Text 29988, 83 rader
Skriven 2009-10-17 03:29:02 av MANNY ROTHSTEIN (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE DRUM
Ärende: Re: Need Computer Advice
================================
Dave Drum Replied to Manny Rothstein:
 
->  MR> I intend to buy a new Dell desktop computer, but I can't decide
->  MR> between a 32 or 64 bit model. As I understand it, the 32 bit is
->  MR> more compatible with older software and the 64 bit supports
->  MR> more memory. My most rigorous uses would be games and dvd
->  MR> copying. I am slightly leaning towards the 32 because I would
->  MR> want to emulate dos to run Meal Master, and I don't see the
->  MR> future advantage of more memory capacity. Any advice about which
->  MR> way to go?
-> 
-> DD> What operating system are you planning on? Windows or Linux? If 
-> Windows XP? Or Seven? If Linux - what flavour? Several of the 
-> Linux distributions (Xandros and Unbutu) have a GUI desktop pretty 
-> reminiscent of what many are used to in Windows ... without the 
-> inherent overhead of Windows.

I have decided that I will get a 64 bit machine because, like it or
not, that seems to be the wave of the future. And it is getting 
hard to find 32 bit machines. I will be running Windows 7 mainly
because I know almost nothing about Linux. But since I can do
a dual boot machine setup, it may be a good idea to experiment with 
Linux.

-> DD> What sort of games? If you are going to do the latest 
-> techno-droid 

Role playing, strategy and simulations. I'm to old for reflex games.

-> DD> shoot-em-ups ... then Windows with all the memory you can get 
-> and a  graphics card with at least a gigabyte of video ram is 
-> your only choice. If you are into non-wrist action and reflexes 
-> type games  (strategy, simulations, etc) then either Windows or 
-> Linux ... or  a dual boot system ... with three gigabytes of ram 
-> should work.

-> DD> As big a hard disk drive as you can get ... storage is important. 

No problem. Hard drives have become amazingly CHEAP.

-> DD> And an external HDD of the same or nearly so to do back-ups of 
-> your proggies and data on a regular basis. This will assure long 
-> life to your basic components by being ready in case of crash or 
-> hardware failure.   Bv)=

-> DD> Unless you are married to Dell as a hardware supplier look at 

I've been building my own machines since my first 286. My current
machine is about 10 years old (it has 256meg.s of ram, a Pentium
cpu and a coal fired power supply). I haven't kept up with the
latest and greatest since. Now I want a factory built computer
that is reliable and as compatible as possible with applications 
and operating systems software. That is more important to me 
than speed.That is why I picked Dell. But if there are other 
mfg.s that meet that standard and cost less, I am wide open to 
suggestions.

-> DD> hardware from other suppliers such as Gateway, HP or Asus ... 

I've heard negative things about HP and to a lesser extent, 
Gateway. Was I miss-informed?

-> DD> or even the "white box" market of semi-custom unbranded confusers. 
-> Check with Tiger Direct (http://www.tigerdirect.com/) or Geeks 
-> (http://www.geeks.com/) or Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/) for 
-> their best deals. Geeks are in your area (La Puente) and I think 
-> Newegg is also. Tiger is in Miami ... but has shipping warehouses 
-> all over the place.

Thanks for the tips. What do you think of DDR3 ram vs. DDR2 ram. Is
it important enough to pay a premium for a DDR3 capable computer?
I can get a Dell with DDR2 and a mini motherboard that will accept
a quad cpu for $400+. The DDR3 capible computers with full size
motherboards start at $699. And since Dell is out of state, I
would save about 9% in sales tax. This may seem like a lot of
trouble for a commodity desktop, but whatever I wind up getting,
I will have to live with for next 5 to 10 years. To me, that
feels like being somewhere between being involved and committed
and I want to get it right.

Manny
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