I hope you guys can help me,I know there are many experts here

thing is we finally decided to get a new computer,we looked at a local computer store and they had so many options...in the end,we decided to get this one:

HP Presario 5220
* Pentium Dual Core E2140 1.60 GHz Processor
* 1GB DDR
* 400 GB hard drive
* CD/DVD-RW
* 19" Flat Screen (Windows Vista Home Basic)

problem is they dont have that computer right now and they are trying to get it but in the meantime each time we go to see if they have it,the salesperson is trying to get us to buy the HP Compaq Presario 5020,the specifications are a little different:

HP Compaq Presario 5020
* Pentium 4 Core Duo 3ghz Processor
* 1gb DDR
* 320gb hard drive

we dont really know what to do,I was told not to buy Pentium 4 anymore,since itīs considered old now...but the salesperson and the store tech told us they are exactly the same thing,that the only difference itīs the 400gb and 320gb hard drive...

what do you think?? could anyone explain the real difference between the 2? which one would be better? or do you think they are on the old side and I should look for something better?? is it true that the HP Compaq Presario computers are not really good? someone told me today

help!

The Pentium 4 processors are single-core processors meaning that the transactions of the computer is used by just this one.

Where as a Pentium Dual Core processors are double-core processors meaning that the transactions of the computer are done between two and not just one.

Therefore the Pentium 4 will not execute programs as quickly as a dual core hence why they cost more.

The Pentium 4 is now deemed old and surplus to requirement's as the Dual core processors are better and are becoming more standard in computers.

Think that is what happens.

I would say the top one but i'm new to understanding computing systems.

So is that what they told you exactly? Lol. They obviously have no clue what they are talking about. Pentium 4 is one processor and Core Duo is a cheap version of Core 2 Duo with half the Cache, so which one is it? Also how much are you paying for these because I would think that they would overprice it.

Soorena

thanks for answering!

well thatīs what it says,they have the computers and beside the computer a thing with the specifications and it really does say Pentium 4 Core Duo 3ghz Processor...I did think that was weird...I had never heard it,but they actually told me it was right and they even tried to convince me that both computers are the same,they even said that the Pentium 4 Core Duo 3ghz Processor one was better...since the processor was 3ghz....it didnt seem like the girl who told me all this really knew what she was talking about...so I just thanked her and left...

but my mother went there today again and they even called the tech guy and he tried to convince my mom to buy that computer...he told her core duo and dual core are the same thing and since one of them itīs 3ghz it means its faster...

something that caught my attention too is that the specification sheet says HP Presario 5020 or HP Presario 5220,but the computers are Compaq and there is no HP logo anywhere on them...I told this to the girl and she said HP has bought Compaq and that is the reason,but that Compaq is fully supported by HP...it this true?? I would expect to find at least a sticker with the HP logo

Of the two options, I would go for the Pentium Core Duo, but it would be better to have a Core 2 Duo or Quad, they aren't very expensive.
For an operating system, go for Windows Home Premium or XP Pro, Home Basic is not worth it as lacks many features and it is not worth moving from XP to Home Basic. (If you have an XP computer already and decide you want a home network, XP and Vista is very incompatible from my experience)
If you choose to opt for Windows Vista make sure you get more than 1 GB of RAM, Vistas minimum requirement for RAM is 1 GB so if you want better performance get 2 GB.

EDIT: In response to your reply, don't get ripped off, buying from retail stores also means it takes longer to fix if something goes wrong and yes, it's true Compaq is a brand name of HP, many laptops are sold under the Compaq name.

This post has been edited by anthony0261: Dec 5 2007, 01:20 AM

I agree with every thing that is being said so far. It seems like the store is just trying to make a sale, they don't seem to know the appropriate specifications of each and what they mean.

I personally would walk away and buy from a different store

I'd be willing to bet that it's this system or the US equivalent:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/documen...976&lang=en

and that the CPU is actually a Pentium D 3.0GHz, which is an awful processor.

This post has been edited by kidnova: Dec 5 2007, 02:59 PM