Buddha Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 My home computer is getting up there in age (5 years old) and I'm thinking of buying a new one. For those of you in the know on the latest hardware and software, when will be the best time to shoot for one? I don't want to spend the money only to learn that a powerful new processor is about to come out, or that Microsoft is looking at rolling out a new consumer OS that would be a major upgrade over XP. I want to buy a loaded machine that will last me at least another 5 years. My most intensive use will be photo/video editing; I don't do much computer gaming anymore. So what advice can y'all offer me. Mac lovers need not answer. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Buy a Mac. But wait 6 months. I'm actually dead serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKurp Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 I don't think it's very realistic to think you can buy a computer that will last, unchanged or not upgraded, for 5 years without becoming obsolete. Your best bet is to buy non-proprietary hardware, and buy with the capability to upgrade your processors, memory, and disk space. For digital photo editing, you'll need USB ports. For video capturing, your best bet is Firewire (faster than USB), otherwise known as 1394 interface. That's not to say that a year or two from now new technology will not make those interfaces obsolete, or at least not as efficient. In terms of video capturing and editing, you'll never have enough hard disk space and never enough memory. It's imperative that you buy with the ability to increase capacity on both fronts as your budget allows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Why buy a MAC? Apple is going to the Intel chip set so, you'd be a fool to buy an Apple machine under the circumstances. I agree with Kurp here. If you are concerned about not having a machine get obsolete, you need not buy from Dell or Gateway or any other proprietary provider. You need to buy your own, piece by piece so as pieces do get passed by, you can simply go to CompUSA and buy what you need to keep the box running. Over years you'll probably swap out everything a dozen times. I know I have . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 They arent going intel. They are going to the IBM PPC 970 which will arrive in late summer, offering ridiculous speeds. It's been adapted from the IBM Power4 workstation class processor. He doesnt game, and he edits video and photos. He is perfectly suited for a Mac. Besides, most PCs are piles of sh!t, to put it politely, and OS X stomps XP. With a Mac he gets iMovie for free, and can step up to Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro progressively, if he so wishes. All of the network crews out in the field (Afghanistan and whatnot) go with Powerbooks. My friend who does post-production for network television has a Powerbook as his personal weapon of choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKurp Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 TCO, What interface does the Mac use (will use) to capture the video from the camera? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 All Macs have come with Firewire ports for several years now. They actually coined the term Firewire (Sony calls it iLink, some others refer to it by the IEE #). iMovie (free, comes with the comp) Final Cut Express (Cheaper version of FCP, most of the features stripped out are for filmwork, or so I've been told) Final Cut Pro The big kahuna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggoDrill Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Yes, if you're going to do primarily photos, videos, and/or audio ... get a Mac. They work correctly, with great AV apps, right out of the box. And OS X is extremely stable -- I have a G4 tower, and the OS has crashed exactly once in the year I've owned it. Also, as the CPU and OS are different, you don't have to worry about viruses and hacks all that much -- most are written for PC's. Also, Macs have just adopted FireWire 2 (800 Mbps), which blows the pants off of USB 2 (@450 Mbps) for video and external storage. You can always buy or build a PC that's theoretically faster, or with theoretically better component specs, but you had better REALLY enjoy troubleshooting PC's, or have a friend who's available to help you often. Otherwise, save yourself the headache. I should know .. I suffered through a P 200 at home for 5 years, and suffer daily with a P 500. My Mac is like a little oasis when I get home :laugh: If you want to get a decent Mac for a decent price, you can find good deals on used gear on the http://www.macnn.com forums. For new Mac machines, I would wait 6 months and see if the G5's come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Would you say the video-editing is a serious hobby or money-maker? If that's the case, spending thousand (a top of the line PC--no monitor) or so every few years (and I'd bet that'll come down too) should not present a problem but I got friends who do very professional-level work on a whole lot less using options available on their digital cameras, low-end PCs and booking time in editing shops or maintaining a relationship with a local college that offers the stuff (of course, their geeks, but so am I). The only issues I've ever really had were related to hard-drive (size/speed), the need to get more RAM (games and software I'd like to learn) and new storage techniques such as DVD (I like to be able to watch the movies I choose when I fly). For convience, I use tigerdirect.com (I also look at computers at Best Buy but that's because there's one I pass going anywhere) to get a price or see what things actually look like, figure out about how long I'm going to have to live with it until I need a serious upgrade (for me, usually 3-4 years) and figure out how much I'll need to save a month for my next computer (for instance, I recently bought a laptop that cost me about $1800.00, so I figure it costs about $50.00/month to support my habit not considering the various upgrades and new gee-whiz stuff it'll allow me to buy). BTW, I wouldn't recommend a Mac to my own worst enemy but that's because of my initial experiences with them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggoDrill Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Originally posted by TheChosenOne They arent going intel. They are going to the IBM PPC 970 which will arrive in late summer, offering ridiculous speeds. It's been adapted from the IBM Power4 workstation class processor. He doesnt game, and he edits video and photos. He is perfectly suited for a Mac. Besides, most PCs are piles of sh!t, to put it politely, and OS X stomps XP. With a Mac he gets iMovie for free, and can step up to Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro progressively, if he so wishes. All of the network crews out in the field (Afghanistan and whatnot) go with Powerbooks. My friend who does post-production for network television has a Powerbook as his personal weapon of choice. Not to mention that Star Wars episodes I and II were largely done on PowerBooks, that practically anyone who's serious about graphic design or web design uses Macs, or that Macs running Pro Tools dominate professional recording studios worldwide. The ONLY thing that PC's do better are a) Games and a handful of business app's. But why waste your time gaming on a PC, when you can just buy the latest Xbox or Playstation for $200?? And, if your two or three PC business apps are so precious to you, just buy Virtual PC and run them on the Mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaRock Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Ah geez..I come here to try to get away from firewire,intel,routers,lan and all the above..and here i am reading about computers.:geek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 I have a Mac at work and Windows at home... I like both, but if I had to eliminate one, it would be the Mac.. I bought a Gateway for home 2 years ago and my brother bought nearly the same one 2 months later. Both of ours have crashed with the same electrical problem... Gateway sucks. I have spent the last 4 months looking for a replacement and decided on a Sony Vaio. For the price I payed, it is totally loaded and expandable compared to my old Gateway and my dads custom built cpu. I paid 1400 for my old gate way a couple of years ago and it had Windows ME, 733 pentium III, 20 gig HD, 128 mb ram and the audio and video cards were just integrated with no hope of expansion. My new Sony was 900.00, Athlon 2400 processor (better for games), 80 gig HD, 512 MB ram, and the top of the line nForce video and audio card w/dolby 5.1 and more... I look at it this way, Sony has so much going for it, they can afford to sell their cpu's cheaper... My new Palm Pilot is a Sony and it is by far superior to my old one and other's I've seen. Sony rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 angrgy...buy what you need. write down the uses and expected uses for the next few years. then buy what meets the need. you can't worry about technology change - it is out of your control. macs are nice but overpriced. also....don't be led astray by the various capability claims: a fast as hell cpu is nice, unless it is attached to a 56k modem or 128Megs of Ram, or a 33mz bus.... do some requirements thinking.....a budget cap......and then get back to us for recs!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddha Posted January 31, 2003 Author Share Posted January 31, 2003 I am moderately experienced with computers. I'm comfortable adding peripherals and software, replacing cards, etc. The thing is I want a computer that comes pretty well stocked so I won't have to crack the case open but 1-2 times a year if that. I don't want to have to go buy parts as I need them and have to spend hours trying to figure out driver conflicts and other buggies that sometimes crop up. I also want the comfort of a corporate warranty so when I have a problem, it becomes someone else's problem. Dell has been great with that on my current desktop and laptop I used to own. So here's what I'm shooting for, hoping that nothing "new and advanced" comes out within 6-9 months of my purchase-- * Best available processor for a home computer, but I want to wait if something will be coming out that represents huge advancements in speed/technology. * Sufficient RAM to handle business apps and photo/video editing (I do the latter just as a hobby). I don't want to pay too much for RAM I don't need. * The biggest hard drive on the market (200MB?) * The best video card available for photo/video editing, not necessarily for gaming. * Good sound, not necessarily THX certified. Won't be watching movies on it. * 17" flat panel monitor. * Firewire, USB ports, and available space inside for expansion. * Dual DVD burners, unless it is better to get one and add another one as they improve. My dislike for Macs is just a personal taste thing. I'm sure they make fine computers. I know a powerbook does a great job propping up a short table leg. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Check out http://www.sonystyle.com Sony's cpu's are geared towards multimedia and are very reliable. They offer up to a 3year warranty, but you pay for it of course. The video card, the nForce, is great for video etc.... I work with a lot of cpu's, but I'm not an expert, I just know what I like and what I don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 I have a PC right now and willl get another one in april however comma the idea that Sony plans on using Technology from the upcoming PS3 in it peripherals and Sony computers in 2k5 is interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 I have to emphatically agree with Code here: NEVER BUY A GATEWAY!!!! THEY SUCK! And if MS is coming out with a new operating system, don't buy it the first year anyway, or you'll spend a lot of time swearing at Bill gates for shipping off his products before getting any of the bugs worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 Originally posted by riggo-toni I have to emphatically agree with Code here: NEVER BUY A GATEWAY!!!! THEY SUCK! And if MS is coming out with a new operating system, don't buy it the first year anyway, or you'll spend a lot of time swearing at Bill gates for shipping off his products before getting any of the bugs worked out. I have to jump on board to return the support here too Riggo.... You DO NOT want to buy any new Microsoft operating system in the first year..... They always have so many bugs it's ridiculous.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKurp Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 I'll vouch for the Sony VAIO. I don't have a desktop, but rather a laptop. I've had it now for about 18 months and I've had less problems with it than any other computer I've ever owned, desktop or laptop. It's a 1.0G Model PCG-981L with a 40Gig HD and 512M of memory. It's not really mine, but the company's. In fact, they recently tried to upgrade me to a Dell 2.5G laptop and I told them, nicely of course, that they'll have to pry this Sony from my dead cold hands. I think they got the message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 I have a Sony laptop and been very happy....different tangent ....but for the dollar...the Fujitsu Ultra Thins are a fantastic buy......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Assuming you want a desktop. Case LIAN LI PC-6087A ALUMINUM MID TOWER ATX : $170.00 Antec True Power 480W Power Supply: $120.00 Motherboard: Asus A7N8X DLX W/ON BOARD SOUND: $140:00 Processor: Athlon XP 2700 (2.2 GHZ) 333 Mhz FSB Boxed w/heatsink and fan: $342.00 Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda 80GB EIDE, Serial ATA, 7200 RPM (get two for twice the fun) 2 x 120 = $240.00 Memory: two sticks of 512MB unbuffered non-ecc DDR 333 PC 2700: $160.00 Video Card: ATI All In Wonder 9700 Pro AGP 128MB DDR 2D/3D Tv Out: $400.00 Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 172T 17" LCD: $700.00 Optical Drive #1: HP DVD Writer DVD200XI: $290.00 Optical Drive #2: Plextor PlexWriter CDRW 48/24/48A E-IDE: $100.00 Modem: US Robotics Performance Pro Fax Modem Controller Based: $80.00(even if you have a cable modem it is nice to have dial up capability) Generic Floppy Drive: $10.00 Mouse and keyboard: any USB or wireless you like OS: Take your pick. I like Win98 SE because you don't have to hassle with WPA (windows product activation). Others like Win2K or WinXP. The new version of WinXP (Longhorn?) won't be released until 2004. There is really no reason to go backward so XP is probably your best bet unless you are a Linux devotee. There is a lot of new stuff coming around the corner (mid 2003 – early 2004) but it's best to let the pioneers shake the bugs out first then buy the next and perfected generations. These suggested parts or similar Intel parts should do the things you mentioned and will keep you going for 18 months or better. By then the new stuff will have matured some, making the decision of what to buy next a little easer to make. BTW Mac is soooo far behind the pc it's not funny. They're basically a one trick pony. (I'm in for it now :doh:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy-the-Greek Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Hi guys, I am back. At least for the moment. I came downstairs for the first time in 3 days. I know the Dr. said I can't go up and down stairs for 1 week but screw him I am going crazy staring at the ceiling in our bedroom. I can't stay long cause this is killing me sitting here. My Op seemed to get my Bro and wife talking again, so I guess something good did come out of it. My wife wanted to surprise me with a new pc. So she and my bro went to comp usa and got me one. I just came down to check it out and see what was going on in here. I have a few questions for the pc guys here. They got me a compaq amp 2200. It came with xp. I tried to use the new icons and it says I have to reg and type in codes. Where the hell do I find the damn codes so I can try out the new toys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 tommy-the-greek, Glad you are up and around and congratulations on getting your new pc. Have never used XP so I can only regurgitate what I have read elsewhere. Still using win98 SE, in part because Micro$oft now requires you to register your software or it will stop working after 30 days or something like that. You also have to call them to get a new activation code if you change out too many components which makes upgrading a real pain. What is probably going on in your case is they are forcing you to register your product. I think Compaq also puts offers on your desktop that you have to pay extra for if you want to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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