So I'm buying a new computer

[Non-human Resources]

But I have no idea what to get.

What I have right now I inherited from my dad back in 99. It's a compaq presario 2200, windows 95, 14 megs of ram (yes you read that right). So I know that just about anything will be a step up.

What I do with the thing: I surf the internet, check email, download stuff (including video), write papers and play solitare. Dial up internet access. The occasional chatroom.

Budget: maybe a thousand dollars. Actually, it's going on my credit card so up to $20,000. But I'd prefer to keep it in the thousand dollar range.

So does anyone have any advice/thoughts/rants/raves for me. I would like to get something that does what I need to do very well and not pay for things I don't need.

Two other things: 1) I hate windows XP so I would like to find a way around that. Previous editions are fine. 2) While I don't play video games, I wouldn't mind getting a D&D themed one. What would work for the restrictions above? Is it even possible?

 

[AGGEMAM]

Any cheapo computer should fulfill your needs. Btw, you can set XP to look excately like earlier versions.

 

[guedo79]

I've gone through this a few times for myself, work and a few friends. Unless you want an ubercomputer for 3d games(I see you don't) then you don't have to put in too much money.

Nine times out of ten I end up with a Dell machine to get the best bang for your buck. They have deals all the time that change on wednesdays and have a good warrenty program.

The only problem I see is that most of the time you get a choice between windows xp and xp pro. I personally use windows 2000 but I find xp isn't horrible if you tweak it correctly and fix some of the things microsoft does.

My second choice would be to find a computer fair in your area and work out a deal with a local vender. They are always hungry for a sale and depending on the place will give you a good price.

 

[guedo79]

Any cheapo computer should fulfill your needs.

This would work but the only problem is the source. If you get it from a friend, you are most likely getting there problems with it(like spyware, problem programs, and virus).

If you buy from a company you may pay too much for a pc that is already out of date. Plus you never know where those pcs came from.

It is kind of like buying a used car but with email.

 

[AGGEMAM]

This would work but the only problem is the source. If you get it from a friend, you are most likely getting there problems with it(like spyware, problem programs, and virus).

All are problems that are extremly easily fixed.

But I actually would recommend buying a new cheapo thang. I'm partial to AMD since I find that they are superior to Intel in every aspect. It shouldn't be too hard to find a neat PC running on Athlon, say 512 Mb RAM, at least 120 Gb HDD, and at least G-Force4 graphics for under a $1000 even if you buy it with a good monitor (even LCD at that).

 

[guedo79]

Your right, Aggemam. That if the person with the computer knows someone or can do it themselves. I've talked to a few computer techs that work in those 'fix your computer' shops. They charge almost $70 just to look at your pc before they fix it.

But yeah, you can easly pick up a pc for under $1000 to do the basics.

 

[derelictjay]

I would agree, just go to your local computer store and pick one up one (or order online) you should be able to get a machine $500-700 USD no prob. HPs (which are also Compaqs) are decent machines and for the casual user, which you are (me being a hardcore computer geek and all with a BS in Computer Science), these machines are very good reliable machines that you can find in the price range listed above. Don't worry to much whats in 'em, hard drive space, RAM, and processor from what you say you do with a computer are all going to be more than you need. And whats wrong with Windows XP, its is the best Windows OS yet (of course Linux is better), but your probably gonna get XP home addition. You said you use dial-up internet (through the phone line), if so make sure whether the computer has a phone modem or not (if it does good, if it doesn't your going to have to install/get someone to install it). This is getting kinda long, so I'll wrap up.

P.S. Any new computer you buy should be able to play most of the games out there.

 

[Torm]

A PC Repair Tech here.

If at all possible, buy from a local shop that builds and services them there. You'll get a machine made with non-proprietary parts that are usually higher quality, easier to upgrade, and cheaper to replace due to competition in the generic parts market. You'll get the warranty advantages of being able to call for help and not get put on hold for over an hour, the ability to speak to someone about your problem who has English as their native tongue, and the ability to actually face someone in person and be incredibly menacing or at least very annoying until something gets done about your problem if all else fails. (Not to mention that better phone support will result from the techs there being AWARE that this is true.) Try doing that last one to the tech guy in India. And speaking of India, you'll have the satisfaction of supporting LOCAL workers, and thus, your community and your country.

If you HAVE to buy a national brand PC, I highly recommend Sony, with eMachine a distant second - the latter had some crap machines in the past, but their recent offerings have been pretty respectable. I have seen entirely too many Dells, Gateways, and HPs (post-Compaq-buyout, or maybe I should say, sell out) that had crappy stock parts and/or should have been taken care of under warranty but, hmm, mysteriously aren't to the point where people are willing to bring them to me and PAY to have something done - might have had something to do with the fact that they could never successfully communicate to the Pakistani tech support guy what needed to be done? (People think the phone tech support jobs are being outsourced because of labor prices, and that's certainly true, but I guarantee you they'd be outsourced even at the same pay rates - a language barrier makes it a LOT easier to do what I've heard referred to in the industry as "a**holing the customer", and that saves the company money, too.) Sony doesn't have a lot of jobs in the U.S., either - but at least they never TOOK any away that I'm aware of, as they were never here in the first place. And SOMEHOW, the Japanese guys seem to know how to speak and understand English when you have to call....

Printer-wise, what I recommend depends on how tech-savvy and/or ecology friendly you are. If you're not as tech-savvy, and/or you care about the environment, I recommend HP printers (yeah, I know what I said above, but it somehow doesn't apply to their printers - probably because that's their market hold that keeps them in the black, and they don't want to mess with that too much.) They are easier to set-up and use, and they're the most solid thing around. If you're reasonably savvy, and don't give a crap about the environment, go Lexmark - you can literally usually buy a new Lexmark printer on sale WITH a black and color cartridge for cheaper than the two cartridges would cost by themselves (sometimes barely more than JUST the color cartridge), and you can frequently get faster printing/higher res doing this, BUT, you'll end up doing a lot of printer installs.

 

[Angcuru]

You can find extremely good factory-direct deals at tigerdirect.com. For example, I self-assembled my computer, with parts costing about $1000 all together. Were I to spend that much at Dell, I would get a computer with about a third of the power.

 

[Faerl'Elghinn]

I bought an HP 750n for about $650 (plus a $250 17" flat screen Sony Trinitron monitor, and a $70 EPSON C60). I love it. I have a 1.6 Ghz p4, 512 mb SDRAM, and an 80 GB hard drive. My suggestion is to look for open box buys, or go to a little computer shack and have them throw you together a "Frankenstein". You can get plenty of performance to suit your needs from the cutting-edge computers of 2002, which will save you some big time bucks. Sure, there are much better computers than mine around now, but why would I want them? It will be a long time before I find anything this one can't handle.

As far as Windows, I recommend Windows 98. That has been my favorite version so far, although I now have and am fairly happy with XP.