What to Look For in a New Desktop

[Capper]

Buying a desktop PC might seem to be a straightforward process, but choosing an ideal configuration requires some important decision making. Should you choose a SATA drive or an SAS drive? Should the PC include a Blu-ray drive? Many newer features are increasingly affordable and increasingly necessary, while others are things you can definitely wait on. To help you decide which options are must-haves, and which you can bypass, we've put together a checklist of options to consider. Read on for help in deciding how to configure your next desktop purchase

What to Look For in a New Desktop

[MantaBase]

Interesting.

A few things I hadn't thought of - a few things I don't think much of - a fe things to think about.

Manta

[polobunny]

Sounds like common sense to me. However I didn't like how he was talking about building a machine that would be upgradeable in X years.
It only takes 1 socket/slot change on one main component and you're pretty much SOL. Think of what you want to do now. Expect to upgrade your computer over the course of 3-4 years MAX. After 3-4 years you're not just adding up, you're changing main components for sure.
It's almost worthless to spend a ridiculous amount of money to get the most powerful computer right now. In 6 months, you'll buy the same thing for half the price.
Oh and don't get penis envy, your wallet will only thank you.

[screwballl]

1: I agree with sticking with XP for the mainstream, only go with Vista if you need it for say DX10 gaming or using 4GB or more of memory. His explanation is just moronic though, which amounted to "you don't need Vista".

2: He mentions XP then says 4GB or RAM to 16GB in 2010? Yet no mention of the 32 vs 64 bit OS compatibility... "What's the maximum RAM supported and in what configurations? (32GB across eight slots isn't unique.)" he is confusing a server with a desktop PC.

3: Every optical drive can be replaced, why would that even be an issue?

4: case locks? does he work in a high crime commercial district?

5: this is just assenine: "...with Blu-ray the winner in the high-definition video market, prices for both home players and PC drives will plummet this year, as will blank media..."
The market has already shown that Sony is not dropping the price of any Bluray related devices and due to the high licensing fees, neither are manufactures of the players and media. Prices will remain high for at least another year or two if past Sony ventures are any indication.

6: $15 video card? "you can manage two monitors, at least one of them 30 inches in size, with the included card or a very cheap upgrade ($15 for one Lenovo model, for instance)." Where do I get a $15 video card upgrade? Even with OEMs, if you go to a video card that can actually power a 30inch LCD properly, it will end up adding at least $200 for any card thats worthwhile. thats not even mentioning a dual monitor setup which can easily double that $200 depending on extra costs for a motherboard that can also handle dual cards as well.

this list goes on... this guy is just a moron

[Tech Geek Deluxe]

Seems the article is helpful to the person who doesn't know much about PC's ... not helpful to those here in HL.

Most PC users are nubish, brutish, spyware, malware, greyware spider hosts anyways.

[Boy'nBlack]

Originally Posted by polobunny

...I didn't like how he was talking about building a machine that would be upgradeable in X years.

Ya, that was odd because he also advised by saying "We recommend that you take your time and select only what you need today". He's forced the upgrade by not planning ahead, and also mentions items becoming more popular...like BluRay. So...if I don't use bluray, but think I might, he didn't tell me what to do. Get it to forego and upgrade, or not to because I don't? Head explodes...*fizzzz*

We're all bound to upgrade something. Thing is, you can upgrade a board that dictates every thing a computer can take, much cheaper than the parts separately. Many still try to get old computers fit with the best part still compatible, when a board change would make more sense. There's many still trying to get the best AGP card and doing incremental upgrades in socket 478. That system is literally down for the count IMO.

If some math could be used, when upgrading costs are no longer linear with performance, a computer shouldn't be upgraded but put to the side. Kids always need a computer to put grilled cheese sandwiches into! A $63 E2160, $75 board, and $100 PCIe card is on par (and better in ways) with yesterday's killer machines and gives another path to move waaaay up in performance cheaply. If a socket changes, it's not done...you make the board and CPU change which is cheaper and more effective than trying to make an old dog continue to hunt.

Monster moves don't happen that much. I think 2004 was a big change with PCIe, S/ATA, DDR2, and 775. Prior to that was the Slot1 Era in 1998 that also brought in AGP x4 and the dying of ISA. That was 6 years. Everything in between there were minor changes, and not really a big deal. Well, minus the Rambus mess. You didn't have to change every stinking part just to get from 940 to 939. You just got the CPU you wanted anyway, and a board that was pretty much a shoe in as being far better anyway. Bonus.

And seriously...I had pretty much typed out the very stupid statements ScrewBall points out. He's not being helpful in anyway, making moronic statements; so if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck...it's a duck.

More I have strong disagreements with. It's really line by line disagreement

• Because most PC problems tend to crop up in the first year, a one-year warranty should be fine - If I pay money for someone to build me a computer and it breaks in one year, I got ramrodded. At places of work is the only place I've seen OEM's. They fail with age and use, and the LTSA pays off. Not from calling them and having it fixed over the phone, but because they come out and replace broken parts. Call dell about a laptop issue, they come swap out batteries and motherboards...never anything else. Live techsupport, to me, is what Al Gore invented for all of us. I mean, "the web is the easiest way to get on the internet" right? There's countless forums that are free and available. You don't need to pay for an OEM to give techsupport, which is really them reading a list. Why don't they just give this list out with every computer sold then and ditch outsourcing support to India? You guys that have called can pretty much recite the list from memory.
• Check PC World's Reliability & Service survey, where readers collectively determine which PC makers provide the best and worst technical support and warranty service. - Huh? At the same time, they should read newegg reviews and show how general users across the board give bad advice. Seriously, it links to a place talking about Dell being bad because the guy had a CD stuck and ended the day with the computer torn apart. What, was removing the sidepanel and removing the drive from what is assumed tool-less so hard? I don't blame Dell, I blame the user with a screwdriver. And I have to assume all users know more than the techsupport by nature, because they always tell the support that the info is incorrect and break out the saw to cut things up.
• Don't buy additional software unless you really need it - Really? Who actually buys stuff they don't want? We need told this brilliant info? If you want the software though, the OEM is the place to get it IMO. They get OEM prices.
• Don't get caught up surfing price reductions - So, don't shop smart. Just buy what they list on the page and don't ask. What if I want a Dell, but then find a better machine at HyperSonic for $350 less? I will take this advice and not be bothered by better for less and just pay it out and stick with Dell because it's Dell. If waiting is just a month, or a weekend such as this where big deals are available, then of course it's worth waiting for.
• If longevity is a priority (and if you can afford it), get something closer to, but below, the current top of the line. This will extend the useful life of your PC - What the heck? Buying top end today does NOT make it better next year. It's just good today. How's those 6800Ultra's working out for us? I mean the 7800GTX. Opps, I mean the FX-62. Or did I mean Pentium 955-extreme? They're all beat handily the following year with a much cheaper part. Being "useful" means it runs, not keeps up...and they'll run a long time. This isn't a Mac, and upgrading is a plus, not something to avoid.
• Check an LCD monitor's interface - Is this even an Issue? Maybe in 2002, but all OEMS should have LCD's with DVI and maybe a VGA port still hanging around. He fails to mention the REAL issue of HDCP, which is not a connection issue. He's worried more about whether the OEM will give you the right cord it sounds like, and not usage.
• Upgrade at the time of purchase - Already told me to go big if I can afford it. However here he states to add drive capacity up front and the next big LCD because it's "only" $100 more. If you're paying $50 for a 17", $100 more can get you a big fat 22" WS outside of the OEM. And hard drives...well, those are dirt cheap too. When you actually run out of room, fork out $50 and double your capacity. Time will only make both of these routes cheaper.
• Avoid gimmicky keyboards to save money - So get an old IBM keyboard for $3. These new "fancy" keyboards are just useless and are far too complicated to explain to the reader. You can save $10 here on a $2000 machine, and are bound to jog around the mouse to click on stuff. Much easier than just pushing a button.
• If you plan to use your PC for standard office productivity and basic Internet tasks, almost any processor will do. But if you want more power, an Intel Core 2 Duo...For maximum performance when multitasking or when using demanding, multithreaded applications, you may wish to investigate quad-core CPUs such as the 3-GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor QX6850, or the dual-core 2.93-GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 - What is more power? Every reader in the world thinks they need more power. Office productivity is only a secretary in his mind. That's excel and word. No office actually uses excels advanced features? It's a front end to what can be a very power hungry tool. The later is just stupid. Extreme processors are not ever extreme. Ever. He's caught up in the awesome factor and disregards that all they give a common user is a multiplier that will never be touched by Aunt Sally. And who here hasn't seen the x6800 been handed it's butt for over a year now?

I'm bored with the guy already, and I just got to his hardware look. That all looks like a Mac guy through and through name dropping dead forms (AT?) and reading off a popular list of parts. The memory thing just about makes me cry with their faulty logic in strangling Vista with 512MB and saying giving it more was better...and to a cap of 2G, the basic amount recommended to even run the OS. I'm sure that if it was OSX, it'd be perfect with no ram at all.

[Quakindude]

Is this article for the Home user or a flippin business user? SAS on a home desktop? Why? Unless you're working from home with huge files, multi-tasking with dummy nodes scattered through out your home, and I doubt most people would, why the hell are you worried about SAS in a store bought white box?

This guy seems to be more about impressing people with basic needs way over explained and throwing in just enough of a "what?" factor to make other think about what the guy is saying. Sorry, but you can't justify SAS capabilities in probably 99% of households.

As far as the other points of contention here, the guy lost it in video cards recommendations, as already commented on by others.

The XP->Vista path, well hell. Who wouldn't use that option? My grandma? Probably. But then again, she would be perfectly satisfied with her ignorance by buying a white box machine with Vista on it. How about some original thoughts here? The XP is better than Vista thing is bullshit now a days. Vista is perfectly fine for most users in a home environment. It still has a lot of maturing to do for corporate action, but hell. Windows 7 will be out before that happens. XP friggin sucked when it came out and so did the first SP for it. Which is why there was a SP1a for XP. And people were bitching then about holding onto Win2kPro until Vista came out. Give me a friggin break people.

The rest of it, blah, blah, blah. Our newest member with a couple of weeks on these forums could write better articles than that.

[Sumgai]

What a douchebag.

As screwball said: "Typically, you can manage two monitors, at least one of them 30 inches in size, with the included card or a very cheap upgrade ($15 for one Lenovo model, for instance)."

I want what he's smoking.

[gvblake22]

Some things he touches on are common sense, but I disagree with this article on most accounts. Screwballl and Boy'nBlack already touched on prettymuch everything, I just want to give some more emphasis on the stupidity of the SAS and monitor/video card arguments.

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

Some things he touches on are common sense, but I disagree with this article on most accounts. Screwballl and Boy'nBlack already touched on prettymuch everything, I just want to give some more emphasis on the stupidity of the SAS and monitor/video card arguments.

Yeah, SAS in a home computer? 2 30 inches monitor? How many home users buying a desktop PC have one 30 inches monitor let alone 2? :/