The Glade 4.0

Ok, so honestly I've been out of much in depth computer stuff for quite some time- I followed it a lot a few years ago, but I really don't keep up with it all that much anymore... I do a lot of work stuff (modeling, word processing, etc) on the computer I have at work and my laptop, but really all I do on my home computer is EQ1 and watch movies... Either streaming or direct. I really don't even surf the net much anymore. And my wife's been trying to get me to play MMOs a lot less lately too (She's taken the computer crash as good timing for this).

I've been thinking about getting a new computer for a while, but with the recent and complete collapse of my desktop, I'm thinking this might be a good time. I'm not sure exactly what failed on my last one, but quite honestly, I've used it hard for close on 5 years now... And it's about up for replacement anyway. Either my HD crashed, my graphics card burnt out, one or more sticks of memory are bad... Or it's something more serious. Quite honestly, I really don't feel like taking the time or effort to swap out components and figure out exactly what's wrong with it. I update approximately every 4-6 years anyway, usually precipitated by just such an event. My laptop updates are off-sync with my PC updates by about two years, and follow similar trends.

Normally, I'd just get one of the midline XPS models from Dell (some people like them, I've had good luck for the last 10-12 years with them), but this time I'm thinking about branching out and could use some advice. As I said, I've been moving away from the "high tech" end, and am thinking that something a little less maintenance intensive might be nice- I don't mind working on PCs, but it gets old after a while. And I still have two or three at the office and my laptop(s) to maintain.

I've stayed away from getting a console for a long time, but am thinking that one of the new Xboxes could do me in good stead for streaming (Netflix and Hulu), watching DVDs, and some light, less addictive gaming (I've never found FPS games really addictive).

Alternatively, I've been thinking about swapping over to a Mac for my work laptop, and saw the Mac Minis, which look to be a very solid media computer, with the bonus of light web browsing, e-mail etc.

Similarly, Dell has their media PC line, very similar to the Mac Mini, although less expensive.

So wrapping up the long post... General thoughts? Anyone have a media/mini PC(or mac) that they can comment on? What about the differences between current consoles (I lean towards Xbox360), and their utility as a streaming media hub? How about the PC -> Mac swap? Anyone done that recently, or are we mostly a community made of one or the other type people?

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Darksiege: You are not a god damned vulcan homie.

My buddy just got two of the Dell Zino HD's (the ones similar to Mac Minis) and he said he couldn't be happier for the amount he paid.

I'm actually about to pull the trigger on a Dell Zino myself. The one that Microsoft sells at the retail store (and online store) has a Blu-Ray drive and 1TB hard drive and its only $599. This is going to be my solution to streaming Internet TV and Movies in my living room.

That, combined with one of these should hold me over until something better comes along

[click-me]


Edit:
I should add that I'm not necessarily putting this out as a suggested replacement gaming system. I have no idea if it's suited to that task. I was only responding to Lenas' post.

^this

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In time, this too shall pass.

Yeah, it's the Zino's I was looking at.

They look nice, but it seems some people are having bad problems with overheating.

Not a good replacement for a gaming system (obviously), but perhaps a nice media system.

Have you messed around much with the Mac Mini's, Taskiss? I guess my main question about them is how good the $699 base system is going to be. The upgrades are really expensive, and even the base system is about twice the price of a Zino.

That said, less worries about viruses, malware, etc. with the Mac, I'd assume.

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Darksiege: You are not a god damned vulcan homie.

They're laptop parts in a little box, basically. I got one a couple of years ago for my sister. I was rebuilding her windows box every year or so and got tired of all the self inflicted problems she was having. Zero problems since.

The new ones are pretty sweet. They hook directly to the TV, just the one HDMI cable.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2365114,00.asp



The down side is, no Blu-ray. Oh, you can get an external if you want, but it doesn't have one inside and you'll have to jump through hoops to get it to work as a player.

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In time, this too shall pass.

So I was checking out the Zino's, and it looks like you have to step up to the "Ultimate Entertainment" model to get the blu-ray drive (i'm not even seeing it offered as an option on another model), and that model is 749. Decent specs, but still unfortunate that you can't get a nice 299 model upgraded with blu-ray.

This is the one I'll be picking up (hopefully this weekend).

http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/De ... t/AE1FD898

It's cheaper than the highest version on Dell's site, and comes with a bigger HDD, and the blu-ray drive, as well as 4G RAM.

Perhaps the best advantage to buying from MS is the "Signature" version of Windows 7 that it comes with. No Dell (or any other) bloatware crap.

Edit:
I actually got to play with one of these in the Microsoft store here in town. If you have one near you, I highly recommend checking it out.

Interesting.

I actually don't care about a Blu-Ray player. I don't have any bluray discs, and don't plan to.... The difference in quality isn't worth the difference in price to me.

I'll take a look at the MS one when I get to work tomorrow.

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Darksiege: You are not a god damned vulcan homie.

So I grabbed the Microsoft version of the Zino from the M$ store today.

I haven't run any HD video through it yet, but I did plug it in and boot it up, and so far, I'm fairly impressed.

Firstly, and foremostly, I'm fairly happy with the "Signature" build of WIndows 7. It's the first time I can ever remember booting an OEM PC and not immediately shutting it down and reloading the OS. There is literally nothing installed on this except the default WIndows 7 includes, and a few MS Live apps. The only exception is the "Dell Support Center" app, which is supposed to help keep up with driver updates, etc... I'm not terribly fond of these types of utilities, but I may give this one a shot, just to see how intrusive it is.

Several surprises awaited me in the box. The retail reps were fairly clueless about what was included in the system. Most of the handful that I talked to about it didn't even realize it has a blu-ray drive in it (it's not on the splash card at the display), and not a single one of them knew that it came with a media remote. This is a nice include, as finding remotes for a media PC without shelling out a small fortune for a logitech harmony is no small challenge.

The other 'pleasant' surprise was that they 'threw in' a Black 16G Zune HD FREE!. I have no need for another MP3 player, but for free, what the heck, I'll mess around with it, and see what it has to offer (I'm currently using a Samsung P3 bluetooth MP3 player, which is quite capable).

I spent a little time last night and again this morning researching the Dell and Microsoft versions of this system. I'm still perplexed (but not displeased) about the disparity in pricing between the version that Microsoft is selling and the versions Dell sells on their website. To get similar specs from Dell is going to run you ~$750-$800

The retail store price was $599 + local tax. It's the same at the online store for the exact same system (shipping is free).

Here are the basic specs:
OS: 64bit Windows 7 Home Premium (Signature)
Proc: AMD P320 Duall Core (2100Mhz)
RAM: 4GB DDR3 (1333Mhz)
HDD: 1TB WD 7200RPM
Optical: Blu-Ray Reader, DVD-RWBD (Sata)
Audio: ATI HD Audio (RealTek)
Video: ATI Radeon HD4200 (VGA & HDMI Out)
Network: 802.11 (N( and on board GigE
Ports: 4 USB 2.0 (2 front, 2 rear), HDMI, eSATA x2, VGA

Here are the windows experience index scores
Processor: 5.1
Memory: 5.9
Graphics (Aero): 4.0
Graphics (Game): 5.2
Hard Disk: 5.9

In the box:
Generic Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Meida PC Remote
External Power adapter (laptop style)

Freebie!
Microsoft Zune HD 16 Black

Note: I have read quite a few reports of overheating issues with the 'Zino', mainly under heavy graphics load (i.e. gaming). Most of the reports pertain to older models. I asked the folks in the store about this, and confirmed that they have a 14 day no questions asked return policy (with receipt). I will try a newer blu-ray disc on it and see how the temps are. I suspect there won't be any issues. I may try running a game on it (probably EQ), but I'm not too worried, since gaming isn't one my intended uses for this system.

I will post more once I get a chance to set it up in the living room hooked to my TV.

Spent a few minutes reading the PC Mag site...

This impressed me.

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In time, this too shall pass.

I'm incredibly close to picking up a new Mac Mini today for WoW (and because in general, I need a desktop box).

This pretty much convinced me (and this is at the highest settings and resolution). I love my old Mac Mini, but the thing's ancient (and pre-Intel).