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Hello everyone! Newbie here. Not a total newb to computers though, been using them since I was 6 on an Atari 400. Anyways, I'm buying a new system to replace my outdated one. Looking at getting a HP m7650n, Duo Core 6300, 2gig DDR2 4200, 320gigHD, tv tuner, etc. Seems like a pretty strong system with most of what I'm looking for. Will be used as my main PC for home theater, gaming, music, pictures, vid editing, all sorts of stuff. I'm new to alot of the specifics of computers these days so I have a bunch of general questions. Please bear with me and any help would be awesome!
The rest of my home theater includes a Sony SXRD 55" 1080p HDTV (VGA and HDMI inputs) and a Kenwood 5.1 digital receiver (optical, coax, and 5.1 separate channel inputs).
1) I know the vid card in this system is its weakest link. What would be a good, reasonably priced upgrade to handle new 3d games? I plan to add a HD or BluRay player one day so something compatible for HD vid would be good, or something cheap enough where I won't cry when I replace it with a HD compatible one in 6 months.
2) The TV recommends using the VGA input for PC's, and not the HDMI inputs. I know I could do a DVI to HDMI conversion since most vid cards are DVI, or just use the VGA. Are vid cards going to start having HDMI outputs? Would it be ok to use the HDMI to HDMI even though the manual says not to use the HDMI for a pc input? If I have to use VGA, would it produce a good picture for HD DVD's in the future, is it even possible to use the VGA to play HD DVD's?
3) Seems like most sound cards do not have an optical digital output. Does anyone know if these cables made by Soundblaster (http://www.soundblaster.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=16&product=14309) are any good. Its a cable to connect the separate 3.5mm jacks on the sound cards to the 5.1/7.1 channel RCA jacks on my reciever. From what I've always read, the 5.1/7.1 separate RCA jacks produce better sound than the optical since they're channel by channel. If this isn't a good option, should I look for a sound card with an optical out?
4) Should I expect any complications hooking this PC up straight to my TV, whether it be by VGA or by HDMI? The TV is a true 1080p. It rocks!
5) Lastly, the PC only has a couple of PCI slots. I'm sure one is used by the modem...which could probably come out since I have DSL and wireless network, and another is probably used by the TV tuner card. I know its supposed to have a PCI express slot for the vid card. I don't think the stock card uses this slot, but either way it could come out for a new vid card. I'm sure if I built a mid tower system I could get way more PCI slots, but other than the audio and video, would I really miss not having extra slots?
Thanks for any advice and suggestions! I've been trying to do alot of research on the upgradeability of this system and how to make it fit into my needs and current setup without spending too much cash.
The rest of my home theater includes a Sony SXRD 55" 1080p HDTV (VGA and HDMI inputs) and a Kenwood 5.1 digital receiver (optical, coax, and 5.1 separate channel inputs).
1) I know the vid card in this system is its weakest link. What would be a good, reasonably priced upgrade to handle new 3d games? I plan to add a HD or BluRay player one day so something compatible for HD vid would be good, or something cheap enough where I won't cry when I replace it with a HD compatible one in 6 months.
2) The TV recommends using the VGA input for PC's, and not the HDMI inputs. I know I could do a DVI to HDMI conversion since most vid cards are DVI, or just use the VGA. Are vid cards going to start having HDMI outputs? Would it be ok to use the HDMI to HDMI even though the manual says not to use the HDMI for a pc input? If I have to use VGA, would it produce a good picture for HD DVD's in the future, is it even possible to use the VGA to play HD DVD's?
3) Seems like most sound cards do not have an optical digital output. Does anyone know if these cables made by Soundblaster (http://www.soundblaster.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=16&product=14309) are any good. Its a cable to connect the separate 3.5mm jacks on the sound cards to the 5.1/7.1 channel RCA jacks on my reciever. From what I've always read, the 5.1/7.1 separate RCA jacks produce better sound than the optical since they're channel by channel. If this isn't a good option, should I look for a sound card with an optical out?
4) Should I expect any complications hooking this PC up straight to my TV, whether it be by VGA or by HDMI? The TV is a true 1080p. It rocks!
5) Lastly, the PC only has a couple of PCI slots. I'm sure one is used by the modem...which could probably come out since I have DSL and wireless network, and another is probably used by the TV tuner card. I know its supposed to have a PCI express slot for the vid card. I don't think the stock card uses this slot, but either way it could come out for a new vid card. I'm sure if I built a mid tower system I could get way more PCI slots, but other than the audio and video, would I really miss not having extra slots?
Thanks for any advice and suggestions! I've been trying to do alot of research on the upgradeability of this system and how to make it fit into my needs and current setup without spending too much cash.