buying new computer

[wksea]

Hey everyone,
Trying to get back on track and I have a question. I am looking to purchase a new computer. Have read the suggestions for a power user and fall into that cat. I actually have an older HP now that fits the power uses specs but it has never been anything but a problem, so am reluctant to by another hp. What's working well for everyone? any and all sites and suggestions welcome thanks!!

[emboehm]

Re: buying new computer

Originally posted by wksea
Hey everyone,
Trying to get back on track and I have a question. I am looking to purchase a new computer. Have read the suggestions for a power user and fall into that cat. I actually have an older HP now that fits the power uses specs but it has never been anything but a problem, so am reluctant to by another hp. What's working well for everyone? any and all sites and suggestions welcome thanks!!

I built myself a new computer in April for about $1600-$1700. I've been very satisfied with the performance with QCharts.

I have a Core i7 CPU, 6 GB of memory, 1TB hard drive, Blu-Ray player/DVD burner drive and Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 to drive 4 monitors.

I've had QCharts running under Windows Vista Home Premium without any trouble (64-bit). Currently I am running Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, also without any difficulties.

I would definitely recommend a Core i7 CPU, a Core 2 Quad as a second choice.

If you don't want to build the system yourself, I would recommend an HP e9270t series. Similarly configured but with 8 GB and only 1 Radeon 4850 (2 monitors) and no monitor is about $1400. The e9210t (Quad Core) is about $1050.

A Dell Studio XPS would be about $1500 but video card might be lacking.

When I built my system I considered HP and Dell. HP offered more at a lower price. I could still do better building the system myself.

[wksea]

Thanks! I will look into the i7

[JimRutherford]

Re: buying new computer

Originally posted by wksea
Hey everyone,
Trying to get back on track and I have a question. I am looking to purchase a new computer. Have read the suggestions for a power user and fall into that cat. I actually have an older HP now that fits the power uses specs but it has never been anything but a problem, so am reluctant to by another hp. What's working well for everyone? any and all sites and suggestions welcome thanks!!

Hi wksea. I have an HP that I've been running as a power user with a quad monitor setup for a couple of years and have not had a single issue with either the hardware or the operating system.

While everyone's mileage and experience with different manufacturers and models will vary, may I suggest that you indicate whether or not you plan to run multiple monitors and if so, how many? Then describe what all you plan to run on the system on a daily basis. I spent a long career in I.T. at a fortune 500 company and learned that it's most often best to identify what you plan to do with the system before digging into the specifics of various manufacturers. You can save a lot of $ and aggravation by first specifying what needs to be done then fitting the box to the need.

Regards

Jim