Do you Like Vista?

[Chewy]

well 2 years ago the amd64 X2 3800 was over 300$
today it's under 60$

several months ago the intel quad cores were almost 1000$, they are around 300$ now

I like the 60$ price myself

[dr_ml422]

thnx. chewy. that's good to know, and since you suggested the amd's were going to outlast most anyway, i'm staying w/this pointer 4 now until i begin to build.

no saying what might happen till then as change in the computer world is constant. my resolution now and 4 the upcoming year ahead is to be less hard headed, and take the suggestions of more experienced people. bottom line is i end up doing what was suggested in the 1st place.

[vectorizer]

yes

Apparently in a minority, but I like Vista. Not good enough to upgrade an existing XP, but I did install Home Premium OEM in (my first) self-assembled desktop. Maybe it helps that I could do a pure install without bloatware?

Biggest pluses for me:
1) UAC. Significant security improvement. UAC may be annoying, but it's a big help to run as non-admin but not have to log all the way in to do admin tasks.
2) Media Center. I think this is a terrific app, with a really nice interface. I can control my STB, have a local guide, view live or time-shifted TV, and record (standard def). It worked with my 4-year-old video capture card, without loading drivers.
3) Responsiveness. I haven't really compared with XP on the same machine, but my impression is that interactive usage is much snappier while the system is doing hard work (encoding a video). Maybe the newer processor helps (a lot), though my old system has a dual core too.
4) Built-in parental controls.
5) Easier and more precise control over file & printer sharing in the Network and Sharing Center

Biggest minus:
No Remote Desktop access inbound (I have XP Pro in the rest of the house). Since I want both Remote Desktop and Media Center, I should have gotten Ultimate -- but that's big price difference for just Remote Desktop.

[MilesAhead]

that's big price difference for just Remote Desktop

Likewise I'm watching as the new Media Center PCs roll out. I'm seeing machines coming stock with 3 GB that can hold 8 GB 'cept they give you a 32 bit OS!! I watched a little video from the HP booth at some trade show and the guy was showing one of the new HP PCs but it had 64 bit Vista just so you could see all of the 4 GB ram installed!! Just for chuckles I tried pricing it out at the hp.com store and to get that extra GB and 64 bit
OS brings the price of the machine close to $2000 instead of around $1200!! Sheesh!!

[doctorhardware]

Better to build your own, with memory prices for DDR2 memory, I saw 1GIG for $19.99.

[MilesAhead]

Better to build your own, with memory prices for DDR2 memory, I saw 1GIG for $19.99.

I had a feeling that would be suggested. Been there, done that. I'm through with all things mechanical having done it for a living. Now I pull the item out of the box and plug it in. Should work as is. It's fine for those who enjoy putting stuff together but in my experience one is dependent on the parts supplier. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say.

It just seems lame to have 8 GB hardware and have 32 bit OS preinstalled when it's just as easy to install the 64 bit en masse.

[dr_ml422]

hi guys. $2000 4 an hp. i don't think so. especially now that they're coming w/vista, and how as yet there's so many bugs to iron out. depending on what you do, 4 that kind of money i'd throw some more in and get an apple. can't go wrong w/those solid monsters. hardly ever will get a virus, and w/some tinkering here, and there can put xp 4 those who need it. only thing is that 4 video work it might cost a lil more. not 2 sure about this, but i've heard it needs some extra goodies. i hear you though on being at the mercy of the vendors w/a build. the service contracts w/some of the leading brands aren't expensive at all, and do come in handy. if something's bad it's bad anyway, and must b replaced no matter what. that's time, and aside from the service contracts w/warranties time still is time, and almost always is money. i can definitely agree on you about not wanting to build bcause of you building w/e 4 a while. i use to paint housing developments, and apts. etc.. believe me i'm not painting another thing again. lol...

[MilesAhead]

Heh. I like the Pavilion machines... but then again I haven't had an
opportunity to sample other PCs in a while. It's not that I think the
Pavilion is horrible the way it comes stock, but I just wish they would demo
the shipping configuration in these shows. It would be like
test driving a new sports car and the thing goes 0..60 in like 7
seconds.. then when you take delivery, your car takes 12 seconds to get there.
You look under the hood and instead of computer-controlled fuel injection
you have a 2 barrel carb with a governor!! Like, Hey Salesman!! This
ain't the same car I drove when I decided to buy this model!!

[doctorhardware]

The bait and switch routine.

[dr_ml422]

yep. i'm going 2 put my own engine in my own car fellas. that along w/the gps, leather seats, and a few other goodies. just enough to satisfy me, and a lil more just in case. i'm a lil 2 much of an old soldier 2 b craving anything w/all the bells and whistles.

my new year resolution is still in effect. i'm going to stick w/the suggestions of the more experienced warriors here, you guys included of course, and chewy. i end up doing what you guys suggest anyway after i pull a Sinatra and try 2 do it my way. the build is coming.

[Chewy]

I don't know what hp, compaq, gateway and dell are doing when they build a computer, time and time again I see no balance in the force. I took an old Dell in on trade 4 years ago, I started analying it, it had an ok pentium chip/133 fsb and a 133 fsb mobo and 100MGHz ram. Back then computers didn't run worth a darn with cpu and ram out of sync.
And I have seen the opposite often too.

Since then we have had several people come thru here with really unbalanced systems.
amd64 cpu's and crappy slow ram. I would expect that out of a noob building a computer who doesn't know any better, but a major company.

[MilesAhead]

It is kind of weird Chewy. Makes you think that the purchasing dept. makes the engineering design decisions(there's a special on crap ram this month so we can save $.52 per unit ...)

One reason I guess I never got into messing with ram upgrades and that type of stuff was paranoia from seeing all the support calls from mismatched memory. People with perfectly running systems would add some ram and get into endless reboot cycles etc.. Like anything else if I got into it I'd learn after hitting myself in the head with a 2x4 repeatedly. Just right now it's not convenient to set up a work bench and mess around.
It might be kinda' fun though. Maybe if I rearrange the furniture in the future.

[gonwk]

Hi folks,

@ Vectorizer ... Hi there ... if you have a 4 year old, how in the world do you have the time to mess around with computers and chat on this forum. hehehe ... just kidding ... just wanted to drop you a line and say I "LIKED" your Pros & Cons listing for Vista.

Happy New Year Fellas!

G!

[POTCjedi]

I have had so many problems with Vista. I hate it! Here is a list of just some of the many annoying problems with Vista:

1. It randomly assigns pictures in my pictures folder to various folders.
2. Any video and audio runs very slow and skips.
3. It asks my thousands of times if I'm sure I want to copy a file somewhere else.
4. When I open a folder, it takes forever to load a view of all the contents.
5. When I open a folder, it loads the contents of another random folder before it shows me the contents of the right folder.

[jblitz277]

Sounds to me you don't have sufficient hardware.I have problems but little annoying things and drivers.The problems with speed audio and video you have sound like insufficient ram/ processor to me.