help me build or decide: QUAD CORE or IMAC

[Jun aka Pekto]

ok...i have 1,000$ Canadian. around 43-45k petots. I was thinking of buying an imac for 1500$ with 20'' 2.4ghz 320gig variant. the better of the 2 20''s.

Hmmm. If you have C$1k, how can you buy a C$1.5k iMac? Sounds contradictory to me.

I'd opt for a DIY quadcore pc with Vista Home Premium. Make sure you buy a mobo with the built-in Intel X3100. You can add a better video card later if you so choose. Plus, you'll be able to use all that extra components you have lying around.

Sound.... Most built-in sound are fine unless you're an audio technician/specialist.

iMacs are ok I suppose. But, it's very nature makes it a dead-end product. I rather have a Mini, esp when games aren't considered.

the dvi connection to the computer and the normal pin to the standalone tv (is that possible?))

Yes. In fact, most up to date pc video drivers consider an HDTV as a second monitor option. You may have to get a dedicated video card with two monitor ports.