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'Kickstarter' for a new computer?

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itsthenoise

itsthenoise

Neophyte Paranormålé
Just an idea [ and maybe it's a bad one? ] but is it worth setting up a 'Kickstarter' page to get Don a new computer?

Then Don could get himself the a Hal 9000 or even an top of the line Mac Pro? I think he needs a computer worthy of DMR.

I'm sure there's quite few listeners who would like to give something back to Don.
 
If we can't raise enough to get him a computer, Don oughtta be able to spend what we did raise on booze and cigars.

*Just thought I'd get that in there before someone decides that a charity should get the insufficient funds. He deserves it for his efforts.

But computers are cheap these days, I think we can do this. I'll have to mail mine in though.
 
Sue Sony for losing your personally details due to insufficient account security like 2.7 million other people who have taking out a law suit and that should raise a hefty few bucks
 
Gentlemen,

I am very deeply touched by this proposal that appeared here. I have been in touch with a buddy out here in So. Calf. who is quite a computer geek, and asked him about 2 weeks ago to give me an idea for a "drop dead" broadcast computer. He put a list together for me which I sent back to the network. I have been working to get them to see if they would or could put one together for me. No word yet.

For what it is worth ... here is what my buddy Mark sent me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why a custom build and not an off the shelf Dell – HP, etc.? The main issue with off the shelf builds is their lack of expandability and repair options. Dell and the rest are notorious for building preparatory machines, with little to no options for adding and or replacing video, sound, hard drives, mother board, etc. Don’s a PC geek from way back, he needs the option to repair, replace and expand his machine as necessary.

General Desktop Overview

Motherboard: a 2 core processor would work okay, but if you can afford it, a 4 core would last you a decade or more, but a 2 core would suffice for many years. Intel or AMD CPU, doesn’t really matter. 2.0 GHz CPU or as fast as you can afford. We like the Asus boards the best.

Hard Drives: I would spec out a 500 GIG for the operating system and programs and a 1 terabyte for data and your on-board back up drive.

Memory: 3 to 4 GIG’s of memory for Windows 7 Professional 32 Bit, 2 GIG’s for Windows XP Professional. You really should move on to Windows 7 Don. XP is great, I still use it on my internet machine, but 7 really is a better OS. Windows 7, 64 bit is cool but for your needs, it’s over kill and more technical to use older software and hardware.

Video: Any high end G-Force card will work fine. It should have 512 on-board memory at the least, max it out to 1 GIG if the money is there.

Sound: Any decent mother board will have pretty good sound. I wouldn’t worry about that until you use the PC. If the sound is a bit thin for you, a good sound card can be had for under $100.00.

DVD – CD Burner: I like having 2 of these in my systems. It makes coping and such much easier. Stay away from Lightscribe, waste of time and money. Go with a dual layer burner if the money is there. You can copy over a lot more info on a dual layer disc. Go Blur Ray only if you’re interested in hooking the unit up to your home theater, easy to do.

Power Supply: 500 Watts minimum.

Ports and slots, etc: Get a system with as many USB ports as you can; 2 to 4 on the front, 4 to 8 on the back. Fire wire for sure.

A card reader installed would be nice.

Vendor for peripherals: Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, HDTV, Electronics and Cameras!
Vendor for a built PC desktop: Store

I use these guys, local for Don, very trust worthy. You can join the site and point and click a system right on the web site.

This machine with most of the base equipment selected (Asus board) would work very well: Intel i5/i7 Quad Ultimate


Decker
 
pixelsmith said:
or you could get a new iMac that was just released today. Apple - iMac - The ultimate all-in-one desktop computer.

i hear Dell is going out of business... lol.
Click to expand...

What Apple has done is move the performance of a Mac Pro workstation into an affordable desktop computer. As I mention in a forthcoming column at The Tech Night Owl — Cutting-Edge Tech Commentary, Apple is already boasting of the graphics capability of a Mac Pro with the AMD graphics card on the refreshed iMac.
 
Angel of Ioren said:
The new iMacs are sweet. I don't see a reason to go with a PC unless you want to play PC games.

You buy a Mac and you know the software and hardware will work well together.
Click to expand...

Actually, you can use Apple's Boot Camp, and a copy of Windows 7, to run Windows at full speed on the iMac for those PC games that'll never be ported. You get the best of both worlds. For less demanding tasks, such apps as Parallels Desktop let you run Windows and Linux simultaneously with Mac OS X.
 
Gene Steinberg said:
Actually, you can use Apple's Boot Camp, and a copy of Windows 7, to run Windows at full speed on the iMac for those PC games that'll never be ported. You get the best of both worlds. For less demanding tasks, such apps as Parallels Desktop let you run Windows and Linux simultaneously with Mac OS X.
Click to expand...

I don't know Gene, you can get an equal built to order PC for less. If you want to play PC games, getting a Mac is sort of silly because gaming PCs need performance and Macs are not about that. Just to be clear, I'm not saying Macs are expensive, but for the high performance demand of PC games, an iMac does not cut it.

For everything else, especially if you don't care about games or Windows specific software, a Mac is just plain easier. I doubt Don is looking to play Crysis 2 or Battlefield 3.

If $1200 is within budget, you can't go wrong with a Mac. Unfortunately, there really isn't much for less than that when it comes to a Mac.
 
Gene Steinberg said:
Apple is already boasting of the graphics capability of a Mac Pro with the AMD graphics card on the refreshed iMac.
Click to expand...
and that is quite the graphics card!

AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

Configurable to AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 2GB GDDR5, only at the Apple Online Store.
 
pixelsmith said:
and that is quite the graphics card!

AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

Configurable to AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 2GB GDDR5, only at the Apple Online Store.
Click to expand...

It's amazing that they're keeping it at a low price. Apple has come a log way in pricing.
They even have the most competitively priced tablet! When was the last time Apple's offering was a "budget" model.
 
Angel of Ioren said:
I don't know Gene, you can get an equal built to order PC for less. If you want to play PC games, getting a Mac is sort of silly because gaming PCs need performance and Macs are not about that. Just to be clear, I'm not saying Macs are expensive, but for the high performance demand of PC games, an iMac does not cut it.
Click to expand...

You buy a Mac to run Mac software. The ability to boot into Windows with Boot Camp is just the icing on the cake. If you just want to play games, get a PC or a game console, although Apple is getting better at this. Or an iPad 2.
 
Angel of Ioren said:
Which is why I own and Xbox 360 and a PS3.
Click to expand...

Gentlemen, I have not been a big gamer since STARFLIGHT back in the day. If I don't get help from the network then I am on my own and I am simply looking to put together a dedicated broadcast computer that is as beefy as I can afford. This is not for games, email, photoshop, Excell, word processing, nothing ... except doing Dark Matters Radio. A Mac box is certainly not in my price range but a PC like the specs I uploaded is what I am aiming for. Thanks for your input however. Decker
 
Decker said:
Gentlemen, I have not been a big gamer since STARFLIGHT back in the day. If I don't get help from the network then I am on my own and I am simply looking to put together a dedicated broadcast computer that is as beefy as I can afford. This is not for games, email, photoshop, Excell, word processing, nothing ... except doing Dark Matters Radio. A Mac box is certainly not in my price range but a PC like the specs I uploaded is what I am aiming for. Thanks for your input however. Decker
Click to expand...

Budget it probably the most important thing when it comes to buying a computer Don. How much is that one described above going to cost you?
 
Angel of Ioren said:
Budget it probably the most important thing when it comes to buying a computer Don. How much is that one described above going to cost you?
Click to expand...

Angelo, I am thinking that this would approx. come somewhere between 6 to .. hmm, maybe 8 hundred dollars. That is probably a good ball park figure. Decker
 
Decker said:
Angelo, I am thinking that this would approx. come somewhere between 6 to .. hmm, maybe 8 hundred dollars. That is probably a good ball park figure. Decker
Click to expand...

That's a good price for your needs, and Windows 7 is solid. I use it everyday, and although I prefer OS X, you'll be fine with Windows 7 and the $500 you'll save on the hardware.
 
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