HELP! NEED COMPUTER

[BBB]

I need a new comp. This thing I've been using is fried. i'm lookinfg at the Dell 8400 desktop with DVD BURNER AND pENTIUM PROCESSOR.350 microsoft xp. Sorry about the capitol letters but even my keyboard has gone haywire!Grrrrrrrrrr Any opinions?

[nicholtl]

I'd like to help more, but I've been out of the dark side of the PC world for quite some time now. Strictly Macs for me. =)

What are the primary applications you'll be using your computer for, BBB? Just light home use? Internet surfing, email, and maybe some occassional word processing? Or are you going to be doing heavy number crunching, scientific and mathematical analysis? Or perhaps intense graphic manipulation and video/film media? That would determine what kind of processor/s you'll need (single or dual, Intel Pentium 4 or AMD 64, etc.), RAM upgradeability, hard drive speeds and bays, system bus speed, all sorts of stuff.

Most regular users love Dell. However, for more sophisticated computer users they think it's the devil. Not to mention their customer support being located in India. Sony Viao's are generally overpriced and underpowered, although they boast a plentitude of features. Toshiba and IBM I've heard nice things about, although IBM Thinkpads have sh!tty battery life and are heavy.

Personally, I'd say stay away from HP or Compaq. Their products crap out all too often. Fujitsu, however, is solid. As are Gateway PC's. Now if you're a hardcore gamer, you might want to either look into building a custom PC, or researching Falcon Northwest or Alienware, to name a few.

But again...if you wanna be cool, consider switching over to "The Light." Join the brotherhood of Mac users!

[meuge]

Yeah, as far as PCs go, if you don't know much about computers Dell is the way to go. Out of OEM manufacturers they are the closest to regular off-the-shelf parts, and thus are fairly upgradeable. Their customer service is decent too.

I own their laptops myself. IBM laptoms are arguably the best, but they cost as much as a firstborn.

I don't really trust other companies, especially not HP, Sony, etc... Toshiba seems OK though.

Tell us what you want to do with it and we'll give you some recommendations.

[BBB]

Thanks nic. Hmmmmmmm.Compaq is what I'm using now. The customer support is questionable to say the least and they are an HP company now.I agree with what you said about the average at home user, as I am, that Dell is well respected. On the other hand many of the pros hate them. What's your experience with Mac support?

[nicholtl]

Macintosh support is excellent. What you get standard, is 90 days of free phone support (they're open from like 6am-10pm or so 7 days a week), and 1 year of free parts and labor, in the unlikely event something goes wrong. Then you have the option of purchasing Apple's extended support service, called the "Applecare Service and Support," which costs about $100-$300, depending on what model computer you purchase, and that extends your warranty and phone support to a period of 3 years from the date of purchase. Mac's support is EXCELLENT. You can bring your computer into any authorized service center OR Apple store, of which there are many scattered across the nation. In addition, their phone support is exemplary. Extremely friendly, ultra knowledgable, and they're located in the good ol' U S of A (read: you can understand them).

If you wanna know more about Macs, just let me know. I'm the biggest Mac fanboy out there.

...just look at my profile for evidence...

[Marvel]

If the Compaq is a Prettysorry-Oh, you need to change. Some of the regular HP models are okay. A guy I work with gets emails from someplace for Dell desktops. They are through Dell, and great prices. They had a 2.8 Hhz PIV, loaded up pretty well. With a 17inch LCD display it was $499! The deal lasted 6 hours.

Dell's support still is some of the best, but (no offense to India), many of the support calls are routed overseas. IBM is better for having onshore support.

We buy Dell machines at the college where I work, and they have held up very well. Different models - Optiplex, Dimension, Poweredge, Inspiron and Latitude. We got burned on some Inspirons, but they are still pretty good.

I have built my own desktops at home, both are dual CPU boxes. The older of thetwo is getting close to five years old, and the olny thing I have replaced is the power supply. Haven't had to reformat yet either, and it is the box I use for all online connectivity.

Got to admit the new iMacs look great! Just not expandable like I would want, and all my software is Windows based. I will say that the last Mac we got at school came in DOA, and it took them forever to replace it. It sounded like the support folks were smokin' something. "Yes, I see you sent it back two weeks ago. Oh, you wanted a replacement?"

Decide what you need to use it for and go from there.

Marvel

[BEC]

If you can stand being left out when the conversaton turns to virus attacks, worms, spy ware, and such, then a Mac might be for you.

Bob Crites

Mac user since 1989

[SCOOTERDOG]

BBB,

My son and I built his for about 1300 bucks and it kicks the crap out of any of the name brand machines. In fact you would need to spend about $3500 for an Alien PC just to get what we did for 1300.00.

Case $75 ( with 4 cooling fans and lots of colored lights)

Pentium 4HT 3.2ghz and motherboard $525.00

450 watt power supply $50.00

ATI 9600 256meg video card $179.00

Sony DVD $99.00

CD Burner $69.00

3.5 Floppy $10.00

1 Gig of Ram $150.00

Western Digital 80 gig hard drive $69.00

windows XP home edition $99.00

Then we also got back about $60 in rebates

He had a nice viewsonic 17" monitor and keyboard and mouse so we did not buy new ones.

Took us about 4 hours to put it all together and up and running. Kicks the crap out of my P4 1.7 system.

All components were bought from Fry's

[meuge]

Of course you could go a lot cheaper when it comes to high power PCs by building custom (like my rig). But for those who are not proficient at building PCs and who want just a cheap PC for checking email, surfing the web, it's still expensive.

For $500-600 you can get an entry-level desktop at Dell which will work just fine. Just make sure the CPU is NOT a Celeron and that you have at least 512MB of memory.

[Marvel]

LOL Bob! You are right about that. I did have it pointed out to me that no one writes softare to attack the Mac OS because there aren't enough of them to make it worthwhile.

Seriously, Macs are great computers. Our school chose at one point to not support them because we didn't want to have to support two different platforms. There were issue with that in the past, but many of those issues are disappearing. One is interoperability between the two platforms (Wintel and Mac). We require multiple user logins on our network, and the Mac was meant as a single user login. Now, the new administration is letting folks mostly get what they want.

Marvel

[BBB]

----------------

On 10/9/2004 4:18:36 PM BEC wrote:

If you can stand being left out when the conversaton turns to virus attacks, worms, spy ware, and such, then a Mac might be for you.

Bob Crites

Mac user since 1989

----------------

meuge. what did you mean my that?

Marv, SCOOTER, nic. Thanks for the advice.I'M PRETTY BRIGHT BUT NOT MUCH OF A BUILDER WHEN IT COMES TO COMPUTERS I really appreciate YOUR ADVICE.Nic, where would I go to get hooked UP TO a MAC system? MAN OH MAN look at these capital letters!!!grrrrrrrrr Gateway sounds pretty good , but aren't they going out of business? I'm not sure. Lets take a vote. What should I look at if I'm willing to spend 2 to 3 thousand dollars. I would need a printer and a scanner for my cartoons of course!!!!. he he he he I think I'm at the point where customer service is important and I mean NO OFFENSE to any member on the forum but I need to talk to people that understand a guy with a Jersey accent

[BEC]

BBB

Below is a link to the Macs available. You might want to consider the Emac. It is a great computer for a little money. Comes with pretty good software bundle also. I have one of the Emacs out in the office and it is a great computer. I always use one of the desktop machines myself since I have been hooked on having more than one monitor for many years and only the desktops can use a second monitor card.

Bob

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore/

[meuge]

I still say go with Dell. While they route a lot of calls overseas, I've gotten great customer service from them. Plus, for some extra cash you can get a warranty plan where they'll come to your house and fix your problems for you.

For $2.5k you can get an awesome laptop with 3 years of in-home service from Dell. Out of all their models I like the 600m the best, since it's light, portable, yet powerful... and it can come with an SXGA+ screen (1400x1050) which is much better than XGA (1024x768). If I were you, I'd get a 600m with the least expensive CPU (1.8GHz Pentium M will crush a 2.6GHz Pentium 4 in terms of performance... and it also consumes less power). Get a DVD burner, 1GB of RAM and they'll offer you various printers and scanners along the way. 3 Years of In-home service is as much as you'd want, since you'll probably want to get another computer in 3 years anyway.

I've gotten 4 people to buy the 600m so far, and they're all supremely satisfied with it. It might not have a monster-size 15.4" screen, but its SXGA (you must specify that screen size) 14.1 screen is by far enough for everyday use. I have a previous model laptop with the same size screen and it rocks (typing on it right now).

The battery life is great for when you want to take it places (600m gets a true 3-4 hours, depending on use).

At this point in time the only reason to get a desktop would be if you really needed the processing power of a heavy AMD 64 chip for something like gaming. For work, laptops are superior in every way, unless you do A/V work or engineering simulations.

P.S. Of course if you really want a desktop replacement you can get one of the large-screen laptops, which will cost you the same.

P.P.S. If you want more advice or specific component recommendations, email me.

[Grateful11]

My sons have a 9 month old eMachines and its been great. Not the first problem. They're even rated as the least likely, of budget machines, to breakdown according to PC Magazine. Personally my wife and I prefer Macs. Believe me I've ran both and I'll take the Mac any day. My wife has a G4 Cube and I have a G4 533mhz Dual processor tower. Macs are just pure and simple the easiest to run and the least trouble free. Only a hand full of virus's exist for the Mac which is a great thing. I've never ran an anti-virus on my Macs and I've been running them since '95. As far as eMacs, they may be fine for a a place with a noisy background but in a quiet place they'll drive you nuts, they have a very noisy fan. We had one for a little over a year and sold it because the only thing you can upgrade is the ram and the noise had something to do with it too. The G4 tower I have now is more than fast enough for the apps I run and I picked it up for a little over $600 on eBay with a 1 gig of ram and a DVD Burner. The Windows machine my sons have is great for games but even when they need to do projects for High school they always turn to the Macs.

Grateful

[Audio Flynn]

Case $75 ( with 4 cooling fans and lots of colored lights)

Pentium 4HT 3.2ghz and motherboard $525.00

450 watt power supply $50.00

ATI 9600 256meg video card $179.00

Sony DVD $99.00

CD Burner $69.00

3.5 Floppy $10.00

1 Gig of Ram $150.00

Western Digital 80 gig hard drive $69.00

windows XP home edition $99.00

++++++++++++++++

www.pcprogress.com

is good for the same sort of build it yourself

[IndyKlipschFan]

Using your suggestions for a Dell 600M.. How does this look for a laptop? Typical home / business, and to suit a family creativness too.

For the most part...

Would be a replacement to a desktop "Gateway Professional" that is an older pentium III machine. Comcast cable is the home connection too. Get a docking station for a "real" mouse and w/o using the battery. Take it on the road when we are too, hook up to a phone line to check messages etc.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Inspiron 600m

$2,422

Before $200 mail-in rebate

(If FREE PRINTER is not selected)

As low as $73/month1

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Preliminary Ship Date2

10/18/2004

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My Selections All Options

Inspiron 600m

Catalog Number / Description Product Code SKU Id

Inspiron 600m:

Pentium® M Processor 745(1.80GHz/400MHz FSB) 14.1-in SXGA+, 32MB Video B18X3HN <221-4385> 1

Operating System:

Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional WPXP <313-1828><412-0408><313-2208><412-0689><420-4770><463-2282> 11

Choice of Mail in Rebate or Free Printer:

Save $200 with mail-in rebate. Price shown before rebate. 200PRNT <463-4051> 550

Limited Warranty, Services and Support:

1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-In Service ST111RR <950-9057><950-3337><950-3830><412-0361><960-2780> 29

Memory:

256MB DDR SDRAM 1 Dimm 256MB1D <311-1883> 3

Hard Drive:

Save $49! (Savings included in price) 60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive 60GBP <462-0402> 8

Optical:

FREE 24XCD-RW/DVD Combo Upgrade (from DVD) 24COMBP <462-5323><430-1050> 16

Enhanced Software for CD or DVD Burner:

RecordNow! Deluxe - Burn, Copy and Label CDs RNDLX <430-0979> 72

Primary Battery:

6-Cell Lithium Ion Battery (53Whr) 53WHR <310-5188> 27

Mobile Accessories:

128MB Dell USB Memory Key 128UMB <310-4369> 90

Mobile Accessories:

NEW! Auto/Air AC Adapter AUTOAIR <310-4477> 90

Wireless Networking Cards:

No Wireless LAN Card NOWIRLS <430-0492> 19

Bundled Software:

Microsoft Office Basic - Includes Outlook, Word, Excel, IBASICC <412-0452> 22

Personal Finance Software:

Microsoft® Money 2004 Standard MNY <412-0552> 83

Security Software:

Norton Internet Security 2004, 15-month (3 extra months included) NIS15M <412-0667> 25

Operating System Enhancements:

Microsoft® Plus! Digital Media Edition DME <412-4000> 65

Digital Music:

Dell Jukebox PLUS - Rip and burn CDs faster, print CD labels, and more MMPLUS <412-0692> 26

Digital Imaging or Digital Photography:

Paint Shop Pro® Trial plus Photo Album Starter Edition DPS <412-0521> 38

Integrated Modem and NIC:

Internal 56K Modem and Integrated Network Card 56MPC <313-1659> 14

Dial-Up Internet Access:

6 Months America Online Internet Access Included AOLDHS <412-0585><412-0625><420-3224><412-0687> 37

Docking Solutions:

Home Bundle A: Advanced Port Replicator,D/View Stand,Mouse and Keyboard DHOME <310-2912><310-3766><462-0748><310-4074> 140

Carrying Case (Ships Separately from System):

Pacific Design Action II Backpack XL ACTION 167

Document Management:

Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 ADOBER <430-1048> 15

Dell Media Experience:

Dell Media Experience Deluxe DMXDLX <412-0707> 115

Thanks for any suggestions. We figured it would cost some where in the 2500- 3000 level for a Laptop we would be comfortable with. (Features & benefits)

Any suggestions appreciated.

[nicholtl]

Hey BBB. Wow, a darn good lot of recommendations thus far. So let's cut to the chase. We know what you're willing to spend. $2-3 G's. We know you're well versed in computers, scanners, printers, and the like. What we now need to know is, just how far you're willing to go in upgrading your computer experience.

And what I mean by this is, are you sincerely willing to make the jump to a completely different platform; a Macintosh? Which requires a learning curve that, while not immense, exists nonetheless. OR, do you prefer to stick to the tried and true world of PeeCee's, which also happen to be 97% of the market share?

Keep in mind that this 97% figure is a double-edged sword. It means almost any cereal box or Maxim magazine free CD will work, and your files are always interchangeable with anyone elses'. All PC files work on other PC's AND Macs, but not all Mac files work on PC's. But it also means viruses, which are as common for PC's as a crying baby in a movie theater. On the other hand, for Macs, it's like "virus? What's that?" On Macs, you'll never experience the notorious "blue screen of death." Never will you have unexpected memory dumps or sudden crashes. Nothing but smooth sailling all the way.

Anyhow, if it's a PC you prefer, then the rest of the fellows here I'm sure can guide you down the path to righteousness and grassy fields with sun on your face, better than General Maximus and his army of gladiators. However, if it's a Macintosh you're leaning towards, then hear my words loud and clear as they resonate within the great halls of Zeus.

With eMacs, while nice machines, they are a little too simple and underpowered for an intermediate-to-advanced user as yourself. Featuring weak a$$ graphics cards, ultra limited expandability, heavily compromised performance, but a neat little all-in-one package, they are designed for first-time users and students K-12.

With iMacs, we're now talking a little more sense. These are primary targeted towards college students and non-graphic media professionals. They are relatively powerful (now featuring G5 chips), have a stunning aesthetic styling, feature a gorgeous 17-inch or 20-inch LCD screen along with the computer, but still maintain limited expandibility and performance options. iMacs are, undoubtedly, extremely appealing when looking at a price/performance ratio. Oh, did I mention how sexy they were?

And then the PowerMacs, which are Apple's top-shelf, flagship, high-end contenders. Think of the 59TXi, 5805, RX-Z9, Khorn, RF7, Focal Grand Utopia, Wilson Audio Alexandria X2, Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG with dual chrome tipped exhausts, gunmetal Brabus rims, 5% limo tint, whatever.

These are serious data-crunching brutes, and if it means anything, the world's 3rd or 5th (I forget exactly) fastest supercomputer (located at Virgina Tech) is made up entirely of G5's. This computer is also EXPONENTIALLY cheaper than it's rivals, which goes to show just how much performance Apple squeezed into an ultra attractive brushed aluminum tower that is whisper quiet and doesn't cost a million dollars.

With these machines, you have the option of running dual G5 processors on a 64-bit platform, can expand memory up to 8 GIGABYTES, have near-unlimited HD expansion capability, features a 1Ghz bus for EACH processor (and a 1Ghz bus is faster than any current offering on the PC side of things), and you can also top out a G5 with the fastest 256MB Nvidia or Radeon graphics cards availble on the market. What does this all mean, you ask? Well, whether you're a world-class gamer, a DNA research scientist, software tester for AVID, math professor at MIT, a nobel-prize lauriat, sound editor at Lucasfilm, or a combination of all of the above, a G5 will have you covered for years to come. Oh yes, they are built like tanks. Think of a Hummer, and then add a layer of kevlar.

In other words, while a dual 1.8Ghz or dual 2Ghz G5 will be able to keep up with any top-shelf PC, the dual 2.5Ghz G5 will shred almost any of them to dust without breaking a sweat.

So I hope this helps somewhat. I haven't begun to touch Apple's laptops, not only because it's past midnight here and I'm tired, but because I get the sense that's not really your style. But I could be wrong. And if I am, I'd be glad to shed some light and sprinkle some fairy dust on the iBooks and Powerbooks. Just gimme the word, chief.

[pinipig523]

2-3gs?? WOW!

Either:

Build yourself one.

or..

Go buy a good pc from alienware.com or falcon-nw.com or voodoopc.com.

I can build you a killer setup with that kind of money.

Lets see:

AMD64 3500+ = $350

2x WD Raptor 72GB 10,000RPM HDD = $400

Asus or Abit motherboard = $150

2GB DDR500 Ram Geil Ultra (4x512) = $580

All Aluminum Lian Li PC Case = $150

Nvidia BFG 6800 Ultra OC = $500

Dual Liteon 16x DVD+/-RW = $200

Thermaltake Purepower 600w = $70

Audigy 2ZS soundcard = $100

Total:

$2500 shipped!

Plus with the $500 leftover... you can get a 19" BENQ LCD with fast 25ms response time!!

All from Newegg.com!

BAH.... this will rape anything.

As always, I prefer PC over MAC. It's your preference though.

[artto]

You might want to take a look at the manufacturer's "refurbished" machines. They are basically new, returned merchandise. Reputable manufacturers like DELL or HP check the returned machines out (as opposed to just reboxing them and sending them out). Selection of models and features can be limited but you can save a few bucks and still get full warranty and support services.

[synthfreek]

I wouldn't even blink an eye at the "learning curve" that occurs when you switch to a Mac. About the only thing I really needed to drill into my head was the fact that you close windows in the top-left corner instead of the top-right. You will take to the Mac's OS very quickly because it's setup the way it should've been all along. I splurged on a dual 2ghz with 2gb ram G5 last year and have had no reason whatsoever to even call phone support and I'm using esoteric peripherals such as a $1300 audio card multiple USB-Midi interfaces. You plug the crap in and it works...period. I use this in my recording studio where looking at "blue screens of death" was simply not an option anymore. Oh yeah, I'm typing this on my G4 Powerbook. Macs just rule...unless you're a gamer.