Zona90 said:
I am not one of those guys who knows a lot about computers. I would like a flat screen, size 15 or 17. I would also like a dvd burner and cd burner. I want to be able to transfer my tapes(VHS) over to dvd and I want to be able to edit my videos. I also want to be able to put my pictures on a disk and I also would like to make music cd's.
Do you have any good suggestions on what model would be best for me for around $1200.00?
OK sorry for the delay.
The only thing that looks like a potential problem there is your transfer of video to DVD. You will need a video input device of some sort. Very few graphic cards have this feature but you can get a usb device or a pci card that will do this. It will need composite or s-video in depending on the output of your source video. The only cavet with the DVD burner is be sure you have the right type of Media there a couple of different kinds of DVD writers.
There are also services that will transfer VHS to DVD for you.
Make sure you have plenty of Hard drive space probably 60-80 Gigabytes and more never hurts. At least 512 MB of system memory (RAM) and more never hurts. You don't really need the fastest processor any current 2.5+ GHz processor is fast enough.
For the monitor the flat
panel is the thin LCD monitor and the flat
screen is the CRT type with a flat front glass. A nice 17" Flat panel is about $350 - $400 but the 15" are pretty inexpensive. I would recommend the 17" you will will not regret it.
I would look at Dell and Gateway they each have models that come in at that price. Alienware are rated very high but the systems start at $1200. Go with a company that has a good warranty and that you feel comfortable with. I don't recommend the cookie cutters off the Best Buy shelves (Compaq/Acer). What is going to push your price is the added cost of the video input device and the $300 upgrade to a 17" flat panel.
Shop around, if you have any question about a particular system let me know.
Cant beat that on dell. That same pc goes for 2500+
