Does this make sense?

[ZenGum]

So, I'm looking at getting a new computer system.

I was bemused, bewildered and baffled by the large numbers of different processors about and the lack of any means to compare them. What I need, I thought, was some way of testing all processors against some standard test, and comparing that.
Oh, internet, so full of nerds, and google, how I love thee. www.cpubenchmarks.org has the lot, and very well presented.

This site scores processors over eight tests, producing a number currently anywhere between a few hundred and 10,000. Higher is better. I call these units "bangs", as in bang for your buck.

So, I started with my old machine, an Intel pentium M at 1.73GHz. It produces a modest 448 bangs, apparently. It was fine when it was new, but now is slow, buggy, and has other issues. The HDD is effectively full. It is about 4.5 years old.

So, reasoning that computers double in capacity every 18 months, and I've had this computer 4.5 years, I need to multiply every thing by 8 to get an up-to-date equivalent.

Right?

So, I need to go from 448 bangs to about 3584.
I should go from 504 MB of RAM (What? I was sure I had got a gig! can a half a gig ram chip burn out without being obvious?) to 4 GB.
I should go from 60 GB HDD to 500GB.

There are processors in the correct bang range (3300-3800) at reasonable prices:
AMD Phenom II X4 820 (3517 bangs, $100)
AMD Athlon II X4 645 (3567 bangs, $110)
Intel Core i3 530 @ 2.93 GHz (3551 bangs, $125)

These options seem to be available on the market to me now.

The only thing I'm concerned about is that maybe these statistics just don't support the kind of reasoning I am doing. I've never seen these sorts of numbers before. So, does anyone want to save me from my own clever-stoopit? For example, I don't understand how altering the RAM would effect the bang measurement. Do I need to octuple both the processor bang and the ram? or is just say, quadrupling the bang and doubling the RAM enough to create the eight-fold increase in performance I want?

And also, is windows seven tolerable? Most new machines seem to come with it, but XP is still about.

[ZenGum]

and the seven key did not misbeha77v77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777e once during the entire typing of that post. 77777777777

ETA oh FFFUUUUUUUUUUU

[Undertoad]

You already knew at gut-level, there's no sense in using Moore's Law (18 months) to decide what computer you want.

(And it doesn't apply to RAM or hard drives at all.)

First determine what it is you want to do, or are likely to need to do with this system. You'll have it 3 years so figure out what you'll need to do in 2.5 years with it.

The numbers following each item are importance from 1 to 10 of CPU, size of hard drive, quality of video card, size of RAM.

Hardcore gaming 8 - 9 - 10 - 9
Creating complicated content (movies, large images, music etc) 9 - 10 - 7 - 9
Pirating complicated content 8 - 10 - 3 - 3
TV & cable replacement 5 - 7 - 5 - 5
Creating simple content (docs & spreadsheets) 5 - 5 - 3 - 4
Browsing the whole Internets and doing everything you can do there 5 - 6 - 2 - 4
Casual gaming 4 - 1 - 2 - 3
Browsing the Cellar 1 - 1 - 1 - 1

So IF you are planning to play the latest and greatest shoot-em-up game in three years, invest in some beefy hardware and 8GB. But IF you are just browsing around, you don't need something complicated.

[Undertoad]

And Windows 77777777777 is generally excellent.

[Lamplighter]

Zen, you may have spent more time writing post #1 than you will
save or gain over the time you own whatever you decide to buy.

NA - Nerds Anonymous

[Bullitt]

Just as an example:
My system I built a year and a half ago cost me about $700 all said and done. The same parts now would run probably more like $600 or less. Just depends on the deals you find. I scavenged newegg and tigerdirect for a couple days for deals and discounts. It runs the latest games without any hiccups on highest settings.

Intel core2quad Q9550 2.83ghz processor
Radeon 4870 1gb video card
Kingston dual channel DDR2 4gb ram (now up to 8)
ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo motherboard
WD 320gb 7200 rpm hard drive (later added a couple terabytes for backing up)
Case
DVD drive
etc.
blah
blah

[GunMaster357]

Here is what I use as a notebook :

Samsung R780

I'm very happy with it

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

And Windows 77777777777 is generally excellent.

Stable and not buggy, I'll agree. It's a solid operating system. But I still violently hate the user interface.

[tw]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

For example, I don't understand how altering the RAM would effect the bang measurement. Do I need to octuple both the processor bang and the ram?

OS (in ballpark terms) defines a minimum number of Gb of Ram. Be careful about how some play games with RAM to increase their profits.

For example, a system might have 2 or 4 Gbytes. Make sure that is with half the slots still open. For example, if a system can be upgraded to 8 Gbytes and has four memory slots, then 4 Gbytes should be in only two slots. Other two slots should be open - for a future upgrade. To increase profits, the manufacturer might fill all four slots using smaller Ram boards.

As systems age, functions such as malware protection demand more memory. That's when you spend less money to fill those other two slots.

Malware software is one reason why systems appear to run slower. As that (and other) software advances, it needs more memory. Slots for that future upgrade means you spend a little more today - and save more money in the long term.

Avoid AMD in laptops. Their processors run too hot.

[Crimson Ghost]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

and the seven key did not misbeha77v77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777e once during the entire typing of that post. 77777777777

ETA oh FFFUUUUUUUUUUU

sevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevensevenseven

DAMN!!!

Now mine is stuck too.

[Glinda]

My ancient computer (2003!) has been increasingly iffy (MASSIVE understatement) the last year or so, and I've tried everything I could think of to debug it and defrag it and de-malware it and de-useless-program it. One day last week, I spent over six hours trying to get the fucker up and running in some reasonable fashion so I could do some work and earn some dough.

I finally (LAME!) discovered how to implement the System Restore function on this beast (oh sure, they talk about it a lot in Help and whatever, but is there a freaking link to the place that makes it happen? HELL NO! ).

Anyway, as I said, I finally found the secret entrance to the (non-destructive) System Restore function on this old boogery machine and by god if it's not running like a GDMF Olympic champion again.

Point being: if you're lucky, you may not need a new system at all.

But... I'm a computer moron, so what do I know?

[Gravdigr]

Hah, boogery.

[Glinda]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Hah, boogery.

I couldn't say for certain, but I think that's a word/meaning I made up. Or, at least, I've been using it since I was a wee witch. Feel free to co-opt.

Dad, on the other hand, has always preferred "buggered up." Yeah, I know what that means to you Brits, but I use it anyway. Good old dad.