Must buy new computer...Ideas?

[8os.8]

I dont do games or movies or whatever
takes THAT much power. Only use it for plenty internet surfing
(finding out things) and emails. Now the emails I receive many
with heavy videos, etc. and I send them out to my list. Is this
considered to need a lot more power? If so I'll have to get it.
Maybe this is why my elderly computer is refusing to speed up its
pace???

try reinstalling xp (have sp3 and your defense apps predownloaded)
10.5 year old 400mhz xp pc *might* be a little slow (espec if celeron), even with
512+ mb ram(all that xp needs). 8 year old 1+ghz p3 should be good. the point is
that you don't need much to run xp, but ms drops xp support 2014.

if you expec to upgrade windows 8 years from now (i'm guessing that's when win7
support "dies"), then the new pc should support guesstimate 8 gb ram.

look at the tomshardware benchmarks. the great thing abut those, is that the cpus
are tested in the rest of the pc that's appropriate (built) for each cpu.

in your case, i think you watch vids often, so compaare vid performance to prices
culled from wherever.

someone here already mentioned thst vid editing needs better pc, but if yu rarely
do such demandin tasks, it's probably not worth paying for best pc.

i've read mostly good about dell refurb.
check fatwallet, slickdeals.

spend les on the pc. use the money for external drive for backups.


(1 hand typing on **y keyboard>>typos)

 

[Unknown]

Leroy said to consider the HP Pavilion Elite. I am asking why.
My personal choice is Intel processors. (personal experience)

Hi Unknown and thanks but....you think the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-300z
series is no good??? Now I ask YOU: why??? ) Adela

Why????????

Consider a HP Pavilion Elite HPE-300z series with a AMD Athlon(TM) X4
635 quad-core processor [2.9GHz and 6GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM. Also, order
the optional 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5450 [DVI, HDMI, VGA adapter]

Ref:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...eries_name=HPE300z_series&a1=Category&v1=High
performance

On 9/3/2010 10:02 PM, Adela wrote:
Hello to all! Finally my over 10-1/2 year old Dell desktop's extreme
slowness has seriously gotten on my nerves and I'm now looking for a
new
one. (Surprisingly, it's working pretty well otherwise...)

Maybe this isn't the right forum? But beside the usual things like RAM
and
HD GBs, are there things I should be sure to have...or be careful NOT
to
have on a desktop? After n ot looking into computers for over a decade
I
feel like a Martian in the Earth. lol!

Also, is it possible to transfer to the new one ALL my stuff, including
programs, etc.? Do you think a dummy like me could do it???

Thanks so much for any suggestions! ) Adela

 

[Adela]

Oh thank you so very much for your generosity in explaining so thoroughly
the importance of a clock rate! So, when they describe a computer as "duaL
core" this is what would be okay for someone like me? I was told that I
should get the "cuad core" and so I was trying to get it with this 4-core
but they were higher priced. You say dual core is fine then? This will
simplify this part of my search! Thank you again!!! ) Adela

P.S. On a 2nd thought...did I understand correctly that my understanding,
above, applies to your last paragraph...? Or maybe when vendors say "dual
core" is different from what you explained? (So sorry for being such a
dummy!)

 

[Adela]

Hi...yes, I too hear a lot more good things about Intel than other
brands.... Adela

Leroy said to consider the HP Pavilion Elite. I am asking why.
My personal choice is Intel processors. (personal experience)

Hi Unknown and thanks but....you think the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-300z
series is no good??? Now I ask YOU: why??? ) Adela

Why????????
Consider a HP Pavilion Elite HPE-300z series with a AMD Athlon(TM) X4
635 quad-core processor [2.9GHz and 6GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM. Also,
order the optional 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5450 [DVI, HDMI, VGA adapter]

Ref:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...eries_name=HPE300z_series&a1=Category&v1=High
performance

On 9/3/2010 10:02 PM, Adela wrote:
Hello to all! Finally my over 10-1/2 year old Dell desktop's extreme
slowness has seriously gotten on my nerves and I'm now looking for a
new
one. (Surprisingly, it's working pretty well otherwise...)

Maybe this isn't the right forum? But beside the usual things like
RAM and
HD GBs, are there things I should be sure to have...or be careful NOT
to
have on a desktop? After n ot looking into computers for over a
decade I
feel like a Martian in the Earth. lol!

Also, is it possible to transfer to the new one ALL my stuff,
including
programs, etc.? Do you think a dummy like me could do it???

Thanks so much for any suggestions! ) Adela

 

[Adela]

Hi again and thank you Paul for clarifying even more about the nilly greety
in finding the right workings of a computer! Since I don't do games or edit
videos or movies or any of that higher type of activity, I will look into
the link you gave me and hopefully I'll find an appropriate computer.

I'm using a Core2 Dual Core at 3GHz for my desktop here, but
I don't think this will be fast enough ten years from now.

Paul, would you then say I should get a cuad core instead of the dual core
if I want it to last ten years from now?

All of your wonderful advice to me in getting the right machine will help a
lot as I gathered all the info and am going to start looking armed with this
great arsenal fo info!

THANK YOU ALL! ) Adela

 

[Adela]

Thank you very much Leroy! I'll look into it. ) Adela

Consider a HP Pavilion Elite HPE-300z series with a AMD Athlon(TM) X4 635
quad-core processor [2.9GHz and 6GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM. Also, order the
optional 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5450 [DVI, HDMI, VGA adapter]

Ref:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...eries_name=HPE300z_series&a1=Category&v1=High
performance

Hello to all! Finally my over 10-1/2 year old Dell desktop's extreme
slowness has seriously gotten on my nerves and I'm now looking for a new
one. (Surprisingly, it's working pretty well otherwise...)

Maybe this isn't the right forum? But beside the usual things like RAM
and
HD GBs, are there things I should be sure to have...or be careful NOT to
have on a desktop? After n ot looking into computers for over a decade I
feel like a Martian in the Earth. lol!

Also, is it possible to transfer to the new one ALL my stuff, including
programs, etc.? Do you think a dummy like me could do it???

Thanks so much for any suggestions! ) Adela

 

[Adela]

Thank you 8os!

try reinstalling xp (have sp3 and your defense apps predownloaded)
10.5 year old 400mhz xp pc *might* be a little slow (espec if celeron),
even with
512+ mb ram(all that xp needs). 8 year old 1+ghz p3 should be good. the
point is
that you don't need much to run xp, but ms drops xp support 2014.
if you expec to upgrade windows 8 years from now (i'm guessing that's when
win7
support "dies"), then the new pc should support guesstimate 8 gb ram.

About 2 or 3 months ago I upgraded from IE6 to IE8 and from SP2 to SP3. I
do know about WinXP support ending in 2014...(Just when one gets used to one
method and learns what makes it tick...in comes an urgent warningn to
upgrade!) Yay!

If I'm still alive by 2018...then yes I'd like to upgrade it now so as not
to have to bother later. With that in mind, your advice to get GB instead
of MB makes sense, no? I notice many computers already come with 3 or 4GB
of RAM and 500MB and more for HD. Now for the rest of the innards of the
computer, I don't know what would be proper GBs or Mgz whatever. )

I will look into "tomshardware benchmarks" about the tested CPUs. I
don't do any editting of videos or movies, graphics, etc. so I guess a
middle of the road computer specs would be in order for someone like me?

i've read mostly good about dell refurb.
check fatwallet, slickdeals.
spend les on the pc. use the money for external drive for backups.

You are so right that I should get an external backup device, unless I can
use the CD burner for that, no? 'Good idea, I'll also try Dell's
refurbished. should I look into this at Dell's? Or at FatWallet?

Thanks again so very much!!! ) Adela

 

[Paul]

Oh thank you so very much for your generosity in explaining so thoroughly
the importance of a clock rate! So, when they describe a computer as "duaL
core" this is what would be okay for someone like me? I was told that I
should get the "cuad core" and so I was trying to get it with this 4-core
but they were higher priced. You say dual core is fine then? This will
simplify this part of my search! Thank you again!!! ) Adela

P.S. On a 2nd thought...did I understand correctly that my understanding,
above, applies to your last paragraph...? Or maybe when vendors say "dual
core" is different from what you explained? (So sorry for being such a
dummy!)

2 cores (dual cores) is sufficient for web surfing, email, and light
computing today. If you're on a tight budget, a dual core is plenty.

If you want the machine to last ten years, I recommend getting the
4 core machine, as *eventually* more software will use the extra
cores. I cannot predict, or give you a date, when the majority of
software will be multi-threaded. That may never happen completely.
I gave an example, where Microsoft Excel has been changed to be
multi-threaded, but you need to buy a fairly recent version of
Excel, to get that feature. So the software is being upgraded,
but it is happening slowly.

If you don't care about the future at all, you can buy the dual core
machine today, and when it becomes too slow, buy a new computer
at that time.

The reason I have a dual core, is I upgrade computers fairly frequently,
so I have no plan to keep the current configuration for ten years. The
last processor setup lasted about a year, before I changed it again.
(I've had seven or eight different motherboards in the last ten years.)

If I was to become a professional video editor tomorrow, I'd upgrade
with a processor having more cores, to speed up the job. But right now,
the dual core I've got is sufficient.

On my machine here, the part that makes it slow, is the hard drive.
Some day, I'll be buying a SSD flash drive, as a replacement for
my hard drive, and that will make the machine faster than it is now.
This is an example of what you can use for your boot drive. It takes
a lot of research, to find a good one of these. Reading the customer
reviews for the product, is important.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233131

You can find smaller ones of those, like this 40GB one, but for
Windows 7, that might be too small in storage capacity to be practical.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233130

Paul

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Thanks very much Yousuf, but I learned that ALL new computers come with
Windows 7 withh very few exceptions... ) Adela

Well, sure, that's of course right. But you can downgrade to XP on your
own if you like, unless you've accepted your situation and you're
willing to learn something new with Win 7. I don't mind Windows 7, and
I've come to learn some great features about it, but I do know there are
a lot of people who are having a tough time with relearning the interface.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Yousuf Khan]

My sentiments exactly. It's all such a jungle of specs without the proper
explanations! One needs to take a university course to know how to buy a
computer these days!!!<:-((((( Adela

These days pretty much any computer will do for just about anybody. It's
like with cars, no one really needs more than a 4-cylinder econobox, but
it's upto you if you want to go for a bit more.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Paul]

Well, sure, that's of course right. But you can downgrade to XP on your
own if you like, unless you've accepted your situation and you're
willing to learn something new with Win 7. I don't mind Windows 7, and
I've come to learn some great features about it, but I do know there are
a lot of people who are having a tough time with relearning the interface.

Yousuf Khan

This HP workstation (Z200) offers "downgrade rights" to WinXP. But when
I tried configuring it, it was pretty expensive for what you get (even if you
reduce it to using integrated graphics).

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF04a/12454-12454-296719-307907-4270226.html

And I wouldn't buy the SFF version of that thing, because it is too hard
to upgrade later. I'd get the mid-tower instead.

It's expensive enough, to be like "buying Apple".

Paul

 

[Daave]

Hello to all! Finally my over 10-1/2 year old Dell desktop's extreme
slowness has seriously gotten on my nerves and I'm now looking for a
new one. (Surprisingly, it's working pretty well otherwise...)

Maybe this isn't the right forum? But beside the usual things like
RAM and HD GBs, are there things I should be sure to have...or be
careful NOT to have on a desktop? After n ot looking into computers
for over a decade I feel like a Martian in the Earth. lol!

Also, is it possible to transfer to the new one ALL my stuff,
including programs, etc.? Do you think a dummy like me could do
it???
Thanks so much for any suggestions! ) Adela

Your current PC is too old to have been shipped with XP. It must have
had either Windows 98SE or Windows Millenium, and then you must have
upgraded it to XP at some point. That was quite possibly a big mistake
since XP needs more horsepower (i.e., a faster processor and almost
certainly more RAM) to properly function. You must have been living with
a slow slug for quite a long time!

As long as you will be using the new PC for ordinary Web surfing,
e-mails, and video viewing, virtually *any* modern PC (certain netbooks
might be the exception, though) with Windows 7 will be more than
adequate.

Warning: If the new PC comes with a 30-day free trial of McAfee,
uninstall it post haste! And then install something like Avira AntiVir.
McAfee is notorious for hogging resources and thus crippling
performance.

Programs will need to be reinstalled (and I'm not sure how many of the
old ones will be able to be run on the new Windows 7 OS). Data can be
copied, however. I would recommend purchasing an external hard drive if
you do not already have one.

You can opt for the more expensive Windows 7 Professional in order to
have the option to switch on demand to run in virtual XP mode. This way,
you can install programs that will only run on XP.

If you are not a sophisticated PC user, you might want to hire a tech to
set this up for you. This includes transferring all your data and
installing all the programs you want to use.

 

[Daave]

Your current PC is too old to have been shipped with XP. It must have
had either Windows 98SE or Windows Millenium, and then you must have
upgraded it to XP at some point. That was quite possibly a big mistake
since XP needs more horsepower (i.e., a faster processor and almost
certainly more RAM) to properly function. You must have been living
with a slow slug for quite a long time!

As long as you will be using the new PC for ordinary Web surfing,
e-mails, and video viewing, virtually *any* modern PC (certain
netbooks might be the exception, though) with Windows 7 will be more
than adequate.

Warning: If the new PC comes with a 30-day free trial of McAfee,
uninstall it post haste! And then install something like Avira
AntiVir. McAfee is notorious for hogging resources and thus crippling
performance.

Programs will need to be reinstalled (and I'm not sure how many of the
old ones will be able to be run on the new Windows 7 OS). Data can be
copied, however. I would recommend purchasing an external hard drive
if you do not already have one.

You can opt for the more expensive Windows 7 Professional in order to
have the option to switch on demand to run in virtual XP mode. This
way, you can install programs that will only run on XP.

If you are not a sophisticated PC user, you might want to hire a tech
to set this up for you. This includes transferring all your data and
installing all the programs you want to use.

BTW, here's the page on Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/

 

[tommyold]

Hello to all! Finally my over 10-1/2 year old Dell desktop's extreme
slowness has seriously gotten on my nerves and I'm now looking for a new
one. (Surprisingly, it's working pretty well otherwise...)

Maybe this isn't the right forum? But beside the usual things like RAM and
HD GBs, are there things I should be sure to have...or be careful NOT to
have on a desktop? After n ot looking into computers for over a decade I
feel like a Martian in the Earth. lol!

Also, is it possible to transfer to the new one ALL my stuff, including
programs, etc.? Do you think a dummy like me could do it???

Thanks so much for any suggestions! ) Adela

Hi: I would consider waiting until the new year.
The newer units should have USB3, BluRay drives, better on board video
for HD and better priced large LCD monitors.
There may be some holiday specials, good units at a good price.
Hope you find something that works for you at a reasonable price.

tommyold

 

[Cheng Heng]

Hi: I would consider waiting until the new year.

By that time Intel and AMD would bring out new processors and
other gadgets and you will need to wait another 6 months to get
better value for these new gadgets!

If you need a new system, go and buy it now; It is silly to wait
until next year when VAT is going up in the UK and most probably
USA might be in double-dip recession and some of you piggies may
not have a job to go to.
Buy now and enjoy before you die or blown up by a muslim terrorist
wanting a new mosque at ground zero.

 

[Adela]

Hi Yousuf, I suppose I could have the cake and eat it too by keeping both,
my present WinXP and Win7? After all I'll have plenty of power in my new
computer, no? Adela

 

[Adela]

LOL! Well said! Adela

These days pretty much any computer will do for just about anybody. It's
like with cars, no one really needs more than a 4-cylinder econobox, but
it's upto you if you want to go for a bit more.

Yousuf Khan

 

[mm]

By that time Intel and AMD would bring out new processors and
other gadgets and you will need to wait another 6 months to get
better value for these new gadgets!

If you need a new system, go and buy it now; It is silly to wait
until next year when VAT is going up in the UK and most probably
USA might be in double-dip recession and some of you piggies may
not have a job to go to.

They could maybe save the money they would have spent now and spend
the same money later.

If they really won't have a job then, they should not buy a computer
now either.

 

[HeyBub]

Hello to all! Finally my over 10-1/2 year old Dell desktop's extreme
slowness has seriously gotten on my nerves and I'm now looking for a
new one. (Surprisingly, it's working pretty well otherwise...)

Maybe this isn't the right forum? But beside the usual things like
RAM and HD GBs, are there things I should be sure to have...or be
careful NOT to have on a desktop? After n ot looking into computers
for over a decade I feel like a Martian in the Earth. lol!

Also, is it possible to transfer to the new one ALL my stuff,
including programs, etc.? Do you think a dummy like me could do
it???
Thanks so much for any suggestions! ) Adela

As to question #1, you can find used computers in two places not mentioned:
Goodwill Industries Computer Store (if they have one in your town) and
Craigslist.

It is almost a trivial task to clone your existing hard drive to the drive
in the new machine. Most hard-drive manufacturers provide a free bit of
software to move everything from a smaller drive to their larger, new,
drive. You need only visit the new hard drive's web-site (Fijutsu, Seagate,
Western Digital, etc.)

This latter option will, of course, wipe out anything on the new (used)
machine.

And, lastly, do you have access to a twelve-year old male?

 

[Leythos]

Hello to all! Finally my over 10-1/2 year old Dell desktop's extreme
slowness has seriously gotten on my nerves and I'm now looking for a new
one. (Surprisingly, it's working pretty well otherwise...)

Maybe this isn't the right forum? But beside the usual things like RAM and
HD GBs, are there things I should be sure to have...or be careful NOT to
have on a desktop? After n ot looking into computers for over a decade I
feel like a Martian in the Earth. lol!

Also, is it possible to transfer to the new one ALL my stuff, including
programs, etc.? Do you think a dummy like me could do it???

Thanks so much for any suggestions! ) Adela

Buy an Intel i5 series CPU, 4GB RAM, and a dedicated video card with at
least 512MB of Dedicated memory, as large a drive as you can afford,
some form of DVD read/write drive, a case with at least 4 USB ports, a
quality keyboard/mouse and good LCD screen, and then Windows 7 in the
version that works for you. Once you have all of that, install Avira
Antivirus Personal (FREE) and enjoy the computer.

Depending on how old your programs are, they may not install properly or
may not be fully supported on the new Windows 7 platform - but you
should get a Win 7 64 Bit operating system with a machine that also
supports 64 bit. Anything lesee and you're wasting your long term money.