Computer experts: Need a new computer - need help focusing the lens...

[Audible Nectar]

I have been looking for a new computer, and my eyes get fuzzier the more I look....so I'm hoping there's someone here who can help focus the lens here some....running an old comp that has GOT to go....

Needs/uses:

1. The obvious basics: web surfing, email, and so forth. But then some maybe not so obvious needs, like full compatibility with ticketing sites (like Ticketmaster) which MUST be fully functional/compatible (don't know if Apple is an issue on this).

2. No gaming, but expect to be working with photo, audio, and video in the future (what about Blue Ray/HiDef, or possibly HTPC?)

I am CLUELESS about how to approach this, particularly with regards to manufacturer: I spent some time on Dell's site, for example, and it seems there are some attractive packages out there: AMD or Intel Quad Core processor, 6GB RAM, 21" monitor for about $800....as well as "performance machines" with the "i" series of Intel processors and Blu-Ray for about $1.5 -2K. Am I a fool for thinking these might be a good deal, or are there some other manufacturers I should be considering? I wouldn't have a clue about building one, so I'm not sure how to make comparisons between DIY and ready built (ready built seems far cheaper than I could do)....

Any particular computer manufacturers/methods offer better customer service?

Where is the "sweet spot" right now on cost vs. performance re: processors?

I THINK I want to stay in PC, but might be persuadeable on Mac (and might even get a small Mac for the wife later)....but suspect I want full compatibility with the entirety of the web world and think in my minimally informed mind that I need a PC.

At any rate, I'm hoping someone can make some informed recommendations. Bueller??

[jason str]

My advice would be to build your own, its really very easy to do once you get all your components together.

Buying from the big names will get you nothing but the cheapist components available for the most they can sell them for.

For $1000 you can build a very nice system if you dont need super high performance, Intel skt 775 would be my pick if you dont need the latest & greatist, save some cash and still have a quick system.

You do not need 6 gb of memory, 4 gb is plenty unless you are doing memory intensive projects.

Mac is nice for checking e mail and surfing the web but if you need a personal computer get just that, use the extra $$$ for something else.

[Hifi jim]

Also, not sure if you've considered or already have a music server but Apple iTunes is a beautiful program that together with an Airport Express or Apple TV will let you wirelessly stream music from your laptop. Think of it as a really good quality, low cost music server with a computer built in for free. Of course you could run iTunes from your PC as well but for me it's all about simplicity and Macs are especially good at that. I also use their iPhoto a lot and love it... great software. The internet browser (Safari) is good enough for me and the only hiccup I encounter happens here... no return function allowing breaks in a paragraph. [:@]

[thebes]

First question. How old is your present computer and do you have a rough idea of its specifications. ie hard drive size, ram, processor etc.? and are you running windows xp or newer?

[peshewah]

If I had the cash I would also get a Mac. But if I couldn't ( I can't) afford one then I would build. Its alot of fun and before long, you will be the only person working on your computer.

[Audible Nectar]

This is where things get interesting. Mac and Windows are planning on getting regular money contributions from you over the life of the computer.

I KNOOOOOOOOOOW[6]

I have stated for a number of years now that computers are like boats: holes you throw money into. You think vacuum tube systems are bad in this regard? At least the tubes hold/appreciate in value while the comp turns worthless. I can also assume that those who complain about the maintenance of tube gear don't own Microsoft computers....hehehe....

So in response to Thebes' question, I have a 450mhz PIII built in 1998 (and yes, before XP), which has been a slowly diminishing machine re: functionality for a number of years now. Items on the machine have failed over time, some in hardware, some in software, some which I could bring back, most I could not - diminishing to a point where currently all I do is read and post occasionally on forums, even shutting down/cutting off any methods of online payments and such from here because I don't trust the security of the network or system.

So my comp has been reduced to lower functionality than an internet phone, and I have GOT to do........something.

My biggest issue with stepping away from Microsoft is functionality. There are some things that want MS comps out there.....like Ticketmaster, which uses loads of flash and other devices that work best on MS comps. When 5000 people are slamming that server incompatibilities are not acceptable!! So I might consider fiddling with something like Linux later on a "side" machine, but in the meantime I need to get into something I can use sooner.

I did find AVS forums last night and read through some of the HTPC stuff (after waiting 5 minutes for all those images and loooooong threads to load) and it looks like there are a LOT of DIY options out there. Assembling/building a PC might not be so difficult (and isn't so much the worry)....getting those components to talk to each other, however, might be.

Jason - PM coming your way......

[jason str]

No worries about about components, as long as your parts are not totally outdated there will be no incompatibility issues.

[seti]

On my 6th Mac laptop [] The OS keeps getting better and is consistant. You can not say that about windows or what the next version will be like. My mothers computer had windows 7 and it was a pita. I did a custom linux install for her and she has now been using linux for 8 months and actually likes it. That is too cool and not what I expected. I thought she wouldn't like it and I would roll it back to XP Pro instead of 7.

[jason str]

Linux is nice if you are a cheapskate computer nerd that only surfs the internet but many applications, games and other misc goodies do not work with it.

Windows Vista and 7 is fine in both 32 & 64 bit, you just need to spend more time with it to know where everything is and how it works, i ran Vista 64 since it was still on the drawing board and had no issues besides my older printer not working for a few months until a driver was released and could not figure out why everybody was slamming it, turns out nobody gave it enough time to get used to it or was trying to run it on a outdated sysyem that did not have the extra resources to run the new O.S.

Security you say, its free. Avast home edition works well but there are many good free options out there.

[skonopa]

My biggest issue with stepping away from Microsoft is functionality. There are some things that want MS comps out there.....like Ticketmaster, which uses loads of flash and other devices that work best on MS comps. When 5000 people are slamming that server incompatibilities are not acceptable!! So I might consider fiddling with something like Linux later on a "side" machine, but in the meantime I need to get into something I can use sooner.

That is no longer the case. I have various Windows, Mac as well as Linux machines around here and not a single one has given me grief with getting tickets on TicketBastardMaster. I've even used Sun Solaris! Granted, on all of these machines, I am using FireFox. It is getting to the point, with all this push about using the "cloud" and getting apps served from the internet (Google Apps, anyone?), that the underlying OS is going to be completely irrelevant.

Admittedly, of the systems that I have, my trusty ol' Macbook Pro with Snow Leapord is my most favorite to use. I only stick with Windows, is because at work, that is where I am doing all my software engineering/development (that is what the clients wants - that is what the clients gets, afterall - they are the ones writing my checks!). I have done software development in Unix and Linux as my previous life as a contractor for the Navy. I am actually very amazed at how nice Linux has gotten over the past couple of years, especially with Ubuntu (I need to upgrade my Ubuntu box to the latest and greatest - still using a two-year old 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) version. I have been hearing some really nice things about the latest "Lucid Lynx" version (10.04).

But than again, I am also still using Windows XP, as I've no current need to upgrade. Most likely will need to eventually upgrade my trusty ol' Lenovo ThinkPad work machine to Windows 7 to take advantage of the latest features - especially for software development. But again, unless I have a pressing need from my clients, I am not likely going to bother with the time and expense to do so at this juncture.

But anyway - If you really feel you must stick with the "tried and true" of Microsoft, there are plenty of good machines out there. As was already said, it is gotten to the point that it is pretty much all commodity components. Building a machine is really not that difficult these days (far easier than when I was doing it back in the 486 days). So much of it s pretty much "Plug-n-Play" these days (or "Plug-n-Pray" as we like to call it at work [] ).

Hell, if you are going to go the "build it yourself route" - it certainly would not hurt to at least give Linux a try. It is free and in the end, if you decide you don't like it or can't make it work for your needs, you can just simply wipe it and go with Windows and you will only be out the time spent trying.

One downside with the whole "DIY" is that you will not get any real support or "customer service". It is truly a Do-It-Yourself adventure. Thus, if you run into any problems, you may be able to get some support from the individual component manufacturers as well as the various website/forums on the internet. This is one case where "Google is truly your friend".

At least if you go with a Mac, you do get excellent customer support from Apple. Also, in recent times, Dell has gotten much better as well as evidenced from a recent issue I had with my neighbor's computer, which is a Dell, that I ended up calling tech support to ask about - there were very helpful and we managed to solve the issue quite quickly. Thus, if you need to buy a ready-made PC, I'd go with one of the major, top-tier manufacturers, such as Apple (although you will pay a price premimum here - but, those machines really are quite nice), Dell, HP, or Lenovo. And yes, it is possible to run Windows on a Mac if you absolutly must have it. In fact, Apple makes it really easy to do and setup, via thier "Bootcamp" thing, but of course, you will need to obtain a copy of Windows, which would be an added expense.

[jason str]

Customer support is nice to have in a pinch but lets face it you cant understand what the heck are saying anyways with aka "Tom's" thick Pakistani accent. []

[skonopa]

Linux is nice if you are a cheapskate computer nerd that only surfs the internet but many applications, games and other misc goodies do not work with it.

At the risk of turning this into an "OS wars", this is where I am going to call [bs]!

That may have been the case some 5 years ago, but certainly not the case today. I am actually more amazed at what IS available for Linux these days than what ISN'T. For 99.9% of the things that most typical users do with PCs these days, can easily be done with a standard Linux setup on a typical consumer level PC setup.

Granted, much of the big "commercial" apps may not be available on Linux, and yes, admittedly, for the true hardcore gamer, I would recommend the latest version of Windows 7 in a heartbeat. However, the original post already indicated he was not interested in gaming. To be honst, for most folks - if they want to play games, I'd just tell them to get a game console anyway. They are plenty cheap, powerful, and easy to use, and nearly any game that is worth playing on the PC is also available on one of the consoles anyway. In addition, most of the "casual" gamers will just play games on the web anyway or there are excellent variants available on Linux.

In addition, I am also very amazed at just how stupidly easy it is to setup a Linux machine these days - especially with the current versions of Ubuntu. In addition, every piece of hardware that I could find laying around here - Ubuntu Linux had no problems recgonzing and actually working with it.

[jason str]

LOL, no war i just game alot so Linux does nothing for me.

Does Linux now offer media player for music and movies so a HTPC is a possability ? Ihave not used it for some time so excuse me if im not up to date with the latest & greatist.

[jason str]

I am actually more amazed at what IS available for Linux these days than what ISN'T. For 99.9% of the things that most typical users do with PCs these days, can easily be done with a standard Linux setup on a typical consumer level PC setup.

I an a new Ubuntu convertee. Well, as of last fall. I now use Linux for full on digital image editing. On my Mac I used Adobe Bridge into Adobe Camera Raw---into Photoshop CS2. On my Ubuntu machine I use DigiKam into UFRaw into GIMP and get exactly the same results. The only difference is that my Linux machine cost about half of my Mac machine, and runs twice as fast. One of the things Ubunto did is make software installation fast easy and actually bulletproof. It's easier than Mac, and far easier than Windows. You simple start"Software Center" - select the software you want - and it downloads and installs the applications and all required drivers in one key press. It don't get much easier than that. Support is done by the Ubuntu community. It's actually quite good.

On the HP Mini netbook I bought it came with Windows 7 Home version, or Beginners version or something like that. It was a heap of pure almost useless garbage - really. It was like pushing putty on that little notebook. It took forever to boot on the little Atom processor, and then it was a constant flow of ludicrous Windows warnings, messages, offers to buy, offers to load Virus programs, extraneous warnings, security downloads, flags, dialog boxes, confirmations, settings, trial softwares and on and on and on. To actually get to a web site took like 5 minutes from a cold start. I wiped Win 7 off, loaded my Ubuntu thumb drive with Mobile Remix Ubuntu, and was off to the races. The little Atom takes 30 seconds to boot, make a WiFi connection, get Firefox running, and get to a web site. No bull crap whatsoever. It's the most elegant little OS I have right now. My HP Mini runs faster than my Intel iMac with Snow Leopard.

There is still one downside to Linux. No matter how you slice it, or which distro you choose, you WILL have to learn half a dozen Unix terminal command lines. They just can't seem to let go of that tradition to save their lives. Oh, and one other tradition they keep: the worst, nerdiest naming of software programs you will ever find. I still don't get that one. But, I guess if you are a Unix gearhead from the 70s with a long beard and Berinstock sandals it all has some kind of perfect cosmic sense.

OTOH, everyone seems to confirm that Windows 7 is far superior to Vista, so that's a good thing.

All those messages you received was from HP not Windows, they are easilly removed.

The Atom should not come with Windows Vista or 7, it does not have enough resources.

Why do they sell it like that then you ask ? Because they make money off it selling to the people who dont know better.

[JJkizak]

Those "Unix Heads" can be traced back to the old "Bell Labs Heads".

JJK

[Audible Nectar]

Thanks a BUNCH for the discussion here. When I posted this thread, I was under the assumption that Linux was for the "tech geek", and I have had an opinion of myself that if I had to earn a living in IT I would probably starve. IOW, probably not a good Linux candidate.

In reading further here in this thread as well as on a couple other forums (including AVS) it seems Linux IS changing into an OS that more typical users can run. This seems a new development within the last couple of years. Ubuntu really sounds like it has possibilities and seems the leader in "most accessibility to less geeky users"....AND seems to run a LOT of hardware and applications. This is a surprising development here, and has me thinking seriously about it.

The lack of "customer service" does worry me some....but then again I'm not convinced that it's necessarily very good through "the major vendors", at least on a consistent basis. There does seem a NUMBER of resources to assist with Linux, and in fact are of a spirit to help (much like here).

Regarding Linux OS, is it inherently secure? I keep reading of it's "bulletproof" nature, what is it about such a "simple", streamlined OS that makes it so? Is it just because none of the hacker crowd writes malware for Linux or is it the security built into Linux? And since Linux is supposedly "open source" isn't that counterintuitive to being "bulletproof" (at least it seems so to this computer "operator" as opposed to one with any tech skill)? I assume no antivirus...what of the need for firewall etc or is that not necessary?

At any rate....Linux sounds like an option when it certainly didn't when I made this post. I'm thinking about it.....

[Hifi jim]

The lack of "customer service" does worry me some....but then again I'm not convinced that it's necessarily very good through "the major vendors", at least on a consistent basis.

For me, Apple has been excellent in their service. For one; their telephone service is supreme. When you dial the number you are met with friendly and intelligent people void of thick foreign accents. They know their product very well and do their best to get you up and running again quickly. Second; when you need to speak to somebody face to face, or your service contract runs out []... head down to the nearest Apple store (preferably during weekday hours when it's less busy) and grab a store associate and ask them just about anything. If they don't know, they'll find somebody who does. Again, don't try this on a weekend when they're mobbed and people are taking numbers just to get a peak at the new iPad, but during quiet hours they are very talkative and informative. For computer dopes like me it's bliss. Third; iTunes and wireless streaming is really a wonderful way to enjoy your current music and also discover lots of new music. This years audio shows have all been about the music server and DACs which are quickly becoming the norm and replacing CD players. No, it won't sound like vinyl, but it will rival and even surpass the sound of many cd players depending on what DAC you plug into. You may be very surprised at the sound quality but you'll absolutely love the convenience of it. Love my Apple!

[Audible Nectar]

I was referring more in regard to the big PC vendors, mostly. And not that it's all bad - but it can certainly be hit or miss (I hear a lot of this from people locally), and I don't like miss, especially if I pay for it.

I have oft thought of an Apple for my wife in particular, and if we had an actual Apple store here I might have bought one already. As it is we can get thier product through other big box type vendors and that's the weak link in the chain AFAIC. Might travel to a nearest store if we end up leaning this way (and more and more we think we'll have two comps of some sort - hers and mine).

I'm currently on the lookout for a local builder/tech/vendor that knows his/her stuff that I can get some help/do biz with...someone who can do the build and get the components "talking to each other" and run with it from there. I have an older Dell comp with a dual 800MHZ xeon and 512MB memory....I wonder if that could be a candidate for a Linux box...and if it (which will not load the OS due to malware issues) can be brought back to life....

It IS nice that I am basically "starting over" re computers, in a manner of speaking, and am therefore not "married" to any one method/system in particular - other than getting the results I want.

[skonopa]

LOL, no war i just game alot so Linux does nothing for me.

Does Linux now offer media player for music and movies so a HTPC is a possability ? Ihave not used it for some time so excuse me if im not up to date with the latest & greatist.

Yes indeed! Seems LinuxMCE is very nice and getting a lot of positive press. In addition, here is nice article on ExtremeTech with a run down on the Linux offerings for HTPC.

[skonopa]

Regarding Linux OS, is it inherently secure? I keep reading of it's "bulletproof" nature, what is it about such a "simple", streamlined OS that makes it so? Is it just because none of the hacker crowd writes malware for Linux or is it the security built into Linux? And since Linux is supposedly "open source" isn't that counterintuitive to being "bulletproof" (at least it seems so to this computer "operator" as opposed to one with any tech skill)? I assume no antivirus...what of the need for firewall etc or is that not necessary?

At any rate....Linux sounds like an option when it certainly didn't when I made this post. I'm thinking about it.....

There is indeed one school of thought that the only reason why Linux does not have near the malware as on Windows is because Windows is more popular. However, I don't subscribe to that school of thought, as there are actually quite a few linux servers out there (in fact a huge percentage of the web is served up via Linux servers). Linux does indeed have a much more robust security model than Windows did, although I am hearing that with Windows 7, seems Microsoft is finally getting thier act together. Also seem the same school of thought is applied to Mac, but Max OS X is actually a Unix-based OS, with the same robust security model.

As far as the open-source nature of Linux, if anything, that may actually HELP with the security. As soon as a vulnerability is discovered, people are pretty quick on jumping on it and getting if fixed (instead of having to wait for, say, Microsoft, to get off thier @$$es to fix it and then release a patch). There are far more "good" programmer that want to preserve the good reputation Linux has been getting as a secure OS, than ones causing trouble with writing and releasing malware.