Why Buy a New Multimedia Computer?

If you are a video, audio or photo editing guru, it is important to look for a computer that has the horsepower to run your multimedia programs without a hitch. Multimedia computers generally have better processors, more RAM and upper echelon graphics cards compared to an everyday desktop.
These computers provide excellent tools for organizing, saving and even recording certain media. The best multimedia computers allow you to watch and write Blu-ray movies along with DVDs and CDs with any music, photos and movies you can imagine. A multimedia computer will also have more connectivity options such as numerous USB ports, HDMI and audio ports.
We searched the digital landscape for the best multimedia computers that offer everything you need to successfully create and maintain your videos, photos and music. The best and most affordable media PCs we found are the HP Envy 700, Dell XPS 8700 and Dell XPS 27 Touch. All of these computers have different qualities and strengths, but they are the best multimedia PCs you are going to find. For more information on this topic, check out our articles on multimedia computers.

Multimedia Computers: What to Look For

While looking for the best multimedia computers on the market, we looked for computers with high-quality components. Multimedia computers are used for some difficult and daunting tasks, and we looked for the tools to ensure that the best features were available to handle large projects.

Performance
The performance of your multimedia computer is crucial to performing certain tasks on your device. The highest-ranking computing devices feature a fast processor and are adept at running multiple applications simultaneously. The operating system must also be user-friendly, and a strong video card is essential, especially if you plan to do extensive gaming on the device.

Feature Set
A large number of USB ports is preferable. This gives you the ability to hook multiple external devices to your multimedia computer without running out of options. A media PC with HDMI and display port connections offers great ways to hook up multiple HD displays for optimal media viewing.

Design
Multimedia computer are available as an all-in-one PC or as a standard desktop computer. The best computing devices are compact to save you space on your desk. You also want to know which media PCs have room for expansion. If you want the most from your computer make sure you have the ability to upgrade the components if necessary.

Help & Support
You never know when something can go wrong so it is important to have excellent customer service available. Contacting a customer service representative through email, telephone or even live chat are excellent resources. Several manufacturers’ websites offer a user forum that provides additional feedback and assistance from other users as well as downloadable drivers.

With all of these elements combined, you will have a multimedia computer that will wow and amaze. You won't have to wait anymore for an application to open or for your document to save. You can edit, design, game and much more on one of these entertainment-loving devices.
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Multimedia Computer

A multimedia computer is a computer that is optimized for high multimedia performance, enabling rich multimedia experience.
Early home computers lacked the power and storage necessary for true multimedia. The games for these systems, along with the demo scene were able to achieve high sophistication and technical polish using only simple, blocky graphics and digitally generated sound. The Amiga 1000 from Commodore International has been called the first multimedia computer.[1] Its groundbreaking animation, graphics and sound technologies enabled multimedia content to flourish. Famous demos such as the Boing Ball[2] and Juggler [3] showed off the Amiga's abilities. Later the Atari ST series and Apple Macintosh II extended the concept; the Atari integrated a MIDI port and was the first computer under US$1000 to have 1 megabyte of RAM which is a realistic minimum for multimedia content and the Macintosh was the first computer able to display true photorealistic graphics as well as integrating a CD-ROM drive, whose high capacity was essential for delivering multimedia content in the pre-Internet era.
Multimedia capabilities were not common on IBM PC compatibles until the advent of Windows 3.0 and the MPC standards in the early 1990s. The original PCs were devised as "serious" business machines and colorful graphics and powerful sound abilities weren't a priority. The few games available suffered from slow video hardware, PC speaker sound and limited color palette when compared to its contemporaries. But as PCs penetrated the home market in the late 1980s, a thriving industry arose to equip PCs to take advantage of the latest sound, graphics and animation technologies. Creative's SoundBlaster series of sound cards, as well as video cards from ATi, nVidia and Matrox soon became standard equipment for most PCs sold.
Most PCs today have good multimedia features. They have dual- or single-core CPUs clocked at 3.0 GHz or faster, at least 1GB of RAM, a 128 MB or higher video card and TV Tuner card. Popular graphics cards include Nvidia Gforce or ATI Radeon. The Intel Viiv platform, and Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition are some of today's products aimed at multimedia computing.
More recently, high-performance devices have become more compact, and multimedia computer capabilities are found in mobile devices such as the Apple iPhone and Nokia Nseries, featuring DVD-like video quality, megapixel class cameras, fully capable browser, music and video players, podcasting, blogging, as well as e-mail, instant messaging, presence and internet call (VoIP) functionality. Multiradios help to offer broadband wireless connectivity, including for instance WCDMA/HSDPA and WLAN/Wifi. Devices are also increasingly equipped with GPS receivers and maps applications, providing new capabilities for location-aware services. The Nseries devices are also expandable, allowing for the addition of multiple applications and multimedia content.