Media-heavy PC?

[danny_wales]

hey, im new here and im looking for a new pc! i currently only have a 1.4ghz processor so the one i have now is bad for my needs.. i play a lot of dvd quality (not off discs, on the HD) on my computer, including capturing the videos aswell with a capture card (i dont need a cap card btw) so as you can see, i use need a computer that is very hard wearing! im sick of how slow this is at encoding videos and such, so what do i need for best performance? im guessing a 3.6ghz processor, 256mb gfx card, 1gb mem, 250gb+ hd etc? please..i need all the advice i can get..if anyone could advise some PCs or give me some extra things i may need in a pc that will satisfy the needs i stated above, i would greatly appreciate it!

thanks in advance,

Danny

PS. would the size of the gfx card (256mb, 128mb) matter for this? i dont play games with my computer but i thought the bigger the better considering im a huge web-surfer, i have a site, i play videos..view lots of images etc etc etc.....

 

[danny_wales]

also, my computer is on all the time..so i need one that cools well and doesnt make too much noise.. what do u suggest i look for for this?

thanks again!

 

[ChristopherP]

Ok

You definatly want Intel (because they encode video faster as its just raw clock speed that matters)
Prescott would be your best choice
Gig of RAM
128Mb video card will be fine, any will be fine if you dont play games
maybe a couple of 160Gb SATA hard drives in RAID0 for max space and speed
450/500w PSU
Case that supports 120mm fans

 

[Kye]

graphics card wont play a big role in web-surfing, so....a FX5200 126mb? its enough for what you want, and also cheap.

or a MX440...depends on how low you wanna go

 

[ChristopherP]

No.

PNY Verto GeForce FX 5700LE 128Mb TV Out £50 from eBuyer

You all should read the review i wrote yesterday in the User Review section.

 

[danny_wales]

im not actually looking for the parts to build my own..i just want to buy one because i dont think building one would go too well for me, lol

thanks for the advice, ill definately remember what you said when i go to buy one!

 

[Reefsmoka]

I say you go with a Dell then, there excellent price for what you get, all quality well known brands you get a full spec list to tell you everything you need to know and the delivery is pretty nifty too. They also look alot more modern than the usual beige monsters out there .

Check out the Dimension 4700 series: http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/p...13_dimen_4700_D1146?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

Just customise what you want and check the price out, you'll be suprised .

I have a Dell and have had it since March this year (2004). I havent had a single problem with it so far. I've heard some people say that tDell make them so you cant upgrade em, thats just tosh! Ive bought a new sound card, graphics card, another hard drive and added more memory since ive had it without any extra hassle .

 

[danny_wales]

ok thanks for the help