Buying a new computer- I am a noob.

[manbearpig]

Ok, so I know you guys get a ton of these questions but I want to make sure I get this done correctly. I need a pretty basic computer. All I want to do with it is play poker, surf the internet, maybe some Itunes. Nothing major.

So browsing through the old posts I found this link:

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http://www.dealcatcher.com/redir.asp?m=611&c=100295



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From further reading it sounds like I should upgrade to the E6550 processor and stick with XP.

What I need help with is this:

-Should I upgrade the memory to 250GB?
-Should I upgrade the monitor at all?
-Do I need to get the modem?
-Anything else you see there that I should do?


Once I get that all done, what are the vital software pieces I need to add from a security standpoint?

Thanks all. I appreciate the help.

[Beavis68]

E6550 seems like a great upgrade to improve performance.

Storage size is up to you. It is easy to add a second HDD later, but if you don't like to do that yourself, getting the 250GB drive doesn't look like a bad deal.

Not sure what modem you are talking about but you only need an internal modem for dial-up or sending faxes.

If you need a monitor I would upgrade to one of the ultra-sharps. The thought of an analog LCD doesn't sit well with me but I have never seen the specs for them. The size depends on what you want to do. I have a 19-in ultrasharp LCD (not a widescreen) and it kind of sucks for multi-tabling, but with resizing is ok for 4 tables.

[manbearpig]

Thanks for the response. I have a external hard drive that I can use if things get desperate I guess. I wont see much performance difference sticking with the stock hard drive?

Any hints on software? Spyware, virus, etc.?

[Beavis68]

Increasing storage doesn't increase performance, it just increases how much stuff you can store.

I use AVG and ZoneAlarm for my protection, both are free. Your ISP may have some free security suite also.