I'm looking to buy a relatively inexpensive desktop computer for the family. I will be running some memory/CPU intensive applications and have cable internet so I want a fast, powerful computer that won't become obsolete too quickly. I figured I'd get some opinions before I decide, probably on one of the following two systems:
HP Pavilion Media Center a1310n
AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3700+ (2.2GHz)
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
2000MHz HyperTransport System Speed
64KB Instruction Cache + 64KB Data Cache, 1MB Level 2 Cache
1.0GB Dual Channel PC-3200 DDR RAM (Expandable to 4.0GB)
200GB 7,200RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive
ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics
Dell Dimension E310
Intel Pentium 4 Processor 640 w/HT Technology (3.2GHz,800FSB)
Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz -2DIMMs
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Both are around the same price ($630 - 650 USD). I'm just interested in hearing how you would rate these two systems based on these specs. Which one seems like the better choice in your opinion? How does the AMD Athlon 64 3700+ compare to the Intel Pentium 4 640? I notice the Intel has HT tech and a higher processor speed, but I've heard good things about the Athlon chips. Also, the Dell has DDR2 RAM compared to the HP's PC-3200 DDR. What difference, if any, does this make? Please keep in mind that I really don't want to spend any more than this so dual-core based computers are pretty much out of the question. Thanks to everyone for your feedback.
-Mike
HP Pavilion Media Center a1310n
AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3700+ (2.2GHz)
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
2000MHz HyperTransport System Speed
64KB Instruction Cache + 64KB Data Cache, 1MB Level 2 Cache
1.0GB Dual Channel PC-3200 DDR RAM (Expandable to 4.0GB)
200GB 7,200RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive
ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics
Dell Dimension E310
Intel Pentium 4 Processor 640 w/HT Technology (3.2GHz,800FSB)
Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz -2DIMMs
160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900
Both are around the same price ($630 - 650 USD). I'm just interested in hearing how you would rate these two systems based on these specs. Which one seems like the better choice in your opinion? How does the AMD Athlon 64 3700+ compare to the Intel Pentium 4 640? I notice the Intel has HT tech and a higher processor speed, but I've heard good things about the Athlon chips. Also, the Dell has DDR2 RAM compared to the HP's PC-3200 DDR. What difference, if any, does this make? Please keep in mind that I really don't want to spend any more than this so dual-core based computers are pretty much out of the question. Thanks to everyone for your feedback.
-Mike