Suggestions for new PC

The time has come for a new PC, and hardware has never been my strength (if I have one).
Would you be willing to design a PC for me?
I will not build my own, but would have no problem asking a local PC store to build one to custom specs, or I could buy a Dell, etc.
I am definitely not a gamer. I do not code or design websites. I do not do CAD. I store few audio tracks or digital pictures. I have only one PC now, so when I buy the new PC I will have two. I would plan to really use only the new one, but keep the old PC as an independent unit. Therefore I do not feel I would need wireless capability, but maybe that is incorrect.
Up to now I have not used the PC to download and store video or TV (though I do watch some occasionally by streaming), but since I understand this will be something that will be more common in the future, I want to be ready for that.
My main uses for the PC today are surfing, word processing and email.
I plan to use Win7 Ultimate and would want to use the WinXP Compatibility option.
One hard drive or two?
Either 32 or 64 bit as recommended. I will buy new peripheral hardware as needed. But I do not want to learn I cannot find 64 bit software/hardware as needed for common tasks, even if such will probably be available "in the near future". I feel 64 bit has been "promising" to take over for a very long time, but has not yet delivered.
On the other hand, I do not want to be locked out from future developments in the next 2-3 years.
Cost is not a major problem, but there is no point in buying something I will never use.
Please ask questions, if necessary, to help you better understand my needs. I am sure some of my comments above have shown my lack of knowledge in this area.
Thank you.

Maybe I do want wireless capability to communicate with peripheral hardware such as the printer.

Definitely go for two hard drives. 1 to 2TB drives are reasonably priced, and you can never have enough storage. My last 3 builds I have put what I thought was far more storage than I would ever need, and by the time that I'm ready to do the next build, I'm scratching about for more space. My formula is to think how much you feel you can possibly need, then multiply that by 3.

As for 64-bit, there is no downside to using it - I have run x64 since the early betas of Vista, and even back in 2006 I had just two items of hardware that I couldn't get 64-bit drivers for. Drivers and software are not an issue at all now. If you stick with 32-bit you will be hobbled by memory limitations, and that's another thing you can never have too much of. Especially if you want to run virtual machines.

Do you have a preference for AMD or Intel, Jim?

SuperSparks--Thanks for the response.

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Do you have a preference for AMD or Intel, Jim?

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I really do not know enough to answer that now. I could of course Google to learn more, but I would appreciate guidance.
My present PC has an Intel chip. My earlier (first and departed) PC had AMD. Both seemed fine to me.
Does my first post give you any ideas whether one or the other would be better to suit my needs? I am not a gamer. And, as mentioned, price is fairly far down the list of criteria. I keep being amazed that AMD is still in business.

Either would be suitable, it's just that some folks have a strong preference for one or the other, and it's a good place to start.

My suggestion is to go for a nice mid-range spec, say an Intel Core 13 or i5, or and AMD Phenom, with plenty of storage and 4gigs of RAM. That will do everything you want with enough headroom to spare for a few years. Do you have a budget in mind?

It really scares me, Jim, when you say you are not a gamer...really, really scares me....

:)
Despite that...ditto on the storage space and RAM. Think for the next 3 years or so....you don't want the system to grow old on you too quick. Video can take up a lot of room. Another thing you want is a GOOD video card...depending on your budget and your intentions, a mid-range card should do you fine. Avoid overstock crap cards that are being dumped on the market right now. Avoid mobos like PC Chips...they are not bottom-of-the-barrel...they are underneath the barrel.

Anyhoo, knowing your budget parameters would help narrow down the choices.

Just my $.02 worth - Id' go for an LGA 1366 i7 motherboard, probably Gigabyte or ASUS, rather than an LGA 1156 i3 or i5 board. The i9 chips are supposed to be out later this year and will use the LGA 1366 socket.

SuperSparks--
Again thanks for the response. Naming some specifics, as you have done, will let me narrow the research.
I think you meant Intel Core i3. I see from an Intel website that "This processor comes equipped with Intel HD Graphics". Does this mean I will not need a separate graphics card?

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Do you have a budget in mind?

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Not to sound cavalier, but no. ($1500 or slightly more?) I have no pressure to trade function off for money. Not being a gamer I think that should not be a problem.
I assume I should get SATA drives, even though I gather the difference vs. IDE is small.
Any recommendation on brands of drives?
Any other questions I should be asking? :) (Like what type of RAM)

P.S. Here is what I now have--bought in early 2004
CPU Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
Motherboard Dell Dimension 4600i
Chipset Intel Springdale-G i865G
DDR SDRAM 1GB (I slipped up there)
Hard Drive WDC 160GB (7200 RPM SATA)
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
DVD-ROM JLMS
DVD+RW TEAC

bistro and jdc2000--
Many thanks.
Your posts came in while I was typing the response to SuperSparks. Some of your issues have been replied to in my response to him. (There is no budget and I am unclear whether I need a graphics card if I get the Intel i series.) I question whether I will need more than an i5, but convince me. Do I purchase the motherboard separately from the CPU? What about the chipset?

The chipset for onboard graphics is generally found on the motherboard. I have yet to see any desktop motherboards that have onboard graphics worth recommending. You will want to get a decent graphics card. You can get motherboard and CPU package deals, but I usually purchase the components separately.

The Core i3 does have graphics integrated onto the chip. I haven't looked at them very hard yet, as they were only released to market the other day. But I don't see any advantage to them over the kind of onboard graphics that you get with motherboards for AMD CPUs. They seem power-hungry in comparison.

I recently built a socket 1366 Core i7. It is a wonderful chip and mobo, but I do think it's overkill for what's wanted here. My rig cost me the equivalent of well over $2500 too.

A separate graphics card is a must...onboard graphics borrow a LOT from the system memory....bad juju.

As for the RAM: Depends on the mobo you choose and its RAM compatibility (DDR2 or DDR3). DDR2 memory will do you just as fine as DDR3...and be less expensive. DDR3 is the latest version however and a tad faster (generally speaking...depending of course on individual speeds...a high-speed DDR2 will beat out a low speed DDR3). But if you have the bucks, go for broke and get a DDR3 compatible mobo and spend on the DDR3 RAM. Corsair, OCZ and Kingston are all excellent brands. For your intentions you really don't need to get the high-speed variety either. 4GB of DDR3 1600 can be had for around $80...you can always upgrade later (to the mobo's specified upper limit).

Now that I have muddied the waters....

jdc2000 and bistro--
Again thanks. What mobos and graphics cards do you recommend?
I see SuperSparks is not sure a separate graphics card is needed with the Intel i series, but that it may be too early to tell.
P.S. Any recommendations for or against using OEM companies, such as Dell? I was very satisfied with my present Dell bought almost six years ago. I had no power supply problems, which I gather Dell did have in that period.

After looking at LGA1156 boards on NewEgg, it looks like the P55 chipset has issues with the SATA3/USB3 capabilities on the boards that have that hardware. This could be another reason to go with the LGA1366 X58 boards.

Note: There are lots of better and more expensive video cards available.

Gigabyte has the following combo, although you may want to wait until there are a few reviews for the motherboard:

Motherboards:
LGA1366 X58
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128422

LGA1156 P55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128417
(Read the NewEgg reviews)

Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125295



ASUS hardware:
LGA1366 X58
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131614

LGA1156 P55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131620

Video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121354


eVGA video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130531

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Originally Posted by Welshjim

I see SuperSparks is not sure a separate graphics card is needed with the Intel i series, but that it may be too early to tell.

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You misunderstand me Jim, some of the Core i3 series have a graphics chip built-in, but the i5 and i7 do not. I don't really recommend relying on on-board graphics for a general purpose computer, except for those on a very tight budget.

jdc2000--Your post is most helpful in narrowing things down.
In an earlier post you said "Id' go for an LGA 1366 i7 motherboard, probably Gigabyte or ASUS, rather than an LGA 1156 i3 or i5 board. The i9 chips are supposed to be out later this year and will use the LGA 1366 socket."
But based on your latest post, the LGA1156 P55 motherboard (probably with Intel i5)seems adequate for my middle-end needs. Any more info to help a decision? I suspect the i9 is more than I will need. Or will the next few years bring a need for it?
I feel either the GeForce GT 240 or 220 graphics cards will be fine. I do not feel I need to overclock with the eVGA.
What about chipset? Or does that just come with the motherboard?
Any recommendations on manufacturer of Drives--both hard and DVD-ROM and DVD-RW?

LGA1366 boards have the X58 chipset. LGA1156 boards have the P55 chipset, except for 1 or 2 that may have the H57 chipset (i3 support). As long as you are using only one graphics card, you should be ok with the LGA1156 P55 boards. I still recommend checking out NewEgg's reviews (and others) for any potential issues on the board(s) you are looking closely at.

As for whether you will wish for more power in the next few years, it depends on what you are wanting to do then. These days, when I visit a news web site to read articles, the page usually has half a dozen flash video ads that make it take forever to load and requires a dual quad-core Xeon system to allow scrolling that doesn't take 30 seconds per screen. Software bloat will likely continue.

I like LG CD/DVD drives. For hard drives, I have used Seagate for quite some time. However, they have had some issues with certain models and firmware in the last year. Western Digital Caviar Black drives have good reviews on NewEgg. I'd check out drive reviews there as well. Files will expand to occupy available space, so get plenty of storage.

You should have a look at AMD as well, in the mid-range market they can be better value than Intel.

For optical drives I like LG or Samsung. For hard drives I like Seagate, Samsung or Hitachi. For RAM I like Corsair, OCZ or Crucial. In the last 10 years I haven't been let down by a single one of those makes, touch wood :)

And don't forget the power supply, it is a very underrated component, and it never ceases to amaze me how many folks will spend a lot of money on good quality hardware and then throw in any old cheap and nasty PSU. Low quality power supplies can cause all kinds of hard to diagnose problems, as well as taking out some (or even all) of the other components when they fail :eek:

Good ones are Tagan, OCZ, Thermaltake, Enermax, Hiper, Xion, PC Power & Cooling.

You have given me great leads and ideas--certainly pointing out and narrowing the choices.
Two more questions.
1) Recommendations for AMD chips.
2) I want the ability to use the XPMode with Win 7 Ultimate. Does that mean I need anything special such as a specific chip to handle virtualization? I read about Intel VT or AMD-V somewhere, but find little info.

NewEgg to the rescue again. The Advanced Search selections allow you to select for Virtualization Technology Support.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...e=&srchInDesc=

For XP-Mode you do need to have hardware virtualisation support on the CPU, but that's not anything to worry about as all except the very low-end processors have it these days.

AMD chips - look at Athlon II, Phenom and Phenom II CPUs.

The list of AMD chips is pretty long. Can you suggest any narrowing down based on the requirements in my original post?
And I guess I want a TV tuner also?

I have built PC's with both Hauppauge and Terratec TV tuners, both are equally good, and work superbly with Windows Media Centre. However I can't give specific recommendations, as US TV is different to ours, and they sell different tuner cards over there.

This is a really nice AMD processor for the money, it compares in price to a Core i3, but is a lot more powerful:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103656

SuperSparks--Many thanks.
What AMD chip(s) would compare to Intel i5?
I think I am close to having an excellent list of recommendations to study and make a decision.
Thanks to all.

It's now time to start doing some reading, now that you have narrowed things down a bit:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/quad-c...iew-31788.html

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/intel-...iew-31774.html

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-g...iew-31755.html

Many thanks. I'll let you know what I finally get.

Not trying to be rude here, what so ever. However, for the uses that you have described. It seems that you do very very light computing. With the computer that you have now, it seems more than capable of doing the things you want without any issues. However, if you really feel the need to upgrade. I would suggest going with the i3 processor for your needs, anything more is over kill. Heck, even a good old Core 2 Duo would be more than fast enough for your needs. Even a gaming PC doesn't really need more than a Core 2 Duo at this point. I know your not strapped for cash, but don't just throw your money at something you dont need! Go with the i3 you will be happy. Get 2 GB of Ram and a decent video card from either ati or nvidia, I'm not sure which one you prefer. I can give you some recommendations if you would like.

atigamer4life--Thanks much for your comments. You are not rude at all. I appreciate what you have said.
The main reason for wanting a new PC is that the old (present) one is acting flakely from time to time. I can only run IE for so long before it really slows down or stalls (Yes, I do delete TIF, etc.). I suspect the hard drive which is almost six years old. And my RAM is too small. In light of the other problem(s), I do not think it is worthwhile to upgrade the RAM (if I even could--I have not opened the case to see). And finally, I want to learn to use Win7 (Ultimate).
You can see I used to post quite a bit here attempting to help others concerning non-hardware problems. I would like to be more active in this again, so I need to get up to date.
Having said all that, I would more than welcome your recommendations for a new PC. But remember, I want to be ready for what the next 3-4 years will bring. Hence the interest in i5 and other moderately up to date components. I agree I do not need what a gamer would need. But I did not skimp when I bought the present PC (except for RAM, about which I did not appreciate what would be needed such as for Virtual PC). I do not want to skimp now.

If all else fails - I'll probably be getting one of these real soon:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...customer_picks

I agree with those sentiments. It is always good to have a computer that is capable of whatever the next few years will bring. There's nothing more frustrating than wanting to do something and finding that you can't because the PC isn't capable of it - personally, I'd rather have the power available even if it isn't fully utilised most of the time.

How are you getting on choosing the bits, Jim?

Here's an article you might find useful:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/quad-c...iew-31788.html

Jim, I am a little late to this show, but thought I would throw in my 2 cents.

You mentioned a TV Tuner card in one of your earlier posts. I have been slowly buidling a HTPC over the past few months and the main thing I still have not purchased is a TV Tuner card as I have not found the right card for my particular circumstances and connections. However, I see light at the end of this tunnel and it may also work for you.

I am currently connected to COMCAST cable here in Houston and want to receive and record (DVR) programs off of the cable, including the scrambled HD channels. Until recently that was extremely difficult unless you purchased a special built PC from a limited number of manufacturers. That has alll changed now. ATI manufacturers an external tuner that allows a cable card from your cable provider to be inserted and the tuner acts just like your set top box. Ceton has also announced a similar product to be released this quarter.

If you wish, you can eliminate your set top box and have your PC / Tuner replace it. Many of the cable companies will provide the first card free and you can save on the monthly set top box rental.

Depending upon your needs, I would recommend you investigate the ATI unit - Google "ATI Cablecard Tuner". Amazon lists them at $240, but out of stock. I assume Newegg will soon be distributing as they ramp up the production.

With regard to hard drives, I have built 3 PCs in the last few months and have exclusively used the Western Digital Caviar Series and been very happy. I would recommend the "Black" series as you get a bit of a performance boost from the 32MB cache.

With regard to the Chip / Mobo, I am exclusive to Intel, but only because I know nothing about AMD. If you decide on Intel, I would recommend the LGA1366 I7 chips and boards, both for performance and future expandability. I use a ASUS in my gaming PC and Gigabyte boards in my business and HTPC PCs. I favor the ASUS as I have had minor incompatibility issues with Gigabyte boards before, but their quality is excellent and I still use them. Some boards are exclusively DDR2 or DDR3 memory and some allow you to use both. The DDR2 is less expensive, but the DDR3 will become cheaper and ultimately replace DDR2. Consider whether you want to commit to one or the other, or purchase a switching hitting board.

You did not mention monitor. Do you intend to replace your monitor? If so, definitely consider a montior that is capable of 1920 x 1080 native resolution, which is the equivalent of 1080p or 1080i broadcast resolution. I purchased a Toshiba 32 in 1080p LCD TV for my monitor as monitors with that resolution were scarce and no cheaper. Monitors have gotten a lot cheaper and you can buy a smaller size (25" to 28") for a very reasonable price.

I know that is a lot of 2 cents, but I hope you find something useful in that. :)

SuperSparks--Still sifting all the good advice. I do income tax returns for seniors as part of the AARP TaxAide program so that is taking me away from full time work on a new PC.
Steve R Jones and Divergent Species--Many thanks. Your comments are definitely of help.