Xmas help

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I'm trying to buy a gift. I want it to be a surprise so I can't ask questions. I know how to use a computer but don't understand how they work. This replacement is for a dell that is old and super slow and LOUD. I keep trying to research and match up what he has now but keep getting more and more confused. Don't know if it's important but will be running windows also. I went to Baltec so I could find out what hardware is installed. This is what it's telling me

3.00 gigahertz Pentium 4
16 kilobyte memory
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache

1160.23 gig usable hard drive capacity
824 gig hard drive free space

2 separate drives

1024 meg usable installed memory

Do I want the Quad or 8 core?

If I get the Quad I was thinking of adding the 3.33 6-core westmere option.

Raid card- don't know what this is. Do I want it?

add a hard drive bay?
 
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Your Mac's Specs
C2D 2.26 | 500GB Seagate Momentus | 2GB 1066 (soon to be 8)
Do I want the Quad or 8 core?
Depends on what the computer is being used for. Quad core is more than enough for the average user. If there are a lot of cpu intensive tasks being done, the 8 core will be twice as fast. DVD burning will go faster, as well as ripping movies / cd's, etc.
If I get the Quad I was thinking of adding the 3.33 6-core westmere option.

Raid card- don't know what this is. Do I want it?
RAID is for your hard drives. There is RAID 0, 1 or 5. RAID - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia check out the wiki link to learn more about it.
add a hard drive bay?
Hard drive bays are where you can install another hard drive at a later date. So you can have 2 500GB HD's set in RAID 0 with a SSD for boot, for example (3 hard drive bays)

answers above
 
C

chas_m

Guest
From the specs you posted, pretty much ANY Mac will be a huge step up. Pentium 4s are ANCIENT.

The fact that he has a 1TB drive and has 824GB of it free tells me he's a light-duty user.

Unless you're made of money and are dead-set on getting a Mac Pro, it seems to me from what little you've posted that it would be WAAAAAAAY more machine than he needs. Maybe a little info about what he does on his current machine would help us, but honestly -- so far I think an iMac would be more than enough. And you simply will not BELIEVE how quiet they are. Deafeningly quiet. :)
 

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