Buying a new computer (suggestions?)

[Rule]

I am buying a desktop for my family.  Since I am lazy, and desktops are generally quite cheap anyways now, I will likely order a Dell.  I haven't known much about personal computers for about 7-8 years, so I would like some suggestions.  It isn't going to be a gaming computer, just a computer that will run quickly/smoothly and stay good for general purpose applications for a long time.

How much RAM should I get?
Which processor should I get?
Which graphics card?
Any sound system recommendations? (I want this to be really nice)

Money isn't a big issue, although I would probably like it stay under $1500.

[iago]

I'm not an expert, so I can't help your question. However, I want to make a recommentation.

If possible, you should buy a Dell that comes with Linux, then install Windows on top. Doing this supports Dell's Linux program, which is good, and also supports hardware manufacturers that support open source, which is something important to me.

Of course, that only works if you have a copy of Windows XP that you can install. Personally, I would do that anyways because I couldn't imagine my parents using Vista, which is what you'll probably end up having to get. They have enough trouble figuring out what's going on on XP.

[Hitmen]

You can still get XP on (some) dells by default.

[Newby]

You can still get XP on (some) dells by default.

Truth.

It isn't going to be a gaming computer, just a computer that will run quickly/smoothly and stay good for general purpose applications for a long time.

How much RAM should I get?
Which processor should I get?
Which graphics card?
Any sound system recommendations? (I want this to be really nice)

Money isn't a big issue, although I would probably like it stay under $1500.

For RAM, I'd say a gig is near overkill for anything non-gaming. Hell, I game pretty heavily and I only have a gig. A gig works for this. If you want it to last in the long run, consider a gig and a half if you can. But a gig works nicely, even with Vista.

Processor-wise I can't say much for 32-bit vs 64-bit, but you don't need much of a processor. Maybe a mid-range to high-range one.

On-board graphics should suffice if you don't plan to game, and if you feel you want to eventually, you can pick up a card yourself. I do recommend nVidia over AMD/ATi, though.

I can't help you with the sound system. Not much of an audiophile. If you're really interested in the sound system, hit up the foobar2k forums. They're all big fanatics for audio and could probably point you in the direction of a pretty badass sound system.

I'm no expert, like iago said, but those are some sound suggestions that I would take. I just pieced together some computers for a small office, and that sounds like what we did. Minus the sound system. Why would you need sound when you work for a vagina doctor, mainly in documents/spreadsheets all day? :p

[zorm]

Just to give you an idea, I've been pondering buying a new computer and putting it together from parts on NewEgg.

I figured I could do Intel's Q6600 quad-core processor, 4 gigs of memory, 400gb hd, etc. for about $1300. The only thing I don't include is a monitor or sound card(aside from the stuff built into the motherboard and it'll work fine for me). So you really shouldn't be settling for less if it ends up being in the same price range.

[iago]

Just to give you an idea, I've been pondering buying a new computer and putting it together from parts on NewEgg.

I figured I could do Intel's Q6600 quad-core processor, 4 gigs of memory, 400gb hd, etc. for about $1300. The only thing I don't include is a monitor or sound card(aside from the stuff built into the motherboard and it'll work fine for me). So you really shouldn't be settling for less if it ends up being in the same price range.

Newegg refuses to sell to us Canadians, so Rule isn't entitled to the same deals as you

[zorm]

Newegg refuses to sell to us Canadians, so Rule isn't entitled to the same deals as you

Ah, I forgot all about that. Sucks for you Canadians, maybe you should upgrade to a real country?

Something rather amusing, I placed an order with Newegg on Thursday and they're shipping me 3 boxes. 1 from CA, 1 from NJ and 1 from TX.

[trust]

I thought Rule was in California?

Anyway buy mine! 

[Rule]

I thought Rule was in California?

Anyway buy mine! 

lol.  I live in Pasadena part time, so newegg is an option.   ( at iago).

How much faster is the "Intel® Core™ 2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)" than the "Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz,1066 FSB)"?

[zorm]

lol.  I live in Pasadena part time, so newegg is an option.   ( at iago).

How much faster is the "Intel® Core™ 2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)" than the "Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GHz,1066 FSB)"?

From what I remember reading, its not any faster and the Q6600 is basically two E6600s slapped together.

Just a note if you're planning to buy parts in the near future, the price on the Q6600 has been very unstable on Newegg as of late. Intel cut prices and as such Newegg seemed to drop their price, but then it went back up. I think they're playing the capitalist game, so I'd wait for the price to settle down and hopefully it will be below $300. I don't know about the other processors but be watchful.

[Sidoh]

Rule, I'm sorry to hijack your thread here, but since it's relevant and you might find use in the comments people post on this, I'm going to put this here.  If you'd like me to split it off, just say the word and it's done.

Long, annoying URL leading to my wishlist

My current PC is (the "important" stats):

AMD 3400+, Asus KN8-E Delux Motherboard, 1 GB RAM, XFX 6800 GT 256 MB

This is a "wish list" and I'm looking for some comments/critique.  I'm not sure if it's overkill, but I'd like it to last 2-3 years, as the one I'm currently running is plugging along quite well running on 3 years with a few upgrades.  I don't do a whole lot of gaming, but I do occasionally install/play new PC games (the most recent has been Halo 2, which runs pretty choppy on my current machine).

A couple of notes: I could easily knock the hard drive off that list because I have a 120 GB, 160 GB and 3 250 GB (which I'm currently using in a RAID 0 configuration to store my media/programs.  It's about 40% full) at my disposal.  I've intentionally left out a monitor (I already have two 19" LCD's which are both 2 and 3 years old, but they seem to be doing fine) and all of the other obvious peripherals (it is my intention to reuse any of the hardware that doesn't really affect the performance of the PC).

It's important to me that the motherboard I get supports RAID.  I'd like to just stick the current drives in and have it work, but I know that's not realistic.  I'll be moving around data getting things back on, I'm sure, but the RAID stats on the motherboard I have marked seemed a bit "shady".  Can anyone confirm that it'd work with a RAID 0 with 3 drives?

Thanks in advance to anyone who has some input on this.

Edit -- Updated the list.  Ergot pointed out that the CPU is retail, so I didn't need a CPU fan/heatsink.  I also took off the hard drive and the video card I had picked out and replaced it with a EVGA 8800 GTS 320 MB.

[Rule]

Anyone have anything to say about the AMD chips? 

I am currently considering a few different configurations.  What do you think about this?  I am looking for something relatively inexpensive that will stay running smoothly and be able to run new general purpose applications and not need to be upgraded for a really long time. 

Price: $1000, Dell.

PROCESSOR   AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 4000+, English    edit
OPERATING SYSTEM   Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium, English    edit
MEMORY   2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs   edit
HARD DRIVE   320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™   edit
SOUND CARD   Integrated Sound Blaster®Audigy™ HD Software Edition   edit
VIDEO CARD   256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT-DDR3   edit
OPTICAL DRIVE   16x DVD+/-RW Drive   edit
MONITOR   19 inch SE198WFP Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor   edit

Edit:  Also, I'm wondering whether I should seriously consider getting a quad-core processor, in order to keep my system "up to date" for a long period of time.  In what instances would I notice a big difference in efficiency between the quad and the dual?

And what's better,
Intel® Core™ 2 E6320 Duo Processor(4MB L2 cache,1.86GHz,1066FSB), or
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 4000+?

(I'm guessing the Intel is.  Is there a significant difference?)

[CrAz3D]

AMD in desktop is maybe ok, keep it cool.  It's a jew in a laptop .

[deadly7]

What I want to know is why you're wasting money getting a dual core if all that you intend to do with the computer is browse websites, check e-mail, and use chatting programs or whatever.  Also, you will be throwing out even more money if you buy a quad-core (especially the Intel quad core.. it's not even a real quad core. ).  Few programs utilize multiple cores--and you don't need multiple cores to run day-to-day programs like Firefox. Hell, I run Firefox with few hiccups on a 400MHz processor back from the 90s.

[Ergot]

CPU Comparison charts: http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html
AMD's are fine for desktops.  And liek Crazed said it sucks on a laptop (hot and drains batteries fast).