Computer advice -- what features do I need?
 

I need to buy a new home computer, my PII 450 running Windows 98 just died and rather than spend money to fix it I figure I will just buy a new one. If anyone can help me decide on some specifications I would appreciate it.

Uses will be:

Web surfing
rarely word processing
perhaps the occasional game, maybe counterstrike

Questions are:

Choice of operating system: Windows XP Pro vs. Windows XP home
choice of CPU
type and amount of memory needed, I don't understand the different kinds of RAM/speeds of RAM/bus speed etc.
other features needed

Looking over the choices between different computers I am not sure what I need, I want a machine that will last me for the next 5 to 10 years. I don't want to save money on a cheap computer that will cost me more to upgrade later.

Thanks for any advice.

5 - 10 years? I honestly can't see any pc being able to do that anymore. I am impressed your pII 450 made it this far :)

But with all the stuff going digital now, 5 years useful life is a dream I think.

I purchase web servers mostly now, so I may not be right on the ball with hardware for a personal machine but in your situation I'd personally go with something like:

p4p800 motherboard
p4 3.0ghz cpu
512mb ddr400 stick of ram (I dont think you'll need 1gb, unless you plan to play a lot of games, etc).
I like the maxtor diamond max 10 sata drives personally. I'd shoot for at least 200gb now, simply because the price is so cheap.
dvd burners are very, very cheap and a great way to store digital photos. I have a great burner, made by Benq.
As for video cards, I am not really up to snuff on the latest and greatest. I'd shoot for something with atl least 256m on board memory... other then that I am unsure (I run a radeon x800 XT in my machine, but I dont think you want a $700 video card :)

Finally, case and power supply are very important IMO. Stable power gives your hardware a longer life. My personal fave case atm is the antec sonata. Its been out for a while so the price is dropping, it is absolutely silent, great psu, and good airflow. Great value.

HTH

Shhhh... Quit dissin the old obsolete computers... Mine has already got a complex - you're out to make mine up and commit suicide aren't ya? :mrgreen:

all those parts are good for a nice base machine that will last awile. I personaly dont like Maxtor as they tend to die faster than any other drive (based on the returned we have) and only have a 1 years warranty. The samsung and seagates are a good solid drive and have 3 and 5 years depending on the drive. DVD burners are nice and cheap but get a good middle of the road one. Dont get a low end model like a BenQ or Aopen. The LG and Lite-on's work great and have very few returns. As for video a simple radeon 9550 256meg will do ya just fine for a long wile. The cost on them is also rather thrifty. the sonata is a rather nice case in noise is an issue. A GREAT powersupply is a MUST. In my eyes it is by far the most important item in any computer. On that note dont go cheap on the ram brand as well. Transcend does very well for us and is only a couple bucks more than cheap ram. This will save you alot of headache in the long run.

If you need any help picking parts let me know I would be more than happy to lend a hand. I have had a bit of experience with computers :)

Ill second that on the maxtor drives.

i third it.. ive smoked 4 of them in under 2 years. they used to offer a 3 year warrenty, now it's only one.

Personally I think that computers are lasting longer now... i remember it was max 4 years on a computer before, but with Microsoft stalling on releasing a new OS (almost 4 years now) there really isn't a big push to replace something that isn't broken... unless you are a gamer.

I personally run an AMD chip, some people hate them, some people love them.

Are you comfortable tearing into a machine? If so then you will definitely want to go and piece a "clone" together. A few good BC companies to check out for parts are:

www.atic.ca
www.anitec.ca
www.ncix.com

*edit* I realized that my post didn't mention which components. LostMind's list is on the mark. As for hard drives I have seen many, many, of them die, but they seem to be getting more reliable. It doesn't really matter, just get one that spins 7200rpm.

I've had consistently good luck with systems from http://www.genericcomputer.bc.ca/

You know we recycle them every three years at work, right? I was going to give you one of the P4s on my desk, but since your's is lasting longer now.... :razz:

hmmm, I have 7 maxtor drives and have never had a problem with any of them, my samsung on the other hand only lasted 1 month.

any rate set a budget first then build your computer with in that budget, its fine for all us to say get this and that but if you don't need it why.

I am another one of the AMD lovers (although my laptop is a P4)

If you were to go AMD I would recommend getting the 64 bit chip to give you the ability to run the 64 bit windows when it is released.

Steve

maxtor used to make great drives, over the years thier quality has dropped along with their warrenty.

DDR vs. SDRAM -- can anyone explain the difference?

DRR = Dual Data Rate SDR = Single Data. DDR is all that is used in todays computers. SD Ram is a thing of the past.

For us, the worst drives have been WD raptors. We've rma'd 14 outta 25 we've purchased. No more believing the HYPE. Total Crap but at least they have a decent warranty :)

Maxtor we have returned a few.

Seagate has been a very solid drive for us actually (looking thru inventory).

Samsung? Never bought one except I believe my old laptop had one and we had to replace it - might have been hitachi though, dont recall.

I've had unusually high failures with Western Digital drives. I think heat is the major hard drive killer (cooked bearings??) so spend some bucks on cooling your case. Maybe get a temp sensor and display.

Thanks for all the advice.

Any ideas whether it is worthwhile to upgrade from Windows XP Home to Windows XP Professional?

Also any input on a video card would be good. I thought AGP video cards were the right thing but do I need AGP or is PCI OK?

Well, Windows XP Pro gives you ability to run IIS without hacking it. Windows XP Media Edition is the same as Pro but it gives you features for setting up a HTPC. I have found this to be very useful as an entertainment center especially for saving TV Shows. I never miss my favorite shows now since they are all saved to hard disk when I am not home. If you don't care for those features, XP Home version could be fine for you. OEM price difference between Home version and Pro/MC version is only about $40 anyways.