Fast Computer Recommendation?

[Sakuya]

I am going to replace my snail computer with a really fast one. I want to make DVDs therefore, I would need a really fast one? What computer do you guys recommend that's not too expensive but can do the job? And what speed should I look for? Is 800mhz enough?

As for DVD writers, please go to the DVD Writer topic and find my post under a similar subject. Thanks!

[LeoNapier]

Plz specify what 'make' DVD's means...
If ya just want to backup yr DVD collection any current Celeron/AMD platform with a DVD Burner, 512Mb of RAM and a reasonably sized HDD (60Gbs or more) should be sufficient.
If what ya want to do is DVD authoring, including video capturing/processing etc. etc. then its a completely diff. ballgame, so you might have to go with the most powerful CPU ya can afford!

Hope this helps a bit,

LeoNapier

P.S.: 800Mhz CPU clock speed? Ehm ehm... not sure what ya mean.... The cheapest Celeron (about 50 USD) is clocked at 2000 MHz...

[cjb1118]

Do you mean 800mhz FSB??

[rallynavvie]

Even backing up DVDs takes better equipment unless you want to let it work on it for a day. If your backing up DVD9s you have to reencode the files which is all CPU, not to mention the further slowdown caused from reading/writing to the same hard drive. Best way to build a computer is first decide what you want to do with it and then decide how much you'd like to spend on it. You've answered the first of those questions, how about the second?

Also for the rest of you: is it just me or are there people asking about hardware recommendations daily without looking back a few days for the last person who asked which computer to buy? Perhaps I should author a hardware suggestions thread and have the devs pin it to the top

[Sakuya]

Yes that would be good. I'm looking for a computer that's fast enough for downloading movies and burning them onto DVD as well as DVD copying. What is computer speed measured in? How do I know which computer is fast enough for burning DVDs?

[galactica]

Yes that would be good. I'm looking for a computer that's fast enough for downloading movies and burning them onto DVD as well as DVD copying. What is computer speed measured in? How do I know which computer is fast enough for burning DVDs?

First off... lets ignore the downloading movies for burning them to dvd

2nd computer speeds are measured by lots of things that work together
1. Mhz or Ghz
2. Frontbus speed
3. Cache
4. memory

Fast enough for burning dvd's... heck any comptuer can do this.. you run into problems only when you have a REALLY and i mean REALLY slow machine. Typically to speed up the time for buning you just get a faster burner.

Now authoring/converting is another story. Speed of comptuers makes a HUGE difference.

This Baby will work nicely for that!

[Sakuya]

Is there a good machine that's compatible with Windows?

[Cobra]

2nd computer speeds are measured by lots of things that work together
1. Mhz or Ghz

I'd just like to add to what Bugster said. You can use GHz to compare within a processor range, so compare two Pentium chips, but you can't use it to compare a P4 to an Athlon.

I would go for an AMD based machine, because they are fast and overclock well (if you're confident in doing that), and for the money they outperform Intel chips. But if you've got money to spend on it, go for the Intel P4 - they're nice chips.

CobraDMX

[Ootsonati]

I would go for an AMD based machine, because they are fast and overclock well (if you're confident in doing that),

Overclocking couldn't be any simpler with the Asus A7N8X Deluxe MoBo. It's just a matter of playing around with the Bios until you find the settings you're comfortable with. You don't have to void your warranty at all.

[Cobra]

I know that mobo is great for overclocking - I used it in the PC at home!

By overclocking the CPU, you void the warranty on it. You are taking the CPU beyond manufacturer parameters, and therefore a fault is deemed your own problem. I wonder, though, how would AMD know if you had overclocked it, burned it up and sent it back as faulty or whether it was genuinely faulty?

CobraDMX

[galactica]

I'd just like to add to what Bugster said.

Bugster?! I dont see bugster

[Cobra]

Oh, sorry galactica! I was half-asleep when I was writing that, with a glass of scotch...

Next I'll start confusing Jeex with Baldrick!

CobraDMX

[Sakuya]

What speeds in GHz would be best for converting AVI movies to MPEG2 for DVD? Most of the computers I've seen at CompUSA are 2.80GHz. Is that fast enough? In another thread, the person has an Intel Pentium 4.3GHz!

[Hardcoreruss]

If you want a fast pc check out my specs.

It's like a greased pig !!!

[Cobra]

You have deep pockets, Russ.

I'm getting an Athlon 2500+ and overclocking the hell out of it sometime soon - just trying to sell my PC just now.

Cobra

[Hardcoreruss]

Is it worth selling it ?

You will get no cash for it at all ?

I have kept my old pc: -

P4 2.53
1024 ddr 2100
400gb hd
sony dvd writer
mitsumi 40x cd burner

Use it for all the encoding and leave the beast for games etc..

[Cobra]

It looks likely I'll get £150 for it, which takes the price of a new system down to £215. I'm on a very tight budget. It'll be:

- AMD Athlon XP2500+ Barton (overclocked to XP3200+)
- Asus A7N8X Deluxe version 2
- 512MB PC3200 RAM
- QTec 550W PSU
- 120GB Maxtor 7,200rpm 8MB cache (master)
- 80GB IBM 7,200 2MB cache (slave)
- GeForce4 Ti4600 128MB graphics
- LiteOn 16x DVD-ROM
- LiteOn 52x32x52 CD-RW

As far as I can see, the 2500 has a multiplier of 11 and FSB 166, to make 1826MHz so all I need to do to overclock to 3200+ speeds is to up the FSB to 200, so 2200MHz. Hopefully there won't be much else to it than that.

It's going to happen soon - I can't wait for some more processing power!

Cobra