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> Marc wrote:
> I am SOoooooo ignorant of computer hardware lingo and parts
You came to the right place, well actually not, it's off topic, but the
responses here have been excellent.
> wondering about AMD/or INTC chips? <<
AMD has better cost/performance. AMD CPUs generate more heat and error
under heat stress, with a quality CPU cooler either AMD or Intel are
flawless. Glad to see others who don't want to hear a PC, if the CPU is
hot then it needs better CPU cooling, not necessarily a noisy case fan.
> I see a bit of talk about multi threading. I have not looked at it. I
would if I was getting a new machine. <
Currently Intel has the (regardless of cost) performance edge. Most of the
time a CPU is idle waiting for bits to get in or out of it, 2 channels
feeding it is a huge advantage, IF the software you are running is written
to take advantage of the ability. Here is an article on Hyper-Threading.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1152222,00.asp
> Also look at Serial ATA drives if you can. <
EIDE is limited to a 100MB/s, while the SATA peaks at 150MB/s, but most
drive media is only good for around 80MB/s. There are a lot manufacturers
putting SATA on old drives, it helps bursting a little but mostly it's good
marketing. SATA on a fast drive has an impressive effect on overall
performance, here's a fast one
http://www.tomshardware.com/storage/20030501/index.html
> Make sure they put in 1 stick of 512 Ram instead of 2 sticks of 256
each. Makes it easier to upgrade in the future. <
Its easy to add later. Check the performance tab of task manager to see
how much RAM is being used (commit charge peak). You always want overhead
but more than twice what you're using is useless. The type and speed is
important too.
> XP ... professional is my personal choice because of some
features <
The pro version adds networking abilities some of us need, there are ways
around most the other stuff, ie the home version has backup, it installs
from cd:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP
> my guess will be that support for XP will be better the comming years
than for W2K <
In terms of product life cycle, the availability of system builder license
for W2K ends Mar 2005 , while XP is Dec 2006. That will have little effect
on support like driver availability from peripheral vendors, the NT kernel
underneath is the same.
M$ will try to obsolete W2K because its easy to pirate, the licensing
structure is the big difference between XP and W2K. If you replace a NIC
card on XP it needs to phone home and re-register because XP sees it's not
the hardware it was licensed for, that's annoying to parts swappers. If
you just use the system normally then XP is perfect (in that aspect:)
> Buy a brand. Preferable Dell. <
Too much of my last week was spent fooling with Dell support, and I have a
$100/month agreement to get premo service. The industry changes constantly
and not always for the better, but Dell is still one of the best. Here is
a reliability survey on the main brands
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,112915,pg,1,00.asp
The cheapest, best performing, highest quality PCs with best service, come
from custom builders. High quality components are the key to reliability
and can be optimized by hand picking, the problem of course is finding a
builder that cares. Start with Dell, compare it to something similar from
a semi-custom builder with an excellent reputation
like http://www.cpusolutions.com Maybe pick a system and let the group
check it for foolish corner cutting like 5400 RPM drives.
The bleeding edge of technology has performance advantages, but the premium
depreciates so fast that many can have better systems in the long run by
over building only slightly, then upgrading more often with the savings.
Michael
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