Looking at 2 HP pc's for multimedia...

[Fred Forsythe]

One is the d4100e ($1,973.99), which did pretty well in PC World test last month (though not configured as I have it) the other is the d4100y ($1,933.99).

This is the "y":

XP Media Center Edition
Intel(R) Pentium(R) D 930 (3.0GHz, 4MB,800MHz FSB)
2GB DDR2-667MHz dual channel SDRAM (2x1024)
400GB 7200 rpm SATA Hard Drive
16X DVD+/-R/RW
16X max. DVD-ROM
Front Productivity Ports
9-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB 2.0, 1394,S-video
Altec-Lansing VS2121 2.1 Speakers
Dual NTSC TV Tuner with PVR, FM Tuner, Remote
256MB DDR ATI Radeon X1300 Pro, TV-Out and DVI
Integrated 7.1 Capable Intel(R) High Def. Audio
HP 19" LCD Flat-Panel Monitor
HP Keyboard, HP Scroller Mouse
Microsoft(R) Works 8.0/Money 2006/MSN Encarta Plus

The "e" differs only in the following:

AMD Athlon(TM) 64 X2 4400+ dual-core - 2.2GHz, 2MB
2GB DDR-400MHz dual channel SDRAM (2x1GB)
Integrated 5.1 Capable Sound w/ front audio ports

Looking just at the components, I would have thought the "y" (Intel machine) would have cost more, with its faster processor (am I right on that? I'm a bit confused on how they are speed rated; they are both dual core, the athlon says "2.2 gig/4400", the Intel says 3.0 gig. Is the Intel really TWO 1500's???), better sound (7.1 vs 5.1) and faster ram (667 mhz vs 400 mhz). So WHY is the Intel actually $40 LESS? Obviously, they have different mobo's, I have no idea which ones. I'm so bloody confused. I buy a new pc about every 4-5 years, it's always the same thing, MONTHS of trying to get up to speed with/make sense of the newest options :confused: I plan to use the machine for internet etc., but also as a multimedia pc linked to our main tv. I've already done basic video & music ripping/dl'ing/burning, now I'd like to go the next step & use the machine as a DVR, etc. Any advice on this subject in general & these 2 pc's in particular would be appreciated. As an aside, I almost bouhgt a Dell XPS 600 configured pretty much like the HP "y" Intel variation above, it was about $700 MORE than the HP. Any suggestions of other suitable machines/brands would also be great!! :D

Fred

[Erik]

Both machines are dual core. It is like having two processors of the same speed, 3.0 GHz in the Intel case. This doesn't make it at all like a single 6.0GHz PC. It is just useful for multi tasking, one process is taking up much of processor cycles, and you have a second one totally free to use. So basically if you were to do the same very processor intensive task on a dual and single machine the dual would use 50% processor cycles, and the single would be at 100%.

The way AMD and Intel rates processor speeds is different. The 4400+ is what AMD is saying the processor would be comparable to in an Intel processor. So technically speaking the AMD system will be jus a bit faster. The RAM speeds won't really matter that much, as in both cases they are able to run faster than te FSB of the processors they are working with. So basically it will be able to work faster than the CPU can send data to it.

What are your intentions here? If it is just to watch TV, record TV, music, etc. I kind of think both would be overkill. Also if you are planning to connect to a TV set then paying for that monitor would seem to be a waste. I wouldn't worry too much about the 5.1 vs. 7.1 sound, unless you have speakers that utilize all of the channels, and space to set them up it is a moot point. HP ships you basic stereo speakers, so if you plan on using them you wouldn't notice any differences at all.

[Fred Forsythe]

Erik-Thanks for the reply. I'm a bit of an iconoclast, so I do have a soft spot for AMD ;) 2 of my last 3 machines have been AMD based. I see what you mean by overkill, to clarify, this would be my main pc, but I would like to use it as DVR etc, locating the machine in another room & connecting to the tv either via coax (bit of a problem in this house, both are on the 1st floor but no basement. Still may be doable) or using something like this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B0002EXJ8Y/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/102-7016564-1350549?%5Fencoding=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=-SubmissionDate&n=172282 I'd therefore like the pc to have the processing speed/ram/hdd capacity to do a couple fairly intense tasks at once, saying running as a dvr while web surfing & perhaps transcoding some video, etc. When I got my last pc (a Gateway athlon 1100, about 5 years ago) I never anticipated using it as a "TIVO", or even to assemble NG'd video DL's, as I do now. Frankly, it has kept up better than I might have hoped with the increasing demands I put on it (it does have about 756 meg of ram and 2 HDD's totaling 280 gig). I guess I'm thinking I should get as capacious a pc (speed, storage, ram) as I can reasonably afford; who knows, with technology being what it is in 3 years I might be asking it to drive me to work over the cell phone or something... :D

Fred

[hockey man]

Both of those pcs would be okay. Though I don't like to recomend OEM machines. The AMD would be a faster machine than the Intel.

[Fred Forsythe]

Hockey Man-Thanks for the reply. I keep going back & forth between OEM & building, I'm sure I could do the construction part of building a pc (I have an electronics background & have added a lot of stuff to previous machines) it sifting through all the bloody options I find daunting. Do you happen to know of an up-to-date site which reviews the various mobo's, peripherals, etc? Maybe one that gives suggested combinations? Seems like all the ones I've found so far are out of date.

Thanks,

Fred

[david eaton]

Have a look at saphalline's pinned thread at the top of this forum for ideas about what hardware to pick.

[Fred Forsythe]

Thanks David, I have looked at the guide. I really am pretty familiar with the bits, if I were just going for a basic pc it would be much easier. I'm hoping to build something that will be a fairly cutting edge multimedia pc, so selecting the right components seems a little trickier...

Fred

[Erik]

Not really. Just build the highest spec PC your budget will allow. Make sure it has at least 1GB of RAM. Use Windows MCE as the OS, add in a TV tuner card, and you have a great Media Center PC. I built mine out of spare used parts, only use it as a DVR pretty much, but it works flawlessly. Really any modern hardware will do.

[paul_]

I would recommend building your computer. a month ago, I built my computer, which has relatively the same specs as above. Not only could it spank that HP (I've got everything OC'ed far past what it's worth), it cost ~$250 less, and looks a whole lot cooler than an HP!

The big difference between the Intel and the AMD is that the AMD uses a memory controller in the processor, and is extremely efficient compared to an Intel. That is why a "slower" clockspeed AMD can be faster than a "higher speed" Intel. To be honest with you, I would wait a little while before buying and get a new AMD2-based system. Then you can get the DDR2 memory that the Intel offers now, and an overall better AMD processor.

[Fred Forsythe]

Thanks for the encouragement, I do think it's the way to go. Not sure about waiting for the next AMD, seems like if you wait for the Next Big Thing with this stuff you never do anything! :D At the moment I'm sifting through bits for a system based on the Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 800MHz FSB LGA 775 Dual Core Processor & the Intel BOXD975XBXLKR Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX MOBO. The basics (cpu, mobo, ram, hdd) seem pretty straightforward, it's figuring out all the media crap that's confusing (can I use an HDTV tuner with non-HDTV, which I have now, so I will be ready if I switch to HDTV? Do I need TWO tuner cards to dvr two channels simultaneously? Will the tuner cards tune all non-premium channels, some of which are numbered over 125? How do I incorporate the cable box into all this for HBO/SHO? What is the best wireless way to connect the pc to the tv, & what vid card(s) will connect to the wireless setup? What about remote control of all that? Which of these wireless links will xmit ALL video from pc to tv (e.g., mpeg, avi, vob, streaming, etc)?

Fred