|   I know it's a music site but.............. | Beatlebob
Dec 24, 2001 5:06 AM | | I need advice/reccomendations for a new computer system.I trust the opinions of the posters here that's why I came here first.Here is what I've come up with so far.Any opinions on quality/compatability issues would be greatly appreciated.Thanks
bb
Intel P4 (1.6 GHZ)
Asus Mainboard
512 MB RAM
40 GB Maxtor 7,200 rpm HD
LCD Monitor
32 or 64 MB Nvidia video card w/TV out
Plextor CDRW
Soundblaster Live audio card |
| it's nice having a big hard drive | Masonjar
Dec 24, 2001 7:49 AM | | I got a pretty similar setup from Compaq, except I have an AMD Athalon processor, and an 80 gig hard drive.. I thought it was overkill.. but as of right now I have about 15 gigs of music (both compressed and WAV) on my pc right now :) It's nice not having to worry about filling up!.. If I have a cd I want to copy, but don't have time, I can just toss it on the hard drive and dump it onto cd later. Are you thinking of getting windows XP? I have that.. I have had pretty good luck with it so far.. it boots up super fast and I've only had it lock up a few times (as compared to a few times a week with a typical Windows 98 system) I'd also agree that it is way nice to have an extra cd-rom or even dvd-rom drive..
-jar |
| Yes on XP. | Beatlebob
Dec 25, 2001 10:10 AM | | It wasn't too compatable with this system and i couldn't get all the drivers. |
| re: I know it's a music site but....since we all have computers | unleasHell
Dec 24, 2001 3:12 PM | | That sounds like a top of the line type system. These are just some of my thoughts:
I would rather go with a larger screen (17", 19" or 21") than a LCD (Flat Panel). Unless you have size constraints, for the price of a 15" Flat Panel you can get a 19" with better resolution. I have a 17" at home and a 19" at work, I used a 21" for years before that and it is the best way to go.
512K Ram is huge (I only have 128k) and it might be overkill unless you plan on doing some Digital Video processing (see below) so I would say even 256k is more than enough, BUT make sure you get the (newer) Rambus type Ram, it is the fastest available for P4's.
If you plan on hooking up a Digital Camcorder and want to download and edit files, make sure you get a Fire Wird Board (also know as a 1394), I just got one last weedend, they are less than $70 (for Adaptec).
I also would go with a 60 or 80 gig Hard Drive, you won't be sorry and the price difference is very slim.
I pays to get the best system you can for the money so that you are not wanting an upgrade in 6 months.
The 1.6mhz (P4) should be killer fast, I have a 1.0mhz (P3) and it is plenty fast.
And be sure to let us know what you end up with....... |
| Last "weedend", huh? Somehow I get the feeling this isn't a typo. ;-P (nt) | Ms. Nomer
Dec 24, 2001 5:49 PM | | |
| System reply | Beatlebob
Dec 25, 2001 10:16 AM | | I'm planning on getting something that should last me a few years.
I have a small desk and computer room so it has to be a 15".The 15" i'm using is big enough on the desk now.
I am planning on doing some digital work and some website stuff for a friends site so 512 it will be.I have heard a few minor debates about RAM and was wondering about RDRAM or DDRam?
Thanks for the help/opinions. |
| re: I know it's a music site but.............. | opus
Dec 24, 2001 11:37 PM | | That looks like a pretty decent system there.
I few suggestions:
-You might want to consider getting an AMD processor. The new Athlon XP chips are pretty nice and stack up quite well with P4s. They have better number crunching power and 3D processing (all FPU basically), and they are substantially cheaper. Also, they use 266 DDR ram which is much cheaper than Rambus memory. Check <a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/" targer="_blank">Tom's Hardware</a> for more info (they have a nice comparison article).
-Asus is a great choice for a motherboard. Abits are pretty well regarded too.
-That's plenty of RAM, 256 MB would probably be enough. If you plan on running Windows XP, or any other NT based OS (win2k, NT4, etc...) you will benefit from the 512 a lot more than with a 9x OS.
-Maxtor DiamondMax 7200 rpm drives are quite good. IBM deskstar are really good too, but just a shade slower (possibly more reliable though).
-For the price of an LCD monitor you could get a really nice Sony Trinitron. The sony's are really sweet, and might even cost less. Space is a consideration here though.
-I like plextor CDRWs, good choice. A second drive (plextor Cd-rom would be ideal) would be a good idea, and not that much more $$$.
-Creative Labs has a new card called the 'Audigy' out. Haven't really read much on it yet, but I did take a look at one in a store. It is supposed to support 24/96 but I'm not sure to what extent, I assume it can output that via SPDIF (spelling?). If you do decide to go with it, a big HD is a good idea (it will use a lot more space up in that format).
Hope this is helpful to you. I'm a network/hardware techie and between you list and my suggestions that's pretty much the system I would put together for myself if I had the cash right now. At any rate, happy shopping and I hope it works out well for you.
-opus |
| Reply | Beatlebob
Dec 25, 2001 10:22 AM | | Thanks for the help.
I'm currently running a AMD 500 and would lie to give Intel a try this time.I got no complaints about this one though.
I am planning on running XP so that is mainly why the 512 RAM plus the fact of digital photo work down the road.
I knew Plextor made SCSI cd Roms but not IDE's? I'll have to look into that.
I've seen the advertisments for Audigy but hardly anything on them.Hopefully time will tell.Then again my Home System is only about 15ft away from the computer so it's not a real concern. |
| Thanks all for the help! (nt) | Beatlebob
Dec 25, 2001 10:22 AM | | :^) |
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