Which one will be better?

Question

Which one is better from the following for simple home use i.e. Documents, Spreadsheets, presentations, Web-Surfing, Web-Programming, Animations.

1.
CPU: Pentium D 960 3.0 Ghz
512 mb ram
160 gb hdd
Vista Home Basic Legal
DVD-RW
TFT 15" monitor
Price: INR Rs. 31, 500 (Vista legal license incl.)
US $787.5

2.
CPU: Core 2 Duo 1.86 Ghz 1066 Mhz FSB
512 Mb RAM
160 GB HDD
CRT 17" Monitor
Linux
Rs 4500 Windows XP legal license
DVD-RW
Total Price: INR Rs 36, 600
US $915

For TFT monitor 2000/4000 extra in the second one. Which one is more relaible. Does Vista has any problems or will it be slow?

We already know to use Windows XP and it is ok. Will there be any problems with Vista?

Answer 1

Core2Duo is a much better option any day when compared with Pentium D .....believe me ..you will thank me later after operating this machine! Pentium D will be dead and buried by then. ;-)

Answer 2

*Update*

it looks like the 2nd computer has both XP and LInux operating systems, which is a bonus...

The 2nd computer is better- it's got a Core 2 Duo processor at 1.86 Ghz which is substantially faster than the 3.0Ghz Pentium-D, and it's running XP which is faster and more reliable than Vista. Vista is brand-new, and that's the bottom line. New operating systems always run afoul of problems, especially driver support for the thousands of 3rd-party devices which are on the market.

Vista also requires more RAM for it's new features, and it's only real selling point is the Aero visual interface (which isn't even included in the Home Basic version).

I wouldn't dream of trying to run in on a 512mb system, even though that's the official minimum for Vista basic.

Many users who purchased machines with Vista are wishing they could have still had XP pre-installed. In another 6-7 months the situation will be much better, but never jump to a new operating system until the first service pack has been released to fix initial problems.

I'm hoping you actually mean $200/$400 for the flat screen monitor- there's no way a display warrants those extra zeroes :) In any case, the main drawback of a CRT is simply the space it occupies on your desk. They are actually more flexible in terms of being able to run at any resolution whereas a TFT must be run at their native resolution in order to be legible. CRTs are just space-consuming and look retro, is all.

Finally on the topic of video, I don't see any video card listed for either system, which is problematic. Most computer motherboards have some form of built-in video, but intergated video SUCKs for animation and games.

You NEED a decent video card in order to get good framerates in 3D programs- an honest-to-god piece of hardware that occupies a slot, not a chip on your motherboard that's borrrowing part of your system memory.

In fact for gaming, the video card is the most important component, even moreso than the CPU. I recommend an Nvidia GeForce 7600GT or ATI Radeo X1650XT, those can handle most anything short of the highest-end gaming at a reasonable price.

No matter what, I recommend adding more memory, you don't was less than 1Gb total and more is better. I'd say spend $60 and give yourself an additional 1GB.