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General discussion

HP m7100y vs. m7050e

Jul 1, 2005 4:05AM PDT

I am looking to purchase a media center PC for the purpose of digital media storage, (digital photos and mp3s), DVR (tivo), and DVD functions, picture and some video editing, cd and dvd buring, internet video streaming (mlb.com games) and basic MS office activities.

I have been unable to find reviews for either of these computers, the major difference being the processor, AMD64 vs Pentium D. Price range approx. $2,000. Here are possible specs:

HP m7100y:
WMCE
Intel Pentium D 820 2.8 GHz
1 GB DDR2-533 / PC2 4200 (2 DIMM)
250GB 7200 rpm SATA Hard Drive
256MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce 6600, TV-Out and DVI
LightScribe DL 16X DVD+/-R/RW drive

HP m7050e
WMCE
AMD Athlon64- 3500+ (2.2GHz)
1 GB DDR / PC3200 (2 DIMM)
250GB 7200 rpm SATA Hard Drive
256MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce 6600, TV-Out and DVI
LightScribe DL 16X DVD+/-R/RW drive

Any reviews / suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Thank you,

-Scott

Discussion is locked

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personally...
Jul 1, 2005 4:34AM PDT

i would go dual core. you will be ready for the future WITH 64 bit support. of course, you could always build your own dual core machine and so on.

konny

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Would agree with Konny that
Jul 2, 2005 4:05AM PDT

a Dual-Core Processor would be the best IMO for what you indicate you are going to use the computer for.

Just visit the Intel site, AMD site, or Tom's Hardware for info on the new Dual-Core processors.

The AMD 64 3500 2.2GHz (not dual-core) is also a fine processor/computer and is a fast processor suited for gamers. That processor cost $269.99(Newegg), however I personally would want the Intel Dual Core processor 820 2.8GHz @ $251.99, especially for what you have indicated, and it will also play games extremely well..not as fast as the AMD 3500.

Right now the AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processors are more expensive than the Intel Pentium D Dual-Core Processors. At Newegg:

AMD Athlon 64 X2:
4800 2.4 GHz = $1065
4600 2.4 GHz = $812
4400 2.2 GHz = $719
4200 2.2 GHz = $585

Intel Pentium D with 64-Bit Support:
840 Extreme Edition 3.2 GHz = $1028.99
840 3.2 GHz = $575.99
830 3.0 GHz = $345.99
820 2.8 GHz = $251.99

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Check out the price on a Dual Core...
Jul 3, 2005 2:07AM PDT
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Wait for one more week - m7100e with dual core is coming
Jul 3, 2005 4:46AM PDT

See the press release on June 28

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RE:
Jul 3, 2005 5:02AM PDT

Avoid oems if possible. So what if they have dual-core, so there will also be a hp d4100e or whatever with dual-core. I feel that model is better though. The media centers aren't so good. They may look good, but other than that, i would get the mainstream models without wmce.

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Go with the AMD
Jul 17, 2005 6:13AM PDT

The m7050e has the MSI socket 939 motherboard which accepts a wide range of processors plus it is a 64 bit as well as contains the new ATI chipset. MSI is currently testing this board for it's new dual cores which are currently much better performing than Intel's. Media Center is a more stable OS, boots faster than XP on computers optimized for it. It is basically XP Pro with the only noticeable difference being the removal of domain joining. In addition this computer will run XP64 (I have installed it and been running it for a number of weeks without issues). Intel's dual cores have a number of issues currently and are really more eye candy than anything since few apps are optimized to run on them yet. For the money the AMD system will give you the best bang for the buck.