Buying a new computer

[MCM]

I fear that the life of my beloved Sony Vaio is nearing it's end.. I would like to get a new one before it completely dies so that I can get the new one set up and transfer everything without professional help. I'm thinking that I may get another Vaio as this one has been such a good computer; I've had little problems with this one and it's past it's 5 year mark.

 

Any suggestions? What kind? How much memory? What should I look for? What should I avoid?

 

Any comments, suggestions, assistance is appreciated.

[Alex]

Whats your budget and such? If you don't want anything too too new and expensive, Dell Windows XP for the win.

[Sonatine]

Avoid Vista at all costs.

 

XP is a cheaper choice but may go unsupported by software/hardware companies as they gear up for the more versatile Windows 7 (an updated version of Vista but without the bloatware & hamfisted functionality)

 

Are you after a PC, laptop or netbook?

 

Are you going to use it for games and/or multiple applications (in which case memory, graphics cards, cpu & storage are prime considerations); or are just going to use it to surf the web, IM and type the odd Word document? (in which case go budget)

[Alex]

QUOTE (Sonatine @ Jan 30 2010, 02:04 PM)

Avoid Vista at all costs. XP is a cheaper choice but may go unsupported by software/hardware companies as they gear up for the more versatile Windows 7 (an updated version of Vista but without the bloatware & hamfisted functionality) Are you after a PC, laptop or netbook? Are you going to use it for games and/or multiple applications (in which case memory, graphics cards, cpu & storage are prime considerations); or are just going to use it to surf the web, IM and type the odd Word document? (in which case go budget)

All valid questions

[SiriusRushFan]

I always custom build my own computers myself but it depends on what type of rig you want. Gaming, surfing, video editing, etc.?

[ReflectedLight]

if you have the money, apple.

[MCM]

I don't want to go with a Mac; I want a laptop; my computer use is for surfing the net; I keep mine and my moms finances in Microsoft Money; I use it of course for my music (storge/download/listening/iPod). I do like to have Word on it as I do write once in awhile; and you never want to be without a fresh copy of your resume. No game playing though. I do have a lot of pictures stored on this one.

 

I think I'm most concerned with getting one that will hold up and have lots of room for the photos; music etc.. everytime I do something new with this one it gets slower and slower. After adding itunes and moving all of my music from windows media to itunes it has become glacial.

 

What I dont want is to buy a one and have it full of junk that I don't want or dont need.. how can this be avoided?

 

I'm really not very computer savvy. My brain just turns off when someone starts talking about operating systems, memory, all of that stuff; but I really want to put some time into this purchase and get it right.

 

[ReflectedLight]

what can i say. i've had pc compatibles, dell, hp, etc. and a toshiba laptop. all of them have had their share of problems and are full of headaches. apple's have been virtually problem free for me and much less of a headache than any other computer i've owned.

check out consumer reports on laptops and see what they say. i believe toshiba was rated pretty high for non apples.

 

[ridertoo98]

Did you get one? I got Alienware51 a few months ago. Its a

monster but puts out the heat. Had a Dell 8250 that I upgraded till it would go no more,couldnt play any newer games. Took the plundge and got the Alienware. Wont need a new one for some time.

[bigalfan]

If you're going PC, check out ASUS. They've been making motherboards for years and now make solid PCs at very reasonable prices. I, personally, have also had really good luck with HP/COMPAQ.

[Some Half-Forgotten Stranger]

QUOTE (SiriusRushFan @ Jan 30 2010, 04:30 PM)

I always custom build my own computers myself but it depends on what type of rig you want. Gaming, surfing, video editing, etc.?

Me too....I get EXACTLY what I want.

[Cowtothesky]

QUOTE (MCM @ Jan 31 2010, 08:28 AM)

I don't want to go with a Mac; I want a laptop; my computer use is for surfing the net; I keep mine and my moms finances in Microsoft Money; I use it of course for my music (storge/download/listening/iPod). I do like to have Word on it as I do write once in awhile; and you never want to be without a fresh copy of your resume. No game playing though. I do have a lot of pictures stored on this one. I think I'm most concerned with getting one that will hold up and have lots of room for the photos; music etc.. everytime I do something new with this one it gets slower and slower. After adding itunes and moving all of my music from windows media to itunes it has become glacial. What I dont want is to buy a one and have it full of junk that I don't want or dont need.. how can this be avoided? I'm really not very computer savvy. My brain just turns off when someone starts talking about operating systems, memory, all of that stuff; but I really want to put some time into this purchase and get it right.

You can run windows on a mac.

 

You can get a brand new macbook for under $1,000. Not sure what your budget is. The best thing about a mac is that you don't have to worry about viruses. The only way you can get a virus is if you load up windows using a program to do this. Windows is what is affected, not the Mac OS.

 

So - no registery probs. No malware or stuff that bogs up your machine. No anti-virus or firewall applications to worry about. It is light years ahead of PC's imo.

 

[ReflectedLight]

macbook pro if you have the loot.

[quickfree]

Whatever model you choose, don't get a Dell. At least one major problem happens every year with the machines I've used from them. From power supply to hard drive failures.

 

And HP doesn't make great machines anymore either.

I bought an HP DV6000 in September 2007 and it died in October of the next year. Back and forth with HP customer service blaming various issues and then I searched online there is a problem with the graphics card manufactured by Nvidia that causes it over heat and its installed in many types of laptops. There even was a class action lawsuit on this issue.

 

Bottom line, laptops and PCs in general aren't what they're used to be anymore.

[phil4321]

Personally i don't think the fact that macs don't get viruses should be a selling point for anyone. The only reason they don't get viruses is because they have control of such a fractional market share compared to windows based operating systems.

 

With a mac you'll pay more for less computing power.

 

I've never had a bad experience with windows based os and I also never run an anti virus program or anything more robust than windows firewall. sure you'll eventually get a trojan or something but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It forces you to wipe your hard drive and do a fresh install of windows (which is easier than ever with windows 7). Buy yourself a second hard drive to save your files to and format. suddenly viruses seem to be less of a problem.

 

 

mac owners need to get off their high horse, 90% market share cant be wrong.

 

Also do the research and build your own computer, they go together like Lego nowadays. You'll get more computer for the price and it will be less weighed down by proprietary software. There's literally thousands of guides online to help you choose hardware and build the rig.

 

newegg has just about the best prices ive seen. ive ordered from them several times and the shipping is always fast. never had a problem

 

If you decide to go this route read reviews on everything you buy, you can come back here and ask me also, Ive literally done over a hundred custom pcs. Also their are tons of forums dedicated to this stuff - http://www.devhardware.com/forums/ is a great place if you need help with anything.

 

i guess if you decide to go with another laptop tho you will have to buy from a company, listen to these guys and stay away from dell and hp lol

 

Phil

Edited June 26, 2010 by phil4321

[invisibleairwaves]

QUOTE (Cowtothesky @ Jun 24 2010, 06:46 PM)

QUOTE (MCM @ Jan 31 2010, 08:28 AM) I don't want to go with a Mac; I want a laptop; my computer use is for surfing the net; I keep mine and my moms finances in Microsoft Money; I use it of course for my music (storge/download/listening/iPod).  I do like to have Word on it as I do write once in awhile; and you never want to be without a fresh copy of your resume.  No game playing though.  I do have a lot of pictures stored on this one.  I think I'm most concerned with getting one that will hold up and have lots of room for the photos; music etc..  everytime I do something new with this one it gets slower and slower.  After adding itunes and moving all of my music from windows media to itunes it has become glacial.  What I dont want is to buy a one and have it full of junk that I don't want or dont need.. how can this be avoided?  I'm really not very computer savvy.  My brain just turns off when someone starts talking about operating systems, memory, all of that stuff; but I really want to put some time into this purchase and get it right. You can run windows on a mac.   You can get a brand new macbook for under $1,000. Not sure what your budget is. The best thing about a mac is that you don't have to worry about viruses. The only way you can get a virus is if you load up windows using a program to do this. Windows is what is affected, not the Mac OS.   So - no registery probs. No malware or stuff that bogs up your machine. No anti-virus or firewall applications to worry about. It is light years ahead of PC's imo. There's plenty of viruses out there that affect Macs, even Macs without any Microsoft software. Running any Internet-connected computer without an antivirus or firewall is foolish, whether it's a Mac or a PC.   There's less of a risk for Macs, sure, but that's undoubtedly going to change as Apple gains more market share (and, subsequently, more attention from creators of viruses).   QUOTE What I dont want is to buy a one and have it full of junk that I don't want or dont need.. how can this be avoided?   Best way to avoid this is to either build your own, or buy a computer and another copy of the OS, then wipe the hard drive and install the OS. Unfortunately, pretty much all the manufacturers stuff their products full of unwanted crap.     I'd recommend looking at Sony or HP/Compaq (or, yes, Macs) if you want slightly better build quality, or Acer and ASUS if price is the main concern. I'd avoid Dell for laptops. Pretty much anything should be powerful enough to run what you say you want, so specifications aren't a huge deal here, except for storage space. Look for 250GB or more.