Computer Shopping!!!!
 

We got our taxes!


We got our taxes!


We got our taxes!



Ok, enough of that... Anyone out there savvy when it comes to finding the best deal for a computer online? What places do you find em at, etc.

What I ideally want is 40gig hard drive, Intel Pentium 3 or 4, 512 ram (but will settle for 256), and warrenty of 2 years or more.

Moniter included is a perk, because either way, we'll need to buy one.

So, show me what you can find, or point me to the right places. So far, we're specing them out through Gateway at around 780, and Dell around 900 (The difference is mostly the warrenty- dell was a 4 year, on site, full coverage for ANYTHING short of throwing it out a window, or beating on it with a hammer, while Gateway was only a partial 2 year warrenty, where we take it in, or ship it out).

So, that's what I'm looking to buy. :)

Oh, also- I am dead set against eMachine. Even with Gateway taking them over, I've heard they're not actually changing how they are put together, and I need something more than just an internet machine.

<----throws her fingers up in the sign of the cross and points them at you while screaming, "Run! Run! Run! Stay the hell away from Gateway!"


I feel better now. :)

Check out HP, too--they seem to have some good deals. All I've heard about Dell, though, has been positive. My bosses have written the ABA's technology column for the ABA Journal for years, and that's all they'll buy now.

Good lord, I just found one that made me about shit myself. I've never heard of the company, though, and am finding like NOTHING online about the company- good or bad.

http://staples.com/Catalog/Browse/s...red+Desktop+PCs

IAK- the one I have now is an HP Pavillion, which has served me faithfully for 4 years now, and I like it.

The one above has:

512 ram
120 gig hard drive (What do you DO with that kind of space?!?!?!)
Pentium 4
17" moniter included
1 year limited warrenty
Optical mouse
Multimedia keyboard


For $799

All those stats, and I can't even begin to think how expensive it should be, so now I wonder about the company.

-mutters- They misspelled the name in the header, so I was looking for Nortgate, not NortHgate. Will go look now. -smiles sheepishly- baaaaa

I know that at work we have moved totally away from Gateway machines (very poor reliability) and over to Dell. We buy two grades of machines from them. The basic "home" style box that is usually on sale from Dell and then some engineering higher end workstations. In both cases the machines have proven (over the past 4 years) to be very reliable and we have had no issues with warranty work when needed.

The one observation is that the engineering grade machines, even though are the same clock speen and processor, do seem to have an edge in the performance department. This is not a subjective observation, we have run exactly the same simulations on each of the boxes and the more expensive one always wins. I think that it has something to do with the grade of the motherboard chipset and peripherals.

Had I known that originally I might have gotten one of the better ones for home.

In any case, the Dell machines are a good bet in my book.

I will also add that I have an HP Pavillion 763n here at home (2.4GHz P4) and it is an OK box for home. Sometimes it seems to get a little bogged down more than I would like (my P3 900MHz Dell at work does not).

Oh... and I would stay away from Compaq machines as well... they are now HP but the stuff that they have for the consumer line is crap.

That one that you found sounds fantastic... I've never heard of the company either, so research is probably a good idea. As for Dell. That's what I have at home, and all of my college is equipped with Dells. I've never had a problem with them, they run well. And about the 120 gig HD... sure you wonder now what you'll do with the space. I said the same about 1 gig harddrives when those came out... now my 12 gig hd is full! :)

Hubby's work all uses Dell, as well, and that's really what we'll very likely get for his laptop. My own, well, mine never takes nearly as much abuse, and in the 4 years we've had this one, we've never had to replace anything, or use the 3 year warrenty we bought.

As for hard drives, I have a 20gig, and have only used 12 gig's of it. As a side note, I remember 5 year ago when we upgraded our computer to a HUGE 2 gig hard drive, and thinking, what are we gonna do with it? Yeah, 4 months later, we were more like, when can we get more?

The cheapest way to buy a new computer is self build one
It is often half the price but you need to know what you are doing
Luckily my mate and brother are expert at it you don't get a warranty
But if you go to a good supplier the parts are guaranteed

What axe31 said --------^ ;)



I'll be back later to share one prospective.:) (have to run and play right now :D )

Alienware

Go there for all your computer needs. You won't need a new computer for a long long time if you get one from them.

Gilly,

Take your time.

First, decide what type of system you want. A standard desktop will be least expensive, but not as maneuverable as a laptop. Will a 17” monitor be big enough for you? The important thing is to compare features between like machines. Do you need a printer? Are there any particular software packages you want to use that are only available for a particular OS? If so, shy away from the others. If you plan to make this a gaming machine, go for speed – but it will cost you.

If you subscribe to Consumer Reports, they published a very competent assessment on Home Computers 2 months ago. It would cost you $5 to access their research. They were favorably impressed with some name brands

http://www.consumerreports.org/main...p?bhfv=7&bhqs=1

You can compare different systems easily if you will be running a Wintel box (MS Windows on Intel hardware). Ensure that the systems being compared have the same “sized” components, be they Monitor size, CPU clock rates or amounts of RAM or disk. How much is a printer (if you need one). When comparing like amounts of RAM, see if the acronym DDR is associated with it. DDR is fast RAM.

Check out Apple machines. The OS is rock solid, and has a VERY well thought out UI.

http://www.macmall.com/
http://www.macwharehouse.com/

If you or hubby is technically inclined, think about rolling you own as axe31 and PantyFanatic suggest; you could roll a fine Linux desktop machine for very little money.

Ask the sales staff how much shipping will cost. On occasion, they will waive the shipping. Are there any specials on productivity software (Word processor, spreadsheet, etc.).

I think that if you take your time and compare features, you’ll find that Apple and Dell (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/def...s=19&l=en&s=dhs ) deliver very good value for money. Your situation may lead you to a different brand, but even then, they are useful reference points.

Finally, if you do not already have broadband access (if you are still using dial-up), think hard about getting it. Pages that take forever to load at 33K or 56K, do so in the blink of an eye if you are connected using a DSL or Cable modem.

Excuse me....we have 2 Compaq's....and after owning quite a few different machines over the years have to state that the Compaqs have been excellent....they have neither of them given us any trouble

I personally wouldn't own anything other than Compaq

I should have prefaced my statement with "It has been my experience that...."

Before I bought my HP I tried two different Compaq machines (they were ~100 bucks less than the HP I ended up with) and both of them went back to the store for exchange within 2 days. I was just not happy with them. I really did not like what I saw in the internals or how the machines seemed to just lock up for these little bursts of time. It could have a lot to do with the software that was on them... in any case it definetly crossed them off my list of future candidates for when this PC needs an upgrade.

As for the build your own PC option... yeah that works fine if you have the patience to do it :) I seem to flop between a pre-built and the roll-your-own at each major upgrade. My secondary PC here is a roll-your-own and it has been rock solid.