to get a new computer but I have no idea what is considered great or even decent. All I know is I want something that is very FAST and something that will handle multi-tasking. Suggestions would be very helpful. I'm not sure if it's against the rules to post links but is hinting at different websites against the rules too?
Thanks!  | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/3/2009 5:40:38 PM | What kinds of things are you going to use it for ?
Do you have a preference of Windows or Mac ?
How much money (ballpark) are you thinking of spending? | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/3/2009 7:02:17 PM |
I'm going to get a new computer but I have no idea what is considered great or even decent. All I know is I want something that is very FAST and something that will handle multi-tasking. Suggestions would be very helpful. I'm not sure if it's against the rules to post links but is hinting at different websites against the rules too?
Depends on your cash...
I wouldnt go for anything less than a Xeon these days, and the lowest performing one I have is a pair of Gainestown 5520's, a system based on those will blow away any desktop based on the desktop marketed Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad, in all but the best of Nehealm based systems...
But of couse if you want to outperform the fastest Nehealm system, go for a pair of Xeon X5365's even today its classed as one of the highest performing CPUs and when you get a pair of them its performance is only matched by the higher end of the Gainestowns, and only bettered by the highest Gainestowns...
Yeah Clovertown gets my vote! | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/3/2009 9:11:43 PM | It's really hard to buy anything slow these days. I'm using an IBM thinkpad I got off ebay for $150, a used R32. It rawks. 4 disk drives and 2 batteries.
If you want a faster machine just keep upping the price you're willing to pay. And understand it'll be a mere fraction of the price you paid on ebay in about 6 mos.
Waiting for "the machine I want that isn't out yet" is something you can do in perpetuity. Just get whatever and be happy.
If there's some specific requirement other than "fast" I didn't catch it. Games?
I'm assuming laptops here too, as desktop computers seem to be a dead issue now. But if you want a desktop machine, spec a SCSI disk subsystem. It's ungodly fast and what servers use. Good ones, anyway.
Solid state drives in laptops make them much quicker than normal.
Always favour more memory as opposed to a faster CPU. A very fast cpu with not enough RAM will be slower than an obsolete CPU with gobs of main memory. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/3/2009 10:27:08 PM | You're not saying much about what you need. If you're looking for serious horsepower:
Top of the line...
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ideasfromibm/us/roadrunner/20080609/index.shtml about $120 mil
A more affordable option...
http://www.nvidia.com/object/tesla_supercomputer_wtb.html about $5,000 | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/4/2009 1:48:49 AM |
I have no idea what is considered great or even decent.
The problem with buying a computer (as opposed to building it) is that you get a prepackaged deal that was assembled probably weeks if not months ago.
Ask the following questions to figure out what you really need:
a) How much do you want to spend? How much can you afford?
b) Do you want to play games? World of Warcraft?
c) Do you want something portable?
If your first answer is "less than 500$" for either parts of a, then you may want to consider what is on sale or clearance at Best Buy or similar electronics sellers. For the most part HP/Compaq is what is sold by every store, and they are the cheapest, though typically not the highest quality.
If you play mid to high end games on the PC, or are using it for 3D modeling, then the sub-500$ PC won't cut it and you'll need to spend around 1000$ to get something with substantially more CPU and GPU power. (500$ systems tend to have Intel "onboard" graphics, usually called GMA-something)
If you want a laptop, then you really need to consider if it's for work or play. If it's for work, you can get higher resolution screens at much more expense. If it's for play and replacing a desktop, you can get decent models for under 1200$. If you are just wanting a "surf the net and use office" laptop you can get the 400$ netbook and that will be just fine. The netbook is also cheaper than the cheapest desktop since monitor's are extra costs.
In terms of build quality (and price mostly) The PC/Laptop brands go like this, with most expensive up top to least expensive at the bottom.
Apple
IBM
Sony
Toshiba
Dell
HP/Compaq
Acer
Gateway/eMachines
LG
Of which you may be paying more than 50% more for an Apple of the same specifications as the Dell.
If you buy a laptop and take it everywhere with you, buy the extended warranty/no-fault insurance for it. It may add up to 50% of the price to it, however laptops frequently have their hard drives or cooling parts replaced within 3 years, and all laptops only come with 1 year warranties. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/4/2009 12:53:15 PM | it depends on what you will be using the computer for, If you do a lot of graphics/video editing or music production I'd get a mac, but for general computer use such as internet/gaming/emails/office etc... I'd get a PC.
Email me and I can help you further.. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/4/2009 1:19:47 PM |
it depends on what you will be using the computer for, If you do a lot of graphics/video editing or music production I'd get a mac, but for general computer use such as internet/gaming/emails/office etc... I'd get a PC.
Things have changed now, if you want to do video and graphics editing I would go for Windows running a paif of Xeons with some top of the line nVidia video cards.
Mac is only supported on the mid range cards, all the best cards are best on Windows.
Mac is good for general low end work these days :S | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/4/2009 3:12:19 PM | Adrian Kingsley-Hughes does a DIY PC guide every few months, so that would be one suggestion for you:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=5569
Some sites like Anandtech.com and Tom's Hardware also have guides for buying a PC, generally leaning toward a specific type like a Home Theater PC or Gaming PC so do be aware of what purpose do you want it to have build multi-tasking. Depending on what you are trying to do with your PC there are still some things that can bring a computer down to its knees which some people understand and some don't. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/4/2009 11:30:16 PM | The main thing is, what will you be using this computer for?
It's never good when you're paying for things you don't use and paying too much for things that you need and not offered.
What kind of multitasking would you be doing?
Personally, an IT professional, I would not go for major brands like Gateway, Dell, HP... etc.
If you really want a computer that performs while maintaining stability, go for IBM/Lenovo.
I personally would build one myself, that way I will know what goes in the computer and a sense of quality per value. Rather than worrying about what Dell put in the computers and is it really worth the price they charged. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/5/2009 5:44:39 PM | | I know somewhat about computers. Probably more than the average user. Go with this guy. He knows what he's talking about. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/13/2009 10:39:30 PM | You f***in' techtards.
The thing to remember is that three-five years from now whatever you buy is going to be slow and your going to want to replace it.
The things you want to consider are:
1. Budget - what can you afford for a perishable item?
2. Warranty and service - what to do when it doesn't work and who to take it to.
Personally, I have had a ton of experience with Dell and have very few complaints. I am sure that the other manufacturers are good as well. If you go with a major manufacturer look to get a warranty/service plan (in home NOT return to depot).
3. As listed by others - what do you want to use it for?
Email, movies and internet (pretty basic model will do) OR Graphic Design, high end gaming as well as email and internet (look to get an NVidia/ATI graphics card, upgrade cpu and memory)?
4. Size of screen?
5. laptop or desktop?
If you've got the budget you really can't go wrong with an Apple they work great right out of the box (though they too have their issues).
If budget is a concern spec out one online through Gateway or Dell and see what you can get (it's easy and kind of fun).
Anyway, hope that this helps.
Good luck!! | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/13/2009 11:58:04 PM | wait until oct.22 to shop for a new pc. that is when windows 7 hits the shelves. get a pc with win7 preloaded. i have been running it for the past two weeks and it runs all the programs that i used to use on xp. i think i am going to do a permanent change over, its that cool lol.
nowadays you want a multicore processor with a minimum of about 4 gigs of ram. if money is not an issue then either Intel i7 or AMD Phenom II. both are multi core and fast as helll! | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/14/2009 12:30:22 AM |
if money is not an issue then either Intel i7 or AMD Phenom II
Thats what you would think...
But my Dual Intel Clovertown Xeon X5365 is much faster than my Dual Intel Gainestown Xeon E5520... | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/14/2009 4:12:38 AM | if its actual numbers you want, baring in mind you want the best bang for your buck, i would recommend..........
intel Q6600 quad core processor.... up the core speed to 333 x 9 and you have a 3Ghz quad core that will see you good for a few years
minimum 3 gig of 800 speed 1.8v low latancy DDR2 ram in dual channel mode will give you an easy 1600 fsb
a 500 Gb hard drive is a nice size for gaming, office work, media etc. make sure it's sata ii and a decent speed
if you like gaming then the ATI 4850 is relatively cheap and a good performing graphics card for all dx9 and dx10 games. if you have spare cash you can put 2 of them in crossfire
for a motherboard i like asus or msi brands. get one with a 1600 fsb speed if you can. look for the type of ports it has, e.g number of sata connections, firewire etc.
if you can do it i recommend buying the components and building your own pc, you'll save a ton of cash. if not, just look for the above specs and you won't go far wrong | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/15/2009 4:52:58 PM | well... the only problem bout tryin to say what an awesome computer is...
by the time you get it its gonna be outdated anyway cuz of the way of technology expands.
from what ive been told bout every 18 or so months the age of computers has doubled over itself. not that im enjoyin it 
the best way for any1 to get the best computer for their money is to actually get it built. i suggest to get a local tech person to do this instead of going to a website and gettin ur computer built by some goofballs in china and get it sent to u(if u get my drift, local = better for our economy... wats left of it...).
all of the computers u c in stores r out of date... the only problem is the OS thats put on it is still version 1 WTF? i dont get y they dont go ahead and update their software when they should(i guess the computer companies r gettin lazy...)
oh well, now bak to my point, the only way you can get the best computer is to either build it urself or get a local person to do it for you.
aight, hope some of my goofy ideas spark some ppl to use both of their brain cells
peace and good luck  | |
|
| |
| |
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/19/2009 4:19:30 AM | "The thing to remember is that three-five years from now whatever you buy is going to be slow and your going to want to replace it."
not necessarily. i dont think that is true so much anymore, and will become even less as time goes on. computer speed has for years surpassed the average users requirements. task intensity has not increased anyway near as fast as hardware development. ok, we can edit movies twice as fast, but there comes a point when, if our most arduous tasks are met, continuing to knock seconds off an already fast time becomes increasingly moot. this is like cars. they have not really progressed technically since the 70's/80's golf gti. the design parameters were met at that stage and everything since is marketing with little practical benifit to the user. likewise, personal computing needs might well have been met already.
admittedly i'm talking from a mac perspective. windows is such an incredible burden and resource hog it tends to cripple even high end computers just to run it. i use an ibook g4 (1 ghz with 1 gig memory) that was made in early 2004, and it is MUCH faster system than i would ever need. but then again i'm not a nerdy game obsessive. if i was, i'd by a game console. and in terms of sensible software like photo or video editing, useful feature development climaxed years ago so its pretty idiotic getting into endless hardware upgrade cycles to run ever more pointless features.
i suspect the OP, in wanting to do 'basic tasks', and i include video editing etc, would be just as happy, or more so with a well honed older mac than a glitzy, problematic newer PC with 'on paper' superior hardware that has been lumbered with a poorly integrated, over complicated, technically flawed, system hungry OS.  I doubt if most users even use half the capabilities of a five year old mac.
there is alot of money wasted chasing after the performance marketing hype. its often more about technical one-up-man-ship than doing something useful with the machine. its rather like the person buys the 200mph supercar he will never really use half the performance of. we have the environment to consider too. i think its pretty stupid that all this perfectly adequate stuff is just dumped after a few years. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/19/2009 12:55:51 PM |
I'm going to get a new computer but I have no idea what is considered great or even decent. What is considered great, or even decent, is different for different people, and for different tasks. So it really doesn't matter. All that matters is if it meets YOUR needs.
All I know is I want something that is very FAST and something that will handle multi-tasking. Suggestions would be very helpful. Forget about the type of CPU, the make, or anything like that. It's how you set it up, and how you use it, that matters. Useful tips:
1) Any CPU as fast as 2-3Ghz will do you fine for most tasks.
2) Speed is mostly down to memory, not the CPU. You need at least 1Gb RAM for a modern PC for ordinary tasks. For gaming, you need 2-3Gb RAM.
It's very important to note that large companies often have a habit of selling you computers with only 256Mb or 512Mb, which are only a 1/4-1/2 of what you need. So either buy the extra RAM with your PC, or when you get it, get someone to check what type of RAM you have, and buy more.
3) Make sure you have ALL the CDs. If you have a problem, and you have the disks, you can fix it, or you can have a friend fix it, or you can get a professional fix it, or you can get the manufacturer fix it. If you have a problem, and you don't have the disks, then you're stuck dealing with the manufacturer. GET THE INSTALLATION DISKS.
4) You also need to ensure that your operating system has enough room to function. So make sure your C: drive is set up with 20-40Gb, and keep at least 2Gb free on your C: drive, no matter what.
5) Keep your operating system as small as possible. So uninstall any unnecessary software.
6) If you are running Windows, then you should know that Windows gets slower and slower from when it was last installed. So when you've got your system set up the way you want it, back it up with something like Ghost right away, and then every 3 months, restore it back, so it's always as fresh as when it came out of the box.
But remember to save your data first. Don't want to restore a partition and find you've lost all your files. That's why it's generally better to use a different partition to save your files.
7) Buy an external hard drive, say a 1Tb drive. Keep any files you have and don't use very often on that. Keeps the files your system has to keep track of, very low, and that makes it run much faster.
8) Regularly run products that clean the unnecessary files and any corrupted entries from your system, something like CCleaner, and RegCleaner. Do this twice a week.
Do all this, and your system could be running really, really fast. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/19/2009 3:17:10 PM | Depends on your budget and usage.
Right now the i7 is king but it comes with a price tag.
Please specify your budget and what you will be using it for... | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/20/2009 9:10:11 PM | The age dont count for a lot these days.
Ive had mine about 3 years now, and I would hazard a guess as to its ability to wipe the floor with pretty much anything but the best you can buy in the shops these days.
And I didnt build it myself either! | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/21/2009 3:27:11 AM | hardware is pretty much the same wotever u buy
u need more if u wana game etc
its the OS that is impotrant
if i bought a new PC
i know one thing for sure
id have a pirate xp sp3 OS
rather than legit vista
christ wot a bloated pile of sh!te
hope win 7 is gonna be better
thats my 2 cents | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/21/2009 7:01:38 AM | | You need to post what your budget is for the new computer and what types of applications you're planning on running. There's a huge difference between a $500 computer and a $2500 computer. | |
|
| What's an awesome computer to get?
Posted: 10/21/2009 6:04:09 PM |
buy a computer now that has 8 gigs on it rite now(i built mine and mine has 16 gigs of RAM, awesome for WoW) ule be very... very slow compared to that computer.
Im guessing by WoW you mean the 32bit threads that are run in Windows x64?
How does that much RAM effect that you think?
RAM doesnt in itself increase performance, however a lack of it does decrease performace because of the calls made on the virtual RAM.
But as long as there is enough physical volitile RAM to run the applications you want to run then thats enough.
If you only ever want to run Word and IE on Vista/7 then 2Gb or RAM would perform equal to 4 or 8Gb of RAM.
I ended up upgrading to 20 after I found 4Gb wasnt enough | |
|
Home
login 
so if u buy a computer now that has 8 gigs on it rite now(i built mine 
and mine has 16 gigs of RAM, awesome for WoW) ule be very... very slow compared to that computer.
