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proposal: Computer purchasing F.A.Q thread

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est:
hi all, i thought that we could maybe put our heads together and make a nice FAQ for people here so that we could have one general resource instead of a million "help me buy a pc!" threads.  at the moment i am looking only to start with an IBM-compatible guide, but if we get enough interest from Mac powerusers perhaps we could add another section!

first part would cover the basics, and would not really change all that much.  things like the higher cpu vs more ram, higher ghz cpu vs dual-core cpu, do i need to buy an expensive video card?  what rating PSU should i buy for ...?  etc.

second part would be a bit more fluid, and would be based on suggestions from you guys as time goes by.  this second part would probably give recommendations for cpus, ram and motherboard brands, and what level of graphics card people should buy, depending on their needs.

hopefully we can put together some rough pricing guides for entry level, mid-range and top-spec pcs at the end, based on the recommendations given in the second section.

does this sound like something that people would be interested in?  if so, start making suggestions/writing thigns to put into the FAQ/guide.  if not, lemme know how we can change it, or why this is a Bad Idea and i might change my mind!

jeph:
This sounds like a good idea to me!

I think if we're going to do it, we should have a seperate "which Mac should I buy?" thread and ignore the whole stupid "OMG MACS SUX TEH PC IS BESTZOR" debate.

est:
i am thinking that we can split it up into multiple posts in the one thread for clarity, each with its own heading, feel, etc.  i'll try to think about some stuff over this weekend and put it up as a tentative start, then people can point out the holes, add to it, etc.

Se7en:
Good idea, but its going to be fairly complex. Price guides are out of the question really, because prices differ across the world, and change very quickly.

Also, recomendations for certain brands will do little other than encourage people to trot out old biases and prejudices based on very limited experience. Very very few consumers get a chance to make any kind of objective comparison between brands.

What you can do however, is compare arcitectures. Its easy enough to compare 2 different standards and sum up the pros and cons of each.

Now, i am speaking here as someone who has worked as a freelance writer for various PC rags, and done a lot of online work of a similar nature too. I have written lots of buyers guides in the past, and its always far far more work than you think it is. Anyway, where my contracts and copyright law allows, i will contribute some of my past articles.

I think the best thing to do, is assemble a list of external links to simple and accurate guides on specific subjects, and then fill in any gaps.

Whilst i agree there is little point in resurrecting the pc versus mac argument, i think many people would be interested in some sort of article about what software is and isnt avaliable on the mac. I am sure there are plenty of these online, though i wouldnt have a clue where since i dont have the slightest interest in macs.

Catfish_Man:

--- Quote from: jeph ---This sounds like a good idea to me!

I think if we're going to do it, we should have a seperate "which Mac should I buy?" thread and ignore the whole stupid "OMG MACS SUX TEH PC IS BESTZOR" debate.
--- End quote ---


Quoted for truth. Fanatics f'ing get on my nerves. I will be happy to look at the rough draft FAQ and use my processor-geek-fu on it (if it needs it) :)

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