will someone help me with ALL my questions? Need a new computer...

Can someone help this computer illiterate girl buy something good for her needs? I want to finally get a computer that will be good for my Sims 2. Keeping in mind I have A LOT of pics and A LOT of Music. Watch a lot of you tube. I need windows XPbecause I have stuff that won't be compatible with vista. my hp printer for one. and so that is a must have.I know very little about the insides of computers and I have looked on line A LOT but I have only got bits and pieces of information that makes little sense to me .So I need to put it all together so I figured I would ask. My budget is around 1,200 more or less. My questions are mostly because I am considering one of two computers and the answers will help me decide.I put the two computers im looking at on the bottom. what I need help with is the following: 1) To quad core or not to quad core. ( I don not OC. I don't have enough know how to mess with my computer like that.) 2) What is this about 3 gigs being better than 4 gigs if you have Vista? And is it true? (since eventually, I will have to progress with the times and go vista on this computer, I want to be prepared) . 3) Is it true that the Mobo 650I nvidia is a problem or is it ok? (and does MOBO mean mother board? ) 4) when buying a new computer, where do you find the specs for clocking speed. what would the description say? 5) For the SIMS 2, what video card is recommended ? the two options I seem to have is nvidia ge force 8800 GT 512 mb. or the radion HD 2600 vt 256. (I don't upgrade or install my own cards so I will have to get the choices that come with the computer.) 6) Also, I see in my research people talk about bottlenecking. What is that and how do I avoid it? I have 2 computers I am looking at from Dell since they are the only ones (from Dell) that have windows xp on them. and I want to stick with Dell.(as of right now) The first one is a lot of money and very very big. and also known to have some issue's , so I hear. But some one from Dell assured me that it is only 1% of the people that have these computers. I hope someone can help me, because I am desperate at this point . first one is an dell xps 630Black Bezel ChassisPROCESSORIntel?CoreTM2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.40GHz,1066FSB)OPERATING SYSTEMGenuine Windows Vista?Ultimate BonusMEMORY4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs HARD DRIVE500GB Performance RAID 0 (2 x 250GB SATA 3Gb/s 7200 RPM HDDs) OPTICAL DRIVESingle Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability MONITORSNo MonitorVIDEO CARDnVidia GeForce 8800 GT 512MB SOUND CARDIntegrated 7.1 Channel Audio ANTI-VIRUS %26 SECURITYMcAfee SecurityCenter 15-monthsPRODUCTIVITYMicrosoft Works 9.0 DIAL-UP INTERNET ACCESSNo ISP requested LABELSVista Premium Downgrade Transactional Desktopsecond one is a dell inspiron 530 Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSBIntel)OPERATING SYSTEMGenuine Windows Vista?Business Bonus MONITOR19 inch SE198WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor MEMORY4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 4DIMMsHARD DRIVE750GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst CacheTMOPTICAL DRIVE16x DVD+/-RW Drive VIDEO CARDRadeon ATI HD 2600 XT 256MB SOUNDIntegrated 7.1 Channel AudioKEYBOARD %26 MOUSEDell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse FLOPPY %26 MEDIA READERNo Floppy Drive Included MODEMNo Modem Option OFFICE SOFTWAREMicrosoft Works 9.0 Network InterfaceIntegrated 10/100 Ethernet LabelsWindows XPTM PHOTO AND MUSIC SOFTWARENo Entertainment software pre-installed thank you to anyone that will take on this challange! I really appreciate any help I can get. will someone help me with ALL my questions? Need a new computer...
I can build you one for cheaper hehe. or same price but much better. Anyways, to answer your questions.1. You should get a Quad-Core, unless you play high intense demanding Computer Games (Sims 2 isn't one), and since you like to probably multitask, Quad-Core is best for you. OC (overclocking) can be for all computers, but you don't really need it, and you have a chance to damage your computer. 2.Windows Vista is a high demanding Memory hungry Operating System. Although 1 GB Memory or more is fine. I think you mean the different Bit Operating systems. For Windows Vista, there is the 32-Bit, and the 64-bit. The 32-bit Operating system only supports up to 3 GB of Computer memory. So if you add another, or have, lets say 4 GB memory, you Computer will only utlilize 3GB of the 4GB of memory. So basically 1GB is wasted. Although 2 GB of memory is sufficent to run most computers nowadays, if you need 4GB (runs smoother) you'll need a 64-bit Operating System. And Yes, 32-bit is cheaper than 64-bit. 64-bit Operating sytems support up to 128 GB of Memory (Although I don;t think its possible to put 128 GB of memory in a Computer yet). 3. Mobo means Motherboard. 650i is an Nvidia Chipset, for a motherboard. Motherboards have different Chipsets that allow for different functions, Your 650i used to be a gaming motherboard, that allows SLI (two Nvidia Video cards) support. There is no problem from what I know of the 650i, but it is a budget chipset, and not reccommend to put in, or use, if you want to have a good computer. Get 680i or higher, or use P35/P45, or X48 Chipsets instead, they allow for faster transfer speeds of data and so forth. You can game with most of those Chipsets.4. Clocking speed? eh.. Well I assume its for processing units, and usually the two I would consider would be the CPU/ Processor, and the Video Card. For the Processor, there are different speeds, for a mainstream desktop you should go for a 2.5 Ghz or higher computer. FSB (Front Side Bus) Speed is also a factor for clocking, and for Mainstreams it should be 1066, to 1333. For Video Cards its more of a comparision of models, and manufactures of computers, such as Dell, HP, don't list that speed of the video card, but the model instead. To check, research and compare the models online. (example Nvidia 9800GT, and ATI Radeon 4850, two different models, but when you check online, thru benchmarks(testing) the ATI Radeon 4850 comes out on top)5. Get the Nvidia Geforce 8800GT, its a very good card, compared to the Ati Radeon 2600 HD.6. Bottlenecking is where one part of your computer limits the functions of the other parts of the computer. Lets say your video card is very good, but your processor is very slow. The Speed of the video card will be hindered, due to the fact your Processor is slow. Bottlenecking is not a concern in your case, at least not yet.Get the Dell XPS 630, although the processor could be a little more better, it should suit you for at least 4-5 years, according to what you do on the computer. will someone help me with ALL my questions? Need a new computer...
1) If you not OC then Quad Core is good choice... My recommended Quad Core is e9550 2.8Ghz2) 4gigs RAM is ideal for Vista... Try Vista 64-bit it can support more than 16gigs... My recommended Vista 64-bit Home Premium3) 650i doesn't have problem, the 700 series is... The problem issue is RAM run slower than other chipset example P45..4) ...5) The Sims 2 is not a Heavy game for GPU so 8800GT is very fine...6) Bottlenecking happen if you have old series CPU, low clock CPU, or even new series but economicall series... My friend has e4600 2.4GhzCore 2 Duo CPU bottleneck in some games with his 9600GT even when his OC it to 2.9Ghz, then I asked him to upgrade to e8200 2.66Ghz... runs default clock 2.66Ghz didn't bottleneck... I think its because the Processor FSB and L2 cache... So consider both FSB and L2 cache when U buying Processor...Buy the first one... But its always better if you Built it your own...I hope this will help...
[QUOTE=''Aldouz'']1) If you not OC then Quad Core is good choice... My recommended Quad Core is e9550 2.8Ghz[/QUOTE]You mean the Q9550:P
[QUOTE=''lawrencexx_873''][QUOTE=''Aldouz'']1) If you not OC then Quad Core is good choice... My recommended Quad Core is e9550 2.8Ghz[/QUOTE]You mean the Q9550:P [/QUOTE]Yeah Q9550 45nm FSB 1333 and 12mb L2 cache compare TO Q6600 65nm FSB 1066 8mb L2 cache... Almost the same price as Q9450... So good one doesn't it...
[QUOTE=''Aldouz''][QUOTE=''lawrencexx_873''][QUOTE=''Aldouz'']1) If you not OC then Quad Core is good choice... My recommended Quad Core is e9550 2.8Ghz[/QUOTE]You mean the Q9550:P [/QUOTE]Yeah Q9550 45nm FSB 1333 and 12mb L2 cache compare TO Q6600 65nm FSB 1066 8mb L2 cache... Almost the same price as Q9450... So good one doesn't it...[/QUOTE]Yeah its good, too bad it costs alot hehe
Wow, thanks a lot Lawrencexx and Aldouz! I really appreciate the help. and the time. I'm so worried I am going to spend a lot of money and still not get a good computer because of things I don't know about So,I'm going to print out your answers and check it twice (hehe) before I do anything. just to make sure I really understand all this ! It really would be fabulous if you could build me a computer , live in jersey ?! hehe lawrencexx_873 your name isn'tMike by any chance? I'll be back after I read all this over , I might have some questions. kay!? thanks ~Mich