I bought a new desktop last Black Friday for just under $300 at CVS. It's a HP Pavilion 1 TB, 8 GB memory, Quad core processor. I think if you stream movies or TV you should make sure you get at least 8 GB memory and Quad Core processor. My old computer just could not process fast enough to watch streamed videos. I bought MLB extra innings it was useless on the old machine, but this new one is plenty fast enough.

 

Regards.........................the Chiefjag

I was going to say that you don't necessarily need all those specs for HD streaming but I've realized I never streamed on anything less than a Quad Core. 

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The base specs of my PC:

 

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The base specs of my PC:

This should have all the women running to you.

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This should have all the women running to you.

Not unless that's a credit card number...

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What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is agoin' on here???

Lots of good info here. I really appreciate everyone's input

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“It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.”
― Albert Camus

Lots of good info here. I really appreciate everyone's input

 

Good luck with whatever route you choose to take.  Based on what your needs are, here are the key things to look for.

 

Surfing the internet, pictures, music, etc. - Pretty much any modern computer will do this without any problem.

 

Streaming videos - Here is where you might concentrate a bit more on specifications.

• I would make sure that the computer has at a minimum a quad core processor (pretty much standard on most machines today).
  
• More RAM (memory) is always better, and I would look for a machine with a minimum of 8GB of RAM or the capability to upgrade to at least this much.
  
• Nothing less than a GB network card.  This is often expressed as 10/100/1000 or something similar.  The important part is the 1000.
  
• Get a machine with a dedicated video card.  Stay away from the "on-board" video types.  As with RAM, more is better to get better quality video.  I personally like Nvidia cards (sometimes called GeForce).  Most any modern card should be sufficient.  You want DVI output at least, and HDMI is better.
  
• As far as Operating System, stay away from Windows 8 variants if possible.  If you must use Windows, try to get a machine with Windows 7 or the option to install it.  Trust me, this will make your computing life much better.  I don't have a whole lot of experience with Apple computers, so I can't make a recommendation here.  If you choose Linux, then I can offer much more advice.  IMPORTANT!  Make sure that you get a 64 bit Operating System whichever you choose.
  
• Storage - Get one with at least a 1TB hard drive.  This is what is going to hold and store all of your pictures, music, videos, etc.  More here is usually better since music, HD pictures and video use up a lot of space.
  

With those basic specifications you should get a machine that serves your needs and makes you happy.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

The base specs of my PC:

 

 

Those are pretty much the specs of my laptop, but I dual boot between Windows and Linux.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

This should have all the women running to you.

 

Not this woman. I have a terabyte. For my needs, i3 is good enough. However I am not a fan of Windows 8.

 

There are three things I miss: the HP mouse, ability to not hear NFL.com videos, and of course Windows 7.

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I would definitely wait until the ads come out in the newspaper about the Thanksgiving sales since it's not far off. I had been watching the sales for Best Buy, Walmart and others and mine was going for $459. I found it at CVS (or was it Walgreens, it was on Southside Blvd.) for $279 starting 8 pm Thanksgiving Day.

 

Regards.......................the Chiefjag

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I would definitely wait until the ads come out in the newspaper about the Thanksgiving sales since it's not far off. I had been watching the sales for Best Buy, Walmart and others and mine was going for $459. I found it at CVS (or was it Walgreens, it was on Southside Blvd.) for $279 starting 8 pm Thanksgiving Day.

 

Mine was $500 on Saturday and $450 on Sunday. They don't wait until Black Friday to start discounting stuff.

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This should have all the women running to you.

Those stats usually don't work but they come running when I mention I have a 512GB SSD. I can't even say it out loud at home for fear a lady is walking by outside and breaks my door in computer technology passion.

 

Not this woman. I have a terabyte. For my needs, i3 is good enough. However I am not a fan of Windows 8.

 

There are three things I miss: the HP mouse, ability to not hear NFL.com videos, and of course Windows 7.

You might have a terabyte but I have two 1TB drives in addition to my 512 GB SSD. Please contain yourself.

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You might have a terabyte but I have two 1TB drives in addition to my 512 GB SSD. Please contain yourself.

Why you hitting on JW??

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What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is agoin' on here???

Why you hitting on JW??

You had your chance but you weren't impressed with my 27" dual monitors.

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Just tell women you measure your RAM in inches.

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Just tell women you measure your RAM in inches.

I do most of my measuring in the metric system, thank you very much. 

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You had your chance but you weren't impressed with my 27" dual monitors.

That's cuz my man has 32's! :thumbsup:

I do most of my measuring in the metric system, thank you very much.

Anything to make it seem larger! :whistling:

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What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is agoin' on here???

Anything to make it seem larger! :whistling:

Less to make it seem larger and more to use a competent and sensible system of units and measurements. 

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Less to make it seem larger and more to use a competent and sensible system of units and measurements.

We like to be rebels...it makes us originals, you conformist!!

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What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is agoin' on here???

We like to be rebels...it makes us originals, you conformist!!

It makes you stupid and outdated.

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It makes you stupid and outdated.

Good thing we're all hanging out on one of those "smart and up to date" European websites...oh wait! :Teehee:

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What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is agoin' on here???