Windows 7 What Would Be A Better Desktop?

[Soulja Pixii]

Hey Guys. I'm looking at buying a desktop and I've been looking around and I found these on eBay and I want to have your guys opinions on these.

For $549 dollars ($46.70 postage, not sure if I can pickup) I can get:

• CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 2.66GHz
• Motherboard - Intel G41 Chipset Motherboard
• Memory - 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz
• Hard disk - 500GB 3.5" SATAII HDD
• DVD burner - 22X CD/DVD Dual Layer Burner
• Sound - Onboard 5.1 CH HD Audio High Definition Audio
• Graphics - Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 (Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator X4500, Max. shared memory 1759MB. and is that the video memory? or does the max mean something)
• Network - Onboard Realtek PCIE x1 LAN (Supports Wake-On-LAN, whats that?)
• Case - Front USB x 2 / HD Audio & Mic / 550W PSU

And for $639 (FREE postage) I can get:

• CPU - Intel Core I5 650 Duo 3.2G, 4MB cache(Max Turbo Boost to 3.46Ghz! Fastest 2.50 GT/s Intel® QPI)
• Motherboard - Intel H55 Chipset
• Memory - 2GB DDR3 1333Mhz
• HDD - 3.5" 500GB 7200rpm SATAII HDD
• Disc Drive - 22X CD/DVD Dual Layer Burner
• Sound - Onboard 8 CH HD Audio
• Graphics - Built-in HDMI + DVI + VGA outputs
• Networks - Onboard Realtek PCIE x1 LAN
• Case - Same Case

 

[Digerati]

Well, it is certainly wrong to make a blanket statement that AMDs consume less power and produce less heat. Intel was greatly embarrassed when AMD caught them sitting on their laurels and leap-frogged them years ago. And they were embarrassed even more when it took over a decade to catch up. But as Highwayman correctly pointed out, that all changed with the Core 2 Duos when Intel not only leap frogged past AMD, but kept on increasing their lead with even better products. When looking at the entire line of CPUs from both makers, with very few exceptions, Intel excels handedly. Intel has vowed to never be spanked or embarrassed again and they have continued to demonstrate they mean it, and, unfortunately for AMD they have the deep pockets to make it happen.

That said, AMD does, and always has made excellent CPUs and they continue to make a fine foundation for a solid computer at a competitive price. But price is really AMDs only serious selling point, and Intel continues to put pressure there too by dropping prices regularly. Yes, AMDs should be considered, especially if there is little wiggle room in the budget. But it is important to remember that saving $50 to $100 during the build dwindles in significance when stretched over the 4, 5, 6 or more years of the life of the computer.

Since the release of the Core2s, I use Intels exclusively in my builds but make no mistake, I want AMD to survive and to keep nipping at the heels of Intel. That does nothing but to drive advances in the state-of-the-art and keep prices in check and that's a solid win for all consumers.

I would say this to the diehards who have been AMD fans for the last 10 to 15 years, "consider Intels, they make good CPUs too."

 

[Soulja Pixii]

yeh well i still think this is a very good deal. I didn't know i could get a computer even close to this for this price. If any of you have any better suggestions i am up for them.

Thankyou for all your help,

 

[OldTimer]

There are some great deals out there to be had.
I get a daily flyer from Tiger Direct and earlier this week I got an ad for a basic system for just $299.99, with an MSI mobo, AMD Quad Core CPU, 4 gig of ram, HD and CD.
They also offered Windows 7 OS for $99.

Add a keyboard, mouse and monitor to that and you can have a good system for under $500. But, you do have to shop around.

Cheers!

 

[Digerati]

There are some really good deals. I get daily fliers NewEgg and Link Removed and some times they have prices on things I just can't pass up. Depending on what country you live in, there are probably some good retailers you can use too.

Do be careful with some of the bundle deals however. They may, for example, toss in a cheap, generic power supply which would best be used as a paper weight instead of powering your sensitive digital electronics holding all your hard to replace data.

 

[Soulja Pixii]

Intel
having a look at that and I'm not sure if it supports 64-bit. Because I use the 64bit only Adobe products. Also is that the best price for 8GB DDR3 1033MHz ram you can get because I might get that later if I can even get the SAME price somewhere else

 

[Highwayman]

Intel
having a look at that and I'm not sure if it supports 64-bit. Because I use the 64bit only Adobe products. Also is that the best price for 8GB DDR3 1033MHz ram you can get because I might get that later if I can even get the SAME price somewhere else

It's 64bit, as for the ram well I just bought two more DDR3 1333 2gb sticks for £55 (GSkill RipJaws) on Ebay so shop about, currently running at 1033 perfectly well with my Kingston 1600 HyperX sticks, although if you want a 2 stick solution rather than 4 then you tend to pay an extra premium.

 

[Digerati]

having a look at that and I'm not sure if it supports 64-bit.

Huh? Did you happen to notice where it says,

Instruction Set 64-bit