Topic: Computer Questions

[Dragonfire]

I wasn't sure where to post this..hope this is ok.

I'm thinking about getting a new computer.  This one is starting to act up a bit, and I have the extra money now.

So.  I haven't kept up with computer tech stuff for a while and I'm trying to figure out a few things and wondered if anyone might know something that could help.

Is dual channel or tri channel ram better?
Is an AMD Phenom™ II X4 945 a good processor?  Would an Intel Core i7 be better? 

Also...since I'm asking..  are external hard drives difficult to use for backing up stuff?  I don't have a good system for backing up things now...I haven't backed up stuff in months.  I basically just use a USB drive to save some files - mostly my reviews.  But I want to get more stuff backed up and was thinking about an external hard drive.  But I know nothing about them, so if anyone has some advice, I would appreciate it.

[DJ Doena]

In regards to the external drive: I use them all the time. They are as simple to use as an USB flash drive. You plug 'em in, they get a drive letter and off you go. In this part of the world a 2 terabyte HDD costs 90€. Plenty of space to back up things for a while.

And if you want to use it just as backup drive, you don't need it to have it plugged in all the time, you can put it in a closet and only connect it when you actually backup something.

It's far more easy (and IMHO secure) than backing up on writable DVDs.

[Achim]

And if you want to use it just as backup drive, you don't need it to have it plugged in all the time, you can put it in a closet and only connect it when you actually backup something.

Well, actually, the backup drive shouldn't be connected all the time. One of the reasons for backup is potential virus damage, which would affect the backup drive a well. A good personal backup drive should be light wight and stored separate from the computer, ideally not even in the same house. Not that I do this myself , but one could have it at work and only bring it home Evette few days to make the backup.

For the RAM I would assume tri is better and the processor looks like quad-core, which will probably serve you fine. Most important always is: what are you planning to o with it?

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Is dual channel or tri channel ram better?
Is an AMD Phenom™ II X4 945 a good processor?  Would an Intel Core i7 be better? 

The correct answer: It depends ...
mostly on what you're actually planning to do with your machine.

Regarding RAM-technology: More important than channeling are the two main-factors for RAM: Frequency and Latency. Always pick the highest possible frequency with the lowest possible latency. The FSB-frequency (Front Side Bus) of the RAM should be identical to the FSB-speed of the CPU. For the channels I usually prefer Dual-Channel chipsets because of two factors: Better prices, more possibilities. Since 6-bank mainboards are rare and expensive, usually a Dual-channel board can be equipped with more RAM (4 banks = 2 Dual-channel kits)

Regarding the CPUs: Yes the Phenom 945 is an outstanding processor. Whether it is "better" than an i7 or not depends on several configurational details.
Intel is still playing the old "socket mix-up"-game. For the i7 CPUs there are currently three sockets available (1155, 1156 and 1366), the best possible chipsets will usually be the socket 1366-types because that is what the i7 was originally designed for, the two other sockets are downgrades for the i3 and i5 compatibility. The great disadvantages of the 1366-socket boards are: the price and the price. First of all a decent mainboard costs a fortune, next problem ist that socket 1366-boards have severe equipment restrictions, so that a "good" i7 computer is nearly twice as much as a decent i5 system, which costs about 30 percent more than an otherwise identical AMD based system.

My home systems are all AMD-based, for my customers I usually pick Intel for the servers and AMD for the workstations.
But the differences of former times are almost gone. Nowadays it's more a question of preferences and the size of your budget.
But since Intel is currently leading the development again it boils down to: Do I want to get the best possible machine for a given price? Or do I want the best currently possible machine? For question A the Answer is AMD, for question B the answer is Intel.

[Najemikon]

 I would focus on branded midrange systems, rather than worry about specs. The fact is I would bet processor brand will not make any difference to you.

I always say, buy from the range that was cutting edge about 3 months ago. Prices will have dropped to make way for brand new machines but in truth, unless you're planning to play the newest games, you won't spot the difference.

Look at me. My PC is over 3 years old but is still performing well for games, photo editing, etc.

Also, have you considered a laptop? It's worth thinking about the footprint in your home.

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Also, have you considered a laptop? It's worth thinking about the footprint in your home.

I'm hearing this ever so often and do not recommend a Laptop as a Desktop replacement.
For one simple reason: While it's easy to replace a broken keyboard on a Desktop-PC, a laptop requires a more or less complicated repair (depending on manufacturer and model), which depending on the age and manufacturer can easily outweigh the the remaining worth of your Laptop. Example: CPU fan stops working in Desktop: Replacing it costs about $ 10 (more or less, depending on required specifications) in a Desktop. Talking about Laptops the same "replacement" can easily be more than $ 200,-. Had this with a Siemens Laptop recently. The fan wasn't available seperately and had to be bought with the complete cage (Price: € 68,- + tax + shipping).

[Najemikon]

True, but would you sell equipment like that without warranty? Repair costs are moot. I used to think like you, but in truth of all the systems I've supported the laptop users have been more content. In general, what they expect from the machine dictates how reliable it is.

Again it depends on exactly how Marie wants to use it. A quieter, less intrusive, more economical unit may suit her needs better than an enthusiasts desktop and she may appreciate the space more.

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

True, but would you sell equipment like that without warranty? Repair costs are moot.

Warranty is usually 2 years, so repair costs are only moot if the customer is dipping the Laptop into the garbage bin directly with the occurrence of the first hardware fault (after the warranted period has passed).

Again it depends on exactly how Marie wants to use it. A quieter, less intrusive, more economical unit may suit her needs better than an enthusiasts desktop and she may appreciate the space more.

Very often you'll find that what a customer wants is not what he actually needs.
But you are correct. For recommending a system we'd need to know a lot more than "I have the extra money now".
The three "How" are a substantial info for a recommendation.
1. How much may it cost?
2. How do you plan to use it?
3. How much space is it allowed to use?

[Najemikon]

Well, average warranty in the UK is 3 years and I don't know anyone who accidentally damages the screen a week before it expires so they get a complete replacement with a new model. No-one at all. 

I hasten to add, that isn't me! 

My gut feeling is Marie would want to stick with a desktop anyway, but I think a lot of people ignore them out of habit, so it's worth throwing the suggestion out there. Additional to your questions: How long on average do you use it per day, Marie?

I've been more open to laptops recently since I started using a smartphone and realising that 90% of my computers power is wasted because some days all I want to do is check an email, browse the net, reply to a few posts. I've been using my phone this morning and once Android tablets are better value, I'll be getting one. I already stream media from my NAS box, so the notion of a "PC" is becoming more spread out. I'll always need one for gaming, photo editing, extended office application use, etc.

I feel sorry for my PC some days. I turn it on, the fans kick in and we get the reassuring hum of sheer processing muscle. A disembodied voice seems to say, "I am the god of Hellfire! I can fly us to the fucking moon if you want, I am THAT good! What is thy bidding? What awesomeness do you need?", and I reply, "erm... just looking at...er, Facebook for a couple of minutes..." 

[RossRoy]

I'll throw my 2¢ in here, I'll tell you what I tell most people who come into my office to ask what computer to buy ... it boils down to 2 questions.

"What are you planning to do with the computer?"
"How much are you willing to spend?"

If gaming is not in the list of things to do, then "go to the local store, and pick whatever fits your budget". Pretty much anything on the market today has more than enough power to accomplish web browsing, text editing, emailing, skype, etc.

If gaming is part of it, then it gets a little more complicated, but oh so much more fun for me

[Dragonfire]

I had thought about a laptop, but not as a desktop replacement.  I was thinking about one of those more just to be able to use in other areas of the house at times.  I still want a desktop as the main computer. 

Some days I end up using the computer a lot.  It isn't unusual for me to end up spending 4 or 5 hours working on reviews or reading/rating them at Epinions, check email..post at few boards ..stuff like that, and then play World of Warcraft for an hour or two.  I haven't done that as much lately because of work, but I still end up using the computer probably at least 2 hours most days.  My mom also uses it at times.

I type all my reviews up and save them before I post them to Epinions...or the blog I'm trying to get going.  When I'm typing up stuff, I'm frequently jumping back and forth between what I'm typing and Web pages to double check things....how to spell the names of the actors or characters and stuff like that.  I'm starting to do a little more with some spreadsheets for some records..stuff like that.  I run DVD Profiler to keep track of my movies.  I do have a free host for my signature thing here...though I'm thinking I'm going to have to end up getting a paid one with more bandwith or something.  I'll figure that out in a few weeks.

I don't play a lot of computer games, but I do play WoW.  Most of the year, I play at least a little every day.  Some areas in the game have gotten more laggy - where a lot of other players are at.  I would like the lag to get better.  I've had to put a few of the graphic settings lower to keep things stable, so it would be nice to be able to play with those settings back up.  Stuff just looks cooler when the graphics can be higher.  I do a little photo editing stuff, though not much right now.  That might change in the future.

Years ago, we had a computer that had issues with not having enough RAM..it was horrible.  So since then, I have made sure to have enough to avoid that.  I may have gotten more than needed, but at least I didn't have the problems again.

[Najemikon]

Sebastien's advice is spot-on, Marie. Once you're willing to spend a certain amount (and relatively speaking, that doesn't need to be a lot), a lot of technical aspects smooth themselves out because they are all more than you need.

Do you know where you will be shopping for this? If they have a website post us a link and we'll be able to marry up the choices with some of the techy considerations Michael listed.

[Dragonfire]

I've had good luck with Dells...was looking at a few there.  I was leaning more toward the one with the AMD processor. 

It doesn't have to be a top of the line computer, but I want it to be one that is going to work well for several years.  I probably don't technically need it, but I kind of want it to have a Blu-ray drive.  Just to be able to play Blu-rays on it if I wanted...plus I'd be able to add the discs to Profiler.  lol


I saved the page for the one I'm thinking of.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&model_id=studio-xps-7100&oc=dxdndr3&s=dhs&fb=1&vw=icon

You can click on review and check out and that gives a list of the specs and stuff.  The only thing I had changed before was to add a $20 set of speakers.  I wasn't sure if the ones I have now would work with it or not. 

I looked at another one too...with the Intel i7 core thing.  The RAM can be upgraded up to 24 gig later on...though that is probably overkill.  And to get the monitor and Blu-ray drive, the price is up over $1400.

[DJ Doena]

Just to be able to play Blu-rays on it if I wanted...

Keep in mind that you will need a special player software for this. You don't just need Power DVD, you will need Power DVD Deluxe Ultra Fantastic Advanced (check out their site to make sure you have a version that plays Blu-ray).

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Just to be able to play Blu-rays on it if I wanted...

Keep in mind that you will need a special player software for this. You don't just need Power DVD, you will need Power DVD Deluxe Ultra Fantastic Advanced (check out their site to make sure you have a version that plays Blu-ray).

... and supports the required sound-formats.
Hell, they have a version out that doesn't support DolbyDigital on DVDs. or   (can't really decide on that)

Regarding the thesis of a RAM-overkill: There's only one thing that can replace RAM and that is more RAM.
Regarding "Dell"-products: I am warning for 3 years now to purchase their products, due to a significant decrease in quality and service for the consumer-line products. For further info contact Thorsten (kahless) and ask him about his last year purchases.
Regarding the price for a system that meets your requirements: ~ 750,- - 850,- US-$ should completely suffice.
Some minimum specs. you should be able to get for this price:
CPU: Intel i5 650 (Dual-Core 3.2 GHz), i5 650 (Quad-Core 2.8 GHz); AMD Phenom II X4 965 (Quad-Core 3.4 GHz), Phenom II X6 (Six-Core 2.8 GHz); A Guideline for "normal" usage of computers: "Frequency outweighs Cores"; Means: if in doubt pick the machine with the higher frequency.
RAM: 4 Gig (minimum) - 8 Gig (recommended)
Graphics: NVidia Geforce 450 GT, for BluRay with PowerDVD 10 currently avoid ATI / AMD graphics (I'm still waiting for Cyberlink to help me through some problems, found out afterwards that the forums are stuffed with help-requests for such systems)
HDD: 500 GByte (minimum), 750 GByte (recommended), 1 TByte (optimum); Remember: the more data is stored on external HDDs the smaller the system HDD can be.
OS: Win7 Home Premium (minimum); Win7 Professional (recommended), Avoid "Starter" and "Home Basic", there's too much functionality missing. For backups on network drives "Professional" is required.


EDIT: Almost forgot:
Optical Drive: BluRay/DVD combo drive (Plays BluRay, DVD, CD; Burns DVD and CD)