Computer techies help please

Hey all I'm hoping you guys can help me out. I'm on the market for a new comp considering my old hp pavilion is useless, seriously, its from like '95 lol
 
I saw this one and it seems nice http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=83%2C84,403&webid=716734&affixedcode=WW
 
but the "slim" line makes me think I might have problems getting it repaired or upgraded since the chassis is tiny. can anyone tell me if this is a good comp to consider? or will I have too many problems with repair/upgrades.......? sorry I barely know how to even use a comp  well a little i guess......
 
also is the reputation acer has true? i heard to stay away from them....
 
my next option would be a custom built one.....but my mom had one built for her and it seems rather slow......
 
I really like how this comp looks tho, its like 1/3 the size that my mom got built. think the slim has all custom components?
 
any advice/ opinions are appreciated
 
p.s.-I went to staples today and its on for $499, also id like to use my 32" hdtv as my monitor as long as it works......

I doubt a thin chassis would make it too bad to work on.
Don't go with an Acer. I blew up two acer monitors in a month.  If I were you, Id go to walmart and just buy a cheap Toshiba, Lenovo, or Dell laptop, use it till it gets slow, buy you another one, and another one. That way you don't get too outdated and you still have about the same money in it as if you were to buy a $2000 top of the line desktop.

a laptop is a fine choice......but I plan to get one sometime next year. I really just need a decent pc for home.....and im really anxious to see how it works out on my tv.
 
will it still use the same components as a normal pc?
 
also If I did go with a custom built is there anything i should pay extra attention to? hdd space? ram(whatever that is)
 
 

I was unable to see the lap top you had picked out.  Im guess it was probably 512mb ram and 80 GB HD probably a small CPU. 

If that is all correct you wont run Vista Home Premium unless you turn off everything off then you will be at basic. 

If you are going to run Vista which im sure is what it is because almost no new computers come with XP.  I would suggest to have a very least of 1gb of ram 2 is better, 160 gb HD, and at least 1.6 ghz duo core processor. 

blk85, its a desktop.

hp s3200n

Features:

2.5GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+

1GB DDR2 SDRAM PC2-5300, expandable to 2GB

320GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive

16x DVD+/-R/RW 12x RAM +/-R DL LightScribe drive

Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g

Integrated 10/100 Base-T networking interface

56K bps data/fax modem

Integrated video graphics

Ports: 15-in-1 Memory Card Reader: Compact Flash I/II, IBM Microdrive, Secure Digital (SD), mini-SD, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Reduced size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), MultiMediaCard Plus and Mobile, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro/Duo/Pro Duo, SmartMedia, xD Picture Card; 5 USB 2.0; 2 PS/2; 1 SPDIF out; 1 VGA; 1 IEEE 1394a FireWire; 1 LAN; 1 line-in, line-out and microphone, 1 headphone

Includes: HP multimedia keyboard, PS/2 optical mouse

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium with Windows Media Center, Bilingual*

*French kit available in Quebec only.

Software Included: Norton Internet Security 2007 (60-day security update subscription); Windows Movie Maker & Windows DVD Maker; Roxio Creator 9 Basic; Roxio MyDVD 9 Basic; HP Photosmart Essential 2; Muvee autoProducer Basic; Microsoft Works 8; Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 Trial

Not that bad.  I would upgrade the Ram though for sure.

If its for gaming, no good! the 2.5GHz will kill you.

If its for school/work, decent!

Acer is a great computer for the price, Don't le tthe reputation fool you. Toshiba on the other hand...stay away from.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Zasder

If its for gaming, no good! the 2.5GHz will kill you.

If its for school/work, decent!

Acer is a great computer for the price, Don't le tthe reputation fool you. Toshiba on the other hand...stay away from.

Your wrong, clock speed on an AMD really doesn't matter. Most gaming pc's use the 4000 series. I myself used the 4600 and had no problem playing any of the new games infact i could run the game twice on my computer and be fine. This pc is fine for gaming but the thing that worries me is the ram. Only being able to run two gigs today isn't enough. It also depends on the speed off the ram. Also mini atx cases have problems with overheating. So i would keep the inside clean at all times. Also the "Integrated video graphics" is a Nvidia GeForce 6150 SE. Its not extremely bad but you wont be playing the latest things with it.It has pci-e so you can always upgrade that.


If the price is right i would go for it.

would I be better off going with a locally custom built machine? would be around the same price, if not cheaper.......I think
 
I dont think I'll be doing much gaming, since that is all done on my xbox.
 
Mostly for pictures, music, movies, general surfing.

Generally custom PCs aren't that bad.  Just make sure you use good equipment.  Sure makes it easier to learn about the inside of computers though.  My last two PCs were custom built.  They could have used more ram, but whatever.

I've custom built my own PC's since 98. But with me i end up spending more money than intended. The good thing about custom built is there is always room to upgrade. You have the space and power to put in other HD's you have more than 2 ram slots. You could upgrade the processor if need be etc. But with a brand name pc you dont have many options to upgrade. So it is cost effective to build your own BUT its gonna cost you more if you want the stuff that is going to last you awhile. I rebuilt my pc with new parts in March and only had to spend 500 bucks. I know its alot but i replaced the 3 major things, my ram ,processor, and my motherboard. And know i have the assurance that i wont be needing to upgrade my pc for AT least another year or two. If i do it would probably just be more ram ( you can never have enough). The choice is yours. You are still going to need another graphics card which is going to cost you a pretty penny, around 200 to 300 bucks or you could go like me and end up paying 600 dollars for my graphics card.

If you decide to do custom just let us know so we can help you out.

ok, thanks brettster.
 
is there anything special I need to hook up the tower to my tv? just a vga?

A graphics card with either a svideo port which alot of the older ones have. Or your mother board may have something like mine does. You might want to look into the hd cards that are out now. 

an hd video card.......

Well if you get a graphics card just make sure it has svideo.

Here are a few computers Im thinking about getting.  I cant decide which, Im leaning towards the HP since the processor is better. Best Buy is offering 0% until Jan 2009 so I am almost 100% sure Im buying one.  I can afford both without any problem but if they want to let me use their money for a year why not?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=999981000050000&st=HP+6244n&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=pcmprd80900050000

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=999981000050010&st=GT5622&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=pcmprd80900050010

If you have an HDTV it most likely already has a VGA port on it... You just need a patch cable... But double check for sure... You'll have to read your TV manual to find out what resolution it supports.
 
It's pretty hard these days to find a video card that DOESN'T have two monitor connections on it...
 
and 2.5GHz is NOT going to kill your performance a whole bunch... My system is only 2.66GHz... The biggest limiting factor in gaming these days is the video card.
 
And I don't think you can even BUY a Vista machine with less than 1GB of ram, lol.

I would get the 6244, the other processor is outdated. I would change the video card once you get a chance.


I was searching around and this one isn't to bad.

Option

Click

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheBrettster

I would get the 6244, the other processor is outdated. I would change the video card once you get a chance.


I was searching around and this one isn't to bad.

Option

Click

I would love the Quad Core but, I really dont need it.  I bought the HP 6244n.  So far its not bad.

Grats on your new purchase. Hope it lasts you awhile.

quad core is pretty much overkill for anything at the moment, lol.

You'd be suprised. I would love to play WoW and COD4 and surf the net at the same time.

I could play WoW and surf the 'net just fine with my old Athalon X2 3800+
 
And so far my E6600 is whooping that ones ass... and for less than I paid for the Athalon back in the day

*cough forgot COD4 in there :P

Why multi-task in a first person shooter? lol
 
If your load times are that slow, time for a harddrive upgrade