Buying a Desktop Computer
Written on June 6, 2007 – 9:52 am | by gaulardcom |
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Well, it ends up that the hard drive in my desktop computer went bad. That’s just great. It felt great when that happened. I mean, what better feeling is there to be sitting at your desk trying to set up a new website and to have your computer stop working? It’s especially awesome when the problem is fatal.
I brought the machine up to Circuit City’s Firedog computer repair people. They were good. They diagnosed it for about $60 and called me with the bad news within a few hours.
I had a decision to make…either fix it for $300 or buy a new one for $900. I just bought a new one. At this point in my life, I can’t mess around with this stuff. Also, I had work to do.
So, here it is…
Here are the specs from the Circuit City website…
HP Pavilion Desktop PC (A6040N)
- Dual core/64-bit processing: This desktop features the powerful 1.9GHz Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6320 processor. The Core 2 Duo has two processing engines that work together, giving this processor much more power than standard 1.9GHz processors. This processor is also capable of processing 64 bits of information at once, twice as much as older 32-bit processors.
- This desktop features 2GB of advanced DDR2 system memory—enough for all but the most demanding users, gamers and multimedia professionals.
- Data travels to the processor along the frontside bus. The faster data travels, the faster everything works. This blazing-fast 1066MHz frontside bus will boost the speed of this desktop.
- L2 caches keep data neat, organized, and nearby so processors can retrieve it more quickly. This 4MB cache is very large, providing a potentially strong boost in performance.
- Hard drive: The spacious 320GB hard drive is perfect for robust collections of music, movies and multimedia. This drive’s data disks spin at 7200rpm, providing fast access to your files.
- DVD SuperMulti drive: Use this drive to burn DVDs and CDs to share your files, music mixes or home movies. You can even burn DVD-RAM discs—specially-formatted discs that let you drag and drop, or write and rewrite your files up to 100,000 times.
- LightScribe disc-labeling: Burn custom, silkscreen-quality labels and images onto your discs with the same drive that burns the data.
- Microsoft® Windows® Vista™ Home Premium: This is the operating system for homes with advanced computer needs. And Vista Premium features the elegant new Aero interface. You’ll be able to use your desktop more effectively and enjoy new entertainment experiences—all with the benefit of added security and reliability.
- Intel® Viiv™ technology: Unlock an amazing new world of digital entertainment in the home! Viiv merges PC and consumer electronics, providing endless entertainment options accessible through the Internet. Enjoy music, movies and photos from your own collection as well an array of online service providers.
- 15-in-1 media card reader: Seamlessly transfer images from your digital camera, MP3 player or camcorder. This extremely versatile 15-in-1 reader is compatible with Smart Media, CompactFlash I/II, Secure Digital, xD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, MicroDrive, MultiMedia Card (MMC), Reduced Size-MMC, MMCplus and MMCmobile.
- Graphics and audio: Built-in Intel graphics with up to 224MB of video memory—32MB dedicated—will handle your everyday video and graphics. Enjoy high-definition 7.1 audio support for an impressive 8-speaker surround sound system.
- Highly expandable: Simply slide the HP Pocket Media Hard Drive (sold separately) into the drive bay to add 80GB of storage. This highly portable drive is designed to travel— connect it to any other desktop or notebook via USB.
- PCI-Express x16 slot: This fast interface lets you add new cards with even more powerful graphics/video capability.
- Get connected: Six USB 2.0, two FireWire, and two PS/2 ports let you add an array of peripherals. Two front-access USB 2.0 ports make it easy to transfer information to and from your PC.
Software bundle:
Windows Vista Home Premium, Works 8 and Office Home and Student Edition 2007 (60-day trial)
Norton® Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of live updates) HP Photosmart Essential
Roxio Creator and MyDVD Basic
Muvee autoProducer
Adobe® Reader® 7
It’s pretty nice. All my programs installed except for Quickbooks, which I will buy a new version of today. Contrary to all the reviews out there, I am quite happy with Windows Vista. Boy, I think I am in the minority.
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