Lookin' for a New PC

[Marty]

Five years ago, we bought a PC.

Recently, we began getting slightly annoyed that the 8MB broadband we were paying for was only arriving at 3.5MB, so we upgraded to Virgin Media's 10MB Fibre-Optic Broadband. On Saturday, we got it, and I noticed...it's not any faster. So I wondered, why would it not be any faster? Maybe our computer's too old...I wonder what the RAM is?

I looked.

It was 512MB.

As such, I'm now looking to get a better PC, and I'd like people's advice on what make, what size RAM, etc...the things I'm mainly planning to do on it include:

Gaming (not hugely serious, but it needs to be able to cope quite well).
Music (as in writing and recording of).

That's all that's essential, really...let the frenzy of suggestions begin!

[Taipan™]

I am not so familiar with fiber optics since there isnt any where I live (where I live ranks 2nd in Australia for the worst internet, 1st is Tasmania ). I doubt it is your computer, probably your modem or fiber optic quality, however upgrading your computer for other reasons (e.g. cuz its old) will do.

What is your budget?
Do you prefer quiet or flashy cases?

And you have already answered my next question of what will u be using it for.

P.S I wish I had 3.5MB/s speeds

[Muzak]

I have a question.  What is the method of connection between your modem (or router) and your computer?  Is it a 10/100 ethernet adapter, or USB, or something else?  I'm just curious if this could be some kind of a bottle-neck situation.  I'm sure that the age of the computer can have an effect, but I don't know to what degree.

But anyway, on to the suggestions.

I've built my own computer, so there's a lot I could recommend there.  But if your looking for a ready-built computer, I'll share some of my brand preferences.

On the upsides, I'm a big fan of Sony electronics, just not their prices.  HP seems to be a good brand right now.  Many of family members are using HP laptops and are happy with them.  I've heard from several people I know that they like Acer.  And for the cheap, eMachines seems to have a real good price.  Just be prepared to replace a power supply.  I couldn't tell you anything about Gateway.

On the downsides, I would avoid Dell because of their past hardware compatibility issues (if you ever want to upgrade down the road) and general customer service.  And I'll say this about Toshiba:  I will never buy from them because of a customer service experience I had with them about 7 years ago, but they do seem to make a decent computer.

As far as specs are concerned...

Processor:  I highly recommend AMD over Intel for general computing.  I do a lot of video editing with a Dual-Core AMD at 2.5 Ghz, and it rocks.  I think the Quad-core processors are becoming a lot more popular, but unless you've get serious need for it (or just want the bragging rights), I don't think it's worth the extra money.

RAM:  You'll probably want to get atleast 2GB just to keep everything operating smoothly.  RAM is fairly cheap and it's almost always worth having plenty of it.  I'm still operating on Windows XP, and 2GB is more than enough for my needs.  If your going to be running Vista, you might want a little more, maybe 3GB or even 4GB.  If you'll be waiting until Windows 7 comes out, then I don't know.  Probably going to be similar to the needs of Vista.

Network:  I'm not sure on the numbers, but if you've got a high speed internet service, you want to make sure you've got a high speed network adapter in your new machine.  I think the old standard of 10/100 is fairly outdated now.  I believe most newer machines offer 10/100/1000 speed network adapters.  Not sure if this may be one reason you're having issues with your current internet speed, but keep it in mind, and keep an eye open for this specification while shopping.

Other Stuff:  I think most everything else boils down to personal needs and price range.  Size of the Hard Drive, ability to burn DVD's, built-in Memory Card readers, it's all up to you.  You mentioned you write and record music, so maybe look for something with a high quality audio card.  You might even find that one of those brands is offering a free upgrade on something like RAM or Processor speed.

Good luck, and Happy Hunting!

Muzak

[Taipan™]

I've built my own computer, so there's a lot I could recommend there.  But if your looking for a ready-built computer, I'll share some of my brand preferences.

I would only buy brand stuff if you plan on buying a laptop. If your planning on getting a desktop computer then build yourself, it is MUCH cheaper and your not stuck with cheap memory and crappy generic power supplies. When it comes to desktops brand names try to rip you off with your lack of knowledge/experience so they can gain a greater profit.

Processer: I would go Intel. Their manufacturing process is better then AMD's therefore CPU's last longer. Also they are simply more powerful then AMD, but the main reason why I dont like AMD is their motherboard chipsets are CRAP, but not as bad as Nvidia's. A simple dual will do you fine from the Core 2 architecture series, but if your budget permits I would recommend a quad core (somewhat future proof since you probably wont upgrade for another 5 years).

RAM: Get 4GB (2x2GB) saves you from updating later. Also you cant have 3GB of dual channel memory. There is no such thing as 1.5GB dimms.

Network: Pretty much all of the modern motherboards have built in gigabit ethernet. There is no need for an adapter.

Other Stuff: Well once we get a budget off you we can put the parts together for you to suit your needs and your budget. To give you a good indication of money you will be looking around $800-1200, others could probably go lower but I am a quality freak. Rule 1 never spend cheap on a powersupply or motherboard because they are always the first to blow up.

[MrMxyzptlk]

Wow.  I skipped all that....  


I think you should do some real testing to see what speeds you get, from where and why.

Start by looking at these Tools.


Buy whatever will last you at least THREE YEARS, no more. (In three years your machine will be too old to upgrade, you see....)

[Marty]

OK

In answer to Fibre-Optic questions, it uses an Ethernet cable, and comes with a wireless router which we haven't installed yet. Fibre-Optic is the fastest type of Broadband around - if you really want to, you can go up to 50MB broadband speed. However, we'd be very happy with 10MB. I therefore reason that it's the computer slowing us down - this is the best broadband.

Budget is really anything up to about £600 pounds (about $960) but preferably quite a bit lower...and I really don't care how a computer looks so long as it works well.

[jim360]

Of course, the fact that the budget ISN'T your money makes no nevermind, huh?

I so happen to share the crummy old box that is the source of this post, and I'm not exactly pleased to hear that the new internet connection affected the D/L speed at all. So if there are thoughts of getting a new machine, I hope they're shared by the-people-with-the-cash.

[Marty]

Of course it's shared by the folks with the cash...