ok.. my computer is like 6 years old, and it is a piece of junk. got adware, we always have to reinstall windows.. just.. no good compnents in it.. do i think i shood get a new one soon.. im hoping for Christmas.. my question is which kind do u recommend.. heres what i want:

Speed
Reliability
Support for the GFX Programs
Pentium 4

I know Dell is good, how about anything else?

umm buy an alien ware.
Those are always good.
Or learn to make your own.
Actually i would say go to your nearest Internet Cafe and ask to buy one of theirs that's what i did ( i live hawaii so i went to etopia ) and i bought one.

If you want a top-of-the-line computer, try Alienware or Falcon. Dell is good for the average user. Pentium 4? Did you know Dell is going to start using AMD processors? If you do build a computer, take AMD processors into consideration.

Thanks Kryogenix, I just might take AMD into consideration, what makes AMD good, I know they have good bus, and can be overclocked (i dont no how to) i can build my own i think.. did u build ur own kryogenix?

alienware. dats all u need

i dont need those gaming pcs lol.. its just me (photoshop, aim), my sis (likes aim somtimes), my mom(typing stuff). LOL.. plus, i just need somthin that can do aim, pshop, and word, i mean, alot of computers can, im not sayin i want the crapiest one in the world, but i need one that ...

1. dosnt need to be restarted all the time.. er that pisses me off to no end..
2. freezes..
3. screws up on aim..

mine now is:

celeron 500mhz
64 ram
20 gig hd
poor sound, gfx

Alienware are great computer but way too expensive for me even thought I want one. It cost more then a car.lmao

But if you a serious gamer, get a Alienware. If you just use it to surf,download and chat. Get a decent one.

how do you build a computer.. ?

Go to Fry's and ask the associates there.

I have a Sony Vaio, and its starting to suck now, so don't go for it.

For ever average user, Dell is a good choice, but just so you know, no matter how good the deal that you see on Dell, they're making extra money off of you, unless of course you're an insider or you read deals sites like me. Anyways, building a comp is probalby your best bet since you get to choose your own componets and you get to do all your own research and you can learn a lot. Plus you can get right in your target range for price, no need to worry about going over. AMD processors are good for gaming, Pentium 4 are good for office work and video processing, for what you're doing, you're doing, you won't notice a difference. When running windows XP you'll want a minimum of 256mb ram, 512 is recommended, I'd get at least an 80gb harddrive that way you don't have to worry about it for a while. You won't need very highend graphics for what you're doing, maybe integrated graphics or a budget card. I'd suggest either a geforce 5200 or ATI Radeon 9600XT depending on your price range. Integrated sound should be fine for what you do but if you decide you need a deticated sound card then maybe go for Creative Audigy 2 or w/e. Since you're doing photoshop, you'll want a CRT (the fat kind of monitor) since they're less expensive and they display colors much more accuratly than LCD's. Try to get at least a 2.1 surround sound speaker system though 5.1 would probably be better if you're going to be watching movies or something but only some motherboards support this integrated so you'll probably have to get a deticated sound card.

Thank you so much! ^^ That really helped me.

Yeah, if you want to get your ass ripped off. Don't get alienware. Their prices are outrageous for performance.

You don't need to know. Gangsta man.

Thank you all... LOL I still gotta wait and se.. Christmas is in what.. a month, 1/2. I'm just worried AMD won't give me the speed... I mean I'm planning on keeping my computer for 6 years.. So I guess maybe I should go with an Intel...

I have a Sony Vaio. Mine doesn't suck. It's pretty cool.

AMD will give you PLENTY of speed. But the way technology is advancing, it doesn't matter whether you choose AMD or Intel, they'll both be obsolete in 3-4 years you can forget about 6. Though since you have basic needs you don't really need to spend all that much, I'd suggest the following:

AMD 64 3000+ ClawHammer 1mb L2 Cache
512mb valueram
120gb Harddrive
Research for a motherboard
Antec 350watt or higher Powersupply
Any kind of case that will fit your motherboard
8x DVD+-RW Drive

That should last you for a while...OR the alternative is to get a Dell.

I might add that it is a common misconception that AMD processors are slower than Intel because of the clock speeds. Intel used this to their advantage for a while until they released the Pentium M and the Celeron M processors which have considerably lower clock speeds than Celeron and Pentium 4 processors but with roughly the same amount of punch as many of these "faster" processors. With only utalizing clock speed, they were cannibalizing their own sales. This is why they switched over to the new highly confusing numbering system. 715 for a 1.5ghz Pentium-M, 570 for i think 3.0 ghz P4 and then 3-- for their celeron series. The numbers don't make sense at all but whatever.

Actually, because I have time, I'll configure some systems right now:
All prices will be based on Newegg's prices cause I'm lazy.

AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - Retail $150.00
DFI "LANPARTY UT nF3 250Gb" NVIDIA nForce3 250GB Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL $109.00
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive, Black, Model ND-3500A BK, OEM $69.99
ASPIRE Turbo Case X-Dreamer Black Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "ATXB3KLW/350W" $46.99
Antec P4 ATX12V 400 Watt Power Supply With 2 Fans, Model "SL400" -RETAIL $43.50
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 - OEM $156.00
Rosewill ATI RADEON 9600XT Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "RW96XT-128D" -RETAIL $134.00
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0244" -OEM $57.00

Total Cost: $766.48 <--Does not include Shipping.

I'm not going to include the price for a Harddrive or operating system. Harddrive, OfficeMax is going to have a 200gb western Digital Harddrive for $50 after rebates on Black Friday (day after thanksgiving). RAM could also be had for cheaper and I'm not sure if the ram I have here is the fastest it can go, like matches with the FSB of the processor. Now this is far from top of the line, but it'll last you for a pretty long while. If you can pick up a 9800pro for under $200 then take that instead of the 9600XT, I don't know much about this Rosewell brand but it has good reviews on newegg. I'd configure a budget desktop but I'm busy now so I'll probalby do that tommorrow or something.

I might add this is merely for referance use. These prices can often be found cheaper elsewhere, do your research before purchasing anything. Make sure you are ready to build a computer and you know how to before attempting to build. Make sure you research to determine exactly what componantes you'll need for your computer.

AMD is good because it is cheaper (in some cases it's only has as much as pentium 4 processors). I have not built my own (my dad won't allow me ) but I have done computer building in school (dismantled and rebuilt several old pentium pros and helped build one AMD system).

yeah alienwares are great<- www.alienware.com. i would definelt recomend you to get one. or you could always buy your own computer parts and make a custom computer if you know how.

Umm AMD processors are much better than Pentium processors if you are poor. But Pentium Extreme processors are quite good...if you have the money. AMD can process more "thingies" than pentium, i forget the stuff already. I said it elsewhere.

It was like...more...clocks? i think ti was. Yes more clocks per second, pentium 4 is around 4-6 and amd is like 8 or 9. So, yes, AMD processors are typically better (plus they can be overclocked easily.)

Here's my budget-ish config:

AMD Athlon XP 2600+ "Barton", 333MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail $108.00
PCCHIPS "M863G V1.5" SiS741GX Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL $29.75
Samsung Beige 52X32X52X16 DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive, Model TS-H492A/WBEH, OEM $36.50
PDP SYSTEMS 184-Pin 512MB PC-2700, Model PSD512333 - Retail $68.00
ANTEC Solution Series Beige Mini Tower Case with 300W Power Supply, Model "SLK1600" -RETAIL $48.50
Rosewill nVIDIA GeForce FX5200 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 64-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "RW5200-128D3" -RETAIL $49.00

Total Cost: $339.75 Not including Shipping

As before I do not include the price of Operating System and Harddrive. You'll see that I chose an AMD Athlon XP rather than a Sempron because the XP have a larger L2 Cache and are faster than their Sempron counterparts. Because the motherboard's graphics probably would have been crap I chose a budget graphics card that supports Direct X, because it has a fan, you should be able to overclock it without much problem. The motherboard had some good reviews and was also cheap though expandability may be an issue. I chose an Antec case w/ PSU because Antec PSU's are reliable and it is pretty cheap for both a PSU and a case. I consider 512mb ram a must because it is so vital for running programs and it is one of the cheapest upgrades you can make to improve the performance of your computer. I originally had a 16x DVD+-RW drive but removed it to safe some cost and also because it was black which wouldn't match with a beige case.

Thanks that very cheap... like I said I'm hoping for Christmas, which kind of is bad... unless I went out to get the parts and my dad paid for them. Because, my dad might just but one.

By the way, how do you overclock something?

That depends on what it is, for graphics cards you can use Riva Tuner which supports most graphics cards and you can Softmod your graphics card which just tinkers with the drivers of your graphics card and makes it run at higher gore and Memory speeds. For your CPU you need to access bios. Not all Motherboard's Bios support overclocking so you'll have to do some research. You can raise both the multiplier and the FSB to the disired value but you also need to raise the voltage adding heat. The clock speed of your processor is determined by the multiplier and FSB (front side bus) so say a pentium 4 3.0ghz processor w/ 800mhz fsb is something like 200fsb*15mulitplier, not sure but I do know that Intel Quad-Pumps their FSB so the 800mhz is actually only like 200mhz.

Woah.. you know a lot about computers LOL.

Yea, I posted this in your other thread, but I'll post it here too.

Well if you want to stay in your current price range and don't want a hassle, you could go with Dell. Currently they have:

I might also add that this is Dell Small Business. You should have no problem ordering from them even if you don't have a Business, just use your name as the company name or something.

Dimension 3000

SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Dimension 3000 Qty 1
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor (2.80GHz, 533 FSB),
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Unit Price $828.00

Save $190 on select Dimension™ 3000 P4 desktops through Dell Small Business.


Processor Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor (2.80GHz, 533 FSB)
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Memory 256MB DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
Keyboard Dell Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard
Monitors SAVE $150! 17 in E173FP Flat Panel Display
Video Card Integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics 2
Hard Drive 80GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
Floppy Drive and Memory Keys 3.5 in Floppy Drive
Mouse Dell Optical USB Mouse
Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Modem 56K PCI Telephony Modem 56KWS
CD or DVD Drives -- Read, Write and Store Data Single Drive: 48x CD-RW Drive
Sound Card Integrated Audio
Speakers No Speaker Option
Productivity Software Pre-Installed
WordPerfect®, Powerful Word Processing
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options Discounted 2 Yr Basic Plan
Internet Access Services 6 Months
Mail-In Rebate $150 Mail In Rebate

ACCESSORIES
FREE Dell 720 Color Printer 1 yr AE Service $0.00

TOTAL: $638.00 - $150MIR

This turns out to be $488.00 After rebates w/ 17" LCD and a free printer. Great budget PC, but it doesn't come with an AGP slot so graphic card upgrades won't come as easily. I'd pop in 256mb of ram to boost it to 512mb. You would need pc 2700 ddr ram. For graphics card upgrades you could go for a PCI version of the geforce 5700le or maybe a Radeon 9200 or something. Those should run under $100 and you could probalby get them off ebay for pretty cheap. Plus it comes with an operating system. I would suggest reinstalling windows the moment you get it out of the box because all the crap they put on there slows it down considerablly.


Linkified for your convinence

I might add that this is not necessarily the best price you could get, but it is a very good price for if you need a computer now, and it fits all of your needs.

wow im in the same situation.. im wanting a dell for xmas.. mainly because they are cheap in price wise.. and i heard they are good..

get alienware. its the best if you're one of those gaming nerds. lyk meeh.