hard drive speed and wireless card

Hi, I would really appreciate your opinion -

Is there a big difference between 120 HD at 4200 vs 5400?
Should I pay the extra to have the new "n" wireless card or is the a/b/g ok?
Finally, if I dont do any gaming, is it necessary to upgrade the graphics card? for vista?

Thanks much -

 

1. Yes there is a big difference in performance, between 4200rpm and 5400rpm hard drives. 4200rpm are really slow, and should be avoided.

2. Even though I've never actually used an N wireless card or router, I hear that it is really fast, much faster than G networks. So if you can afford it, go for it.

3. Even though Vista (including Aero) can run on integrated graphics, there will be better performance if you could get a decent GPU, not necessarily a high-end model.

 

If you don't do any gaming, or any graphics intensive programme use (3d stuff), then there is little point in paying for a better GPU. If you have the option, try to get either the ATI 200m/1100 or the NVidia 6160 instead of the Intel 950 GMA, but in the end if all you do is spreadsheets, websurfing, and similar stuff there's no need. I would however recommend getting a 5400 rpm hd, it will make a big difference in load times!

Good luck.

 

Thanks so much - you are great! It's easy to get lost in the details and funny as some of these computers that advertise alot of HD, its the lower speed but you have to dig to find it out. Appreciate it - much

 

If you dont have an N band router, youll get the same speeds as a G band card, but it may be more reliable and of course, future proof.

If you dont do any gaming or 3D intensive tasks, then just go for an Intel GMA, going for a low end dedicated GPU will increase overall system speed slightly, depending on what programs you are using.