Need opinions - In market for new PC

[badbilly27]

Thanks to both of your posts.

My video needs aren't too professional or high tech. I'm just looking at having the capability to easily hook up my Sony Hi8MM camera or a VCR and copy my videos to DVD format. That's pretty ,uch it. Anything else is gravy. 😉

Ok, two more stupid questions. With these ma and pa stores that build a PC, if your order via online and once you get it something unfortunately does break while under warranty, aren't you pretty much screwed? I mean, you'll have to ship the whole computer to them (shipping costs) and wait for it to be fixed. Versus going into a store and getting the manager to fix it pronto or replace it.

Stupid question #2: I know there is a huge debate in these forums about P4 versus AMD vs Celron, etc. I am very unfamiliar with AMD but I read (If memory serves me right) that AMD sometimes has problems with handling certain programs. Is this a fallacy or true.

Thanks again all. You rock!!

 

[Lotek]

<< With these ma and pa stores that build a PC, if your order via online and once you get it something unfortunately does break while under warranty, aren't you pretty much screwed? I mean, you'll have to ship the whole computer to them (shipping costs) and wait for it to be fixed. Versus going into a store and getting the manager to fix it pronto or replace it. >>

Some, yes. Others will Fed Ex the replacement part & then you ship the bad one back; some vendors pay shipping both ways, some do not. Also, some vendors offer on-site service policies at additional cost. When you visit the vendor websites, check their policies/warranty/return sections before you decide to do business with them. Also, customer satisfaction w/returns is included in the reviews at ResellerRatings.com (along with price, shipping quality, knowledge & cust service of staff, willingness to use vendor again and recommend to others, etc.).

Re: your AMD Q: I had similar concerns, but several people said problems/issues tend to arise when you OC & tweak the heck out of it. Since I don't do that, I'm not too worried. I mainly went with AMD because it seems to be a much better value for the $$$ than Intel. Besides, both the Intel & AMD systems from Dell & Micron had major problems with Win XP; go figure. : /

 

[badbilly27]

Thanks for the tips Lotek. Hey, If you don't mind keep me abreast on how your new system turns out. Feel free to PM me.

I'm really trying to make sure my new PC purchase is the right one. I bought that Gateway 6400 server with high hopes but just can't committ the time to it. I'm off to check educate myself on resellerratings.

 

[piasabird]

I tend to like Pentium 4 computers. Try looking at this site: www.adamant.com/
They build their own and let you choose the case and other things. I would go with an Asus motherboard for stability maybe a P4B that uses PC133 SDRAM. Pick a good case with overkill cooling. Antec makes a tower that has options for 2 fans in front and back. Or for a lower profile look for a case that has a place for a 12 CM cooling fan in the center rear of the case. I think some manufacturers like enermax are making cases like this now. Ask for an extra large power supply about 450 watts with 2 fans. They provide a more steady flow of power and air.

The hardest part is the video editing. A few different vendors make specialty cards and cameras for video editing. Better research what to buy. I suggest going to a good software vendors sight for Multimedia Content Creation and see if they have links or recommendations to a specific card or package to use with their software. There may be some reviews designed specifically for this. Good Video editing may require both a video card and a Video capture card. A lot depends on where you plan on importing the video from; like a VCR, Digital Movie/still Camera, DVD drive, Music CD's, scanner, etc.

For games a high end Geforce3 TI 500 or something like that may be in order. They sell some systems that are a little pricey at the www.bestbuty.com website from alienware. These tend to be high end systems. They look good, but I have never used one. They are designed for the high-end gamer. When you start talking video editing and multimedia, it takes a well put together system. The soundcard and the Video card and the DVD player have to be able to talk to each other.

If you know someone who likes to do this kind of thing you may want to ask them what kind of software/hardware they use. You need a really big HardDrive to store video on if you are going to store video on it. Maxtor announced they are planning on selling a 180 Gig External Firewire Drive. For storage of video you need a motherboard with USB 2.0 or Firewire cards for external storage or maybe a DVD Writer. I wouldnt hesitate to go to some professional Multimedia sites on the internet and see if they have any links or recommendations. Another possibility is if you have a program at a college or university that teaches multimedia, try taking a night class and learning how they make multimedia content and talk to professors that know what they are doing. You can do this for fun or in a serious manner.

Another option to consider is how to save what you got. It is possible to get something put together and record it on either a DVD or a VCR.

 

[badbilly27]

Piasabird - Thanks for the very informative post. I guess I didn't realize what I was getting myself into with my needs for what I considered basic video editing. I'll check out that site you mentioned and appreciate the ref on the right MB.

What did you think (or anyone) about the Gateway or Vaio I ref above. Seems like they have the video, sound card, and DVD with software solution already made for me with less hassle. I hate to keep leaning back that way as building new would be better (i.e. cheaper). Does anyone else out there think 512K max capacity ram is a problem? That;s my biggest hang-up on the Sony machine to be honest.

Thanks again all for the great recommendtaions and posts.

 

[Ryan]

My parents have the gateway that you mention, and it' great. It runs perfectly. Just to make sure the PC is running at its optimum level, I would suggest that you format the HD and do a clean install. That's what I did for my parents and they haven't had any problems 🙂

 

[spamsk8r]

I would go with alienware or falcon northwest, they build the best rigs that are completely upgradable (unlike dell and compaq, who use proprietary hardware that you can't upgrade without trashing most of the parts.) They're a little expensive, but for what you want you're gonna spend a pretty penny anyway

 

[Gog]

Badbilly, true Alienware and Falconwest make good computers, but you are going to end up paying for the computer thru the nose if you order thru either of these companies.

Check out ABS systems, good systems at a very good price. PCWorld ranks it number 1 on their home pc chart, and their system is really loaded with great features for only $1700 (I noted their features in my previous post).

 

[JoeBob]

I highly suggest you not buy from one of the big boys for the reasons mentioned above. My highest possible recommendation goes to Envision computer Envision. You will notice that they are consistently at the top of the reseler ratings. I used them for a bare bones and they are top notch. A little more expensive, but incredible customer service and very good quality. They even talked to me on the phone while I re-installed WIN 98 to find a driver conflict. Fixed the problem and have had no others since. I assure you that HP was never so helpful when I had problems with their products.

Monarch Computers is cheaper, but their reseller rating is worse. Not worth it to me, but it may be to you. Monarch. I mention these because they were the two I thought of when I bought and they both have easy to use configurators.

You seem to want to be able to customize, but don't want to build the PC's yourself. These two are good options and there are many others. Check out reseller ratings resellerratings and maybe you find something that better suits you. Just my 2cents.