New guy w/ Q's

[7mech]

Hello all
I'm new here and am kind of computer stupid. I just bought a new Sony mini DV camcorder for my wife and I would like to upgrade my computer so that I can stream video from the camera to the computer faster. We have an 02 Compaq Presario w/ an Intel Pentium 4 processor, 128k ram(I think), I/O Magic DVD +- Rw 16x, Fire wire port from Comp USA, standard hard drive (from factory), and I think that's about it. Basically what I would like to know are what hardware/software some of you recomend be changed? Also what products do recomend I buy to replace them with? I'm not looking for the highest priced stuff, but I would like something that's going to last a while.
Thanks.

P.S. Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place.

 

[mechBgon]

Welcome to the Forums Some more RAM would probably help. If you look up your system by brand & model at http://www.crucial.com, their memory picker will show what your options are.

Capturing at full quality can eat up hard-disk capacity fast, so you may also end up needing a second hard drive in there for storage. Seagate ATA/100 drives are pretty popular, they run quietly and have 5-year warranties. 120GB Seagate. Be careful to pick ATA/100 and not SATA interface when you shop.

 

[firerock]

I agree w/ everything mechBgon said above. I would also suggest you to get a upgrade for your cpu if possible. Video editing or converting video format use lots of ram and pure cpu speed. Other than that, you should be fine.

 

[daveybrat]

Also, make sure you're running Windows XP and not 98 or ME for doing digital video and such.

 

[jackschmittusa]

For processing video, I would recommend at least 512mb of ram. Not only will the Crucial site tell you what ram you need, Crucial ram is generally a solid choice for ram when running rigs at stock speed. Anything less than a 1.5gz processor may make your machine seem pretty slow too. Faster is always better when when working vid files. If your hard drive is 5400rpm, moving to a 7200rpm drive will also make a noticable difference. Win XP will leverage your hardware better than Win 98 too. The home edition is likely just fine for your needs and cheaper than the pro version. Your upgrades will draw more power and generate more heat. Factory built machines are not known for having a lot of extra capacity in their power supplies, although it may work just fine. Factory machines are also designed to be quiet usually, and that means that there is little leaway in heat removal ability. Factory cases many times have no place to mount extra fans. If system or cpu temps become a problem and you can't mount extra fans, a solution might be to replace the power supply with one that already has multiple, bigger, or faster fans to begin with.

You may also find that your new burner may have preferences for particular brands of media and will perform poorly with brands it does not like. If you intend to make backups of your DVD collection, there is a free program called DVD Shrink (Google it) that is quite good for the beginner.

Anyway, have fun with your new hobby.

 

[firerock]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
If system or cpu temps become a problem and you can't mount extra fans, a solution might be to replace the power supply with one that already has multiple, bigger, or faster fans to begin with.

Well, I'm not sure if your prebuild has any special connector for your PSU. In that case, you can't just buy any PSU and plug that into your mobo. I learned that from my old Dell experience.

 

[jackschmittusa]

firerock

Dell is bad for that (one more reason to think that they are jerks), but I don't remember hearing that about Compac.

 

[7mech]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I'll start looking for these upgrades right away. BTW I am running XP already. It came with the system. Also is there anything I need to be cautious of when installing these things (ie. memory loss when upgrading ram)?
Thanks.

 

[firerock]

Originally posted by: 7mech
Thank you all for the great suggestions. I'll start looking for these upgrades right away. BTW I am running XP already. It came with the system. Also is there anything I need to be cautious of when installing these things (ie. memory loss when upgrading ram)?
Thanks.

Say, if you buy a stick of 512mb ram, make sure you put that stick of ram on the 1st slot and put your older 128mb ram in the second slot. And it doesn't hurt to make sure you have all the latest drivers for your system (to avoid future problems).

 

[7mech]

Well it's been a while since I've been here, but I wanted thank all of you that helped me. I finally purchased a 256mb stick of ram and it has improved my computer greatly. I found all the info I needed through the crucial.com site. Thanks again for all of your help.