What to look for in a new computer
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I would consider spending more if the values there. That was one reason I originally wanted to stay with a desktop PC, because of price. How much do you think I would need to spend to get the laptop I would need based on my previous post?
First, I'd second the Intel over AMD ... mind you, every pc I've built in 12 years for myself has been AMD ... But in the mass market, your HP, Compaq, Dell, etc.. I would recommend sticking with an intel based system.
Second .. laptops add one function - portability. They loose you the ability to upgrade, the ability to "tinker" and the ability to hold a system longer than a couple of years.
With a proper desktop machine, you may start with onboard video, and then replace that in a year with an inexpensive but decently performing video card. Add more memory, and potentially replace the processor with a faster model. With a desktop machine, should your fancy go that way ... you could even have the potential of having two video cards, with *four* monitors hooked up ... here I sit now, with three monitors in front of me.. one for my main stuff, one to my right for auxiliary functions ... winamp is playing there now, but I often put my Dish SlingAdapter screen there, I can move conversations from chat clients to my left all so that I have enough screen realestate to catch my attention, read something if I need to, but not leave my primary application. Sure you can add one monitor to most laptops .. but in two years, you might have performance issues, running multiple screens and no options to upgrade the video on the laptop.
so if mobility is your greatest need, then yes.. get a laptop, most in the 350 to 550 range will do, get a decent 24" LED based monitor, and go to town..
If mobility isn't important ... then continue down the mid-tower road, and check the specs of any pc you buy to find out that it is expandible.
A key term to look for, to see that a machine *is* current technology ... DDR3 memory. DDR2 is very common, and given two systems similarly equiped ... I'll take the DDR3 machine over the DDR2 machine every time.. if its dual core now.. 99.99999% chance it can go quad core when I want or decide to afford it to.
EDIT: here's a link ... you just need to go through the first two pages to get a basic understanding of the cache differences between AMD Athlon II and Phenom II
Athlon II Or Phenom II: Does Your CPU Need L3 Cache? : L3 Cache: How Important Is It To AMD?
that second page, also gives a comparison on cache memory between Phenom II and Intel Core i5/i7's.
if you're going for prebuilt ... core i5 better than core i3 but not worth 200 dollars more.. maybe 75 to 100.
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$579 would get you one that would make you happy and will get you longer life than a sub $500 model. I personally like a laptop as I can move around the house and I am not limited to one area. Now the bad part is that you will always be able to get more performance from a desktop for the price.
JAG72 said:
I can deal with $579. That's a really precise number. Have you seen anything recently with that price that your referring too?
Inspiron 15R Laptop Details | Dell
Intel i5 processor, 4GB DDR3, 500GB Drive, Intel HD Video card with 1GB dedicated memory
Regular price 763.99 but is on sale for $579.99
JAG72 said:
That looks like a great deal. The only downside is the screen size. I would really like to have at least a 17" screen. But I guess I'm really getting out of my price range with that type of upgrade.
I know that. I did not say, "If the laptop puts out that resolution, then it too has that resolution". I said the converse, If the laptop has that resolution, then it can put out that resolution as well.
I understand.
Clarity is always my most important goal too. People ask questions to get the best possible answers in order to make the best possible decisions. I always try to provide them with the best answer to my knowledge and hope that others do the same when I ask questions (which I do a lot on this board) 
$649 gives you the same machine but with a 17" screen or you can drop back on the CPU, Memory and HDD a little for $549.
Inspiron 17R Laptop Details | Dell
If HDMI will be used for movies, having the same resolution would save you a lot of headaches since you can run those two in clone mode.
If the resolution is different, you need Extended desktop. And that can become tricky when using overlay instead of VMR9/EVR.
Windows 7 simplified this but still extended desktop for movie playback on the secondary screen is better to avoid.
Diogen.
diogen said:
Well I really didn't understand much of that, but I would just like to watch a Hulu show on my TV occasionally. As long as the video will play without stutter and look good, that's all I care about.
Is it DRM-ed? Does it need HDCP handshake?
If yes, running two separate screens (extended) might not work...
As long as you run non-DRM streams of 10Mbps max bitrate you should be OK.
Diogen.
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