[xnex]

Hello all

I need some information on various tech related products and I'm asking for assistance from all of the friendly folks here.

First I want to know if people here have strong opinions on really good Mp3 players. I'm thinking either an Ipod or a Zune. I want to know if ther's anyone out there that can maybe give me an idea of the differences between the Zune and the Ipod. But if someone out there feels strongly about another brand please let me know. I see that Zune has released the Zune HD which looks like it does just about everything.

I'm also wondering if anyone can bring me up to speed on todays computers. When I last bought a computer you could determine what you were getting by determining if it was a P3 or a P4 and then looking at the processor speed, such as 2.8 ghz. But now I see that all computers list their specifications as it relates to dual core or quad core among other things. I am looking at both laptops and desktops so if anyone can explain to me how to interpret the spec sheets of the current models I would appreciate it. I know that I want to look for as much RAM and larger HD sizes but I have no idea about the actual guts of the machine itself and what I need to have.

I'm also wondering about things like video cards. What is considered a good video card now? The machine would likely be used for some online gaming, but also for single player gaming. I don't need to have the absolute top of the line stuff, but I do want something that can handle most of todays games.

And what do I need to have if I want to watch television on my PC?

Also what is the current standard as it relates to stereo sound and performance?

I know that this is a ton of stuff to ask, but I would really appreciate any assistance I could get here.

Thanks

[rvrndzombii]

im definatly not a tech guy.. so of course i decide to post in the thread asking specifically for tech guys... :lol: .. anyway i just got an Ipod touch and the thing is freaking awesome.. i considered the Zune but i read better things about the Ipod. As far as computers go I went to Cnet and read review after freaking review before deciding on a macbook pro... dont know what to look for in comps but im happy with the one I chose... i would go to Cnet and search by your price range or brand of choice...



i think this post may qualify as the least helpful bit of info on the planet.. but hey i have time to kill before my class so enjoy!

[xnex]

rvrndzombii, on 04 November 2009 - 01:24 PM, said:

im definatly not a tech guy.. so of course i decide to post in the thread asking specifically for tech guys... :lol: .. anyway i just got an Ipod touch and the thing is freaking awesome.. i considered the Zune but i read better things about the Ipod. As far as computers go I went to Cnet and read review after freaking review before deciding on a macbook pro... dont know what to look for in comps but im happy with the one I chose... i would go to Cnet and search by your price range or brand of choice...



i think this post may qualify as the least helpful bit of info on the planet.. but hey i have time to kill before my class so enjoy!

No man, I appreciate you posting anything you know about the questions I asked. If I can get a little info from several people I can then put it all together and begin to make an informed decision. Thanks

[JDaveG]

I don't know much about the Zune, but I love my iPod. I went with the classic since I have the iPhone, but the touch is interesting. My concern is I have a HUGE music library that won't fit on a touch, so I needed the 120GB storage of the classic.

Audio sounds great, video looks great, and the interface is easy and intuitive. I have never looked at another mp3 player simply because the iPod does everything I need it to do.

[Anonymous]

I'd wait. I have a feeling new iPod touches with cams are gonna come out soon. Ifixit tore down the iPod, and it had a spot for a camera, just like the rumor expected. I am also hearing rumors of an iPhone 4g that might come out in december.

[BrockSamson]

I still have my 30g iPod from 3 years ago and I still love it. Not enough space to hold ALL my music, but how many times do I really need more than 30gs worth. That's what my external hard drive is for and I can switch out what's on my iPod as necessary. I can make a 40 hour round trip drive and never have to listen to the same thing twice.

The newer iPods I've seen are just awesome and have more memory.

[Anonymous]

JDaveG, on 04 November 2009 - 01:36 PM, said:

I don't know much about the Zune, but I love my iPod. I went with the classic since I have the iPhone, but the touch is interesting. My concern is I have a HUGE music library that won't fit on a touch, so I needed the 120GB storage of the classic.

Audio sounds great, video looks great, and the interface is easy and intuitive. I have never looked at another mp3 player simply because the iPod does everything I need it to do.

better stock up. they will probably be killing it off soon. I am thinking about buying a classic also, since im looking for a used car, and i def want it to have an aux port, so i will have the classic for my car music.

[xnex]

JDaveG, on 04 November 2009 - 01:36 PM, said:

I don't know much about the Zune, but I love my iPod. I went with the classic since I have the iPhone, but the touch is interesting. My concern is I have a HUGE music library that won't fit on a touch, so I needed the 120GB storage of the classic.

Audio sounds great, video looks great, and the interface is easy and intuitive. I have never looked at another mp3 player simply because the iPod does everything I need it to do.

BrockSamson, on 04 November 2009 - 01:44 PM, said:

I still have my 30g iPod from 3 years ago and I still love it. Not enough space to hold ALL my music, but how many times do I really need more than 30gs worth. That's what my external hard drive is for and I can switch out what's on my iPod as necessary. I can make a 40 hour round trip drive and never have to listen to the same thing twice.

The newer iPods I've seen are just awesome and have more memory.

Wow both of you guys have tons of music on your computers. I thought I had a good bit but I've only got around 17 gigs.

It's amazing what you can do with these things today. Downloading and watching vids, carrying every song you've ever liked in the palm of your hand wherever you go. I gotta get up to speed with what's going on in the world of high tech electronics.

[xnex]

Anonymous, on 04 November 2009 - 02:06 PM, said:

better stock up. they will probably be killing it off soon. I am thinking about buying a classic also, since im looking for a used car, and i def want it to have an aux port, so i will have the classic for my car music.

As great as Mp3 players are I can still hear a difference in the quality of the playback. Can you notice it, and are there any programs that will allow you to improve the quality of the sound at all?

[JDaveG]

xnex, on 04 November 2009 - 02:08 PM, said:

Wow both of you guys have tons of music on your computers. I thought I had a good bit but I've only got around 17 gigs.

It's amazing what you can do with these things today. Downloading and watching vids, carrying every song you've ever liked in the palm of your hand wherever you go. I gotta get up to speed with what's going on in the world of high tech electronics.

Yeah, my 120GB Classic replaced a 30GB video that was full. My wife uses it now. I probably have over 7000 songs if I had to guess.

[sw_ga_falcon]

ok im pretty tech savvy as my job is a technology specialist lol. first IPOD vs Zune i like the zune in this one they are basically the same but one difference lets say you go to a buddies house he has an album you want on your ipod .sorry cant do that the ipod works with one computer only unless you use cracked software and being unsavvy i doubt that you would.now to computers duo core and quad core are the new technology in processors duo core means basically means 2 processors in one(not double speed but double power)quad core as you guessed is like 4 processors.now quad is expensive as **** duo core is becoming standard so much more affordable. a mac is a good computer but is not a beginners computer nor is the mac os one i would describe as user friendly all the time.if you are doing video editing making home movies or your own music soundtracks then accept nothing less than a mac. home computing and gaming go PC as less games are supported for mac. video cards i use a 1g video card for WOW and EVE but you can do good with about 512mb no breathtaking screens but no lag either.if you have any more questions ill be happy to help

[Anonymous]

xnex, on 04 November 2009 - 02:10 PM, said:

As great as Mp3 players are I can still hear a difference in the quality of the playback. Can you notice it, and are there any programs that will allow you to improve the quality of the sound at all?

sure if you jailbreak it. my friend jailbroke his iphone, so it works with tmobile, and he boosted his sound, plus he can use multiple apps at a time, with a backgrounder app.

[sw_ga_falcon]

xnex, on 04 November 2009 - 07:10 PM, said:

As great as Mp3 players are I can still hear a difference in the quality of the playback. Can you notice it, and are there any programs that will allow you to improve the quality of the sound at all?

actually its probably not the player. its probably the bitrate of the music your downloading try downloading some FLAC files or some high bitrate files and see if you can tell the difference

[BrockSamson]

sw_ga_falcon, on 04 November 2009 - 02:15 PM, said:

ok im pretty tech savvy as my job is a technology specialist lol. first IPOD vs Zune i like the zune in this one they are basically the same but one difference lets say you go to a buddies house he has an album you want on your ipod .sorry cant do that the ipod works with one computer only unless you use cracked software

This is not exactly true. If you want to transfer their music to your iTunes, and they bought it from iTunes, then yeah you can't do it without software. If you just want to put it on your iPod, you can.

[sw_ga_falcon]

BrockSamson, on 04 November 2009 - 07:21 PM, said:

This is not exactly true. If you want to transfer their music to your iTunes, and they bought it from iTunes, then yeah you can't do it without software. If you just want to put it on your iPod, you can.

also brock if they use itunes to categorize their music and you also use itunes at your house the ipod will only sync with one application of itunes.it determines this by using the mac address of the computer

[BrockSamson]

sw_ga_falcon, on 04 November 2009 - 02:27 PM, said:

also brock if they use itunes to categorize their music and you also use itunes at your house the ipod will only sync with one application of itunes.it determines this by using the mac address of the computer

All I know is I routinely grab music off of friend's iTunes and drop it on to my iPod. I can't add it to my iTunes, but it is on the iPod.

[sw_ga_falcon]

i dont own an ipod i own a zune but i know my friend who used my itunes(downloaded so he could add music from my computer)when he went home and resynched to his itunes it wiped all the stuff i gave him out

[Anonymous]

sw_ga_falcon, on 04 November 2009 - 02:49 PM, said:

i dont own an ipod i own a zune but i know my friend who used my itunes(downloaded so he could add music from my computer)when he went home and resynched to his itunes it wiped all the stuff i gave him out

tell him to change his settings then. also there are programs to take your songs from you ipod and put them on your comp.

[sw_ga_falcon]

i am aware of those programs but i dont recommend downloaded software unless ive used it and thats why i didnt mention them

[sudo rm -rf /]

I thought the old zune was better than the ipod classic. For the new touch stuff, I haven't yet seen a Zune HD in action, but the ipod touches are nifty. I know the zune HD doesn't have the web browser or extensive library of apps, which the touch does.