Time for a new computer, need advice

[Leon Stewart]

I just recently conpleted a new Box and I went for the newer DDR Memory with a AMD 1,600+ Anthon Chip. All the newer motherboards have sound, game, USB, and some have Video on Board. It's best to get the System with USB 2.0 ports rather than USB 1.1 if you can find them, they are significantly faster, but consideration should be given to installing a "Firewire" Interface Card (expensive) in one of your PCI slots and using a Firewire external CD RW, Hard Drive, etc., rather than the older IDE interface. Firewire is the fastest thing out there right now, and USB 2.0 is second. The AMD Anthon XP Chips are Faster than the Intel Chips, and some might be "Overclockable" which allows you to speed up the chip higher than the Chips's stated speed.

The DDR (Dual Data Rate) Memory Sticks allows the system to run at twice the speed of the System clock (133 will run at 266). Your Hard Drive should fit your Budget and your workload, because as the size goes up so does the price, but you should consider getting a 7,200RPM speed hard drive, but with faster Chips and faster Hard Drives most System Cases require additional Fans to keep the System Cool. Most have at least one and sometimes two Case Fans in addition to the CPU Fax and Heatsink.

leart3

 

[jtrotta]

Not a real tech nut, and my most recent upgrade was a newly - leased system for 3 years; at the ned of that, I'll lease another new one and so on and so on, the come with an on site 3 year in house service for minimal bucks.

It's a capital improvement, without laying out all the capital and in 3 years there will be enough new stuff to warrant another new system. Just a thought 8)

 

[Leon Stewart]

The disadvantage of the "Lease" System you described is that you have no backup machine when the one Computer Crashed. Most small shop appraisers buy their machine outright and use the older machine as the backup machine, and as time goes on they may upgrade the old machine with a new Hard Drive, New Chip and Mother Board, and maybe a Monitor. That way you can keep all your stuff up to date at a minimum cost, and for the most part there are few crashed that the user can't get cleared themselves.

While leasing you will pay for a fairly high-end system in less than a year if you pay $ 100 per month. There are some nice systems available for 8 or $ 900 dollars, including monitor. On a 3yr lease you might want to add something new long before the 3 years expires since there is always new technology. I'm a one person shop and I have 5 Computer (including a Notebook), and they all work, and have their own Monitor.

leart3