What computer should I buy next?

[Klutch]

Looking to invest in a new computer and with tax time here and getting back a decent return I would like some advice as to what type of computer to get, and I figured you guys and gals here were pretty knowledgeable

Gateway - AMD Phenom 9500 with AMD Live, 2.2 GHZ, 3Gb PC2-5300 DDR@ memory, 1000 GB 7200-rpm SATA II hard drive, windows vista home premium, dvd=/-rw dl drive w/ labelflash, ati radeon HD 2400xt graphics, 6 usb 2.0, 2 ps/2, 1 s video, 15 in 1 memory card reader

Compaq- 360gb hard drive, 2gb memory, intel pentium dual core e2160, 1.8 ghz, windows vista home premium, lightscribe dvd supermulti drive, 10/100 ethernet, 56k v.92 modem, 6 usb 2.0, 2 ps/2 ports, 15 in 1 memory card reader

hp (a6342p-b) - intel pentium dual core e2180, 2.0 ghz, 3gb memory, 400gb hard drive, windows vista home premium, lightscribe supermulti dvd drive, gigabit ethernet, 56k v.92 modem, 6 usb 2.0, 2 firewire, 2 ps/2, 15 in 1 memory card reader

hp (slimline) - tv tuner ntsc and atsc(hd), wirleless, amd athlon 64 x2 dual core 5000+ 2.6 ghz, 2gb memory, 500 gb hard drive, windows vista home premium, lightscrbe supermulti dvd drive, 802.11 b/g wi-fi, 10/100 ethernet, 6 usb 2.0, 1 firewire, 2 ps/2, 15 in 1 memory card reader

hp (m8300f) - tv tuner (ntsc and atsc (hd)), 3.0 ghz amd athlon 64 x2 dual core, 3gb memory, 640gb hard drive, windows vista home premium, lightscribe supermulti dvd drive, 10/100 ethernet, 56k v.92 modem, 6 usb 2.0, 2 firewire, 2 ps/2, 15 in 1 memory card reader.

[Jason Todd Grisham]

Is money an option?

[Klutch]

money is not an option, but i have narrowed it down to those choices, unless you want to throw another one out there for me to look at.

[Jason Todd Grisham]

Ok, then what are you going to use your computer for?

[Klutch]

gaming and internets, its really just time for a system upgrade the one I currently have is just getting outdated, have had it since 2003.

[Insomniac]

No matter which system you buy from the ones you listed, you'll definitely need to upgrade the video card if you want to play more recent games with good settings and smooth gameplay. The 2400xt listed in the first system isn't a very capable card at all. And I assume since one isn't listed in the others that they use onboard graphics, which isn't suitable for gaming at all.

Everything else about each system looks fine, though. Good amount of ram, decent processor. Of the ones listed, I'd go with either the hp (m8300f) or the Gateway. The Gateway has a quad-core, but those really aren't necessary for the vast majority of games today. The higher processor speed of the m8300f is probably better.

Then again, I'd personally avoid going with a pre-built system and instead build one yourself. Buy all the necessary parts individually and put them together. It's not that hard and just requires a bit of work and patience. I've done it a number of times and it's not hard at all. Can actually be pretty fun. By building one yourself, you can usually either (a) Spend the same amount of money and get a better system, or (b) Build a comparable system and spend less.

[edgehead]

A Mac

[bigHEADinc]

edgehead said:

A Mac

For gaming? Hell no... If he said he worked on graphics or music and gamed, then a Mac with Bootcamp would be preferable...

Gateway computers are hella unreliable and Compaqs tend to go south real quick. Considering money and space are considered options, I'd go with the m8300f but I'd swap out Windows Vista for a nice version of Windows XP, as a ton of games are still having lots of trouble working on Windows Vista.

[edgehead]

Oh...for games? Sorry, I must admit I did not read your post, just the topic. *slaps self on wrist*