Mike, I will put my 2 cents in at least on the Vista part. I have been using Vista since their earliest beta and have the second beta of SP1 installed. I have had little to no trouble. I strongly suggest that you use the Ultimate version with enhanced security and networking. Yes, there may be some printer drivers missing but I have not found anything else that I need missing. One crash in four months with SP1 and that was due to my AVG virus system. That software has been changed and I haven't had any problems in two months. I have the homebuilt variety as I have never found a system that I really like from a manufacturer. I think the Asus approach is a good one. 2GB memory is a must and use the fastest memory that the board will allow. Many of the manufacturers still use graphics that take away some of your memory. I have never found that to be a bug-free approach. I've got one M2SN-32 SLI board and a dual processor 5200 AMD. That one really flies. The other is an older ASUS board with a 3800 AMD. I cannot complain about either one. Security with Vista is a little more troublesome to set up but it works well. I've got one HP laser printer, a HP wireless all-in one and an Epson printer for photos. The HP wireless gives me a headache once in a while but that is due to an HP problem not a software one. The reason I strongly suggest Vista is what are you going to do in a couple of years. XP will go away and Windows 9 is being built on Vista not XP so I think that transition will be a little easier. Vista is not going away and works much better on networks as far as installs go and doesn't break. If you are going to use it for your own machine you need little extra software if you are dealing with music, photos or video unless you are a real professional. No, it doesn't beat Photoshop for photos and never will. But it does run it VERY quickly. Quad processors really don't work the way they are capable of as no software is really ready for them as a recent article pointed out but certainly you won't be disappointed with a dual core processor and right now they are really getting cheap. Lots of word but my thoughts in any case.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ramsour Mike Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 12:26 PM To: RBASE-L Mailing List Subject: [RBASE-L] - Slightly off topic: New computer Greetings R:BASErs I will soon be purchasing a new computer. Would anyone be kind enough to offer a recommendation or two on what to consider? Dual core? Quad core? Windows XP or Vista? Good/bad brands? Best value, etc.? Best database to use? No wait, I already have that!! I'm probably staying with a desktop unit for now. Maybe a laptop by year end. Off list is fine unless others might be interested in the topic, too. Thanks for any suggestions. Mike Ramsour AK Steel Coshocton Works Quality Department Phone/VMS: 740-829-4340
