Buying a new computer

[SAEMike]

We're looking into buying a new computer, on the lower end of the scale. She uses the computer to play games (Sims, Sims 2 possibly, Zoo Tycoon, ect) I play some of the same games, and a couple others, nothing too graphics intensive, and I use it to post my wisdom here, work and do instant messaging.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them. I've been looking at what Dell has to offer (I know many of you are anti-Dell, but for what I need, they are not necessarily a bad option) and this weekend, I'll pop into a couple shops and see what they would charge to build me something.

Thanks for any input :)

[Redster]

We buy Dell exclusively here at work and currently have about 400, they are reliable and service is good if a replacement is needed. If you plan on doing any upgrades , make sure you get a small tower.

[Mark Holtz]

I would just make sure that it has 512MB of ram.

While I tend to build the latest and greatest, I also build my computers to last me a few years, so they tend to be overpowered. Usually, if you don't go for the latest and greatest with all the bells and whistles, you might be able to save some money.

And, I have nothing positive or negative to say about Dell. :D

[pjmrt]

I've had success buying used Dells. I find a lot of PCs coming off corporate lease, good shape and cheap - and plenty fast enough for basic games and such.

One thing about Dells, which I discovered afterward - don't get one with the idea of doing a major overhaul in the future. I thought about replacing the motherboard in my Dell, only to discover they do peculiar things to their wiring and a normal powersupply would not match up to the board.

Another idea, if the "she" is a older child - get a barebones kit and let them experience putting it together themselves. Its not difficult, and gives them a sense of accomplishment.

[pjmrt]

I would just make sure that it has 512MB of ram.

While I tend to build the latest and greatest, I also build my computers to last me a few years, so they tend to be overpowered. Usually, if you don't go for the latest and greatest with all the bells and whistles, you might be able to save some money.

And, I have nothing positive or negative to say about Dell. :D
I'd agree - if the computer is for you, pack it with as much as you can now as it will be obsolete next christmas :lol:

Actually, memory is the best investment I put in any PC - as much as I can pack in (it usually isn't too expensive if you shop around). Next I would find one of the deals from office max or similar on hard drive, and put at least an 80 GB in. I've seen great deals lately on hard drives and DVD writers (if you get a PC with enough horsepower

[Ric]

I build computers a bit as a side company so can help out if needed. I use name brand parts bought under my company supplier so warranty is associated with the manufacturer. If interested, you can PM me with a budget, software needs, and computer requirements and I can see what I can come up with.

[Phil T]

The Sim's 2 has some specific requirements for the video card (daughter buys a $40.00 game, dad has to buy a $90.00 video card to make it work).

Make sure your new machine meets the requirements (my 2 year old emachine didn't).

[pjmrt]

of course if you want to go for the future...

http://www.btinternet.com/~homepage/list6.htm

The Dark Computer, because everyone know the speed of dark is faster than the speed of light :lol:

[nsafreak]

3 things to remember no matter where you're getting the PC from:

1) Get as much RAM as you can afford. 512 megabytes is bare minimum nowadays. I personally run with a gigabyte and I'm looking to upgrade to a gigabyte and a half but I do some stuff with my PC that you probably won't.

2) Take a good long look at the monitor. Remember it's the part of the PC that you will be looking at the most. So don't skimp on the monitor. I HIGHLY recommend the Dell 18" and 20" flat panel LCDs.

3) While you don't need a real high end graphics card you don't want to go with a low grade card. The Sims 2 is a bit on the demanding side and games only get more intensive as the years go on. I would recommend either the Ati Radeon X800 or Nvidia GeForce 6600

[Unthinkable]

3) While you don't need a real high end graphics card you don't want to go with a low grade card. The Sims 2 is a bit on the demanding side and games only get more intensive as the years go on. I would recommend either the Ati Radeon X800 or Nvidia GeForce 6600

The Radeon X800 at ~$400+ is really kind of overkill for someone looking for a "low end of the scale" new computer to play Sims, Sims2, and Zoo Tycoon games. Original poster can grab an X600 Radeon PCI express card for around $200 which should be more for then powerful enough for these kinds of gaming needs and powerful enough for tomorrow's games. Even the base ATI Radeon X300 video card should be sufficient if there is no real desire to play 3D intensive first person shooters like Far Cry, Doom 3, Half Life 2, Halo, etc... with all the best effects enabled at the highest resolutions.

[JM Anthony]

3 things to remember no matter where you're getting the PC from:

1) Get as much RAM as you can afford. 512 megabytes is bare minimum nowadays. I personally run with a gigabyte and I'm looking to upgrade to a gigabyte and a half but I do some stuff with my PC that you probably won't.

2) Take a good long look at the monitor. Remember it's the part of the PC that you will be looking at the most. So don't skimp on the monitor. I HIGHLY recommend the Dell 18" and 20" flat panel LCDs.

3) While you don't need a real high end graphics card you don't want to go with a low grade card. The Sims 2 is a bit on the demanding side and games only get more intensive as the years go on. I would recommend either the Ati Radeon X800 or Nvidia GeForce 6600

These are all good recommendations. At least a gig of memory for sure and a good sized LCD to boot. Check out Dell's outlet center for some good deals.

[SAEMike]

Thank you for all of the suggestions! :) I'll let you all know what we end up with.

[Unthinkable]

Thank you for all of the suggestions! :) I'll let you all know what we end up with.

Alienware currently has a $500 mail-in-rebate on select systems along with free shipping ~$119 I believe. If you've ever drooled over their gaming rigs, but written them off for being a little on the pricey side, you can configure a real nice system in varying price ranges. Great thing about them is they are very upgradeable, wicked stylish, and you can configure them with a PCI Express graph8ics card with all the best components, latest technology, motherboards, and chipsets. Worth checking out for comparisons sake.

http://www.alienware.com/main.aspx

[SAEMike]

So, months and months later, and the death of my old computer later, we bought a new computer. We went with an E-Machines that I found at Costco for just over $600. It came with a 17 inch flat screen (not flat panel) CRT monitor. I'm pretty happy with it so far. The biggest things that I like about it are the 160 gig hard drive, and the DVD/CD writer.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1279472&CatId=1344

[JM Anthony]

Congrats! Sounds like you made a good choice.

[music_beans]

We're looking into buying a new computer, on the lower end of the scale. She uses the computer to play games (Sims, Sims 2 possibly, Zoo Tycoon, ect) I play some of the same games, and a couple others, nothing too graphics intensive

What are the specifications of your current computer, and what do you plan to do with it if you do get a new one?

[Richard King]

Congrats Mike. Let us all know how the DVD burner works for you. I have constant problems with mine. What DVD software are you using. I use Pinnacle Studio 8 AVDV which came with an analog break out/in(?) box to allow my Dish 508 to feed into the computer and out of the computer to my a/v system.

[CoriBright]

For analog capture from VCR I use the VIVO part of my FX5700
For analog capture from antenna I use ATI eHome Wonder
For digital capture from OTA I use ATI HDTV Wonder

DVD editing I use PowerDirector or WinDVD Creator or even Video Wave, depending on how I'm feeling. Occasionally I even use Windows Movie Maker! They are all pretty much similar.

DVD burner on my PC is a Pioneer A08 and the older A06 on my hubby's PC.

[Richard King]

Cori.. .how's the reliability of playback on various computers and dvd players?

[CoriBright]

We have 2 Phillips cheapo DVD players which seem to play anything you throw at them including data DVDs with MPEG1 and 2 files - both are hacked to allow Region All and convert PAL to NTSC, a JVC and a Toshiba which aren't keen on either +RW or -RW. No problems with either A06 or A08 recordings on each other. Both Pioneers happily play Dual Layer +R DVDs burned with the A08 but I haven't been successful in getting the dual layer DVds to play in the Toshiba yet. They do play in the JVC. I don't think I've tried them in the Phillips. I use Memorex DVDs almost exclusively although I was just sent some TDKs by a friend.

I've had a whole load of DVDs sent to me from the Netherlands with the MPEG1 files on them and the Phillips had zero problems. I was pleasantly surprised as they were not only PAL but very cheap media!

[SAEMike]

Congrats Mike. Let us all know how the DVD burner works for you. I have constant problems with mine. What DVD software are you using. I use Pinnacle Studio 8 AVDV which came with an analog break out/in(?) box to allow my Dish 508 to feed into the computer and out of the computer to my a/v system.

The computer came with Nero, but I have not yet used it. I"ll let you know whenever it is I decide to venture out and try to burn a DVD.

[music_beans]

Hey Mike, did you see my question above?

[SAEMike]

Hey Mike, did you see my question above?

Hey, yeah, I did. I have already bought the computer. My post was probably a little confusing because I resurected a thread I started in November when I first contemplated buying a computer.

The one I got is great, and it's described in detail (specs, ect) in the post above.

[music_beans]

I meant the specs for your old computer. :)
And what caused your old PC to die? (boy Im filled with Questions today!)

[SAEMike]

I meant the specs for your old computer. :)
And what caused your old PC to die? (boy Im filled with Questions today!)

My old computer was a 800 PIII, 40 Gig HD, 256 Meg RAM with a CD Writer. It was a pretty good computer in 1999 when I bought it. I'm not sure what caused it to die, one day it froze up, I tried to reboot it and it wouldn't come back up. I asked a friend of mine who is more computer savvy than I am to look at it, and he told me I was better off replacing it.

[djlong]

That's remarkably similar to the PC my wife uses. It started life as a PII/266 and is now a PIII/800 with 768MB RAM, 40GB & 60GB drives.. Everything except the power supply and case has been replaced at least once.

As soon as the IRS transmits my refund, I'm building her a new box.

[MarkA]

Don't get a Dell!

Here's my suggestions in order:

Buy a Mac (yes it doesn't have the games) for the real computer stuff and a good games console for the games.

Buy a Sony - at Costco, the only place they're a decent price

Build your own

Buy an HP/Compaq

[n8dagr8]

The computer came with Nero, but I have not yet used it. I"ll let you know whenever it is I decide to venture out and try to burn a DVD.


DVD Shrink (http://www.dvdshrink.org/what.html) is nice, free software to use if you are backing up a DVD or something to a single layer DVD instead of using the $5 dual layer DVDs. It also works with Nero...shrinks and then goes straight to burn. Very nice. - insert disclaimer about illegal copies of DVDs and what not -

[Jacob S]

Had Dell really gotten that bad? I used to never hear people to not get a Dell that it was actually a better computer.

[SAEMike]

Had Dell really gotten that bad? I used to never hear people to not get a Dell that it was actually a better computer.

I bought a Dell about six years ago, and it lasted me six years with no problems until it died just recently.

[music_beans]

I have a feeling that it could have been the 40GB hard drive that crashed, the OS becoming corrupt somehow, or the power supply gone bad. I work at a computer repair place, so I see lots of things everyday.

BTW, The specs of my PC are an AMD K6-2 3Dnow processor at 500mhz, 120GB HDD that I got for Christmas, 256mb RAM, and Windows XP Home. I used to have Win98.

[SAEMike]

I have a feeling that it could have been the 40GB hard drive that crashed, the OS becoming corrupt somehow, or the power supply gone bad. I work at a computer repair place, so I see lots of things everyday.

BTW, The specs of my PC are an AMD K6-2 3Dnow processor at 500mhz, 120GB HDD that I got for Christmas, 256mb RAM, and Windows XP Home. I used to have Win98.

I was secretly happy when the computer died. It was definitely time for a new one. I had maxed out that hard drive, my computer was too slow to watch the baseball games on the internet, and I was generally getting sick of my computer. I"m loving this E-Machines.

[MarkA]

"Had Dell really gotten that bad? I used to never hear people to not get a Dell that it was actually a better computer."

Dells aren't terribly unreliable, and they've got good support. BUT:

They're as proprietary as Macs with none of the benefits
They're way overpriced for what you get
and most of all!
They're downright ugly and unstylish

[Bogy]

I have a feeling that it could have been the 40GB hard drive that crashed, the OS becoming corrupt somehow, or the power supply gone bad. I work at a computer repair place, so I see lots of things everyday.
In my experience, and that's only from the 8 to 10 computers in the family, the computers at church, and the friends that depend on me to keep their computers going, it is almost always the power supply that died.

[Bogy]

"Had Dell really gotten that bad? I used to never hear people to not get a Dell that it was actually a better computer."

Dells aren't terribly unreliable, and they've got good support. BUT:

They're as proprietary as Macs with none of the benefits
They're way overpriced for what you get
and most of all!
They're downright ugly and unstylish
Opinions are like certain body parts. Almost everyone has one.

[BuckeyeChris]

"Had Dell really gotten that bad? I used to never hear people to not get a Dell that it was actually a better computer."

Dells aren't terribly unreliable, and they've got good support. BUT:

They're as proprietary as Macs with none of the benefits
They're way overpriced for what you get
and most of all!
They're downright ugly and unstylish

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I actually think that Dell's Inspiron laptop lineup with its blue and silver color scheme is stylish.

I've had my Inspiron 5100 for almost a couple of years now with no major complaints; however, that said, I do have a three year in-home service plan that has already paid for a new motherboard and processor, keyboard overlay and even those little rubber feet on the bottom that came off. My plan is through a company called Bantec who have done a great job. Dell Support calls have always been with American representatives who have been very friendly.

[deraz]

I just got the Dell 4700C desktop. It is a smaller desktop and doesn't look like the normal box.

I used my company's discount and Dell sent me a two day coupon for 33% off. I built it up as high as I could. Price was around $2200. With discounts and tax I paid $1007.

[ntexasdude]

I haven't bought a name brand computer since my first Dell in 1996. It's just too easy to build your own and get exactly what you want. If a part fails just pop in a new one with no worries about proprietary architecture. ;)

[Jacob S]

I wish laptops were that easy to replace parts in.

[DonLandis]

I wish laptops were that easy to replace parts in.

I've done a pretty good job here of replacing parts in Compaq / HP Laptops over the past 3 -4 years.

Here's the list to date-

Swapped over a dozen hard drives with generic 2.5" Just need to save old tray mounts, they all seem to be interchangeable.

I swapped out 2 screens and one starter. These are more specific but I have put a screen salvaged from a good low end laptop into one with a damaged screen on a much higher end one. Then the original laptop without screen and a few other holes still is used as a basic battery charger system holster so I don't need the working laptop to be charging my extra batteries.

I pulled a wifi board out of one and installed it on another. This was a chore running the antennas up through the screen case and I won't try it again but it's now working. The board itself was the easy part.

Swapped a worn out keyboard.

Upgraded a CD drive for a DVD Drive.


I shop for parts from "broken" HP's and Compaqs. Then the good one I use can be beefed up at a much lower cost than the actual expenditure for a new one fully packed out.

Unfortunately, both my regular screen and my wide screen laptops are older models with USB1.1 and lack the new hyper threaded MB so it looks like I'll be in the market for two new ones later this year as well as a new Vaio desktop. The new Vegas and DVD Architecture is written to take advantage of these rendering accelerartors.

I seem to stay within the HP/Compaq family of laptops because of the ability to have the swappable parts. On the very basic level this includes extra AC power supplies and extra batteries.

[Jacob S]

I figure the hard drives, memory and other items are easy to swap but when it comes to swapping out processors and those types of things thats probably a different story.

[SimpleSimon]

Don't get a Dell!

Here's my suggestions in order:

Buy a Mac (yes it doesn't have the games) for the real computer stuff and a good games console for the games.

Buy a Sony - at Costco, the only place they're a decent price

Build your own

Buy an HP/CompaqAnd I say do the EXACT OPPOSITE of what MarkA says.

HP/Compaq is PURE JUNK and uneconomical to maintain - unless you do what Don L does. PLUS, many proprietary parts, their support sucks, they don't supply restore CDs on any machine with a burner - but don't tell you to burn your own or pay them for them. After all, ya gotta save that $1.50. :mad:

Oh - and you can't tell what's in a Compaq without disecting the machine. I've got THREE "Presario 5000"s in the shop. The ONLY shared part between them i the case, and they were built years apart. CPUs range from 300MHz to 2.5GHz. Frelling ridiculous. BTW, I work for an HP dealer, and I say again - JUNK!

Yeah buy a Mac - so you pay twice what they're worth and have almost no worthwhile software choices.

And as for Dell - they USED to use a lot of proprietary stuff, but now only on their "pretty" boxes - like those mini-clamshells. Hey, when you put form in front of function, you deserve what you get - worthless crap. And Dell's pricing is REAL good - got no clue where you're getting your info.

I had an unexpected pleasantry today - had to call eMachines on a stubborn issue. Friendly, EXPERT help, and obviously made in the USA! :up: She couldn't nail it either, and had to put me on hold. Came back in a couple of minutes with the correct answer - an obscure Windows OOBE vs. NIC vs. video bug. The boxes are a little cheap, but worth checking into.

Just for the record, when it comes to laptops, I've been pushing Toshiba, and no one has complained to me yet. Of course, I've seen Compaq laptops dropkicked across the room in frustration. Yeah - literally. Hey Don - if I can find any parts big enough to pick up, do you want 'em? :)

[deraz]

A question for you guys, please remember that I know very little about computers. My new Dell uses Windows XP. Some friends are telling me to just leave it on all the time, others say to shut it down when it won't be used for a few hours. Which should I do? How many hours of unexpected use should I use as a guideline for shutting it down? Thanks for any advice.

[MarkA]

"Yeah buy a Mac - so you pay twice what they're worth and have almost no worthwhile software choices."

I won't refute that they're overpriced for the hardware (on the desktop end, the laptops really aren't), but the now worthwhile software is a stupid comment. A lot f the best software is only available on Mac.

Only on Mac:

Final Cut Pro
Motion
DVD Studio Pro
Safari (yes, I count a web browser it's so nice to use)
Garageband
iMovie (excellent for the cheapskates, easier than anything else out there)
iWork (Keynote and Pages - Keynote blows away PowerPoint)
Microsoft Office 2004 (has more features like a note-taking program that aren't in Office on Windows)

Some excellent software available for Mac:

Dreamweaver/Flash/Director/etc.
Photoshop and other Adobe products
Most other popular software (most web browsers, instant messengers, audio players, etc.)
Almost everything open-soruce for Linux/UNIX has been recompiled to run with the FINK project

So do you still say "almost no worthwhile software choices."? I think there's more quality software than on Windows.

[Jacob S]

HP and Compaq are the same with lower reliabilty compared to what they used to be (from what people have been saying and what Consumer Reports say). Dell seems to have good deals for what your getting.

[DonLandis]

Hey Don - if I can find any parts big enough to pick up, do you want 'em?


Yes, I've been looking for a DVD-RW drive to swap out in my ZX5180US but now put that on the back burner since I plan to dump both laptops and go with some newer models for a change. (Start fresh this year) It will probably mean dumping all my junk box of accessories. I don't have a clue as to what I will get yet. It won't be a Mac because #1, I'm not a Mac brainwashed cultist. I first select the software I want to run to get my job done in the most efficient manner, and then I select the hardware to run that software. Today, I find a need for USB2.0 more than ever and also need a very fast processor with hyperthreading CPU system. (reduced rendering times) The new software I use will access it. Also, I want a fast high end graphics card for gaming because the New Ultra vector based chroma keyer takes advantage of the graphics CPU to split the rendering and achieve very fast times forcing it to function as a dual processor like render platform. Up to 2 to 3 times the render speed! I understand the new Vegas 6 does the same thing but have not confirmed that yet. So, I may be looking at something very high end later this FALL and upgrading these two current laptops (HP's) will not be possible.

Observation- I've been looking around and observed that the stores here mostlyu carry the Compaq's in Athlon processors whiule the HP's in similar look are Intel processors.

Simple Simon- While I have HP's and an old Compaq here now, I will not claim their superiority. It is just at the time, when purchased, they gave me the most for the buck and have done well, for the most part. Both my video editing platforms are quirky with PCMCIA card compatibility and external drive compatibility, especially with USB2.0 cards. I have two and they work in only one machine each. Never could figure out why.

I spent some time in the classes at NAB using Sony wide screen laptops. Vey high end screens. I may look into a Sony finally for my next two laptops. One will be large for local use here and another will be small lightweight and powerful for travel but have long battery time.

I wonder why no one here has mentioned Sony Vaio? Other than a bit over priced what else are the negatives. I have 3 Sony desktops in the edit room and they work great plus are easy to remove side panel and gain access to extra hard drive slot which I swap out all the time.

[DonLandis]

MarkA- aka a Machead! :D

You are partially correct. The Best Avid software is only availabvle for the Mac. Since Avid was the first NLE premiering back in 1987, it has become the defacto standard for all "high end" editiors to know. BUT, that does not mean that, today, it is the only game in town. When it comes to NLE video editing, the Mac no longer has the market cornered. If you want to edit high end movies for Hollywood, then yes, Avid is NECESSARY. But as a self employed TV producer, I choose what gets the job done fast, efficient, and high quality. That would be Vegas. I have done Premiere, Discrete Logic, edit, several varieties of Pinnacle Liquid products, MediaMania, Xaos, FCP, AVID xpress, Canopus, and a few others. For the past 5 years I have attended yearly classes on FCP to keep up because I do support for 3 companies who use Macs and FCP. I'm the guy here who gets the calls when these FCP editors run up against a brick wall in a project. I fix it for them!

But how often do I need to call a Mac facility to fix something for me? Once! Yes, last November I got an assignment to build a CD sampler to play a video in a window that was custom built with a framework of logo design with buttons to operate the video clips. I searched far and wide for the perfect solution that would autorun on both Macs and PC's and what satisfied the project was Macromedia Projector. So I hired a Machead (personality type) to build this system for me. I know the software was capable but this guy couldn't figure it out. I hired another and they couldn't figure out how to satisfy the customer's needs with the right framing. Finally, I built the entire project in DVD Architecture 2.0 and we run it on DVD's today but I still want to resurect the CD project. All the PC solutions I found required some form of resident software on the PC to work so this broke a basic rule for the project. Macromedia Projector just worked, was simple, and that is the product I was talking about earlier. With Adobe picking up the company now, I hope they will make an authoring version like this that works for the PC.

[ntexasdude]

DonL and MarkA

Mac may have an advantage in certain areas of high end end graphics and video production software but certainly not in mid to high end engineering and scientific software. IMHO they offer no advantage in hardware or price. I use several engineering tools that are priced in the $5K to $10K range that are only available in a PC platform. Further, these tools have never been available in Mac and never will be. Just thought you might like to know. ;)

[Steve Mehs]

HP and Compaq are the same with lower reliabilty compared to what they used to be (from what people have been saying and what Consumer Reports say). Dell seems to have good deals for what your getting.

Say I am the judge in the Annual DBSTalk Bake Off, Don and Simon both make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, they follow the same exact recipe, bake them in the same oven for the same time at the same temp. Both batches of cookies are the same except for that $10 bill Don slips underneath the plate of cookies. Don's cookies are the best cookies known to man, Simons aren't even worthy enough to be dog biscuts.

According to Consumer Reports I shouldn't have a house any more, everything in it and what was use to build it should be broken, DOA, semi working or falling apart. I wouldn't trust CR to rate the durability of garbage bags, let alone something you actually plug in to the wall. I feel the same way about PC World. Here's something I don't get, Dell printers, they're just rebranded Lexmark printers, but the Dells get the better ratings. When Lexmark made printers for Compaq, in a PC World 10 List a few years ago, the Lexmark equivalent to my old Printer (the Compaq IJ750) was rated #2, the Compaq was #9. They were the exact same thing! But now that it's Dell, Dell is up on top and Lexmark isn't even mentioned. They have been advertsing on the back of PC World and PC Mag for years, and for ads for PC vendors, Dell (used to, probably still do) has more ads then anyone else.

Bottom line, I'd rather make my own buying decisions based on my own wants and personal experiences rather the 'experts' paid off opinion on which brand of laundry detergent to use. Frankly, I'd rather buy products organizations like CONsumer Reports rate dead last (unless it's made by Apple) :)

[DonLandis]

ntexasdude-

In that area, isn't a Mac, aka Apple used in many science labs due to some form of interfacing availability, especially in the area of sound and astronomy? Not my area but I had heard of lots of scientists using Macs for machine control of this sort of work.

In the 80's, Macs were top gun for the print and prepress business but that changed before the end of the decade. I actually converted one Mac based prepress house here to a PC world because they wanted to switch to a "better" document product from Quark to Page Maker, at the time Aldus, and some image enhancing software Photostyler, later both bought by Adobe. Also, as a print house, Apple and Adobe had the type faces locked up for high pricing per font license on the Mac, then along came Microsoft with Tru-type that wiped that industry out. Smart prepress Page layout business were quickly switching to PC's but soon the Home based DTP business wipped out the prepress page layout industry. My clients in that business are all gone today.
Nothing wrong with Macs, as a tool I just think some Mac owners are dilusional. I call them "Mac Heads" I can edit with a Mac on FCP, I just make more money doing the project on Vegas! And, I can give the client more bang for the buck and get the job done sooner.

[Redster]

A question for you guys, please remember that I know very little about computers. My new Dell uses Windows XP. Some friends are telling me to just leave it on all the time, others say to shut it down when it won't be used for a few hours. Which should I do? How many hours of unexpected use should I use as a guideline for shutting it down? Thanks for any advice.

This is a personal choice I believe. There are over 300 pc's here and I have them on all the time. Its easier to set up automatic updates that way. Occasionally one will need to be rebooted because it bluescreens, even with XP Pro but on the whole,, we dont turn them off. At home,, my wifes and mine are on constantly, unless we are expecting severe storms,, we never turn them off. If you want,, go to the control panel,, select power icon and set the pc to do whatever you want. You can power down the hard drive after 20 mins of inactivity,, then just hit the esc key a couple of times to wake it up. Or you can have it set to hibernate after so long,, just need to give power button a quick tap to wake it up.

[Bogy]

We've got three computers here at home, and they are always all on. Like Redster said, you can set them shut down in any number of configurations, but there is not reason to go through the whole shutdown thing every time. I have a UPS backup on each computer that will keep each one going for about 30 minutes. We have been having power glitches lately, for anywhere from a few seconds to five minutes. The only way I know is that I have to reset the microwave etc., or check the APC log on the computers. Doesn't bother them a bit.

[ntexasdude]

ntexasdude-

In that area, isn't a Mac, aka Apple used in many science labs due to some form of interfacing availability, especially in the area of sound and astronomy? Not my area but I had heard of lots of scientists using Macs for machine control of this sort of work.

Probably so Don. I'm sure there are scientist out there using Macs for specific applications. It's been so long since I've been in a college labaratory I couldn't tell you what they have. I was commenting more along the lines of true parametric database programs used for 3D solid modeling and finite element analysis. One particular program I use is SolidWorks with a $10K Cosmos add-on. We can design things such as turbine blades for jet engines, apply static and dynamic forces and predict with a high degree of certainty when and exactly how they will fail. My point being, these tools have been around for quite a while but largely designed to run on a UNIX server platform and fantastically expensive ($100K and up). Not anymore. Many of these incredible tools now run superbly on Windows XP or 2000 desktops and aren't available and never will be available for the Mac OS. Interestingly, there is significant interest around the world to write competitive engineering type programs for Linux.

There is still a niche market out there for Macs - and probably always will be. Apple is an innovative company but in a way I feel sorry for them. Everytime they think of something new a hundred PC clone companies come right out with something better. Firewire is an example. A few months after it's introduction the PC companies got together and wrote a spec for and started offering USB 2.0 for less $$. Then there was the worlds most powerful desktop, the G4, which was king of the hill for just a few months before AMD and Intel dusted it. :D

[deraz]

Redster & Bogy, thanks for the advice!

[Bogy]

Just for the record, when it comes to laptops, I've been pushing Toshiba, and no one has complained to me yet.
Ok Simon, on your recomendation I went out today and purchased a Toshiba Qosmio F15-AV201. Still in the process of getting it set up, but the display on this thing is huge and very bright.

Actually, my old laptop was a Toshiba and I liked it. That one was a Tecra, and built like a brick. When this one is not "on the road" it is going to be in the kitchen, and we may just use it as our TV. Having another PVR can't hurt. :)

[SimpleSimon]

Toshiba Qosmio? That's a new one on me - all I've seen is the Satellite series.

What's the difference?

[CoriBright]

They are the Toshiba notebooks with Windows Media Center 2005. Almost every bell and whistle you can imagine. And the picture is absolutely superb.

www.qosmio.com

I've never heard a bad word about them. Unfortunately my budget doesn't quite stretch that far.

[Jacob S]

I'm running a Toshiba Satellite right now. Is that the best laptop Toshiba has to offer? It seems to be a popular one.

[CoriBright]

Entirely depends on what you want your notebook/laptop to be able to do!

The Qosmio certainly has the bells and whistles, the speed, graphics and hard drive space, but if you're only looking for the standard word processing stuff, any of them will do.

The Tecra range are generally considered more for the office environment, the Satellites for the home, as they'll do the digital stuff. Most folks don't do digital editing, play MP3s, a few games and the like at work (at least not whilst folks are watching).

The current range of Satellite notebooks are actually a co-production with Dell (just don't tell anyone!!). They are suffering a problem to do with static (publically stated at the Toshiba website) and another problem with isn't so widely publicized which is to do with the plastic covering under the keyboard. The unit overheats and shuts itself down.

My A75 is in the local Toshiba Service Center and has been for a couple of weeks. It's the second time it's had to visit its 'doctors'. There is no word yet on when the redesigned cover will be available and I've seen various reports of about 48,000 Satellite notebooks being affected.

Mine got to the stage of smoke coming out of the keyboard. An interesting sight. I'd really like it back, it's been in the Service Center for a longer time that it's been with me.

The Qosmio notebooks are entirely Toshiba design and are not affected. Makes me wish I'd saved up a few more $s and gone that route, but it's a little late for that now. I just have to wait patiently.

[MarkA]

"Firewire is an example. A few months after it's introduction the PC companies got together and wrote a spec for and started offering USB 2.0 for less $$."

Problem is, USB 2.0 has just over half the real world speed of Firewire400 and is absolutely blown away by Firewire800. USB 2.0 is nice for scanners and printers, but just isn't appropriate for hard drives, video, etc. (try a hard drive with USB 2.0 and FireWire400 and compare the speed of each connection - the difference is shocking considering USB2.0 is rated 480mbps and Firewire 400 is rated 400mbps)

[Jacob S]

My Toshiba Satellite was acquired last summer and it has shut down a few times on me on its own out of the blue. This may explain why it had done so. It seems like the fan is on and at higher speeds longer than it should. My Dell Inspiron 8500 laptop dont have the fan kick on that much and at higher speeds. It has plenty of ventillation as i put little spacers underneath for it to get more air.

[Bogy]

I had been looking at several other laptops with P4's. Then I read a few reviews on the PM processors and decided they sounded much better for a laptop.

One of the first things I checked in the store was temp of of the computer. It had been on for who knows how long, it was already about 3 in the afternoon, so probably at least 5 hours. Both the top and the bottom felt only slightly warm. As I have been working on it at home, the fan occasionally comes on, but doesn't stay on for very long.

I had read a review of a laptop with the PM that had trounced another running a P4. I loaded up Doom3 on it last night and gave it a go. The F15 has an nVidia card with 128 meg of RAM, and right now has 512 meg of system RAM (some of the specs I have seen have said that the 2 memory slots can be filled with 256x2 sticks. They were nice enough to put 1 512 stick in mine.) Anyway, comparing PMs to P4s is a little different. I have a 1.8 PM, while my desktop has a 3.2 P4. Right now I am using the integrated video with 128 meg of RAM dedicated. As they are currently configured, the laptop beat the desktop. (I hope that changes as soon as I get a PCIe card for the desktop.)

The only downer about it is that because of the fantastic video battery life is slightly under two hours. However, there are a number of settings that can be changed when its on batteries which should stretch that out a little. And I may be in the market for a battery with a longer life.

[SimpleSimon]

I haven't run into the Satellite overheating problem - maybe it was only a specific production run. Hope so.

[Jacob S]

Mine shut down twice but only that one day. It never done that since.

[deraz]

Well, the hard drive on my one month old Dell died today. It took about 2 hours on the phone with Dell to figure it out. They are shipping out a new one and say I will have it next Wed or Thursday.

[Bogy]

What brand of drive was it?

[deraz]

What brand of drive was it?


My invoice from Dell shows:

160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)


I know very little about computers. When the new drive arrives next week, they are going to walk me through installing it. I will let you know if the old one has any identifying writing on it.

[deraz]

What brand of drive was it?

The replacement arrived today. It is a Maxtor. I am assuming it is the same as the original, but will let you know if it is different tonight when I switch them.

[Jacob S]

I had to send the Toshiba Satellite off for repair after it wanted to keep shutting down on its own after being on for a while. It only took a week to get it back and its working fine now. The fan does not seem to be running as much. I will have to check to see if they lowered the processor speed to fix it (in the BIOS from what I have read). How can I check this?

[CoriBright]

Use Everest... Home Edition free for personal use.

http://www.lavalys.com/

I'd tell you what mine is doing but it's STILL waiting parts.

[deraz]

What brand of drive was it?


The old one was a Western Digital. New one is installed and appears to work. Please keep your fingers crossed.

[Bogy]

I had to send the Toshiba Satellite off for repair after it wanted to keep shutting down on its own after being on for a while. It only took a week to get it back and its working fine now. The fan does not seem to be running as much. I will have to check to see if they lowered the processor speed to fix it (in the BIOS from what I have read). How can I check this?
My Toshiba Qosmio came with "Toshiba Console" and in that window, "Power Saving". This program allows you to set the CPU speed, cooling method, etc. for AC power, battery, etc. If you have this program you should be able to see what speed the CPU is set at.

[Bogy]

The old one was a Western Digital. New one is installed and appears to work. Please keep your fingers crossed.
Good luck.

[Jacob S]

Its set at maximum for the processor speed. I go to Details and Power Saver Tab then it gives me a bunch of settings. Its set to maximum speed and performance. It seems to run cooler now.