Which computer do you think is better


HP - Pavilion Desktop with AMD Phenom™ X4 Quad-Core Processor $630
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Warranty Terms - Parts
1 year limited
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Warranty Terms - Labor
1 year limited
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Product Height
15.3"
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Product Width
16.9"
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Product Weight
9.75 lbs.
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Product Depth
7"
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Processor Brand
AMD
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Processor
AMD Phenom™ X4
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Processor Speed
2.4GHz
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Cache Memory
2MB on die Level 2 + 2MB on die Level 3
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System Memory (RAM)
8GB
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System Memory (RAM) Expandable To
16GB
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Type of Memory (RAM)
PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
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Hard Drive Type
Serial ATA (7200 rpm)
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Hard Drive Size
750GB
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Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce 9100 GS
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Video Memory
256MB (dedicated); up to 1407MB total
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Personal Video Recorder (PVR)
No
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TV Tuner
No
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MPEG
Yes
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Audio
High-definition audio (8-speaker configurable)
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Built-in Webcam
No
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Modem
None
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Network Card
Built-in 10/100Base-T network interface (RJ-45 connector)
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Wireless Networking
Wireless-A+B+G+N
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Recordable DVD Drive
Yes, double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW
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Recordable DVD Drive Speeds
12x DVD+R DL; 12x DVD-R DL; 16x8x16 DVD+RW; 16x6x16 DVD-RW; 12x DVD-RAM; 40x32x40 CD-RW
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Direct-Disc Labeling
Yes
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Digital Media Reader or Slots
Yes, digital media card reader
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Total Expansion Bays
External: 1 (3.5"), 2 (5.25"); Internal: 2 (3.5")
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Available Expansion Bays
External: 1 (3.5"), 1 (5.25"); Internal: 1 (3.5")
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Total Expansion Slots
3 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16
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Available Expansion Slots
2 PCI-E x1, 1 PCI-E x16
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USB 2.0 Ports
6 (2 front, 4 rear)
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IEEE 1394 Ports
1
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S-Video Outputs
None
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Additional Audio/Video Connectors
DVI, digital audio output, rear speaker output, side speaker output, center (subwoofer) output
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Serial Ports
None
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Parallel Ports
None
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Game Ports
None
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Keyboard Description
HP USB
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Other Control Devices (mouse, etc.)
HP USB optical mouse
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Operating System Platform
Windows
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Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1
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Software Included
CyberLink DVD Suite Deluxe; muvee Reveal Premium; Microsoft Works 9; HP MediaSmart; Adobe Reader 8 and more
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ENERGY STAR Qualified
No
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HDMI Output
No
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Blu-ray Player
No


Aspire AM5800-U5801A $650

Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
Processor Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Processor Q8300
Processor Speed 2.5GHz
Level 2 Cache 4MB Level 2 Cache
RAM Installed / Max RAM Supported 6GB DDR3 SDRAM
Memory Configuration (3) 2GB DIMM Memory Modules
Memory Slots Available (1) Available 240-pin DIMM Slot
Memory Slots Total 4
Hard Drive 640GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
Multimedia Drive Labelflash SuperMulti Double Layer DVD±RW Drive
Display Type Display Not Included
Video Card ATI Radeon™ HD4650 Video Chipset
Video Card Memory 1GB Discrete Video Memory
Sound Card High Definition Audio Chipset
Sound Output Mode 7.1 Channel Stereo Surround Sound
Speakers Amplified Stereo Speakers (USB Powered)
Modem/Communications Device 56k ITU v.92 Ready Fax/Modem
Network Features 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Network
Wireless Network Features 802.11b/g Wireless Network
Ports and Connectors (1) PS/2 Keyboard Port; (1) PS/2 Mouse Port; (1) VGA 15-pin Port; (4) Front USB 2.0 "A" Port; (4) Rear USB 2.0 "A" Ports; (1) HDMI Port;(1) FireWire IEEE 1394 Ports; (1) RJ-11 Modem Port; (1) RJ-45 Network Port; (2) High-Definition Headphone and Microphone Jacks; (6) Audio Jacks; (1) DVI Port; (1) Optical S/PDIF Port
Memory Card Reader Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader
Supported Flash Media CompactFlash® (Type I and II), CF+™ Microdrive, MultiMediaCard (MMC), MMCmobile™, Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), Secure Digital™ (SD) Card, miniSD™ Card, xD-Picture Card™, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO™, Memory Stick Duo™, Memory Stick PRO Duo™
Expansion Bays 2 (1 free) External 5.25" Bay; 3 (2 free) Internal 3.5" Bay
Expansion Slots 1 (0 free) PCI-E x16 Graphic Interface Slot; 1 (1 free) PCI-E x1 Interface Slot; 2 (0 free) 32-bit Bus Mastering PCI Slots
Input Device Acer USB Keyboard, USB Optical Mouse
Included Software Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 60-Day Trial, McAfee® Internet Security Suite 2008 (60-Day Trial)
Dimensions (WxDxH) 7" x 18" x 14.5"
Weight 25 lbs.
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year Limited Warranty

What do you plan on doing with the computer?
Web browsing & email?
Playing DVDs & videos?
Video editing?
Playing the latest games?

oops sorry forgot that. He plans on playing wow, and school work and just basic stuff. We had a dell that was 3 years old maybe 4 and it just died, Mother board went bad, UGH I am pissed off.

Either should suffice for basic tasks, though the Aspire probably has a little better processor. The base video on both machines is probably a little anemic for serious gaming.

One point: Both of these machines come with 64 bit Windows Vista (to support the 6/8gb of system memory). If he has a printer, scanner, or other peripheral from his old system he'll be planning on using with the new one, make sure to check to see if 64 bit Vista drivers are available. I have several acquaintances that purchased machines with 64 bit Vista that subsequently couldn't find compatible drivers for their older printers/scanners. Neither of these machines is a good deal if it also requires you to replace an otherwise good printer or scanner because you can't get a compatible driver for it.

ok sorry if this is a dumb question,but is the 64 bit vista an old version? he uses my printer, and the only other thing he would be hooking up would be his zune. So should I look for a different kind of vista?

No, it's newer.
In particular, it's often too new for older peripherals.

I made the mistake of ordering a machine with 64-bit Vista, only to find out that drivers weren't available for my very nice AIO laser copier/printer. Just make sure there's a 64-bit driver available for your printer, and for the Zune.

thanks for the help.

I'm sorry, I just need to comment on this. Each system has a quad core processor. To say they will suffice for basic tasks is kind of like saying a Corvette will suffice for daily commuting. The capabilities of these processors are phenonminal. The Video Card in the HP, the ATI Radeon HD4650 w/1GB Discrete Video Memory, is no sloutch either. These are powerful systems.

That being said, I personally would not purchase the Aspire because of the Q8300 processor. It's a great processor, but it lacks a feature found in many other Intel processors: Virtualization Technology Support. It may not sound important (and maybe it's not), but in the future if he ever wants to be able to run virtual PC software (like Windows 7 XP Mode) the VT feature is important.

As far as the Pavilion Desktop with AMD Phenom X4 Quad-Core Processor, do you have a model number of the system, or model number of the processor? There are different Phenom X4 Quad-Core Processors on the market, some better than others as with the Intel Quad Core.

I personally don't like 64-bit operating systems due to some compatability issues, but I wouldn't stop anyone from purchasing it either. Just be aware of the pros and cons. I have too much software that doesn't work correctly with 64-bit Windows even when running in 32-bit mode and, as other have stated, sometimes it can be a pain to find system drivers for older peripherals. The major advantage to having 64-bit Windows is that it can recognize more Memory than 32-bit Windows. 32-bit Windows has a memory limitation of 4GB (a little less than that in reality) where 64-bit Windows has a memory limitation of 8GB for Vista Home Premium and 128GB for Vista Business or Ultimate.

Edit: All depending how how much multitasking is done with the compyter, 4GB should be way more than enough. How much memory does the old Dell have? 512MB, 1GB, 2GB? Seems like people are going memory crazy these days. IMO, what's the sense in having 8GB of memory if it's not going to be utlilized.

what about this one


HP Pavilion p6150t customizable Desktop PC

NY803AV#ABA 599.99 after rebate but before an extended warranty


* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* SAVE $30! Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor E7500 [2.93GHz]
* 4GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [4 DIMMs]
* FREE UPGRADE! 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 500GB
* 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4650 [DVI, HDMI, VGA]
* LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
* Integrated 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) Ethernet, No wireless LAN
* 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, audio
* No TV Tuner w/remote control
* Integrated 7.1 channel sound with front audio ports
* No speakers
* HP multimedia keyboard and HP optical mouse
* Microsoft® Works 9.0
* No additional security software
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Estimated build date: September 2, 2009

here are the specks on his old dell my older son added more memory but not sure how much more

0 01323 INFORMATION..., NO ITEM
1 CR907 INSTRUCTION..., DEVIATE L6 TO L5+, 200, MAIN...
1 TN532 Processor, E2140, 1.6, 1MB Pentium Conroe, M0
1 DX348 PLACEMAT..., GETTING STARTED..., 200, MNTW, DAO/BCC
1 2J973 PREPARATION MATERIAL..., SERVICE CHARGE..., DELETE DOC, NONINV
1 YH958 Mouse, Universal Serial Bus 2BTN, Lead Free, Entry, Logitech Black
1 J8461 Assembly, Cable, Video, Lead Free
1 WX094 Card, Graphics, 258, 8600 MRMGA+3B
1 DJ331 Keyboard, 104, Universal Serial Bus, United States, Entry Liteon, Black
1 KY731 Kit, Software, Overpack, WXPHSP2 Compact Diskette W/documentation, English
1 PN182 KIT..., Software, Works, 8.5 English
1 MM226 Display, Flat Panel, 19, E198WFPVBlack, DELL AMERICAS ORGANIZATION...
0 83535 INFORMATION..., PART, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY ATTACHMENT PACKET INTERFACE..., DEVICE
1 PK643 Assembly, DVD+/-RW..., 16X, Bare Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology
1 JW351 Kit, Documentation On Floppy Disk, Powerdvd, 7.0, Digital Video Disk Drive
2 WM551 Dual In-line Memory Module 512, 667M, 64X64, 8, 240, 1RX8
1 NR694 Hard Drive, 80G, S2, 7.2K, 3.5 WD-UNIC
1 JN721 ASSEMBLY..., CHASSIS..., MNTW, 200, NON PFC..., PWA INTEGRATED...
1 JY167 Assembly, Heatsink, Fan, Mini Tower

IMO, for the difference in price, I would get a quad core processor. The E7500 processor is at the lower end of the Core 2 Duo processors. This is not to say that it's bad or that it's not fast (it's plenty fast). To me it sounds like you don't replace computers very often (as most don't) and you're looking to keep this new one for a long time. I'd say to get as much newer technology as budget allows.

BTW, ask 10 different people the same question and you'll get 10 different answers

so you would get the acer over either HP?

I'm leaning more towards the Acer.

Might also check out a local shop or find someone who build PC. Most hardware parts, including the motherboard, come with a 3 year warranty. Given the trend to stuff as most as possible into a PC, a good power supply with ample wattage should be a priority. If you go this route, ensure software is legit and you receive the orginal discs.

my older son who is away a college can build one,but he might be home until thanksgiving. Not sure what I am going to do at this moment. besides scream

WOW does not have very high system requirements, and it sounds like that's the most intensive application that you would be using. You should be able to get a PC for under $400 that can handle that just fine.

I'd rather spend $300 twice on new computers than spend $600 once and keeping it twice as long. But that's just my philosophy.
If you were happy with the old machine, you could probably find an identical one on ebay pretty cheap, and just use the motherboard/processor from it. What model was it? But after 3-4 years, you might just be ready for an upgrade.

i am not happy with Dell. DS1 has a dell laptop that I have had more trouble with, but his is still under warranty.

So at the moment I am leaning toward the acer,I have read they have terrible CS