Krug

Our emachine and laptop have both become painfully slow and are a bit dated so we're in the market for a new machine. I want something that is powerful enough to easily utilize software to start making movies of the kids on the slopes as well as the occasional vid of my buddies and I on our trips.

Any recommendations out there? I've herd nothing but good things about the Apple stuff, but it is $$$ IMO. I'm not a tech guy, so please keep that in mind.

Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciate before I head off to Best Buy or some other big box store.
Thanks,

AK

TofuSama

Ditch the big box store and order online. I'd say build your own, but you're not a tech guy. Look into lower-end ones from places like ibuypower and cyberpowerpc, they're probably going to give you much more bang for your buck. I cringe when I see people buying the standard desktops at big box stores. EDIT: A price range/preferred price would make things easier.

Krug

Sorry, yeah, price range would be ideally $600 or less for just the computer...our monitor is fine.

Thanks!

AK

TofuSama

iBUYPOWER Computer :: Gamer Mage D415 is a basic idea from that site. Not sure how much shipping would cost. Other sites should have similar types, and they should definitely outperform big box stores. See what others suggest though.

Qball

I have a good experience with ASUS computers. Asus actually makes the parts for companies like dell, hp, and apple.

dtshakuras

Well are you looking for desktop or laptops? Many computers nowadays are capable of compiling a movie, its just how fast it can compile it. The speed in which you can make the movie is mainly dependent on the CPU. Therefore it is recommended you stay away from budget CPUs like Pentium or Celerons. If you constantly check Slickdeals: The Best Deals, Coupons & Discounts on Laptops, Computers, LCDs, TVs, Dell, HP, Apple, Amazon they have often deals for computers and many are within your price range of $600. So currently as I am posting this, slickdeals has a Lenovo laptop deal for $539.10 with free shipping. There is also a Toshiba laptop for $507 on there that costs $507 including shipping. The Lenovo has the faster CPU but the Toshiba has better graphics, more hard drive space, and BluRay. So its up for to pick which one you prefer.

By the way, even though you are not a tech guy, do you have any friends who are? If so, then you can buy the components and maybe your friend could assemble the desktop computer for you.

Leo

$600 should get you a good enough desktop/laptop for media. I agree with the Cyberpower comment. They make great PCs at amazing prices. Some of their setups are hard to believe because often times, comparable ones from other brands cost hundreds more.

You don't just need a decent processor, what you really need is a good amount of ram. You can get a 6gig set easy. You can have the fastest cpu, but without sufficient ram, you will experience what is known as "bottlenecking". Ram is crucial for tasks like media compiling.

I don't really mind big box stores. I've seen a lot of good deals on HP sets there. People can say what they want, but I'm a techy guy. My HP from 2002 still runs fine. It's just outdated and I did upgrade components in it.

Seriously though, check out Cyberpower and look for an I5 core PC with at least 6gigs of ram.

By the way, Cyberpower's prices are so good that they are often even cheaper than building your own rig with the same parts. That's crazy.

__________________
www.aGNARchy.com Reviews and David Z's rants

Cr0_Reps_Smit

this, i recently purchased a asus laptop and its amazing. i persoanlly dropped about a G into it but i wanted something really nice and this came with everything i wanted. they have plenty of lap tops from asus that are still awesome for about 600.

i bought mine on Newegg.com - Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, HDTVs, Digital Cameras and More! check it out they have a lot of good deals if you sign up for the email news letter thing.

also if you were thinking of getting a PC instead they have a lot of barebone kits for about 600 or less depending on what you want and it comes with everything you need to build it yourself but just cheaper since its not together.

__________________

dtshakuras

^^^^^
One of the best places to buy computer components and is trusted and super reliable.

4GB of Ram is enough to handle many of the of the activities that the OP wants and most computers in the 500-600 range have 4GB. 6GB is obviously better but its not necessary for the OP considering what the OP will do. It is better to focus on finding a computer with the CPU and 4GB of RAM rather than 6GB of RAM since retailers and manufacturers significantly overcharge. It is better to upgrade the RAM yourself (or get someone to do it for you).

Leo

4G with a proc like an I5 is asking for bottleneck. 6gig is the new standard when it comes to a decent proc.

Not all vendors overcharge since a lot use basic ram. CyberPower again charges great prices. NewEgg is the best place to buy individual parts.

I've seen several CyberPower PCs that are cheaper when you add all the individual components up on NewEgg not including the case.

__________________
www.aGNARchy.com Reviews and David Z's rants