-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Shawn wrote: > Based on what you have given us thus far, I think just about any > new/modern hardware will do what you need. With that in mind, find one > that matches your budget.
I was not sure what to recommend given that there was no mention of budget. IMO you can't go wrong with a Core i7, 6 GiB or more of RAM, a good SSD drive, and an ATI 58xx. Of course the price tag for all that may be too high. > > Font size is independent of the LCD monitor - that would be a software > setting. Modern LCDs tend to be just fine in terms of readability - > I've never heard a complaint from a non-techie, and even then only from > those who knew specifically what to look for or had another LCD to do > comparisons against (contrast ratios, brightness, etc.). > There is a maze of acronyms here, and most of the measurements are no longer "real". There is a resolution jump at 24", and this is where I would start. The resolution you are looking for is 1920x1200 or 1920x1080. The 22" monitors are typically 1680x1050. From there it is a matter of personal taste (unless you are a video or graphics professional). I like matte finished monitors but a lot of people seem to like the glossy monitors. I find the glossy ones uncomfortable to look at for long periods of time due to the glare, but in the end get the one you enjoy using. > Having *just* replaced my desktop computer, I know it can be done for > around $500, for just the tower. Add another $200ish for a > monitor/keyboard/mouse. If you spend more than $700 (ish) you'll either > be looking for something specific (more RAM/CPU/Storage, a better case, > etc) or you are being "over sold". But that's an opinion, not a fact. > I would not say this. My main machine died a couple of weeks ago, and replacing the CPU, Motherboard, GPU, and RAM cost ~$1000 and there was a lot of room to bump up the parts. This also did not include case, power supply or hard drive. You can get a system for around $500 and it will meet all of your needs except the video transcoding one (or video editing for that matter). You will probably end up replacing that $500 sooner rather than later as Shawn said. > I do suggest though to try to get the newest generation of CPU your > budget will allow. This will help keep your computer relevant longer. > (i.e. buying an Intel Celeron or AMD X2 now means you'll likely be > looking for a new computer next year, instead of in the next 3 or 4 > years....) I currently favour Intel CPUs over AMD ones, and ATI GPUs with Intel in 2nd place. If you are going to do any gaming then that removes Intel from the mix. Quad core gives you a little more future proofing, and the Core i7 is the king right now. Since the hard drive is the slowest component in your machine, I would recommend a Western Digital "Black" drive. They cost slightly more but the performance gain is worth it. Of course if you can afford them the Intel SSDs are king. Be aware that not all SSDs are created equal. If you are serious about going this route, make sure know what to look for. The best source for this is the following Anandtech article: http://anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3631 f you have the time and inclination, the first two articles are worth the read (they are linked from the link I gave). You absolutely must at a minimum read the link I just gave you if you are looking at an SSD. If not you can safely ignore it for now. FWIW, my current rig is an Intel i7 (860), 8GiB of RAM, ATI 4870, and a WD VelociRaptor 150 GB. All in you can expect to pay around $1300 to $1400 for this without an OS. I payed less because I already had the case, power supply and hard drive. Hth, -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAkrZHzAACgkQwRXgH3rKGfM7pQCgpCcjh5tlC6zczyh5kihJEwjn PPcAoK6KzgboxdoB+7UPjLNYnzINqpsv =dtux -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ clug-talk mailing list [email protected] http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) **Please remove these lines when replying
