Totally confused!!!!!!

[Bomba]

I need to buy a new computer. When I go to sites that are selling them, I see so many different options that I don't even understand. I am wondering if any of you wonderful people can tell me what I should be looking for. I am not a gamer but do like to play around with graphics. I know that I need a good processor and graphics card. I know that I need lots of RAM and am looking at least 2G with a 200G HD at minimum but beyond that, I am lost. I see dual core processors and quad core processors and on some of there isn't much difference in price.

Any help would be appreciated. I am disabled and need to get the most bang for my buck since bucks are in short supply. My current PC is almost 5 years old and can hardly keep up with the INTERNET. I need to replace mine very quickly.

[caperjack]

all ican say is if you are getting a computer with windows vista ,get 4 gig ram ,and dual core is first generation[old school] amd and intel cpu's
and core 2 duo is second generation [latest cpu's ]intel cpu.
and i do believe that,64 x2 dual core is amd's latest .

[DimaYasny]

it really depends on how much you are willing to spend

[The New Normal]

I'd go for a Core2Duo from Intel, they have a good price/performance ratio. As for 2 core or 4 core, it's really up to you. Personally I'm getting a Q6600 (4 cores), but the E6600 (2 cores) is also very good. Both of these are being superseded by new chips as we speak, but I'm still getting one. Quad is for the future, no real benefit right now.

For graphics I'd be looking at Nvidia, probably a 512MB 8800GT, they're the price/performance king at the moment. One with a big cooler would be good if you can find it, as they run fairly hot. The new 512MB 8800GTS is even better, but probably not worth the extra cash if you're not gaming much. (Watch out, the 320MB and 640MB 8800GTS as both are well behind the newer 512MB 8800GTS)

As caperjack says, 4GB ram for Vista seems to be the advice right now.

Personally I'm getting an Nvidia motherboard (a 780i), but a level headed person would probably go for an Intel chipset board. The P35s get good reviews and are quite cheap.

If you're buying bits and pieces, make sure you get a power supply that can handle your stuff (a quality 550W PSU is usually enough, but I'm a big fan of having a PSU that's overkill).

[Bomba]

This is what I bought. I am not ready to fight with Vista yet. LOL I want to learn Linux.

* CAS: Raidmax Sagitta II Mid-Tower 420W Gaming Case w/ Side-Panel Window
* CS_FAN: Extra Case Cooling Fan [+3] (1 x Fan)
* CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6550 CPU @ 2.33GHz 1333FSB 4MB L2 Cache 64-bit
* CD: 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER
* FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer
* FREEBIE_CU: FREE Game! Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
* FAN: INTEL LGA775 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
* FLOPPY: 1.44 MB FLOPPY DRIVE
* HDD: Single Hard Drive (320GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
* KEYBOARD: PS2 MULTIMEDIA INTERNET CONTROL KEYBOARD
* MONITOR: ViewSonic Q9B 19" COLOR TFT Active Matrix SXGA LCD Display 1280x1028
* MOTHERBOARD: Asus P5N-E nForce 650i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
* MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory
* NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
* PRO_WIRING: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU
* SOFT: Microsoft® Works v8.5
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS 24/7 LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* SOUND: 3D WAVE ON-BOARD 5.1 SOUND CARD
* SPEAKERS: Logitech S100 2.0 Stereo Speaker Set
* USB: Add External USB 2.0 Hub (4x USB 2.0 Ports)
* VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT 512MB 16X PCI Express (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)

[caperjack]

I want to learn Linux!!!!
good way to play with Linux is to get a live cd copy ,like Knoppix ,no need to load to try ,just boots from the cd.
http://www.knoppix.net/

[The New Normal]

A good choice Bomba ;) should look good while running smoothly and quietly.

Yeah, I'm not into Vista yet either, although Linux frustrated me last time I tried it (I'm sticking with XP for the immediate future)

[caperjack]

I build/refurbish and sell used computers ,I have put Linux on a a few of these machines to just play with ,i've been using windows since 1996/win 3.11, and i just cant get use to Linux as my main computer ,too much user input needed to do things just beyond the basics for me .
But use the Knoppix live cd to trouble shoot computer I work on . ,good for that .you can get into the computers hard drive to delete or copy needed file from a usb thumb drive with it !

[Bomba]

Thanks guys. It should be here sometime next week. I am going to play with several linux distros on this computer so that I don't mess the new one up right away.