Yet another annoying "what system shoud I get?" post

H

heavyharmonies

n00b
Joined
Jun 16, 2004
Messages
50
So I want to buy a new system. Big difference between me and most others here is that I don't want to mess with building one myself. I built a dual-Athlon rig 2 years ago, and while it was an educational experience, it was more of a pain in the a$$ than I wish to endure again, not to mention that right now I simply don't have the time.

Current system:

Dell Dimension 4550
2.8 Ghz P4
768MB RAM
HD1 (OS): 40GB 7200 RPM IDE
HD2 (Data): 120GB 7200 RPM IDE
Lite-On 52x CDRW
Panasonic LFD-511 DVD-RAM/DVD-R
NEC DVD+R (external)

OS: XP Pro

Apps/tasks: Photoshop (lots of scanning/image editing)
Lame (MP3 encoding)
Some games, although not a major use

Biggest thing is that I like to have a lot of apps running simultaneously and switch between them (duallie system?)

Areas where I think I'd like to see improvement: HD subsystem - opening and saving data files, firing up apps; raw CPU power - MP3 encoding.

So for the non-builder, what's the best "bang for the buck for under $2K from Dell, Gateway, Compaq, HP, Alienware, Ebay, etc.?

Thanks in advance,

-Dan
 
I can't give you exact models, but I can give you a guide:
If you do multi-tasking, you can get a dual processor system, or you can get a P4HT, which basically turns the processor into two. This is perfect for multitasking (i've seen reviews where they play a game while encoding 100-odd mp3's with no loss of performance. Think at least 3.2Ghz should do the trick
RAM: at least 1024 MB, or 2048.
Good video card: Dell scrimps on these (think integrated video or budget cards), so look for a model that has at least a good video card.

Hope this rough guide helps. Post for more info.
 
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