Help with buying a computer... please

[madbomber31]

i'm on a 433 MHZ HP computer now.. 10 gig hard drive...

it's old and it shuts down on it's own too often... and the hard drive is full...

so, i need a bigger hard drive because i just got a new camera that shoots in raw format...


what is important for a PC? i do not play games on it.. pretty much i go on the net and use it to store and send and edit pictures...

i can get a used computer with a 733mhz processor and 20 gig hard drive for under 100 bucks..... or.... i can get a new AMD athlon xp 2500 with a 20 gig hard drive for 200 bucks... this computer is unused and probably a year old...

but is it worth the extra 100? i do not need top of the line, i need something better than this... thats it....

 

[EnderJE]

How long have you had that one? Given the rate that you don't use it, you could buy one for $1k (from Dell) and use it for the next ten years.

 

[madbomber31]

it was my wifes.. she got it when in 98

 

[redguru]

You should get a 64bit bussed machine, that will hold you up through the next two MS os's. Close to ten years of software support.

 

[EnderJE]

If you've got the money, then why don't you just by a midrange system from Dell (or whoever)? Prices have dramatically decreased through the years and now you can get one from 500 - 1k.

 

[madbomber31]

thats the thing... i cant justify spending 500 on a computer... i can hardly justify 200 on the AMD one... even though i read very good things about that processor...

will i notice a huge difference in speed from the 433 to a 733??? is a 2.4GHZ really that much better than a 733?

all things considered this cpu works OK at best... it takes a while to open dream weaver or any editing programs, but it works...

 

[EnderJE]

will i notice a huge difference in speed from the 433 to a 733??? is a 2.4GHZ really that much better than a 733?

all things considered this cpu works OK at best... it takes a while to open dream weaver or any editing programs, but it works...

Yes. It is. You'll notice the difference.

 

[redguru]

thats the thing... i cant justify spending 500 on a computer... i can hardly justify 200 on the AMD one... even though i read very good things about that processor...

will i notice a huge difference in speed from the 433 to a 733??? is a 2.4GHZ really that much better than a 733?

all things considered this cpu works OK at best... it takes a while to open dream weaver or any editing programs, but it works...

Are the 433 and the 733 both the same technology, i.e. P3's?

 

[blut wump]

Get a much larger hard drive than you're projecting. They comfortably go past 300 Gigs these days. I think the current price/gigabyte sweetspot is around 250Gigs. It all comes down to your budget.

If you're happy with Windows 98 and have protection in place against Internet villains, then you might be able to go for the cheapest option of all which would be to get a 120Gig hard drive. It is vaguely possible that your motherboard is unable to take drives larger than 32 Gigs and I would recommend checking with the manufacturer before buying a drive larger than 32Gigs for such an old board. I can pretty much guarantee that it will not accept a drive larger than 120Gigs. Drives under 40Gigs can be hard to find these days but you could settle for installing a second drive in your current machine.

 

[madbomber31]

i have XP pro and all the software i need to protect myself from the villains... this drive is 10 gigs and took 8 years to fill... though i filled it in the last 2.... a 20 gig drive would be fine for me for a year or two when i would be in a better spot to buy a new computer... but if i get the amd i could just get a bigger HD when i came up with the cash...

 

[digger]

The only place you'll be able to find a 20GB drive is Goodwill, and they probably aren't accepting donations of computers any more. You can ignore the haters telling you to get what THEY think you should have, but 20GB is kinda pathetic and the drive makers are in an insane race to make things bigger.

When you see a gigahertz processor it's going to blow your doors off. Okay, you're a wise person not to waste money on something new. Find a local shop that handles used stuff and get something with about 80GB working.

 

[musclemom]

I can't imagine dealing with photos on a 433, I just can't ... I'd shoot myself in the head.

What about going to a computer show and getting a bare bones system? You can usually do that for around $400 if you pay cash.

For pictures you still want a lot of RAM, you want lots of hard drive space, hell, get two hard drives.

If you're going to go used BE SURE to get SOME sort of a guarantee. My husband badly burned ($$$ wise but mostly frustration factor) doing that once, not pretty.

 

[Y_lifter]

Dude, just get one of the basic on sale Web pkgs from Dell.com $500

unbox, plug together, power up, few clicks, done.

 

[Dial_tone]

Look at the Dell n-series desktops. They come without software so you save money.

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/dimen_n?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

 

[AAP]

Dell has some sweet deals with one starting at $299 and that includes monitor and printer.

Look at my past thread, I bought a fucking brandnew Dell off ebay for only a small fraction of the cost that it would have been had I gone through Dell's own website.

 

[Kakdiesel]

why dont you get the local wiz kid to build you one??????

 

[HumorMe]

Since all the nerds seem to be on this thread....I want to build a new computer with the latest processor and lots of RAM and a good video card. I am thinking of doing this about May. What is out there as far as new chips and video and graphics?

I need to know before I go look. Should I go with the dual processor stuff or stick with the single? How much $$$ are we talking or is it cheaper to buy it already made from say Dell or some other company?

 

[AAP]

to be honest, Dell has some computers on their website that is much cheaper to buy it from them than build your own. $299. 256 mem, 60 (I think, I don't have the site in front of me) HD. CD writer, XP software, internet adapter and network card, monitor, printer.

 

[HumorMe]

to be honest, Dell has some computers on their website that is much cheaper to buy it from them than build your own. $299. 256 mem, 60 (I think, I don't have the site in front of me) HD. CD writer, XP software, internet adapter and network card, monitor, printer.

But see....I already have a 3.06ghtz now with 1 gig of memory and a 256K gaming card and a 40 gig HD. I just want to get something newer.

 

[Kakdiesel]

But see....I already have a 3.06ghtz now with 1 gig of memory and a 256K gaming card and a 40 gig HD. I just want to get something newer.

im not joking. go to the local college and find a systems anaylsis major or programmer and offer to pay for them to upgrade your shit to a whole different level.

those kids are WEH KIDD SMAAAAHT

 

[HumorMe]

im not joking. go to the local college and find a systems anaylsis major or programmer and offer to pay for them to upgrade your shit to a whole different level.

those kids are WEH KIDD SMAAAAHT

Well, I have a nephew who can do all of that. I was talking with him the other day about doing something like that and he said he could do all of that. He, by the way, fixed one of my computers that never worked from the day I got it. It just sat upstairs hooked up and everything and never would access the internet. I had four other people look at it and they couldn't figure it out.

Turns out the motherboard was bad from the start. He replaced it and it has worked like a charm ever since.

 

[gonelifting]

I second or third... the Dell purchase. Get a $299 deal and opt out of the monitor for $50 I think. They may even have a $249 system now. It would still be better than the one you're considering, and it would be new.


I was told memory is a big part of the system and to get as much memory as you can.

 

[digger]

Sucks to have this thread fork off in two directions -- now we've got someone who wants the hottest thing going, price no object (right?), and that has got to confuse matters. You really ought to have your own thread for that, dude.

Oh well. No matter if you're going high end or low end, there are some rules that still apply:

- Look for a good video card. A machine that can't get out of its own way can still be fun if the video card is up to snuff, and if it isn't, it's going to be PAINFUL to work with.

- Having "enough" memory is next. It's pretty darn cheap, still. Aim for more than 512MB even on the low end.

- Everything in a PC is slower than the CPU. The CPU is not usually a bottleneck unless you're talking a real antique... unfortunately, a 433 MHz PII would qualify as one. If you're happy with a 20GB harddrive, I grant you don't need a 4GHz CPU... but I bet you would still be happier with a one-gigahertz CPU than a 433MHz. It's not merely that is has less than half the speed; it also does less per tick of the internal clock. You notice that you're waiting? That means it's time to do something about it.

For the guy who wants to go high-end, the best buying guide I know is at http://arstechnica.com -- they have a three-tier buying guide, "Budget Box, Hot-Rod, and GOD Box." I assembled a system based on their "Hot-Rod" specs almost five years ago and it kept me happy for a good long time.