KING

The time has come to replace the six year old computer with something newer that comes with Microsoft Office since this the current one did not for some odd reason.

I currently have an HP and has served its purpose all throughout but it starting to act a bit slow, hard drive space is almost near full, and max of two programs at a time to run is getting a bit irritating.

The computer will practically be used to surf the web and for college homework assignments such as Excel spreadsheets, Word, Quickbook, etc and whatever other purpose I can find such as uploading images from a digi cam and videos from a video camera.

I would like something in the range of 150-200 GB which is about normal these days. Something with good RAM space. Double layer CD burner and all that good stuff. 17" flat panel screen would also be a nice feature to have. I am staying away from AMD Athlon.

Now, out of all the brands out there, which to go with is the question.

You have from Gateway to Sony to Dell, HP, eMachines, Compaq, among others.

Dell seems good but I would not mind staying with HP.

Price range? 1K to 1.5K.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Churnd

Go with Dell. Package and price wise, they'll beat out HP 9 times out of 10. Plus they usually have free upgrades for a few better options here and there.

KING

Dell? Good call. The more I use Dell in my Accounting class at school, the more I like it..

How about performance. What is good performance nowadays?

What is a must have for a computer?

tulsa_97SR5

I agree on going with Dell. If you don't want to build your own at least. I'd recommend watching their site for a while, their specials change all the time. Example: Coworker wanted a pc on tuesday, Dell was doing free 17" lcd monitor & an extra 256 ram. So for $650 after mail in rebate he gets a pentium 2.8 ghz, 512 ram, 17" LCD. Downsides were only a 40gb HD, but it was SATA. Weds the special changed & no more mail in rebate, it was instant, but no LCD upgrade & no extra ram. If it were me, I'd at least wait for the free lcd upgrade, they seem do offer that pretty regularly.

CynicX

Ever thought about building a system? The system you are looking for wouldnt run you too much....500-700 or so, and it can be alot of fun if you are up to the task.....just a thought....

KING

Build? No way.

I know nothing about computer except how to use them and that is barely.

Other than the site, who else carries Dell?

Amir904

sometimes malls have dell stores...

Churnd

You could check around eBay for slightly used systems. But I wouldn't go that route unless you found a KILLER deal. The warranties and support that come with a new system beat the savings of a used system most of the time.

Performance wise...

• Processor of 2GHz or better.
• 512MB of RAM or better
• Biggest hard drive you can afford but one that runs at 7200 RPM or better. Do not sacrifice speed for space.
• Also, get a SATA hard drive (as opposed to IDE) if it fits within your budget.
• A 128MB graphics card would also be a nice add-on, but is not necessary.

Software wise you sound like you know what you want, and it'll all run lightning quick on what I've listed above. Don't worry about security stuff when you're buying it. All the best stuff is free and you can find out where to get them in the sticky at the top of the computer forum.

You'll get the best deal if you order through Dell directly. You can call or go online.

KING

I went to Dell.com and found these that I liked.

Dimension 8400-
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/prod...=19&l=en&s=dhs

Or I could build this 4700 to an 8400 or better-
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...oc=D47F4&s=dhs

I'm sure it would come out to the same price as the first one.

I'll take a further look at that website tomorrow.

tulsa_97SR5

When i cicked on each of those I saw $1000 plus. for that kind of $ ask for a phone # & one of us will help you build what you really want. If you'd rather spend 600 or mso be patient on the dell website for the free lcd,

DrBeau

I'd be happy to build the computer for you. I'd even do it cheap (aka free), as long as i don't have to pay anything for shipping and whatnot. I'm partial to AMD, and would strongly recommend an AMD processor for a self-built system, although I have no prolems building an Intel system, especially if its a workstation. PM me if your interested. I've built computers for friends and family; it's what i'd do for a job if i could live off of it.

Churnd

That first deal did include the free LCD, a 19 incher at that. As well as a pretty sweet deal on a Hard drive and a nice memory upgrade.

I think if anyone were to build a PC similar to that, the cost of the LCD alone (that's the same quality as the one offered from Dell) would outweigh any other benefits. Plus the OS would have to be bought, as well as any other software. Plus the warranties would be through each individual company that makes the components of whatevers in the PC, instead of just through one. Stuff like that you gotta consider before you make a decision.

Only problem I can see with that first setup is it doesn't have Office like you wanted, but if that's not a problem then that's a pretty sweet setup for the money, IMO.

DrBeau

The discounts can really add up. I must say, we use Dell at work and sometimes you can get a heck of a deal. Also, their tech support is OK, better if your a company of some kind. If you can get a really good deal, go the dell.

turboale

I'll be the black sheep...

I say get a mac, you'll never look back after you get used to things. I promise! And now that the mac minis are out... they have a good little machine for a descent price.

DrBeau

rant

Mac's are fine, but anyone that says Mac's are better than PC's for graphics is living in the past.

/rant

Macs are fine computers. Safari has been great everytime I use it. Just remeber that Macs are not the cheapest piece of equipment.

Edit: And no second mouse button. I mean, come on, what's up with that?

CynicX

I think out of all the ready to run computers, dell is a good choice....It will probably last ya....Dell's customer service is no where near as good as it used too be, 1+ years ago....My father tried ordering a Dell and after fighting with them for a month or so he built his own....They throw in free stuff because they get great discounts on things, considering how much equip. they purchase....They dont use top of the line equipment either, and I dunno if they have changed from this but even there products that were manufactored buy other companies were still cheaper version, ex. in my old Dell Deminsion 8100 I have a Nvidia graphics card that has Dell Written all and after doing research have found it is different.....

But that being said I bought that Dell 3 years ago and have only had a few problems with it.....Power Supply has died, Fan Cooling the processor has died, 1 of the PCI slots is dead. I fixed the power supply and fan myself, no big deal. But there is nothing I can do about the PCI slot, its just a cheap mother board. Since I'm not using 1 slot anyway its not a real big deal. Thats 3 years though, a pretty long time to have a computer running constantly. I only use it as a server, music player, data storage, dvd/cd burning, graphic editing....does a good job....

Oh and the only place to buy a Dell from is Dell.....BUT you can goto www.pricegrabber.com and search for dells on it. Any links will be back too dell.com but it will be discounts you might not be able to find browsing the webpage.....

sherri_girl

I am one of the growing number of people who had customer service and tech help "issues" with Dell. They're computers work great, when they work that is. Mine worked AWESOME...for a whole 2 DAYS.

If you have a problem you're gonna LOOOOVE dealing with them. The salesman who I bought my Dell from said that I could call him and email him at anytime if I EVER had ANY problems would not return any of my calls or emails. Tech help is nearly impossible to understand, and when they couldnt fix my problem, I called customer service to see if I could just get another unit, I was actually told "Its the operating system, not our machine. XP is not fully tested yet and Micrososft forced us to use it so actually it's Bill Gates fault, not ours. You need to complain to him"

On top of that: when i finally got a new computer, it arrived non operational as well, but tech cant help until I send the 1st computer back, so I send it back. Then idecide ok, i dont want any computer i wanna send both back. So i tell them im sending the 2nd one back as well and I just want a refund. So they send me a Airborn Express label which says GROUND on it. I am told I cant use it, so I request and AIR bill, so they send me another label that says "GROUND" on it. I request one more AIR bill and then they send me one more that says GROUND on it. I am in Hawaii, the computer needs to go back to Texas. In the meantime they call you and harass you and threaten to charge you for another computer cause you havent returned it, which is their fault. Not to mention one call at 4:30 AM which they claim was a mistake because their computers are supposed to block out numbers in time zones that have not reached business hours yet. Finally i get a a customer service rep who has half a brain and she schedules Airborn to come to my work place and pick up the computer rather than send me another label.

This is just a small sample of what Ihave experienced with Dell. And I am not alone, when I called Airborne to ask if I could use the ground label pretty please, she was like "let me guess, Dell Computer right?"

My friend Mike is an DIEHARD Dell fan but he wasnt THE LEAST BIT surprised when I told him this tale. He loves his Dell, untill he has to call tech or talk to anyone in customer service.

User 051420

Ditto.

KING

So other than Dell what other computer do you recommend?

Is there any company that you've had good experience with? I'm sure problems like you mentioned occur with every and any company, regardless.

I've had my current computer, an HP, for six years and I had one problem. The Hard Drive burned out about a year into the computer and with the two hundred later, I had a new HD in. Other than that, no other problems. Believe it or not, this old thing has not frozen in like two years. Honestly, I can't remember the last time it froze.

My sound card did go out over three years but not completely. Whenever I am playing music, every now and then, you hear the speakers just "crash" which is an indicator of a bad sound card. I have lived with it though since I only use the computer for web surfing and because for the last two years I had been thinking of getting a new one.

Despite your story, I am still going with Dell.

MAC? Thanks but no thanks.

KING

I also forgot to note a few things.

Chris, you said it does not come with Microsoft Office? That is a concern because that is partially why I want to get a new computer. I need those programs for school. It is a must.

Also, from what I can tell and read, the computer package does not seem to come with speakers or does it?