New computer im getting

[Medi]

whatsup guys just gonna show you the new computer im gonna get hopefuly in the next 1-2 months depending on how my job search goes here is is with specs



Features
Intel® Core i3 550 3.20GHz processor
4GB RAM
1TB hard drive
Windows® 7 Home Premium
16x DVD+/-R/-RW SuperMulti drive
Integrated Intel®HD Graphics

its 579.99. 655.38 with tax

I plan on upgrading it to a core i5 booting it to 4 ghz for an extra 200-250$. Im also getting this monitor



Features
18.5" LCD Screen
720p Resolution
5 ms Response Time
10000:1 Contrast Ratio
Energy Star Certified

its the cheapest one the source has for 109.99. 124.98 with tax

total is $780.36

so im estimating about 8-10 days of work assuming ill be working for 8 hours a day at minimum wage ($10.25)

[PaxBritannia]

Not bad of a setup. The only thing that might be lacking in it would be a heavier graphics card.

$666+$125+($200->$250) = $991 -> $1041
Thats 101 hours of work at $10.25/h

Personally I would prefer to do web design which can easily get more than the minimum wage. It's also something I quite enjoy, so it's a win/win situation.

Manual labour is just so... laborious?

pax.

[Jackolantern]

Nice setup. As Pax said, a better video card would be nice if you play games on it (or even if you don't, really, since Windows works better with a better one now). Also, some more RAM would probably be nice, as 4gb is not that much these days. It is pretty cheap, too, so all you really need to do is make sure you have open RAM slots and just buy it yourself and put it in. Manufacturers typically charge too much to put it in for you.

[Medi]

Well there was another computer i was looking at and its specs are

Features
Intel® Core™ i3-550 3.2GHz processor
6GB RAM
1TB Hard Drive
Windows®7 Home Premium 64-bit
SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe™ Technology

for 200$ more then the one above the only problem is its 64 bit ive been told 64 bit sucks

[Medi]

Not bad of a setup. The only thing that might be lacking in it would be a heavier graphics card.

$666+$125+($200->$250) = $991 -> $1041
Thats 101 hours of work at $10.25/h

Personally I would prefer to do web design which can easily get more than the minimum wage. It's also something I quite enjoy, so it's a win/win situation.

Manual labour is just so... laborious?

pax.

i would love to work as a web designer but no ones going to hire a 17 year old for that XD

[Jackolantern]

Not sure why people would say 64-bit sucks. It is going to be the standard, so may as well get on it now!

[PaxBritannia]

The 32-bit vs 64-bit debate has died down these last few years, and a consensus (though not unanimous) has been reached:

64 bit refers to the memory address. Because it's larger than 32-bit, your computer will be able to use more RAM. Though it takes up more space in the RAM, so you'll get less performance per gb of RAM.

As more and more programs get optimised for 64-bit instead of just being ported to it, 64-bit will see a large leap in performance.

For all intensive purposes, there isn't much difference between 64-bit and 32-bit at 4-6GB of RAM. Higher than that, an you're better of with 64-bit as 32-bit can't use that much RAM. Lower than that, then 32-bit will perform better as 64-bit has a bit more over-head.


As for hiring a 17 year old, why not?

The easiest way to launch into web-design is to first design some sites for your family and friends. If any of them has a business, offer to do it for them without getting paid (they still pay for the hosting, etc. though). When you have a handfull of sites or so, you can start going around to local businesses and just ask them. Most of them are used to hearing that a website costs thousands of dollars to design and run, so it's not hard to be competitive.

pax.

[Jackolantern]

That pretty much sums it up. I would suggest looking into 64-bit. In fact, you may be able to get a better deal even though 64-bit is "better", simply because most computer made today are 64-bit. Just like how having a manufacturer install Windows XP on a new computer costs more than Windows 7. Even though it is older, it costs more because it is not the standard, and non-standard can mean more costs for the company. I am not 100% sure if this carries over to bit, since some retailers may have 32-bit machines they are letting go for cheap, but it is worth looking in to. And as Pax said, more and more programs are being optimized for 64-bit. Perhaps in this computer's lifetime you may actually see some programs no longer having a 32-bit optimized version.

[D3luxe]

Definitely go for a 64-bit, and definitely make sure your power supply will be able to power everything in your pc + a video card in the future. Integrated graphics is absolutely horrendous, so you'll want to look at getting a dedicated card ASAP.

For a fairly cheap card you could get the GTX 260:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=3585

I'm running a GTX 275 and can run everything on the market at max settings. The 260's benchmarks aren't that much lower than the 275, so it's not a bad buy for $100.

Other than that it looks like a fairly solid computer. Granted you'd probably be able to build that yourself cheaper, but all in all it's a decent pre-built.

If you are interested in building your own, I can put together a newegg wishlist for you with the parts you'd need.

[Medi]

The 32-bit vs 64-bit debate has died down these last few years, and a consensus (though not unanimous) has been reached:

64 bit refers to the memory address. Because it's larger than 32-bit, your computer will be able to use more RAM. Though it takes up more space in the RAM, so you'll get less performance per gb of RAM.

As more and more programs get optimised for 64-bit instead of just being ported to it, 64-bit will see a large leap in performance.

For all intensive purposes, there isn't much difference between 64-bit and 32-bit at 4-6GB of RAM. Higher than that, an you're better of with 64-bit as 32-bit can't use that much RAM. Lower than that, then 32-bit will perform better as 64-bit has a bit more over-head.


As for hiring a 17 year old, why not?

The easiest way to launch into web-design is to first design some sites for your family and friends. If any of them has a business, offer to do it for them without getting paid (they still pay for the hosting, etc. though). When you have a handfull of sites or so, you can start going around to local businesses and just ask them. Most of them are used to hearing that a website costs thousands of dollars to design and run, so it's not hard to be competitive.

pax.

well my grandma and my dad have a business but my grandma has a website already and my dad does construction he also knows very little about computers so i dont think he would want a website