Help me pick a desktop PC.

I'm of the opinion that it's all the same these days. I would buy a generic system from NewEgg.com or TigerDirect.com. Skip the brand names. AMD or Intel is irrelevant. I agree with maxing out the RAM.

If you are not gaming- you do not need quad. (And as a gamer, I can say there's still not all that much that fully utilizes quad core and beyond).

Intel & AMD are pretty similar in performance. Intel just happens to cost more. Since you're not going to be using it for gaming and you are going to be using it for photo and video editing, you might want to look at an iMac.

video editing would be the only thing that could make use of multiple cores. If you edit large movies and you do some cgi or HD, that's when you would consider quad core. Not necessarily jump on it, but just consider it. You'd still need to do research. More specifically you want benchmarks on video encoding and possibly rendering for the cgi. More RAM isn't necessarily better, but it doesn't hurt. I don't really know brands since I only build my own PC's. That's what I would suggest you do. It's really not that hard.

+1

+1 for build you own. If you're scared of all of the choices in parts, head over to Tom's Hardware and look at one of their DIY systems and copy it.

If you are just going to watch videos and browse the web, I would suggest you just buy a dell or something similar. There are lots of deals like this one: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthr...id=0&t=1051447 You can buy a bigger hard drive sperately if you really want 1tb

Please don't get a Dell. I've had problems with every Dell I have ever purchased (three in 2 years). I gave up on Dell a couple years back.

For basic use why would you feel the need for 6 Gigs of ram? Its pointless to have that much unless you plan on also running Vista x64. I say buy a barebones kit. The AMDs are much cheaper but slower than the Intel chips (not just in core speed, look at the amount of cache and FSB speed also). A dual core should be more than enough for you. I would also consider getting a graphics card, even a cheaper one like an 8800GT is gonna do wonders for your machine, especially running Vista.

Just a tower: October 8, 2008 Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Subtotal: \t $149.99 Shipping and Handling: \t$0.00 PST: \t $10.49 GST/HST: \t$7.49 Total: \t $167.99 \t(free delivery) BFG GeForce 9800GT OC+ 635MHZ 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out DIRECTX10 Video Card OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 120MM Fan Active PFC Power Supply Buffalo Firestix FSX1066D2C-K4G 4GB 2X2GB PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit ASUS P5Q Pro ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 2PCI-E16 CrossFire 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN eSATA Motherboard NZXT Whisper Silent ATX Case Black 6X5.25 1X3.5 9X3.5INT No PSU W/ Sound Dampening Foam Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 1TB 1000GB 7200RPM SATA2 32MB Terabyte Hard Drive OEM *3YR MFR Wrty* 0A35155 SUBTOTAL: \t$737.33 7% PST - BC residents: \t$51.61 GST(5%): \t$36.87 YOUR TOTAL: All quoted prices are in CANADIAN DOLLARS \t$825.81 With $100 in rebates About $900 CDN for this set up. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done. Case cost me $160 and was the most expensive component and did not have a rebate. Without the case it would have been $740 CDN or under $600 USD (assuming you guys have less tax). Case makes it uber upgradable (I've got 8 unused HD slots) for storage purposes I don't want to know how a comparable mac costs =/ If you didn't need a powersupply or case it would be 250 cheaper (and less the tax) about $541 USD.

Did you have a post on one of the tech forums recently? I just bought a very similar machine and I was looking at this precise spec for a little while. I went the a 260 GTX and a Thermaltake for GFX and case. O and a Gigabyte for MB instead. Er ... I guess it wasn't that similar. Still ... you got a hell of a deal! O, and as for buying readymade ... if you're not really that interested in the process and you're not interested in high-end gaming, it does make your life a lot easier. There are a lot of coupons going around for good deals on desktops too!

Here's a setup I'm considering for fairly quiet video editing:
\t
Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
ASUS P5Q LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
HIS Hightech H467QT512P Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Turbo 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 \t
SeaSonic S12 II SS-430GB 430W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS \t
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit \t
Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
LG Black 6X Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive SATA Model GGW-H20LK - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD for System Builders - OEM
Scythe SCNJ-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail

It's a bit more expensive and could be tweaked for more storage and memory, but I'm still astounded at what you can get for $1400 these days, especially compared to an Apple system. However, lots of people use Apple Intermediate Codec format for film stuff, and that format can only be read on an Apple system. There are lots other advantages to an Apple system, but you do pay for them, and it's hard to justify an Apple in December considering Macworld is coming up in a month.

--Andre

Am I missing something? This seems like a great deal. A new computer with decent specs and a flat screen monitor for $430? Someone tell me why this isn't a good deal? I'm genuinely curious--and I need a new desktop sometime soon for basic photo editing/web/documents.

For basics, I'd say nothing wrong with it.

If you're doing any kind of serious photo editing e.g. in Photoshop, then a faster processor and more memory (32-bit Vista/XP can only handle 3.3 GB RAM) would be useful and would suggest a better monitor + a color calibrator. For just pics to share with friends, WAYWT, etc. then it's more than fine.

I'd go with a larger monitor personally though. The extra screen real estate of a 24" is awesome.