Buying a computer

[nissangirl74]

Hey everybody! Well, the time has come to replace the idiot box. She is over 7 years old and whines and cries every time I turn the power on, so I am going shopping this weekend.

Since I have not been in the market for a new one in a while, I was wondering if I could get some advice on the best brand to go with and where to get it.

I need something with LOTS of memory because i download music and movies on a daily basis. (DVD/CD player/burner) My daughter will be using this for school too so I'll need the whole Microsoft Office package (Powerpoint, Excel, Word, etc.) so she can create projects, stuff like that. Of course you all now I am on here more often than not, and I use IM a LOT.

I really prefer a desktop model. I have no need for a laptop, other than coonvenience so unless someone knows of somewhere I can get one real cheap, that's really not a necessity. I have a really good HP printer, so I don't need anything like that and my monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers etc, work fine too. The "brain" is just shot to hell.

Also, I have always been a big fan of XP and I've heard all the Vista nightmares. Is there anywhere you can still get XP as the OS?

Anyway, thanks for the ideas!

B

[Axel Grungy]

moved to comp forum

[MinisterofDOOM]

Most places still offer you the option of getting XP instead of Vista, you just have to specify it. Some places will charge more for XP, though.

[nissangirl74]

Thanks

[nissangirl74]

moved to comp forum

Can you please put a copy of it back in the general for more feedback?
Modified by nissangirl74 at 2:09 PM 2/13/2009

[Beancooker]

Well, I would personally look at dell.com

They are like the Honda of computers now. Mass produced, decent warranty, so-so customer service, and a good bargan for cheap.

It's hard to make a suggestion, because cost plays such a role in what you get. I wouldn't want something that doesn't have a really great processor, and 4+ Gb RAM and 64 bit OS.

Video and sound cards make a big difference in price also.

You can customize the PC you want at dell.com, so just pick out a model, and start to customize it.

I would suggest a quad core processor (Intel, I don't like AMD), 6 GB ram, 750 gig HD or even a 1TB and a 64 bit OS.

Hope that helps.

[C-Kwik]

Also, I have always been a big fan of XP and I've heard all the Vista nightmares. Is there anywhere you can still get XP as the OS?

As far as I can tell, most of the problems with Vista are resolved. All 4 computers in my household run Vista (3 of them are 64-bit). The ONLY issue I have is I can't install a DVD copy (illegal) program I have. But I don't really miss it. I only used it to copy my DVD's so I can use them in the truck (the player in my truck likes to scuff the discs). As I hardly watch DVD's in the truck and have some core films already copied, not a big deal ATM. Everything else has worked fine. There really isn't much of a reason to avoid Vista anymore (most users).

It might be helpful though if you provided your budget; perhaps what you'ld like to spend and the absolute maximum so we can give some more specific recommendations. We can spit out a bunch of specs, but it could be over your budget.

I do concur that Dell.com is worth checking out. Also look at HP.com too. I usually shop both when I'm in the market. And so far, HP always beat Dell in terms of price or value with the specs I want. In fact the last computer I bought was for my mom. I really wanted the Dell (Laptop), but to get the 64-bit Vista, I had to buy a more expensive model( ). Since my mom was on a budget, it became the deal breaker.

[nissangirl74]

My absolute limit is $1000 but if I can get away with a lot less than that, that would be sweet!

[Beancooker]

Kwik, what program will it refuse to install?

I have all kinds of stuff installed.

[Beancooker]

So I built a Dell, and made it decently powerful, while keeping the price less than $1k.

The only other thing I would consider upgrading, is the video card, but if you won't be gaming or watching hi-def movies, it really isn't necessary.

Dell Inspiron 530

Here is what it has:

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Quad processor Q8200 (4MB L2, 2.33GHz, 1333FSB) edit OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit edit OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft Works 9.0 edit WARRANTY & SERVICE 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit MONITOR 19 inch SE198WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor edit MEMORY 6GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs edit HARD DRIVE 750GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ edit OPTICAL DRIVE Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable edit VIDEO CARD Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 edit SOUND Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio edit KEYBOARD & MOUSE Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse edit FLOPPY & MEDIA READER No Floppy Drive Included

[nissangirl74]

My absolute limit is $1000 but if I can get away with a lot less than that, that would be sweet!

I got by with half. Bought a Dell Inspiron. 17" flat panel widescreen monitor, 2GB memory and 250GB hard drive. I had to sacrifice and get it with Vista in order to get it today (instead of XP), so if i have issues...i"ll be back begging for more help.

[nnorton44]

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/ is a great site for building a custom computer, it has a ResellerRating of nearly 9. I saw a Intel Core i7 system on there for $750, Core i7 is Intel's latest and greatest and blows everything else out of the water

* CASE: Apevia X-Supra Gaming Mid-Tower 420W Case (G Type Black Color with Side-Window) * Neon Light Upgrade: NONE * Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans * POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: STANDARD CASE POWER SUPPLY * CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-920 2.66 GHz 8M L3 Cache LGA1366 * COOLING FAN : Intel LGA1366 Certified CPU Fan & Heatsink * MOTHERBOARD: MSI X58 Platinum Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA RAID w/ eSATA, Dual GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394a, &7.1Audio * MEMORY: 3GB (1GBx3) PC1333 DDR3 PC3 10666 Triple Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand) * FREEBIES: None * VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 16X PCI Express (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA) * VIDEO CARD 2: NONE * VIDEO CARD 3: NONE * MULTIPLE VIDEO CARD SETTINGS: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor * LCD Monitor: NONE * 2nd Monitor: NONE * HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD) * Data Hard Drive: NONE * USB PORTABLE DRIVE: NONE * Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR) * Optical Drive 2: NONE * SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO * SPEAKERS: NONE * NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD * MODEM: NONE * KEYBOARD: Logitech Deluxe 250 USB Keyboard (Black Color) * MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse * Extra Thermal Display : NONE * Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: NONE * Flash Media Reader/Writer: None * Cable Wiring: None * Rounded Cable: None * VIDEO CAMERA: NONE * PRINTER: None * PRINTER CABLE: None * IEEE CARD: NONE * USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports * FLOPPY: NONE * OS: NONE - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY * FREEBIES: None * Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None * SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT * RUSH SERVICE: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

Just bump the RAM up to 6GB and your in luck! Add an operating system too. Should be in $1000 range.

[Beancooker]

Cool. Make sure that you install all the updates for Vista. It will take quite a while, but once they are all done, it's pretty decent.

I don't know how well Vista will run with 2Gb Ram. Never tried it.

[nissangirl74]

we decided to keep the other computer too. My daughter wanted it in her room because of all the music/movies that were on it. No internet, but it has the tools she needs for school. The new one will be strictly for internet / email use, at least that's the plan for now. I'm loving it so far; with cable internet, this thing is FAST!!!!

[nnorton44]

Cool. Make sure that you install all the updates for Vista. It will take quite a while, but once they are all done, it's pretty decent.

I don't know how well Vista will run with 2Gb Ram. Never tried it.

Yeah 4GB+ will be best

[marlin29311]

Cool. Make sure that you install all the updates for Vista. It will take quite a while, but once they are all done, it's pretty decent.

I don't know how well Vista will run with 2Gb Ram. Never tried it.

For the 2 weeks I did it with my lappy, it was absolutely fine. If it wasn't for gaming purposes, I would still have 2GB in mine...though this was DDR3....

Overall though, 2GB should cause no issues.