[Quinn]

While it's been a while since I was actually gainfully employed as anything closely related to computer hardware and trends, I am still a pretty big geek.

If you're happy with your Compaq then I suppose you could go with an HP or another Compaq (HP does own Compaq now, but Compaqs are still available). You'll get the bundleware and the service level (or lack thereof) that many people find so attractive about brand name boxes, and with those brands, you can of course complain to the retailer when you have problems. I haven't bought a brand name system since 1996 and frankly I never will again, but if I were going to buy one, I would get a Dell rather than an HP, as they tend to be cheaper. I don't think it's worth touching on their technical support because while I thought it was good, I know others who've hated it. I will say, however, that IBM has the worst service on the planet. I myself have never owned an HP that required service, so I can't speak for their technical support. Last time I checked Sony desktops were hopelessly overpriced and something about buying a desktop computer from Sony makes me nervous. You are correct, the house brands are rarely anything special. If you do want to save a lot of money, I can recommend a place on Broadway in Vancouver you might want to check into, but with a cheapo custom, you get pretty much zero tech support, so that may not be an option for you.

Likely the salesman was trying to sell you an AMD Athlon 64. The Intel 64-bit CPU for desktops the salesman was pushing isn't out yet but will be soon. While I do have a 64-bit Athlon, it was a free upgrade and for now the reading I've done suggests 64-bit processors are a long ways away. Windows XP (the current mainstream version of Windows) does not support them, and with Service Pack 2, some common applications are even running into serious problems on 64-bit chips (I'm still on SP1). Very little other software is ready to make use of the extra abilities of 64-bit either, and I've read some opinions that home users will never need that kind of power, ever (although it was Bill Gates who said no one could ever hope to use more than 640k of RAM...) Regardless, what I am suggesting here is that you do not need a 64-bit processor. For the record, the idea that computer hardware is "obsolete" the day it leaves the factory angers me. While technology evolves extremely quickly, five year old systems are still useful to many people. Most users have no need for the latest and greatest.

Speaking of AMD, they likely weren't around to the same degree they are now, when you bought your last system. In the past half-decade or so they've gone from a no-name to being a huge competitor of Intel's, and the last two systems I've purchased, and two systems I've helped purchase, were AMD. I've had good luck and they tend to be a bit cheaper (AMD doesn't have the advertising budget of Intel and it shows). Some of their older chips (K6 family) had overheating issues but that is a thing of the past now.

Lastly, most DVD-RW drives coming out now can handle both of the common formats. I do think the dual layer drives are worth it, considering they are perhaps only 50% more expensive than the single layer units. In Calgary you can a DL drive as low as $120, and undoubtedly slightly less on the coast, so why not.