So I am looking to buy a new computer for work, but not sure what to go after. I don't store a lot of files, mostly just spread sheets and word documents, some pictures, so memory may not be a big factor in this purchase. What I need to know from you computer savvy Titan fans is; is the processor type a big deal? And if so, which processor should do I want? I'm currently using Intel Pentium 4 and processor Speed 2.73 GHz . Is something like an AMD Athlon better?
For spreadsheets and Word docs you could save yourself some cash and go with a cheaper processor. If you end up gaming or running high performance apps etc then you'll wanna start looking at the heavier duty stuff.
yep for standard computing crap you can get a decent idea of best bang for the buck by checking out whatever system Tigerdirect has on sale on their homepage. Currently an Acer Aspire AX1420-UR10P Desktop PC - AMD Athlon II X4 645 3.1GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit for $350 drop the w7 for a barebones price of $250-300ish
Intel pocessors have outperformed AMD for the last 5 years. The i5 2500k processor is the best value. It can handle almost anything you'd eveer want to throw at it. You're main concern for basic office work is which operating system you and office software you'll be using. For windows7 and windows ofice you need a minimum of 3Gb of memory. If you get a 32bit versions of Windows7 any more memory than 3Gb is a waste as the system can only utilise a maximum of 3.2Gb of memory without hacking the O/S. For a 64bit version of Windows7 go for a minimum of 4Gb of ram. Nothing wrong with the AMD chips though and a similar spec PC with an AMD cpu will likely be $200-300 cheaper. Don't even worry about the graphics card for what you're doing. Just make sure you have enough memory as per above.