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Thread ID: 55989	2005-03-24 09:00:00	Has Princess bought that new PC yet ?	Misty (368)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
337535	2005-03-25 13:00:00	I could very well be the 'average' home computer user, but all in all, if I'm going to spend say for example '$1800.00 on a computer, it might as well have all the bells and whistles, that yes - I may not use today, but they will be there when I eventually learn what to do with them. I've learnt so much already :stare: I will be downloading, surfing the net, converting video tape ('archives!!!') to DVD, general word processing etc (horrid studies....!) and need I say, there will eventually be gaming - :D I don't want to buy the basics and 3-4 months down the track end up having to buy and install higher capacity components. Thanks everyone for your responses, enjoy the rest of the break, don't eat too many easter eggs and be safe on the road. :p	Princess (7275)
337536	2005-03-28 08:14:00	[COLOR=RoyalBlue][I]Quote: Could I have some recommended brands and types of lcd screen (preferred), as I know there are several different lcd screens . . . Just got back from the Tauranga Jazz Festival . ;) When I was looking around at LCD screens, I was told that to tell the better quality ones that you looked at the screen from the sides, as a bit of a test . By doing this the better ones still show you a good a clear picture from a side view . For expert opinion though, Metla would be able to better comment on this than I . :thumbs: I am very happy with the LCD screen that I bought - CMV LCD CT-720DS 17" SXGA DVI (RRP $448-88 + GST) . However I really do not know if it is the best value for money . :xmouth: Hope that the answers you get continue to be more helpful like the more recent ones !! :) Misty	Misty (368)
337537	2005-03-28 08:27:00	Just moved this thread into the PressF1 forum as it has developed from a simple question into a technical discussion over components for a new computer. Think Princess is still looking for ideas. :)	Jen (38)
337538	2005-03-28 09:10:00	Could I have some recommended brands and types of lcd screen (preferred), as I know there are several different lcd screens . . . what is a 'killer cpu' - brand? name one for example please :blush: . . . . . . . what about video card (name and type to suit budget) . . . . . . . sound card??? . . . . . . . I know I want 512MB+ and that my budget could easily get me a computer with 120GB, possibly more? LCD seems standard in the packages I have been looking at . What is RAID, SATA? :D You should spend your $$ on the fastest CPU you can get because it is the part you will keep the longest . Intel or AMD is the question, some will say one is better and other will say the other is better . Most will agree that AMD is quite a bit cheeper but not quite as fast . I use AMD in my current system but would have no issues with going Intel . RAID is a cool way to make sevral slow hard drives act like on very fast one . a home user will never need it . SATA is the new standard for harddrives, the choice is ATA or SATA, SATA is faster and better in almost every way . just be sure that your system board has support for it . I would get a 200Gb dirve if you expect to do any work with video you will need a lot of space . A DVD writer is a must is you are doing any video work . As for the sound card? unless you are doing lots of music work (editing) and have very good speakers then an onboard sound card is OK . this means that sound card will be part of the system board . I would get a modem, they are only $30 and gives you the option to go dial up or ADSL . when looking at a printer you want to look at the cost of ink and not so much the cost of the printer . . . . some printers are about $80 and the ink will cost you $150 every 500 pages . some printers will cost $200 and the ink is only $50 every 500 pages . if you dont want / wont use colour in you printing then i would look at a low end laser printer . a brother HL1430 will cost about $300 but will give sevral thousand pages for a toner pack, toner pack at a cost of $100 . unless you are going to be spending a lot of time playing high end games then most LCDs will be find, just ask about the Dead pixel warranty . one dead pixel can be a big pain in the *** . some brands will replace it with no questions and other will say you have to have 3 or more dead pixels before they will replace it . the other pixel problem is a bright pixel, it will show as bright at all times even when it should be black . I have an LG 17" and it was replaced for one bright pixel . I would go to a computer shop that can build a system to you needs rather than just getting a package form Bond&Bond . I would think you should get all you need for under $2000 with no problems . hope all that helps .	robsonde (120)
337539	2005-03-28 09:19:00	Bugga. Now im going to have to make a 6000 word post rebuffing half that tosh.	Metla (12)
337540	2005-03-28 09:21:00	Could I have some recommended brands and types of lcd screen (preferred), as I know there are several different lcd screens...what is a 'killer cpu' - brand? name one for example please :blush: .......what about video card (name and type to suit budget).......sound card???....... LCD screen brands: BenQ and Samsung are good brands CPU: a killer cpu...hhhmmm i could suggest a P4 Prescott, but its really up to you, those AMD64's look impressive if you dont mind me saying so :p graphics cards: depends, are you going to go PCIe or AGP? sound card: do you need one? are you going to get a motherboard with intergrated sound? I know I want 512MB+ and that my budget could easily get me a computer with 120GB, possibly more? LCD seems standard in the packages I have been looking at. What is RAID, SATA? RAID (www.adaptec.com) SATA (www.wisegeek.com) Can anyone give me detailed specs to look for in a package, name that video or sound card so that I can atleast sound like I know what I'm talking about when I speak to computer dealers :blush: look out for motherboards that will lead to a dead end, ie in terms of chipset or socket. dont buy graphics cards that end with a SE, i brought a 9600SE last year ,it was a waste of money and i regret purchasing it. they are alot slower than the models that dont have SE infront of them, in this case a 9600 would have been better. Intergrated sound isnt too bad, but intergrated graphics is a waste of money if you are a gamer. see if the motherboard takes a PCIe or if it takes AGP graphics cards, if it takes AGP cards, dont buy a PCIe graphics card and vise versa. In addition, I see that when you sign up on Broadband, you have to purchase a kit to set things up? I hear this includes a modem??? Would it then be ok to buy a pc without a modem (I know that sounds really 'durrrr...' but believe me - it's a clear question)... yup. if you are going to buy a new modem for jetstream get an external one. with a hardware firewall built in it. overall, it pays to hunt around for deals and to compare specs and quotes. :)	Prescott (11)
337541	2005-03-28 09:51:00	First, can we quit the whole PC vs. Mac thing? please? I'm a PC user myself, but Macs are probably better for a beginner user, and they are still the computer of choice for multimedia applications. PC's are better for full-screen gaming (World of Warcraft, The Sims series, various violent first-person shooters*), but Macs are just as useful for webgames, and a lot of beginning computer users prefer Macs to PCs, simply because of the interface simplicity and the unified "feel". Macs have a lot less details to worry about. For web-games (flash games, java applets etc.) Macs are just as useful as PC's. So what I am saying is that if you're planning to play full-screen 3D games, get a PC. If you're not, it's an equal call between PC and Mac. Now, PC hardware. This also depends on what you plan to do. 3D games (or video/3D model editing) CPU: 2.6 GHz or more RAM: 512 min, pref 1GB HD: 80 GB or more DVD/CD drives: DVD-RW drive and secondary DVD reader drive. Video card: either ATI Radeon 9800 Pro OR ATI Radeon 9800 XT OR Nvidia 6600 OR Nvidia 6800 Monitor: I'm going to recommend a 19" CRT (that's the big bulky one) simply because they are that much cheaper, that much more reliable and (unless you pay MAJOR money) that much better for gaming. If, however, your desk is small, then a 17" LCD will do in a pinch. I priced up a system there-and-abouts ($2100, but I gimped on the video card and printer a wee bit) on http://www.pcwizard.zeamarket.co.nz/ - this PC builder is useful if you know what you want, but has waay too much info for the average joe. If you're not planning to do 3D games, you can probably go with a cheapy graphics card and less RAM and buy better other bits. Taking the graphics card out of the previous system and dropping RAM down to 512 MB drops the price of the system to $1800 (that's all-told except shipping - includes case, power supply, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, printer etc.) *yes, stereotyping hugely because princess (and arguably misty) are female names, and Silent Hill 3, Counter Strike Source, Thief: Deadly Shadows, the Grand Theft Auto typically appeal to guys (and young ones at that) more than they do to girls. I'm not being chauvinistic or stereotypical, but males tend to like 'direct-conflict' games, whereas women prefer more social games.	Rugrats (6953)
337542	2005-03-28 10:00:00	As far as RAID/SATA goes, you don't need to worry about RAID (basically a fun system for making multiple small disks look like one large disk, or backing up data between disks for security) - it's not what I would term an "average joe" option. SATA, on the other hand, is the new coming-through standard for hard drives. ATA is the old standard, *but* the price difference between SATA and ATA drives is big enough at the moment and the performance gain small enough that I don't think a two grand system really warrants a SATA hard drive. You should spend your $$ on the fastest CPU you can get because it is the part you will keep the longest. I call bull. Unless you're crunching Folding@Home units (or other processor-intensive stuff), there is no functional difference between any CPU currently out there. CPU technology has made such big strides over the past couple of years that it's mostly outpaced the rest of the computer architecture. Sure, a 3.6 Ghz 64-bit CPU sounds nice, but it really isn't worth the extra money.	Rugrats (6953)
337543	2005-03-28 10:07:00	What specs should my computer have? Depends on a lot of things. But to keep it short: CPU: AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium 4 - Personal choice Motherboard: Gigabyte or Asus are good brands, MSI is ok Graphics Card: Anything that is PCI-E but it doesn't have SE after it Sound: Integrated is ok, PCI sound card is better Harddrive: ATA is acceptable, SATA is better - 80+ GB (Note: I wouldn't worry about RAID unless you wanted to make sure that if one harddrive failed, your data was still safe - in which case I would recommend RAID 1 configuration. If this is that case you will need 2*80+ GB harddrives, Otherwise, just backup file regualrly to CD or some other type of media) RAM: 512+ MB DDR Printer: I use Epson Stylus, cheap though uses 2 catridges (1 black, 1 colour) @approx $40 each Monitor: I use cheap CRT (17") but most people say to use a LCD screen (minimum 15") I hope this in some helps a little with the rather confusing process of buying a computer :)	Myth (110)
337544	2005-03-28 10:12:00	The price difference between a sata drive and an ata drive is about 12 bucks. The cpu is important, granted the very top of the line don't represent great vlaue for money but an AMD 64 3200+ completly outstrips an AMD 2500 Sempron.Plus you get the extra benifits of a current motherboard/chipset. Besides which, Princess mentioned Video work and gaming,both tied directly to the speed and arcitecure of the cpu, So try not to say the Cpu is unimportant aye.Thats just gibberish.	Metla (12)
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