Buying a new computer..., ...what do you recommend? Options

[mechwarrior1989]

People going around saying eMachines are crap are retarded and should burn in hell. Well not really, but they need to get their facts straight. The only reason people go around bashing eMachines is because they are budget PC's, many people still have their eMachines from many years ago and they work fine. Buying an eMachine is like getting a ATI Radeon 9800pro, it's no longer top of the line, but it's enough to do what you need it to do, in some cases, more than enough. There are some very good eMachines out there and they were recently, months ago rather, acquired by Gateway. Making them the 3rd largest PC maker in the US, I think. So for the best bang for your buck, get an eMachine.

However, there are many other brands out there. Some people say Dell, some say HP (compaq is part of HP), some will tell you to build, and some will say ebay. With so many options ot choose from, what should you choose?

First we must look at your needs, do you need:
High-end for major gaming and video processing.
Middle of the road, for gaming, and other tasks.
Low end for word documents and that type of stuff.

Of course not everyone will fit directly into these three catagories, especially since it isn't worded well, but you must first determain what you need:

Will an off the shelf system configuration be good enough for you, or will you need/want to choose your own parts?

Places like Dell and HP/Compaq are good for if you want to choose your own parts. They will often give you good deals on computers. Not as good as a lot of people get, but for the average consumer, they would seem good.

Someone said that you should get a Dell for gaming and school projects while surfing the net you should get an HP instead. That is the most retarded statement I have ever heard, no offense. You can use a computer that's like 7 years old and still surf the net, that's degrading to HP. Plus you can't just say get a Dell and you'll have a great gaming experiance. No, get a Dell XPS Gen3, and you'll have a great gaming experiance. Most Dells and HP's will be comparable in their performance.

Someone also mentioned how it would seem you get more bang for the buck with a PC rather than an iMac or w/e. Completely not true, it all depends on what you are trying to do, Plus, you cannont merely look at the specs and let them explain all, take for example the AMD Athlon XP 2800+ w/ 2.133 ghz core speed, compare that to a 2.4ghz P4, which is faster? The uneducated consumer will look at the P4 and say, of course it's faster the AMD is so slow. This is completely untrue, it's like looking at the AMD 64-53 processor and saying it's a jillion times slower than a P4 at 3.0ghz just because the AMd 64-53 processor only runs at like 2.5 ghz or something, I'm not quite sure since I forgot. But like these processor's, the numbers don't tell all, Apple's have a much more efficient way of processing data, because of that even a much slower clocked Mac will perform comparably to higher clocked PC, am I condemning PC's? No of course not.

Next subject, Gaming:
If you want to game on your comp, Mac is instantly out, games on macs cost more and they have less games for it period. Don't get a mac if you want to game. Secondly, determain what kind of gamer you are, Hardcore or casual. The Hardcore gamer is looking for maximum framerates and maximum resolution with max settings. They want the get the MAX out of their gaming experiance. This is who the highend PC's are talored to. This sort of gamer could easily plop down 3-5 grand for the lastest and greatest, AMD 64-53, 2gb DDR2 400 RAM, PCIe GeForce 6800 ultra, twin WD 10k RPM raptors in RAID 0, etc. These guys want their computers FAST and will take nothing else. Of course by buying all the latest tech, you just end up wasting money so it isn't exactly the smartest idea.

However, for the casual gamer, you don't need super high framerates, or UBER graphics to get the most out of your gaming experiance. All you need is for the game to run smoothly and look pretty nice and for the comp to last you a while. I won't get in depth with this but I'd suggest: P4 3.2ghz, 1gb Ram, at least 120gb harddrive, ATI Radeon 9600 equivilant or higher.

Marketing Gimics:

Do not fall for marketing traps such as, "Free CD-Burner UPGRADE!!!", "Free upgrade to 80gb harddrive!!", "Free UPGRADE to 256mbs Ram!!"

Unless it's already a good deal and these just add to the deal then don't get it. Don't think, oh this company might not have a better offer than now so I should buy now. No that's the dumbest thing any consumer can do. Plus many of these things come cheap anyways. CD-Burners can often be found for little or no money. Even DVD burners are dropping in price. Many can be found for less than $40 on special sales, well actually cheaper, but I won't get into that. Harddrives are so cheap now that it's crazy. I'm currently sitting on about 700gbs of harddrive space on my network. Free Ram upgrades are probably the best offers since Ram is relativly expensive compared to other easily upgradeable things in the comp, and Free CPU upgrades are always a plus.


A Look at the Brands out there:
Dell: Pros: Good customer support and solid systems. Good prices for many of their systems.
Cons: Customer support is mostly in India is if you can't understand them or they can't understand you, then there's a problem.

HP: Pros: Large company that makes lots of stuff, also owns Compaq, also good Customer Support.
Cons: Slightly higher price than Dell in some cases, not known to be as good Dell for realiability and such.

eMachines: Pros: Budget priced systems with sometimes high end parts. You'll get the most bang for you buck here, well in the big chain stores anyways.
Cons: Not known to be realible and supposedly bad Customer Support. Though they are better now.

Sony: Pros: Nice looking systems, with nice specs.
Cons: Expensive, bad customer support.

Medion: Pros: Low price with good componants.
Cons: Unknown to me, though it will most likely have cons.

Toshiba: Pros: Makes the 2nd best laptops out there, good products at pretty good prices.
Cons: Customer support? I'm not quite sure about Toshiba's cons.

IBM: Pros: Most reliable desktops and laptops out there, drop and IBM and it'll keep on chugging. Very good Customer Support.
Cons: With reliable laptops and good Customer Support, you can expect a heafty price tag.


You can't really ask people what kind of computer you should get since there are all sorts of different opinions. My suggestion though would be to go with one of the bigger companies and get something that you like and that fits. Don't get suckered into paying for something that you don't need. If you have no need for wireless networking, don't get that option for your laptop, if you don't need something portable, don't get an ultralight laptop. That's about it for now.

[satisfied-tom]

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP....esktopComputers

R Series

* Up to Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 560 with HT Technology (3.60 GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB)1
* Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 20042
* Advanced Cooling and Acoustic Technology
* Up to 2GB RAM3 and 160GB hard drive4 and ATI RADEON X600 XT

Starting at $ 1,598.99

OR

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP....esktopComputers

RS Series

* Up to Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology 3.20E GHz
* Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional available
* Watch & record TV with Giga Pocket
* Up to 1GB RAM and 250GB hard drive

Starting at $ 699.99

[capsule]

Someone also mentioned how it would seem you get more bang for the buck with a PC rather than an iMac or w/e. Completely not true, it all depends on what you are trying to do, Plus, you cannont merely look at the specs and let them explain all, take for example the AMD Athlon XP 2800+ w/ 2.133 ghz core speed, compare that to a 2.4ghz P4, which is faster? The uneducated consumer will look at the P4 and say, of course it's faster the AMD is so slow. This is completely untrue, it's like looking at the AMD 64-53 processor and saying it's a jillion times slower than a P4 at 3.0ghz just because the AMd 64-53 processor only runs at like 2.5 ghz or something, I'm not quite sure since I forgot. But like these processor's, the numbers don't tell all, Apple's have a much more efficient way of processing data, because of that even a much slower clocked Mac will perform comparably to higher clocked PC, am I condemning PC's? No of course not.

um, yea..that was me. you're sayin that specs shouldn't explain all, but the only back-up you have against that is the processor. what about hard drive? ram? i know a P4 3.0 isn't on par with an AMD64-53 or a G5, but even if the processor was better by at least 1.0 ghz, the better deal would still be the value XP > eMac because the Value XP would still beat the eMac @ RAM (512 DDR400 > 256 DDR330), hard drive space (80 GB Ultra ATA > 40 Ultra ATA; both are 7200 RPM), and a bigger monitor. and also, both computers were sold at the same price by the model makers themselves. so yea, i wasn't wrong: you do get more out of your money if u stick with a PC. and oh yea, dont go sayin i wouldnt know cause i bought macs + pcs, and pcs are the better deal. "am i condemining Mac's? No of course not."

Next subject, Gaming:
If you want to game on your comp, Mac is instantly out, games on macs cost more and they have less games for it period. Don't get a mac if you want to game. Secondly, determain what kind of gamer you are, Hardcore or casual. The Hardcore gamer is looking for maximum framerates and maximum resolution with max settings. They want the get the MAX out of their gaming experiance. This is who the highend PC's are talored to. This sort of gamer could easily plop down 3-5 grand for the lastest and greatest, AMD 64-53, 2gb DDR2 400 RAM, PCIe GeForce 6800 ultra, twin WD 10k RPM raptors in RAID 0, etc. These guys want their computers FAST and will take nothing else. Of course by buying all the latest tech, you just end up wasting money so it isn't exactly the smartest idea.

However, for the casual gamer, you don't need super high framerates, or UBER graphics to get the most out of your gaming experiance. All you need is for the game to run smoothly and look pretty nice and for the comp to last you a while. I won't get in depth with this but I'd suggest: P4 3.2ghz, 1gb Ram, at least 120gb harddrive, ATI Radeon 9600 equivilant or higher.

wow..i prop you for sayin all that, but its too bad she didnt even mention wanting a gaming pc.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP....esktopComputers

R Series

* Up to Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 560 with HT Technology (3.60 GHz, 1MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB)1
* Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 20042
* Advanced Cooling and Acoustic Technology
* Up to 2GB RAM3 and 160GB hard drive4 and ATI RADEON X600 XT

Starting at $ 1,598.99

maybe u didnt read her price limit at $1000?

[mechwarrior1989]

um, yea..that was me.  you're sayin that specs shouldn't explain all, but the only back-up you have against that is the processor.  what about hard drive? ram?  i know a P4 3.0 isn't on par with an AMD64-53 or a G5, but even if the processor was better by at least 1.0 ghz, the better deal would still be the value XP > eMac because the Value XP would still beat the eMac @ RAM (512 DDR400 > 256 DDR330), hard drive space (80 GB Ultra ATA > 40 Ultra ATA; both are 7200 RPM), and a bigger monitor.  and also, both computers were sold at the same price by the model makers themselves.   so yea, i wasn't wrong: you do get more out of your money if u stick with a PC.  and oh yea, dont go sayin i wouldnt know cause i bought macs + pcs, and pcs are the better deal.  "am i condemining Mac's? No of course not."

Yes, but of course I said it depends on what you are trying to do, for a mac, 256 megs of ram can be sufficient, do you realize how much ram windows by itself sucks up? Also, as I have mentioned before, harddrives are dirt cheap, spend $50 and pick up a nice seagate 160gb harddrive. Bigger monitor also means more deskspace taken up, plus eMAcs are all in one, I believe your system is not, some people need their deskspace for things other than their computer, hence people buying LCD's, though that isn't the only reason of course.

Also if you sit on your hands and wait long enough, you can easily get a laptop for under $1,000. I'll list examples:

Labor Day weekend: Officemax or depot, one of the two, had the Compaq something or another, AMD 2800+, 30gb, 512mb ram, Wireless-G, DVD/CD-RW combo drive for $600 after rebate, not including tax, shipping etc.

I got my Compaq 2199US about 4 months ago for 649.99 AMD 2800+, 40gb, 512mb ram DVD/CD-RW combo drive etc.

Also around the same time: Toshiba Satillite A45-121 I think, Celeron 2.8ghz, 40gb, 256mb Ram, DVD/CD-RW combo drive etc, 499.99 AR/PM.

Dell often has deals on laptops for under $1,000. Their current Inspiron 1000 series is specifically targeted towards budget buyers.

wow..i prop you for sayin all that, but its too bad she didnt even mention wanting a gaming pc.

It's too bad that she isn't the only one who is reading this. If I may quote from the first page:

Thanks! I'm searching for new computers too! You're advice was very helpful.

I might also mention that IBuyPower is one of those specialtiy places like Alienware and Voodoo etc. Jut there are targeted towards people with a budget. You could easily configure the same comp at Dell or HP and have it be cheaper. The only good think about that is that you can choose more or less exactly what you want, but for the average consumer, that isn't necessary.

[capsule]

Yes, but of course I said it depends on what you are trying to do, for a mac, 256 megs of ram can be sufficient, do you realize how much ram windows by itself sucks up? Also, as I have mentioned before, harddrives are dirt cheap, spend $50 and pick up a nice seagate 160gb harddrive. Bigger monitor also means more deskspace taken up, plus eMAcs are all in one, I believe your system is not, some people need their deskspace for things other than their computer, hence people buying LCD's, though that isn't the only reason of course.

2x more RAM for the same price, even with a windows, is the better deal. also...the only reason i picked the eMac as my example is cause its the cheapest machine u can get @ apple.com. if size was a concern, then i wouldn't have used the value xp as an example (even though its really not all that large).

It's too bad that she isn't the only one who is reading this.

even if there was a third or fourth person wanting advice or w/e, i was talking about thesweetscape's needs only anyways.

I might also mention that IBuyPower is one of those specialtiy places like Alienware and Voodoo etc. Jut there are targeted towards people with a budget. You could easily configure the same comp at Dell or HP and have it be cheaper. The only good think about that is that you can choose more or less exactly what you want, but for the average consumer, that isn't necessary.

IBuyPower, Alienware, Voodoo, HP...doesnt matter to me. I just picked one out of many pcs i could have used as an example. If Dell or HP could manage a cheaper PC, wouldn't that be supporting me anyways? i was talking on how PCs were better spent than Macs, not IBuyPower VS Dell or other companies.

[mechwarrior1989]

Well we all know for a fact that PC's have more bang for the buck than Apple since Apple is on the only one making Mac's, however you missed my point, I said that it is not necessarily true that a PC will give you more bang for your buck than a Mac, some people use Macs and as such they are more familiar with them. Time spent learning to use a PC cannot be reclaimed. Also many things will run better on a Mac than on a PC, some people specifically do things that require a Mac. If they can only get a Mac, is there any point in getting a PC because if gives you more bang for the buck? I think not. Plus we're talking about computers and as you said, trying to help thesweetscape find a computer. I merely posted my opinion as did you, by having an argument as to whether or not someone should get a Mac is not only pointless because differing people have different opinions, it is also spamming up the forums, something that is a definate no no.

[mechwarrior1989]

There's currently a pretty good deal on a Dell Inspiron 600m from Dell Home. This is a nice little laptop that is about 4-5lbs, it also comes with a free wireless internet card, and upgrade to 512mb ram, you can also save another like $50 by downgrading the processor to a Celeron-M but I wouldn't recommend it.

Inspiron 600m Pentium® M Processor 715(1.50GHz/400MHz FSB) 14.1-in XGA, 32MB Video B15G3HN [221-5975] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition WHXP [420-2427][313-1828][412-0408][313-2208][412-0689][463-2282] 11
Memory FREE UPGRADE! 512MB,266MHz,2DIMM (from 256MB,266MHz,2DIMM) 512M2PP [462-8900] 3
Hard Drive 30GB Hard Drive 30GB [340-8045] 8
Integrated Modem and NIC Internal 56K Modem and Integrated Network Card 56MPC [313-1659] 14
Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 ADOBER [430-1048] 15
Optical 8X Max DVD Drive 8XDVD [313-1299][430-1050] 16
Wireless Networking Cards FREE Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200 Internal Wireless (802.11 b/g, 54Mbps) IP2200P [463-2139] 19
Bundled Software Productivity Pack including WordPerfect® ICORELM [412-0556][412-0714] 22
Security Software No Security Subscription NS [412-0735] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0691] 26
Primary Battery 6-Cell Lithium Ion Battery (53Whr) 53WHR [310-5188] 27
Limited Warranty, Services and Support 1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-In Service ST111RR [950-9057][950-3337][950-3830][412-0361] 29
Dial-Up Internet Access 6 Months America Online Internet Access Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37
Digital Imaging or Digital Photography Paint Shop™ Pro® Trial plus Photo Album™ Starter Edition DPS [412-0521] 38
Mail-In Rebate Offer SAVE $150 with mail-in rebate! System price shown before rebate. Q3DH150 [463-1899] 56
Personal Finance Software Microsoft® Money 2004 Standard MNY [412-0552] 83
Dell Media Experience Dell Media Experience™ DMX [412-0706] 115
TOTAL: $1,104.15

Then there's a $150 rebate which brings the price to almost $950. A pretty good price, also when you consider free shipping which saves $49 and also it's from Dell Home where many places can get it without tax.

Coupon code for 15% off is required: H4RC$H$5NKWBDW

This code can be applied to any laptop over $999 before rebates.



Not your cup of tea or too expensive? No problem there's also the following, less ram but more processing power, though more of a desktop replacement than mobile travler:

Module Description Product Code Sku Id
Inspiron 1150 Mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.80GHz, 14.1-in XGA IP28GHN [221-4186] 1
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® Home Edition WHXP [420-3885][412-0408][412-0689][463-2282] 11
Memory FREE Upgrade! 384MB Shared DDR SDRAM, 2 Dimms 384MB2P [463-3313] 3
Hard Drive 30GB Hard Drive 30GB [341-0183] 8
Network Card Integrated Network Card INTNIC [430-0810] 13
Modem Internal 56K Modem 56MPC [312-0188] 14
Document Management Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 6.0 ADOBER [430-1048] 15
CD ROM/DVD ROM 8X Max Variable DVD-ROM Drive 8XDVD [341-0176][430-1050] 16
Wireless Networking Cards FREE Dell® Wireless 1350 Internal Wireless (802.11b/g, 54Mbps) TM135IP [462-9585] 19
Productivity Software Productivity Pack including WordPerfect® ICORELM [412-0556][412-0714] 22
Security Software Norton Internet Security® 90-day introductory offer NIS2004 [412-0628] 25
Digital Music Dell Jukebox - easy-to-use music player and CD burning software MMBASE [412-0691] 26
Primary Battery 65 WHr 8-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery 8BATS [310-4702] 27
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options 1 Year Limited Warranty plus 1 Year Mail-In Service ST111RR [950-9057][950-3337][412-0361][950-9220] 29
Dial-Up Internet Access 6 Months of America Online Membership Included AOLDHS [412-0585][412-0625][420-3224][412-0687] 37
Digital Imaging or Digital Photography Paint Shop™ Pro® Trial plus Photo Album™ Starter Edition DPS [412-0521] 38
Personal Finance Software Microsoft® Money 2004 Standard MNY [412-0552] 83
Dell Media Experience Dell™ Media Experience DMX [412-0706] 115

ACCESSORIES

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

Save $100 with mail-in rebate. Price shown before rebate. Qty 1
Unit Price $0.00
TOTAL: $907.80


Price after $100 rebate: $807.80 2 day shipping is free so you may just have to pay tax. Also free wireless b/g card as with the 600m. Coupon code is still required.

[magnificentmike]

del inspiron or w/e..

[heroin_like_high]

I had an emachine and it totally died on me. Piece of crap. As for a good computer, I like the Sony Vaio's. They are kinda pricey, like in the $1000-$1500 range, but really well worth it. Sony, in my opinion, is one of the best brands of electronics there are. Try going to Best Buy or Circuit City, and get a warranty. ALWAYS GET A WARRANTY. I hope that helps out a bit.

[tofumonzter]

guys. this is not a place for trolling and debating.

[magnificentmike]

if your gonna get a sony vaio, might as well get the new hip-e designed for teens, i wanna get that so bad. its around 1,600..i think

[peachsn0wbubble]

i would recommend getting a Dell, Sony VAIO, Toshiba, Apple, or else HP. i know that they're all really good! get the flatscreen ones! haha their so cool..