Looking for basic, affordable multimedia system

[Dooling37]

I typically have built out my own systems in the past, but could stand to save the time and effort right now... any suggestions for a basic multimedia system?
No preference for or prejudice against any particular brands.
Don't even need a monitor, keyboard, speakers, etc., although I'll find a use for em if they're part of the package. Likewise the OS -- I already have XP Pro that I'll plan to use along with some Linux variant, and would prefer to avoid Vista. No TV tuner or anything like, either.
This system won't be used for gaming or any particularly intensive applications -- just playing mp3s, bittorrent downloads, occasional video viewing (though no DVDs), and regular surfing. Doesn't need to be top-of-the-line hardware, by any means. Hoping to spend no more than ~$600.

Any suggestions? much appreciated...


p.s. -- as mentioned here, a well-cooled system would be preferable.

 

[Brainonska511]

How about this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16834115346 $460 after a $40 rebate. Then throw in a 1GB stick for a total of 1512MB for an additional $30: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...tion=&Ntk=&srchInDesc= bringing your total up to ~$500 after the rebate. It will be a fine machine for XP Pro and basic computer usage.

 

[zig3695]

itll run vista too. i was running a 1gb 1.6 pentium m thinkpad t40 with home premium with no problems and fast performance.

i want to know though how is acer laptops? anytime i hear that name i cringe, my first acer products were those 2x and 4x cd-burners!!

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: zig3695
itll run vista too. i was running a 1gb 1.6 pentium m thinkpad t40 with home premium with no problems and fast performance.

i want to know though how is acer laptops? anytime i hear that name i cringe, my first acer products were those 2x and 4x cd-burners!!

They're okay. Support is pretty bad and build quality is mediocre on the value systems. When you need something decent and cheap, Acer is a good place to look.

 

[zig3695]

i was looking for cheap and decided on a dell 1501 dual core rig with 1gb ram for $630. probably not a whole lot better then that acer, but at least it wont have that name on the case

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: zig3695
i was looking for cheap and decided on a dell 1501 dual core rig with 1gb ram for $630. probably not a whole lot better then that acer, but at least it wont have that name on the case

The Dell one might be an interesting choice just because of the dual-core. Apparently, the Celeron M is only single-core, Yonah based. It will be fast, but not great for multitasking purposes. Still, for what the OP wants to do, a single-cored Celeron M will be more than enough for what he described.

 

[zig3695]

i agree with that, my 1.6 pentium m was really faster then i needed, im sure the celery isnt that far behind.

i got a really good deal though. it was turion 2ghz x2, 1gb ram, 80gb hdd, ati 1150 graphics, 9-cell high capacity battery, truelife screen, wifi, vista premium and office 2007 installed. brand new in box from dell, the guy bought it solely to re-sell it and make money, but apparently couldnt get what he thought and decided to just sell it for the low offer i gave him of $630 shipped. ive been looking and you can still find them for that price, but usually minus the office 07 and ati graphics.

 

[Dooling37]

I honestly hadn't even considered a laptop system -- was thinking a pre-build/barebone PC, but a laptop might actually make good sense.
One major question though (and this is probably stupid, but I haven't owned a laptop in years) -- could I easily hook it up to use my existing monitor, keyboard and mouse through my KVM, like a normal PC? Might I just need to buy an extra cable or two? Or a whole docking station? I recently bought a 22" LCD and want to make sure this system can be connected to it.


Thanks for the suggestions so far....

 

[Brainonska511]

I didn't realize you wanted SFF. I could put something together that would be faster and still in your budget. It would be easier to hook up all of your peripherals with a SFF or regular size PC.

 

[zig3695]

why couldnt you use a kvm with laptops? most laptops have vga or dvi out and usb ports for peripherals if they also dont include the ps2 ports.

 

[Brainonska511]

I created the following from a barebones PC:
Asus T3 Barebone (includes 300W PSU)
LITE-ON 16x DVD-Burner
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 160GB SATA HDD
Transcend 2GB (2x1GB) Kit DDR2 800
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+

$403 before S&H

Pluses over the laptop:
-Dual core processor
-Cheaper
-DVI out so you can use that nice LCD monitor

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: zig3695
why couldnt you use a kvm with laptops? most laptops have vga or dvi out and usb ports for peripherals if they also dont include the ps2 ports.

You could, but it probably wouldn't be as good. The lack of PS2 ports could pose a problem if the OP doesn't use USB devices along with the lack of DVI-out on the laptop to power a 22" LCD (you could use the VGA-out, but it wouldn't look as good; and you won't find DVI out on a laptop unless you spend more money). It would certainly be easier to hook up a desktop to a KVM just because of cable management (all cables are behind the computer instead of strewn about the sides.

 

[zig3695]

in his case i think he should go with a desktop. for others, worried about power useage, you could stick a laptop inside a regualr case, and run extension cables to the back, mimicking a real pc, with a fraction of the power draw of course.

 

[Dooling37]

Thanks all for the responses. I might look into a laptop with DVI output, but if those are too expensive I'll stick with a PC.... $403 would be nice. ; )