Advice Needed for New Computer

[Vince Becquiot]

Hi Dave,

Obviously, none of us actually have this exact system, and so, we only have theorical opinions. I think, these 2 systems will both do well in the motion graphics arena. Again, price here would probably tip the balance for me.

The HP system again has faster components but Sony is more trusted for quality.

I won’t create any further confusion 😉

Vince

[Gargoyle13]

Faster processor dude.

[Dave Ornowski]

What is the downside of Windows XP Media Center Edition?

[Gargoyle13]

As far as I know, no downside.
We’re using Premier Pro 2 w/xp pro, and we’re going to get 2 more systems just like it.
Works great… I don’t see how the media edition would have drawbacks.
I’ve messed around on a Media Center edition suite, and as far as I can tell, they seem to work exactly the same.

[Hector Melendez]

To add one more variable… why not you didn’t trust in a AMD dual core processor???

About 3 weeks ago I was in the same position but I found at Costco a HP 1357c HP media center (I dont need MC but it help to capture photos and other goodies)This system is: AMD 4200 AMD Athlon 64 x2 1gig ram and 250g sata HD plus a wireless land and a 19″ LCD monitor. WOW! what a big difference! from a CRT monitor.

BTW, I have another HP 3400 media center for almost 2 years and this PC works like a charm…
When I saw the difference between monitors I ran to buy another to the old system ( a Princeton 19″ that looks terrific)

I’m working with PP2 and Encore and the rendering is fast.
I choose AMD after reading some facts about this processors in which the author stated that AMD have better performance. Can’t find the address where I read this info….but you can make your own search.I also consulted some gamers and savvy people and all agree with AMD.

You will need a video card because the system I bought don’t have it. I bought and nvidia 7900gs pci express. This card have HD and Svideo output so I can monitor the video output thru a TV. Also I installed an extra 250g internal and a 200g usb so I can share info between PC’s. Also I use jump drives and photo memory sticks for sharing small files.
(total cost was about $1300)
You won’t regret this desision. This is my experince of a daily 12hrs editing with Premiere and Encore and this HP’s

[Gargoyle13]

It’s not that I don’t trust in AMD… I’ve had them before and they’re excellent processors.
Lots of bang for the buck!
However, I work for a corporation that has some sort of approved vendor system, and they use intell… which is nothing to sneeze at.
What do I care? I’m not paying for it!
Anyway, they weren’t asking about an AMD chip… just 2 different intell chips.

[Dave Ornowski]

Considering AMD would certainly open up more options for us, but I seem to remember reading about some issues with AMD’s and PP2.

[Blast1]

[Mochegod] “I seem to remember reading about some issues with AMD’s and PP2”

Only with the older Athlon xp processors, the newer AMD 64s, 64×2, and Opterons work fine.

[Blast1]

[gargoyle13] “I’ve messed around on a Media Center edition suite, and as far as I can tell, they seem to work exactly the same.”
They appear to work the same but its abit dumbed down version of XP pro with a entertainment system front end added to it.

[Dave Ornowski]

[Blast1] “Only with the older Athlon xp processors, the newer AMD 64s, 64×2, and Opterons work fine.”

Good to know. Thanks to all for the help. I finally decided on the “Gateway 940 Media Center” with a Pentium D 940 processor, 2MB RAM, and a single 500GB SATA II harddrive (but room to add more). So far, so good!

Dave