The Computer Geek Thread

[SecretAgentMan]

Anyone on here a computer geek?

Two things.
I'm signing up for an animation class next year so I can take AP Computer science in two years.

And I'm getting a new Dell tomorrow.... Any advice?

[flaccopoe]

Get a Mac. [size=4] [/size]

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

[quote name='Mr. Irrelevant' timestamp='1366001137' post='1433896']
Anyone on here a computer geek?

Two things.
I'm signing up for an animation class next year so I can take AP Computer science in two years.

And I'm getting a new Dell tomorrow.... Any advice?
[/quote]

used to work for LG as quality control a while back and they used to do stuff for Sony and Dell on the side... so yeah, get a Mac if possible... but anyway wasn't our resident Panda into animation and other things related?

[flynismo]

Build your own computer

[Guest Mr. Nobody]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1366017516' post='1433948']
Build your own computer
[/quote]

that could be too relevant for our very own Mr. Irrelevant, but the best idea yet

[Sizzlebshu]

[quote name='Mr. Irrelevant' timestamp='1366001137' post='1433896']
Anyone on here a computer geek?

Two things.
I'm signing up for an animation class next year so I can take AP Computer science in two years.

And I'm getting a new Dell tomorrow.... Any advice?
[/quote]
For the second part, what are you gonna use the computer for?

If its for internet browsing and school work, get a mac. Overall it runs better, cleaner, and easier in the long run. You'll have almost all of the programs you'll need for classes (microsoft office + a few other very convenient ones) but may lack some niche programs (pHStat was an add on for office I needed for my stat class and could not get it on mac). Overall though, it is likely the best type for your needs in this case.

If you intent to use it for gaming in addition to all of this, I'd do what everyone else said and build my own and customize for gaming (high ram, processors etc...)

[SecretAgentMan]

[quote name='horus13corvineus' timestamp='1366012669' post='1433939']


used to work for LG as quality control a while back and they used to do stuff for Sony and Dell on the side... so yeah, get a Mac if possible... but anyway wasn't our resident Panda into animation and other things related?
[/quote]
To clarify, we're getting the thing because we are limited with space... So we are getting rid of all the old desktops, and replacing them with the new touchscreen ones...

[SecretAgentMan]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1366017516' post='1433948']
Build your own computer
[/quote]
I would if I had the space

[TheRavenouseD2008]

touch screen ..... bleh I guess I am the lone Purest . honestly I amazed myself yesterday a friend had a problem with Win 8 and Ventrilo on a new pc I was able to TV his system and fix it having never used 8 in my Life . maybe this operation I had is a new start lol

[YYZ66]

[quote name='Mr. Irrelevant' timestamp='1366001137' post='1433896']
Anyone on here a computer geek?

Two things.
I'm signing up for an animation class next year so I can take AP Computer science in two years.

And I'm getting a new Dell tomorrow.... Any advice?
[/quote]

I hope you have better luck with Dell than I had dude!
Just make sure it's a good processor, and a good video card. Don't go with onboard video, a decision you would regret.
Can you post the specs of what you're looking at?

[YYZ66]

[quote name='TheRavenouseD2008' timestamp='1366037056' post='1434052']
touch screen ..... bleh I guess I am the lone Purest . honestly I amazed myself yesterday a friend had a problem with Win 8 and Ventrilo on a new pc I was able to TV his system and fix it having never used 8 in my Life . maybe this operation I had is a new start lol
[/quote]

I've heard a LOT of bad things about Win 8. "I can't figure out how to do much of anything" seems to be what most people tell me about it.

[jus'_crAzy]

[quote name='YYZ66' timestamp='1366041678' post='1434118']
I've heard a LOT of bad things about Win 8. "I can't figure out how to do much of anything" seems to be what most people tell me about it.
[/quote]

It's all white noise. That's true for any new hardware/software that's released. People initially hate it because they're not familiar with it. Then they use it for a while and realize that it's not that bad.

[SecretAgentMan]

[quote name='YYZ66' timestamp='1366041597' post='1434116']
I hope you have better luck with Dell than I had dude!
Just make sure it's a good processor, and a good video card. Don't go with onboard video, a decision you would regret.
Can you post the specs of what you're looking at?
[/quote] [url="http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-one-23-2330-aio/pd.aspx?~ck=mn"]http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-one-23-2330-aio/pd.aspx?~ck=mn[/url]

[SecretAgentMan]

I have to say. Windows 8 isn't that bad. It's the hell of a lot better than Vista was. Then again, it is kind of hard to go down to that low

[flynismo]

[quote name='Mr. Irrelevant' timestamp='1366065080' post='1434346']
[url="http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-one-23-2330-aio/pd.aspx?~ck=mn"]http://www.dell.com/.../pd.aspx?~ck=mn[/url]
[/quote]

Hopefully you wont be running software that isn't too GPU intensive, because that setup doesn't appear it will be able to run a heavy duty GPU. Also hope that you got the i5 or i7

[quote name='jus'_crAzy' timestamp='1366044632' post='1434141']
It's all white noise. That's true for any new hardware/software that's released. People initially hate it because they're not familiar with it. Then they use it for a while and realize that it's not that bad.
[/quote]

Yeah, people seem to think different = downgrade. Kind of hard to improve if you keep everything the same

[quote name='Mr. Irrelevant' timestamp='1366087360' post='1434745']
I have to say. Windows 8 isn't that bad. It's the hell of a lot better than Vista was. Then again, it is kind of hard to go down to that low
[/quote]

W8 is badass. And that's coming from a diehard Linux guy

[quote name='Sizzlebshu' timestamp='1366024610' post='1433971']
For the second part, what are you gonna use the computer for?

If its for internet browsing and school work, get a mac. Overall it runs better, cleaner, and easier in the long run.
[/quote]

Dunno why people still say that. "Easier" is subjective...whatever you are used to using is easier.
Running better...doubt it. I built a couple computers for the house, both with top shelf components. I still see the infamous pinwheel freezing up the system, which is crazy since Mountain Lion is installed on a computer with a 3770k, 16 GB RAM and a Vector SSD...the XP days are long gone, Windows has been rock solid stable since W7 came out.
No idea what running cleaner means....
But if he is using this for school, he needs to stick with whatever OS the school uses.

[darklight1216]

[quote name='jus'_crAzy' timestamp='1366044632' post='1434141']
It's all white noise. That's true for any new hardware/software that's released. People initially hate it because they're not familiar with it. Then they use it for a while and realize that it's not that bad.
[/quote]
I respectfully disagree. Vista wasn't just new and unfamiliar; it wasn't good. To me, Windows 8 looks like that. It's ugly, in my opinion, looks like it was made more with tablets and phones in mind than laptops, and I simply don't like the way it is. That said, I'll probably have to learn to deal with it since my computer came back from the repair shop mysteriously damaged and it looks like I'll have to buy a new one.

[jus'_crAzy]

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1366102169' post='1434823']
I respectfully disagree. Vista wasn't just new and unfamiliar; it wasn't good. To me, Windows 8 looks like that. It's ugly, in my opinion, looks like it was made more with tablets and phones in mind than laptops, and I simply don't like the way it is. That said, I'll probably have to learn to deal with it since my computer came back from the repair shop mysteriously damaged and it looks like I'll have to buy a new one.
[/quote]

That seems to be the general consensus about Vista. Vista was terrible when it - combined with bajillions of memory hogging bloatware - was tacked on some low end Best Buy laptop whose hardware was really meant for an XP computer from 2002.

My second desktop runs Vista just fine with performance just under that of Win7.

Microsoft stuck its head into the mobile device industry, so Win8 was made with that in mind. That's why you see all those Microsoft Surface tablet commercials these days. Might get one myself.

Just... please... avoid Windows RT.

[Sizzlebshu]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1366097802' post='1434811']
Hopefully you wont be running software that isn't too GPU intensive, because that setup doesn't appear it will be able to run a heavy duty GPU. Also hope that you got the i5 or i7



Yeah, people seem to think different = downgrade. Kind of hard to improve if you keep everything the same



W8 is badass. And that's coming from a diehard Linux guy



Dunno why people still say that. "Easier" is subjective...whatever you are used to using is easier.
Running better...doubt it. I built a couple computers for the house, both with top shelf components. I still see the infamous pinwheel freezing up the system, which is crazy since Mountain Lion is installed on a computer with a 3770k, 16 GB RAM and a Vector SSD...the XP days are long gone, Windows has been rock solid stable since W7 came out.
No idea what running cleaner means....
But if he is using this for school, he needs to stick with whatever OS the school uses.
[/quote]
I'll give you there is a learning curve whenever you switch OS, but after using both (and I was a windows user for years), I feel that Mac does give you a much better experience if your needs are simple (internet browsing + presentation work for either school or your job). Its not perfect obviously but the maintenance required on it, as well as the customization necessary to optimize it for these purposes is substantially less than Windows imho.

By running cleaner I mean in terms of display and maintenance. Not that Windows cant enhance that but theres a level of customization involved to maximize is that you dont need to bother with in terms of Mac.

I wouldnt say Windows has been solid since 7 considering how annoying it is to use 8 and the probs that obv came with the other OS. There is a learning curve obviously and it takes some getting used to (once you do its good), but the new interface I find extremely annoying (the initial tablet like screen). I guess my real complaint is that they didnt just simplify and stick with the standard desktop on boot up or at least give you the option for that.

However you're clearly the computer expert so I will defer to you as I am not an IT guy, however, that has been my experience with both OS. For the record I do have computers with both OS and choose to use the Mac more often than the windows one just because of how simplified it is.

[flynismo]

[quote name='Sizzlebshu' timestamp='1366134331' post='1435087']
I'll give you there is a learning curve whenever you switch OS, but after using both (and I was a windows user for years), I feel that Mac does give you a much better experience if your needs are simple (internet browsing + presentation work for either school or your job). Its not perfect obviously but the maintenance required on it, as well as the customization necessary to optimize it for these purposes is substantially less than Windows imho.

By running cleaner I mean in terms of display and maintenance. Not that Windows cant enhance that but theres a level of customization involved to maximize is that you dont need to bother with in terms of Mac.

I wouldnt say Windows has been solid since 7 considering how annoying it is to use 8 and the probs that obv came with the other OS. There is a learning curve obviously and it takes some getting used to (once you do its good), but the new interface I find extremely annoying (the initial tablet like screen). I guess my real complaint is that they didnt just simplify and stick with the standard desktop on boot up or at least give you the option for that.

However you're clearly the computer expert so I will defer to you as I am not an IT guy, however, that has been my experience with both OS. For the record I do have computers with both OS and choose to use the Mac more often than the windows one just because of how simplified it is.
[/quote]

Here's my gripe...and believe me, I love busting Microsoft's balls every chance I get...
most people who are complaining about W8's interface are people using it on a desktop. It's kind of like complaining that your Ferrari gets horrible gas mileage and is unreliable...you don't buy a Ferrari if you are worried about gas mileage or depend on it to get you where you need to go everyday. Likewise W8 was meant for the tablet/mobile market.
Of course, MS selling desktops with W8 installed is Microsoft's fault; but let's be real, Metro is no more and no less useless and annoying as Mountain Lion's Launchpad. I cant see how people can seriously rag on MS because of Metro, when Launchpad is the exact same thing (with less features!) and everyone applauds the, for it.

And the worst part is, this tile/icon based launch nonsense has been finding it's way into Linux environments...it singlehandedly ruined Gnome!!


By the way, you can easily switch to the old desktop by default in Windows 8. You just need to change a setting in the registry. Most people dont want to mess with that, so just download and use this tool instead:

[url="http://www.lee-soft.com/vistart/"]http://www.lee-soft.com/vistart/[/url]

[SecretAgentMan]

[quote name='flynismo' timestamp='1366164164' post='1435634']
Here's my gripe...and believe me, I love busting Microsoft's balls every chance I get...
most people who are complaining about W8's interface are people using it on a desktop. It's kind of like complaining that your Ferrari gets horrible gas mileage and is unreliable...you don't buy a Ferrari if you are worried about gas mileage or depend on it to get you where you need to go everyday. Likewise W8 was meant for the tablet/mobile market.
Of course, MS selling desktops with W8 installed is Microsoft's fault; but let's be real, Metro is no more and no less useless and annoying as Mountain Lion's Launchpad. I cant see how people can seriously rag on MS because of Metro, when Launchpad is the exact same thing (with less features!) and everyone applauds the, for it.

And the worst part is, this tile/icon based launch nonsense has been finding it's way into Linux environments...it singlehandedly ruined Gnome!!


By the way, you can easily switch to the old desktop by default in Windows 8. You just need to change a setting in the registry. Most people dont want to mess with that, so just download and use this tool instead:

[url="http://www.lee-soft.com/vistart/"]http://www.lee-soft.com/vistart/[/url]
[/quote]
Trust me. I love the tiles. I do not like the fact that I have to switch between desktop mode and Windows 8 mode. That's the bad part for me.

Nothing can be worse than Vista....

*cringes in fear*

[Guest nflfan123]

[quote name='Mr. Irrelevant' timestamp='1366087360' post='1434745']
I have to say. Windows 8 isn't that bad. It's the hell of a lot better than Vista was. Then again, it is kind of hard to go down to that low
[/quote]
Windows XP was a thousand times better than Vista. If you're comparing anything to Vista that's not a good sign

[YYZ66]

[quote name='Mr. Irrelevant' timestamp='1366166759' post='1435665']
Trust me. I love the tiles. I do not like the fact that I have to switch between desktop mode and Windows 8 mode. That's the bad part for me.

[b]Nothing can be worse than Vista....[/b]

*cringes in fear*
[/quote]

Never tried Windows ME, did you? That was a disaster of epic proportions!

[darklight1216]

So who wants to recommend a laptop to me? Even just tips would be helpful... like what sort of processors I should stay away from and all that. I want to do do all the basic things (word processing, internet, watching videos), but I also want to do some gaming. I mostly play Sims so I guess that's what you might call "light gaming." Any info is appreciated.

Note: my budget is under 1000 so no Macs please.

[flynismo]

[quote name='darklight1216' timestamp='1366416369' post='1438914']
So who wants to recommend a laptop to me? Even just tips would be helpful... like what sort of processors I should stay away from and all that. I want to do do all the basic things (word processing, internet, watching videos), but I also want to do some gaming. I mostly play Sims so I guess that's what you might call "light gaming." Any info is appreciated.

Note: my budget is under 1000 so no Macs please.
[/quote]

If it's for gaming, you wouldn't want a Mac anyway...

What I would do is pick out pretty much any laptop with an Intel i5 processor and at least 4 GB of RAM. You should be able to find quite a few in the $600 - $700 range. Then buy a 256 GB solid state drive (check out newegg.com), and you're all set!

-----------

Just took a quick look over on newegg, here's a good one (just make sure to grab the SSD)

[url="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314004&IsVirtualParent=1"]http://www.newegg.co...VirtualParent=1[/url]

Very good graphics card (for what you play), awesome CPU, plenty of RAM and expansion capabilities.

You probably notice that I mention twice to get an SSD (solid state drive)....makes a huge difference in how fast everything loads and how snappy your computer feels. Probably the best "bang for the buck" upgrade you can make.
Also, additional benefits of the i5 CPU and SSD is their energy effeciency...meaning that they drain a lot less power from the laptop battery, giving you longer battery life between charging

[darklight1216]

If it's for gaming, you wouldn't want a Mac anyway...

What I would do is pick out pretty much any laptop with an Intel i5 processor and at least 4 GB of RAM. You should be able to find quite a few in the $600 - $700 range. Then buy a 256 GB solid state drive (check out newegg.com), and you're all set!

-----------

Just took a quick look over on newegg, here's a good one (just make sure to grab the SSD)

http://www.newegg.co...VirtualParent=1

Very good graphics card (for what you play), awesome CPU, plenty of RAM and expansion capabilities.

You probably notice that I mention twice to get an SSD (solid state drive)....makes a huge difference in how fast everything loads and how snappy your computer feels. Probably the best "bang for the buck" upgrade you can make.
Also, additional benefits of the i5 CPU and SSD is their energy effeciency...meaning that they drain a lot less power from the laptop battery, giving you longer battery life between charging

Thank you for responding so quickly. I apologize for not doing it myself.

I had to look up exactly what's so special about an SSD, but now I understand why you emphasized it. However, I do get a bit of headache when I contemplate switching out the hard drive. I do not have the know how for that, experimenting on a brand new computer doesn't seem a good idea, and as I mentioned, taking my pc to a store for an upgrade is how it was damaged.

Costco is having a sale. I found the same computer on that site you recommended. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834216443

I would be grateful if you (or anyone who knows their stuff) could tell me what they think of it.

This doesn't seem to be a particularly active thread at all, but if anyone's out there: I forgot to mention my new sport of downloading videos and ebooks.

Brand: Toshiba
Graphic Card: Intel HD Graphics
Hard Drive Size: 1 TB
Optical Drive: DVD-RW
Processor: Intel Core i7
RAM Included: 12 GB
Screen Size: 15.6 in.

Maybe, if I get a new pc, I can look into the SSD in a few years to breathe some new life into it and hopefully by then the reward will outweigh the risk.

Also, thanks for informing me that Macs aren't so good for gaming. I had heard that they have like no weaknesses. At all.

[flynismo]

darklight1216, on 29 Apr 2013 - 6:54 PM, said:
Thank you for responding so quickly. I apologize for not doing it myself.

I had to look up exactly what's so special about an SSD, but now I understand why you emphasized it. However, I do get a bit of headache when I contemplate switching out the hard drive. I do not have the know how for that, experimenting on a brand new computer doesn't seem a good idea, and as I mentioned, taking my pc to a store for an upgrade is how it was damaged.

Costco is having a sale. I found the same computer on that site you recommended. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834216443

I would be grateful if you (or anyone who knows their stuff) could tell me what they think of it.

This doesn't seem to be a particularly active thread at all, but if anyone's out there: I forgot to mention my new sport of downloading videos and ebooks.

Brand: Toshiba
Graphic Card: Intel HD Graphics
Hard Drive Size: 1 TB
Optical Drive: DVD-RW
Processor: Intel Core i7
RAM Included: 12 GB
Screen Size: 15.6 in.

Maybe, if I get a new pc, I can look into the SSD in a few years to breathe some new life into it and hopefully by then the reward will outweigh the risk.

Also, thanks for informing me that Macs aren't so good for gaming. I had heard that they have like no weaknesses. At all.

After reading this, don't worry about the SSD. It won't give you enough storage capacity for your videos and ebooks.
That laptop you linked to above; if you dont mind spending the $750, then I wouldn't think twice -- go ahead and grab it.

As far as it's gaming capabilities (if that matters to you), it runs on the new Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics. It will run older games fine (Pretty much any DX9 and most DX10 games) but will struggle on a lot of newer games; a few may not even be playable, at least on anything other than the lowest graphic settings....if you have any doubts whether it can play a certain game, check out this site and it will tell you:

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri

And regarding the Mac...
You are paying a ton of extra money for exquisite and stylish craftsmanship, and top notch support.
The hardware and operating system itself...the hardware is generally significantly overpriced. For an example, compare that laptop above to this Mac laptop: http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MD232LL/A?.
You'll see after checking out it's specs that it has a much lower end processor, half the RAM, a 2 1/2" smaller screen for DOUBLE the price...
the operating system itself is in many ways inferior to Windows (see: gaming, office), and in some ways, superior.

Macs have plenty of weaknesses; but a lot of them don't start appearing until you are doing more advanced tasks or need to use it for certain specific tasks...

Basically, here's a good rule of thumb when deciding on what operating system to go for when buying a computer:

 

1. Gaming / Office (Windows)

2. Any kind of Programming / Server / Web Development (any of the Linux based systems)

3. Building a state of the art, high performing custom computer (Windows and Linux both excel)

4. Basic email / internet / movies, photos and music (Windows or Mac are both great, much better programs available than any of the Linux systems)

5. New or "computer illiterate" users (Mac)

6. Going for the unemployed author look? Grab a Mac and head to your local Starbucks, lol

 

Although I will say this -- with so many things heading to the "cloud" (see : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing), the operating system you choose is becoming much less important the more prominent and widespread the cloud "ecosystem" becomes. In other words, the more programs and apps that run from the cloud, the less relevant your own operating system becomes.

[darklight1216]

After reading this, don't worry about the SSD. It won't give you enough storage capacity for your videos and ebooks.
That laptop you linked to above; if you dont mind spending the $750, then I wouldn't think twice -- go ahead and grab it.

As far as it's gaming capabilities (if that matters to you), it runs on the new Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics. It will run older games fine (Pretty much any DX9 and most DX10 games) but will struggle on a lot of newer games; a few may not even be playable, at least on anything other than the lowest graphic settings....if you have any doubts whether it can play a certain game, check out this site and it will tell you:

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri

And regarding the Mac...
You are paying a ton of extra money for exquisite and stylish craftsmanship, and top notch support.
The hardware and operating system itself...the hardware is generally significantly overpriced. For an example, compare that laptop above to this Mac laptop: http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MD232LL/A?.
You'll see after checking out it's specs that it has a much lower end processor, half the RAM, a 2 1/2" smaller screen for DOUBLE the price...
the operating system itself is in many ways inferior to Windows (see: gaming, office), and in some ways, superior.
Macs have plenty of weaknesses; but a lot of them don't start appearing until you are doing more advanced tasks or need to use it for certain specific tasks...
Basically, here's a good rule of thumb when deciding on what operating system to go for when buying a computer:
 
1. Gaming / Office (Windows)
2. Any kind of Programming / Server / Web Development (any of the Linux based systems)
3. Building a state of the art, high performing custom computer (Windows and Linux both excel)
4. Basic email / internet / movies, photos and music (Windows or Mac are both great, much better programs available than any of the Linux systems)
5. New or "computer illiterate" users (Mac)
6. Going for the unemployed author look? Grab a Mac and head to your local Starbucks, lol
 
Although I will say this -- with so many things heading to the "cloud" (see : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing), the operating system you choose is becoming much less important the more prominent and widespread the cloud "ecosystem" becomes. In other words, the more programs and apps that run from the cloud, the less relevant your own operating system becomes.

Wow, I think my computer knowledge has gone up by like 12% just from your two posts. Thank you for that informative reply. I won't be paying that price if I get that laptop, so no worries.

From what you told me about Macs, they probably won't be for me in the near future despite my computer illiteracy.

I was almost ready to pull the trigger on that Toshiba, but now I'm seeing that two Hp Envy's are about to go on sale a decent looking Dell Inspiron. I won't bother you with all of those, but if your not all answered out, can you tell me if it's true that AMD (in this case A10-4600 quad core)processors aren't so good?

[flynismo]

darklight1216, on 02 May 2013 - 3:22 PM, said:
Wow, I think my computer knowledge has gone up by like 12% just from your two posts. Thank you for that informative reply. I won't be paying that price if I get that laptop, so no worries.

From what you told me about Macs, they probably won't be for me in the near future despite my computer illiteracy.

I was almost ready to pull the trigger on that Toshiba, but now I'm seeing that two Hp Envy's are about to go on sale a decent looking Dell Inspiron. I won't bother you with all of those, but if your not all answered out, can you tell me if it's true that AMD (in this case A10-4600 quad core)processors aren't so good?

Oh no problem at all...I could talk about this stuff all day if I could lol...

Regarding AMD... back in the day, they were as good as Intel was at the time.
Then a few years ago Intel introduced the Core 2 Duo line of processors, and Intel started pulling ahead in terms of performance. AMD's were viewed as great budget processors; they generally would give 85 - 90% of Intel performance for half the price.
Now, the gap in performance between competing Intel and AMD processors is so wide that there have been talks that AMD may be going bankrupt in the near future. Intel has been completely dominating AMD for the last three years, and that gap is still widening as we speak (and is expected to continue into the forseeable future)

It's not really that AMD "sucks", it's just that Intel is that good...

That particular processor, the A10-4600 quad core, is decent. Not blazing fast, but not slow either (for the techies reading this, it is roughly on par with a Intel i3-2310M). It also has a total draw power of 35 watts, which means that it doesn't use much power and will help out with battery life.
For your needs, I think it is fine. If you get a good deal on the Envy (no more than $475ish), by all means, go for it. Money is always a factor. But there are definitely better choices in the $500 range.
Just bear in mind that the Envy laptop has a lot of storage on the hard drive for your multimedia stuff you were talking about, but the hard drive is veeeerry slow (5400 rpm), so between that and the middle-of-the-road processor, dont expect top shelf performance.

[darklight1216]

Oh no problem at all...I could talk about this stuff all day if I could lol...

Regarding AMD... back in the day, they were as good as Intel was at the time.
Then a few years ago Intel introduced the Core 2 Duo line of processors, and Intel started pulling ahead in terms of performance. AMD's were viewed as great budget processors; they generally would give 85 - 90% of Intel performance for half the price.
Now, the gap in performance between competing Intel and AMD processors is so wide that there have been talks that AMD may be going bankrupt in the near future. Intel has been completely dominating AMD for the last three years, and that gap is still widening as we speak (and is expected to continue into the forseeable future)

It's not really that AMD "sucks", it's just that Intel is that good...

That particular processor, the A10-4600 quad core, is decent. Not blazing fast, but not slow either (for the techies reading this, it is roughly on par with a Intel i3-2310M). It also has a total draw power of 35 watts, which means that it doesn't use much power and will help out with battery life.
For your needs, I think it is fine. If you get a good deal on the Envy (no more than $475ish), by all means, go for it. Money is always a factor. But there are definitely better choices in the $500 range.
Just bear in mind that the Envy laptop has a lot of storage on the hard drive for your multimedia stuff you were talking about, but the hard drive is veeeerry slow (5400 rpm), so between that and the middle-of-the-road processor, dont expect top shelf performance.

Thank you. I think I'll stay away from AMD. That's what I have right now and definetly want an upgrade.

Well you said you could talk about it all day so... what do you think of the i3-33217u processor (1.8 ghz 3mb cache). The guy at the store suggest a Dell Inspiron 15r built with that (good price and a terabyte of hard drive). He said I should be able to run a few programs at once, just not to expect it to do well in photo editing or stuff like that (which I don't do anyway).

[flynismo]

Thank you. I think I'll stay away from AMD. That's what I have right now and definetly want an upgrade.

Well you said you could talk about it all day so... what do you think of the i3-33217u processor (1.8 ghz 3mb cache). The guy at the store suggest a Dell Inspiron 15r built with that (good price and a terabyte of hard drive). He said I should be able to run a few programs at once, just not to expect it to do well in photo editing or stuff like that (which I don't do anyway).

Yup, what he said sounds right. Photo editing, games, video encoding/editing, file compression/decompression are some of the most common tasks that rely heavily on processor speed...if you dont plan on doing much of the above, then most likely you dont need a fancy pants processor.

If you multitask a lot (run several programs at once, like web browser, music, etc), you would benefit a lot from a quad core processor. The i5 and i7 are quads, the i3 is a dual core. For multitaskers and general use, the quad cores are worth every penny. And these days, the modern quads are very energy efficient, so they dont kill your battery the way the old quads used to.

Here's what I think you should do, and still stay under $1000 --

get a laptop with ANY i5 or i7 processor
4 GB or more of RAM
a solid state drive (SSD)
purchase an external USB hard drive to store your multimedia stuff on (it wont come with the laptop, but requires no tech skills to install -- just plug it into your USB drive like you would an iPod)

and maybe an upgraded graphics card if you plan on some gaming, but the integrated graphics will be good enough for older games.

If you do the above, you'll have invested $700 - $850, and will have a blazing fast computer that is also very energy efficient...and you wont be looking to upgrade it for years