Pipeline Surf Point

Somewhat confusing, but I’m comparing these two Gateway systems. I’m looking to spend under $800. I need the system to serve two Virtual Servers and still allow me to use the servers for development, surfing and media processing. I’m noting the Intel one has DDR3 vs DDR2. But is the Intel really only Dual Core vs Quad Core on the cheaper system? There is a $150 price difference between the two. Worth it?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5592685&Sku=G180-4512

Gateway DX4300-01U Desktop PC $650
Unleash the power of an entertainment giant. The Gateway DX4300-01U Desktop PC is loaded with features like AMD Phenom™ II quad-core processing, 64-bit Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 8GB of DDR2 memory and a 1TB hard disk drive2. ATI Radeon™ HD 4650 graphics with 1GB discrete video memory, HDMI™ and DVI ports, and a photo frame button for slideshowing images are among the audiovisual refinements on the Gateway DX4300-01U Desktop PC. Connectivity is easy with Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11b/g wireless, and the digital device holder clears clutter. Get an entertainment powerhouse: the Gateway DX4300-01U Desktop PC.
vs.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5602487&Sku=G180-0122

Gateway DX4831-05 Desktop PC $800
Unleash the dual core power of the Gateway DX4831-05 Desktop PC featuring the new Intel Core i5-650 processor which delivers the performance you need for smarter multitasking. Get productive with robust features like 8GB of Memory, a whopping 1TB of storage, the Windows 7 Home Premium OS, and a ton of ports that make connecting easy. Enjoy smooth video, brilliant images and immersive games with NVIDIA GeForce G310 Graphics, bringing fast throughput, lifelike graphics and support for the latest Microsoft DirectX 10, and a built-in HDMI port delivers crisp visuals and high-fidelity audio to a home theater or monitor via a single cable connection, eliminating the maze of cabling and reducing confusion.
Thanks.

I am so bored of having an ordinary life. I am a musician and audio engineer who used to play out all of the time and I loved it. Now I work 40 hours a week and go to school. I am bored of this ordinary life (I am in my 20’s). I am moving to California in 2011, but am going to continue being stuck where I am (Kentucky) until then. I miss my music and surfing etc. I want to make goals of things to do in 2010 that will make me feel “alive” again. Things that are new, fun and exciting. However in a small town in Kentucky I am having a hard time thinking of things. What are some things I can do in the upcoming year to feel alive and happy that I could do on a limited budget? I am going snowboarding in February but that’s all I have planned. Help me with my new years goal and Ill appreciate it! Best answer of course gets 10 points!

I currently live in Puerto Rico. My internet is DSL Modem connected to a Linksys Router that i bought for wireless. My Linksys Router is hacked, so i can customize almost anything. Sometimes when surfing the web and want to watch a video from a site, it says “currently not availablein your country. So to get passed this, i used a program called Hot Spot Shield, and it works. It tells the web pages im in the United States. The problem comes in is when i want to set up my Netflix to stream via my XBox 360. It doesnt let me do to audio licensing and stuff like that.
So how can i modify my router into making it seem i live in the USA. Doing this would allow me to watch videos “that arent currently allowed in my country” to be viewed without starting the program Hot Spot Shield. So what are the things i need to do to my router to make it like that.

Obviously I want a laptop…But I’ve been having a hard decision choosing what I need. I’m on a budget of $700 at the most.
I want to do average video editing and some photoshop.
I know that gaming on a laptop isn’t that good and that you should go for a desktop, so I already ruled that out.
So..some video editing and some photoshop
And you know..the other everyday things like…Media, Internet surfing, Email..etc…
So, are these good specs for what I want:
PLEASE TELL ME IF THESE SPECS ARE TOO MUCH FOR WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR…WHETHER IT BE THE PROCESSOR OR RAM OR HARDRIVE..WHATEVER!…ID BE GREAT TO LOWER IT
Intel Core™ 2 Duo P7450 (2.13GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1 64 Bit
15.6” High Definition+ (1600×900) LED Display with TrueLife
3GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz
160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD (again..nothing specail like gaming..just some good ol’ video editing and photoshop)
8X CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
9-cell battery (yah, I travel a good bit)
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card (should I get a better one…a faster one with further range?)
Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Internal (2.1) (honestly, why do people use bluetooth…please tell me if I would use/even want this…)
High Definition Audio 2.0
Integrated 1.3 MP Webcam (yeah, I know..but its the best one they had…)

I’m surfing the internet and all of a sudden music starts playing. I close down the internet browser so it’s not but the desktop and the sounds continue. What seems to be advertisements starts to play–just the audio. No one else is logged into to the computer. I’m starting to think it’s a form of spyware or malware because of these random popups I’ve been getting recently. Does anyone know what this is or how I can fix it?
Note: I’ve tried downloading MalwareBytes but it won’t let me install it. It freezes up during the installation process.