How's this for a new PC?

Acer Veriton VX488G-UQ8401C Core 2 Quad Q8400(2.66GHz) 4GB DDR3 500GB Intel GMA X4500 Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

http://www.newegg.com …aspx?Item=N82E1​6883103286

http://us.acer.com …759084358#wrAja​xHistory=0 click on model x488g

at $675 it seems like a good deal...it's being sold at a lot of places for that price but I like NewEgg...

I will be upgrading this year...and was looking forward to BlackFriday, mmmmmm....when I saw this listing at NewEgg...

Major advantages...core 2 Quad q-8400 cpu and Win 7 professional OS, needed to run my XP software (I don't want to have to upgrade software that works just fine)....

Win7 pro-64 bit is normally an OS upgrade of $125...and I didn't think I'd find a quad cpu system for $550...comes with 4gb Ram (2 x 2gb + 2 slots empty) and 500gb HD

I can see one serious negative...the 220wt power supply is really low powered to run a video card...but since it comes with a DVI output on-board, I don't know if I need a dedicated video card...

I know it's not the latest greatest....I tend to live a state or two behind the curve....Anyway, I'd appreciate any input on this unit...thanx in advance...

I wouldn't buy it. Core2Quad is the old generation, you'd be better off with an i5/i7 processor, maybe even i3. I wouldn't get XP any more either, it's pretty old, i'd want Win7 64 bit.

For $650 you can pick up a refurb Dell XPS8100:

i5, 6GB RAM, 7200RPM HD, Win7 64bit
$100-150 more and you can get i7 and 8GB RAM. Keep an eye out for Dell Refurb coupons and search their outlet. BTW, I hate Dell but keep buying their systems. So far they have all been very reliable but their customer service CAN be horrible.

Thank you for your info....
The Dell refurb looks great, ZC....where do I look for the refurb coupons...?
I would still have to upgrade the OS to Win7 Professional .... for another $100+
Tim, Win7 Pro 64-bit can run programs designed for XP...this will let me run my current software such as my old Photoshop 6 and Adobe Acrobat 5, MS office... upgrading Photoshop alone would cost more than I want to spend right now...

Not sure about the software, but in W7 Pro I think there's an XP mode/simulator/vm that should do the trick.

Do you know that you can't run photoshop 6 (ew...) on W7? So far, the only program i know of that doesn't work with W7 perfectly is BeSweet, and most people have never even heard of it.

basroil wrote in post #10664618
Do you know that you can't run photoshop 6 (ew...) on W7? So far, the only program i know of that doesn't work with W7 perfectly is BeSweet, and most people have never even heard of it.

See above posts...Win7 PRO 64bit can run XP software, incl. PS6...which still works for me...

kitacanon wrote in post #10664675
See above posts...Win7 PRO 64bit can run XP software, incl. PS6...which still works for me...

See the above post... Designed for Win XP doesn't mean "works only in XP". Hell, I have programs designed for Win 95, 98, 98SE, and 2000 on my Win 7 computers, and almost all of them work. With the exception of BeSweet that is.

Thanks for that reassurance basroil...I'd been told by Adobe that PS6 and PS Elements7 wouldn't run on Vista so I thought I'd have that same problem with Win7...

basroil wrote in post #10668905
See the above post... Designed for Win XP doesn't mean "works only in XP". Hell, I have programs designed for Win 95, 98, 98SE, and 2000 on my Win 7 computers, and almost all of them work. With the exception of BeSweet that is.

We did see your above post

basroil wrote in post #10664618
Do you know that you can't run photoshop 6 (ew...) on W7? So far, the only program i know of that doesn't work with W7 perfectly is BeSweet, and most people have never even heard of it.

Yes, V.I. I noticed that too...it just seems worth it to get Win7 PRO-64, and run XP in the background...

An i3 seems to be the way to go...from what I read PS, certainly my old PS won't benefit from the Turboboost of i5/i7...and getting an i3 with 6gb ram will certainly be a boost in itself from my P4/2.5gb...with a 32bit OS it made no sense to get more RAM...but which has been just fine for a while now...

kitacanon wrote in post #10672542
Yes, V.I. I noticed that too...it just seems worth it to get Win7 PRO-64, and run XP in the background...

An i3 seems to be the way to go...from what I read PS, certainly my old PS won't benefit from the Turboboost of i5/i7...and getting an i3 with 6gb ram will certainly be a boost in itself from my P4/2.5gb...with a 32bit OS it made no sense to get more RAM...but which has been just fine for a while now...

If you go with an i3 you can save on a graphics card as well as long as you get a motherboard with the H55 chipset. The i3 series chips have a GPU built into the CPU. I paid about $400 for my i3 machine, not including the OS and hard drive (which I already had).

If you have any plans to upgrade PS or use another program like LR though, an i5 or i7 is the way to go.

What is your budget exactly? Is it about $675 or so?

N2P...Thanks for that...How / Where did you get an i3 for $400?

Yes, the i3's built in graphs is nice...the H55 chipset also comes with DVI/HDMI output for my HDTV...

I still use a CRT...a 22" monster; the real estate and color is very nice and it has 2 inputs so I can run my 2 PCs into it...it would require a 24" wide screen if I were to replace it with one of the better LCDs designed for photos would cost as much as the pc itself....

....and when I need even more space, I just use my 50" Samsung HDTV, a DLP...which I like over LCD for its "film" look and which I've adjusted to look just like the Compaq CRT that I still really like...

...I tend not to buy the latest greatest....
...the Dell Dimension 4700 P4-HT I use for PS was a thriftshop special for $50 a couple of years ago and it will take care of me until I get the i3...as I said, I tend to live a state of art or two (or 3) behind the curve...I'm still happy with my MF nikkors on my Canon 30D/40D bods and my '99 Altima with 175K miles still runs great and looks good after a paint job it got a few year ago...

My budget is $700 max, I hope...but that would include the $125 upgrade to WIn7 pro-64bit OS...

The last PC I got new was 7 years ago....a Sony VAIO one of the first media PCs, that STILL works for me as a DVR...DVD burner...so getting a new PC is not something I NEED to do, but I'm thinking that this year's BlackFriday and CyberMonday will be a good time to get a spanking new PC...

kitacanon wrote in post #10672980
N2P...Thanks for that...How / Where did you get an i3 for $400?

Yes, the i3's built in graphs is nice...the H55 chipset also comes with DVI/HDMI output for my HDTV...

I still use a CRT...a 22" monster; the real estate and color is very nice and it has 2 inputs so I can run my 2 PCs into it...it would require a 24" wide screen if I were to replace it with one of the better LCDs designed for photos would cost as much as the pc itself....

....and when I need even more space, I just use my 50" Samsung HDTV, a DLP...which I like over LCD for its "film" look and which I've adjusted to look just like the Compaq CRT that I still really like...

...I tend not to buy the latest greatest....
...the Dell Dimension 4700 P4-HT I use for PS was a thriftshop special for $50 a couple of years ago and it will take care of me until I get the i3...as I said, I tend to live a state of art or two (or 3) behind the curve...I'm still happy with my MF nikkors on my Canon 30D/40D bods and my '99 Altima with 175K miles still runs great and looks good after a paint job it got a few year ago...

My budget is $700 max, I hope...but that would include the $125 upgrade to WIn7 pro-64bit OS...

The last PC I got new was 7 years ago....a Sony VAIO one of the first media PCs, that STILL works for me as a DVR...DVD burner...so getting a new PC is not something I NEED to do, but I'm thinking that this year's BlackFriday and CyberMonday will be a good time to get a spanking new PC...

It's hard to predict what prices will be like in November but I would look for an i3/i5 processor, 6-8GB of RAM, 1-2TB HDD, built in GPU, DVD drive, decent Power supply and case. The one caveat will be your OS requirement of Win 7 Pro. Most of the pre-built machines won't come with it so you'll have to upgrade in some other fashion. It is possible that you could build for a little less than buying store brands in that case, something to possibly consider.

My i3 PC is my HTPC. IT is quick and works very well. I've been quite pleased with its performance considering its price!

In2Photos wrote in post #10673022
It's hard to predict what prices will be like in November but I would look for an i3/i5 processor, 6-8GB of RAM, 1-2TB HDD, built in GPU, DVD drive, decent Power supply and case.

My i3 PC is my HTPC. IT is quick and works very well. I've been quite pleased with its performance considering its price!

Exactly....well, I'd be fine with 320gb 1st HDD and a Tb for a 2nd HD...
now where did you get yours...for $400 + $125 for OS upgrade (well, half that with ink cartridge credits at office depot)