Computer Help???

[husker rob]

Personally, I prefer to build my own. Once you get out of the $300 throw it away in a year computer range, it is monstrously cheaper to order the parts online and assemble it yourself.

 

First, pick laptop or desktop.

 

The PS3 is independent from the comp. It connects to the internet through the modem(if you want more than 1 thing connected you need a router also) so it is a non-issue.

 

I HATE HATE HATE Dell. They will rape you on upgrade parts from the 'base' one they start you with. And they have some parts that are custom made to fit in their cases so you cant go outside them for aftermarket upgrades(and they charge 2x what you can get things for online)

 

In general I am not a big fan of most premade machines, but other than some of the screwy stuff that Dell pulls, computers are all made from the same basic parts. There are 2 CPU makers, 2 Video card makers, only 1 real sound option. The only places where there is really much difference is in the RAM and the motherboards.

 

If you get one with Vista, get 4 gigs of ram.

 

Get a firewall and anti-virus.

 

Any other questions, I will be happy to answer.

I'd agree with strigori on all points.

 

Having said that, however...

 

Dell has pretty good machines for folks who don't do much in the way of upgrading. They tend to be pretty reliable, they're inexpensive, and they do have pretty good (but by no means "great") support. The one area that tends to tick me off - and related to what strigori mentioned - is the use of propietary parts. In particular, they tend to use motherboards that have some funky connectors for the power supply. What this means is that if your power supply fails, you can't simply go and buy one from anybody - you either have to buy a Dell power supply or you need a special adapter for a "regular" power supply. There's absolutely no reason for that except to keep you tied to buying Dell parts. The other area that is problematic on many Dells is the case - the way it's built, you can't just slap in an off-the-self floppy disk drive (yes, some people still use them) or optical drive (CD/DVD).

 

That's the major issue with non-standard parts that I've encountered. Usually, the specs will show if you have the correct ports and slots to enable you to, say, upgrade your graphics - which is the most common upgrade.

 

If it's a laptop, I'd recommend a Leveno (sic) - what used to be an IBM. Very solid, well constructed machines. The quality seems to have remained high even after the sale from IBM to Leveno.

 

But I'm like strigori - I prefer to build rather than buy. I know exactly what I'm putting in there, I get precisely the configuration I want, I don't have to put up with "bloat-ware" - the list goes on. I use NewEgg.com for all the parts except memory, and I use Crucial.com for that.

 

If you go that route, you can get a reasonably priced motherboard, a good mid-level dual-core processor, the exact size of storage you want, the precise level of graphics, and so on.

 

And, again, I agree with strigori about the ram - get 4 gigs if you are using Vista. Even though the 32-bit version of Vista won't recognize the full 4 gigs, get 4 gigs.

 

EDIT: - fogot to mention; I'm moving this topice to the Computers sub-form.

do you want to build me one AR?

Sure - but are you going to come to pick it up?

no, that is what Fed-ex, DHL, and UPS are for

 

seriously though, email me a parts list/price list and i will let you know.

[Overland Park Husker]

Hey everyone, well I'm close to graduating from college and when I do I will lose my current gateway p.o.s. laptop and I can't wait. I'm looking to either get another laptop or an actual desktop and I'm looking for some suggestions. I don't need one that is geared towards gaming, or video editing, etc. I need your basic good computer that you can use for accessing the internet, word processing, printing, etc. I may use my PS3 and hook it up to the computer, but even then I have a wireless network so the computer really wouldn't come into play here. I need one with good processing speed, okay memory, and that is reliable. I don't want to have to take it in every two months for maintenance like I have this Gateway so I'm looking for some suggestions. Looking at spending between $1,000 to $1,500 so any suggestions would be great. I'm not looking to build one either because I had that done with my last desktop and it's been fried for two years now. Thanks guys and gals.

BRI -

 

All posts on here are very good suggestions. I'd agree to stay away from a Mac unless you want to pay a premium for not only the computer, but also any add-ons/software, as they also tend to be very pricey.

 

For the price range you are looking to spend in, if you are eyeing any type of laptop, I would recommend a Toshiba. They are typically very solid in design. Also, stay away from any "in-store" tech support. They'll rip you off and most times their set-ups are done very poorly (I especially hate Best Buy - it took me almost a whole day to fix any "software" work they did on my friends PC).

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Hey everyone, well I'm close to graduating from college and when I do I will lose my current gateway p.o.s. laptop and I can't wait. I'm looking to either get another laptop or an actual desktop and I'm looking for some suggestions. I don't need one that is geared towards gaming, or video editing, etc. I need your basic good computer that you can use for accessing the internet, word processing, printing, etc. I may use my PS3 and hook it up to the computer, but even then I have a wireless network so the computer really wouldn't come into play here. I need one with good processing speed, okay memory, and that is reliable. I don't want to have to take it in every two months for maintenance like I have this Gateway so I'm looking for some suggestions. Looking at spending between $1,000 to $1,500 so any suggestions would be great. I'm not looking to build one either because I had that done with my last desktop and it's been fried for two years now. Thanks guys and gals.

BRI -

 

All posts on here are very good suggestions. I'd agree to stay away from a Mac unless you want to pay a premium for not only the computer, but also any add-ons/software, as they also tend to be very pricey.

 

For the price range you are looking to spend in, if you are eyeing any type of laptop, I would recommend a Toshiba. They are typically very solid in design. Also, stay away from any "in-store" tech support. They'll rip you off and most times their set-ups are done very poorly (I especially hate Best Buy - it took me almost a whole day to fix any "software" work they did on my friends PC).

Looked at one of the Toshiba laptops in the Bestbuy ad today. It had 250MB of harddrive I believe and 3GB or something else. See goes to show you I know nothing about computers!!!

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Here are some links for some of the computers I'm looking at. Check them out and let me know fellas.

 

Toshiba laptop

 

Sony laptop

 

hp laptop

 

Dell laptop

 

Dell desktop

 

hp desktop

 

Apple desktop

 

If you guys could put what would be your first choice and your last choice that would be great. These are all within my price range so I'm pretty open to any of them.

[huskerguy]

I rated them just on value for what your getting... the first 3 are all pretty much the same it just depends on what style you prefer between those.

 

Best...

Toshiba laptop

hp laptop

Dell laptop

Dell desktop

hp desktop

Sony laptop

Apple desktop

...Worst

[Landlord]

Of course, custom builts are above all of those at the top

 

 

 

also, norton and mcafee are fine, but they also cost money. you can get just as reliable of a product on the internet for no cost.

[AR Husker Fan]

Personally, I prefer to build my own. Once you get out of the $300 throw it away in a year computer range, it is monstrously cheaper to order the parts online and assemble it yourself.

 

First, pick laptop or desktop.

 

The PS3 is independent from the comp. It connects to the internet through the modem(if you want more than 1 thing connected you need a router also) so it is a non-issue.

 

I HATE HATE HATE Dell. They will rape you on upgrade parts from the 'base' one they start you with. And they have some parts that are custom made to fit in their cases so you cant go outside them for aftermarket upgrades(and they charge 2x what you can get things for online)

 

In general I am not a big fan of most premade machines, but other than some of the screwy stuff that Dell pulls, computers are all made from the same basic parts. There are 2 CPU makers, 2 Video card makers, only 1 real sound option. The only places where there is really much difference is in the RAM and the motherboards.

 

If you get one with Vista, get 4 gigs of ram.

 

Get a firewall and anti-virus.

 

Any other questions, I will be happy to answer.

I'd agree with strigori on all points.

 

Having said that, however...

 

Dell has pretty good machines for folks who don't do much in the way of upgrading. They tend to be pretty reliable, they're inexpensive, and they do have pretty good (but by no means "great") support. The one area that tends to tick me off - and related to what strigori mentioned - is the use of propietary parts. In particular, they tend to use motherboards that have some funky connectors for the power supply. What this means is that if your power supply fails, you can't simply go and buy one from anybody - you either have to buy a Dell power supply or you need a special adapter for a "regular" power supply. There's absolutely no reason for that except to keep you tied to buying Dell parts. The other area that is problematic on many Dells is the case - the way it's built, you can't just slap in an off-the-self floppy disk drive (yes, some people still use them) or optical drive (CD/DVD).

 

That's the major issue with non-standard parts that I've encountered. Usually, the specs will show if you have the correct ports and slots to enable you to, say, upgrade your graphics - which is the most common upgrade.

 

If it's a laptop, I'd recommend a Leveno (sic) - what used to be an IBM. Very solid, well constructed machines. The quality seems to have remained high even after the sale from IBM to Leveno.

 

But I'm like strigori - I prefer to build rather than buy. I know exactly what I'm putting in there, I get precisely the configuration I want, I don't have to put up with "bloat-ware" - the list goes on. I use NewEgg.com for all the parts except memory, and I use Crucial.com for that.

 

If you go that route, you can get a reasonably priced motherboard, a good mid-level dual-core processor, the exact size of storage you want, the precise level of graphics, and so on.

 

And, again, I agree with strigori about the ram - get 4 gigs if you are using Vista. Even though the 32-bit version of Vista won't recognize the full 4 gigs, get 4 gigs.

 

EDIT: - fogot to mention; I'm moving this topice to the Computers sub-form.

do you want to build me one AR?

Sure - but are you going to come to pick it up?

no, that is what Fed-ex, DHL, and UPS are for

 

seriously though, email me a parts list/price list and i will let you know.

What will it be used for? Obviously, Internet/email, general productivity, but anything else? Photo editing? Video editing? Programming (particularly compiling)? Gaming - if so, serious gaming or casual? Do you want it to act as a media center? Wireless or wirded? Broadband or dial-up?

[husker rob]

 

What will it be used for? Obviously, Internet/email, general productivity, but anything else? Photo editing? yes Video editing? no Programming (particularly compiling)HELL NO? Gaming - if so, serious gaming or casual? Do you want it to act as a media center i would like to be able to watch DVD's and write CD? Wireless or wirded? Broadband or dial-up?

 

also would like to have a Smart Card reader so i can access my secure military email with my smart card/ID card at home. right now i can only get that email at work

 

and maybe a fingerprint reader/ but not a requirement------saw that Lenovo now has facial recognition software to log on to the computer, which is pretty sweet

[Landlord]

Rob you are going to get a pretty beast computer for 1k

 

 

 

$400 would be more than adequate for what you need. As long as you don't get Vista, which you shouldn't anyways.

[husker rob]

Rob you are going to get a pretty beast computer for 1k

 

 

 

$400 would be more than adequate for what you need. As long as you don't get Vista, which you shouldn't anyways.

i thought Vista was the Schizzna

[strigori]

At the moment Vista is more of a headache than XP is. And it is looking like ME2.0. While it may be more 'future proof' it has many more annoyances than XP does.

[Landlord]

Vista is a resource WHORE and is still having compatibility issues

 

 

Wait a while before upgrading imo

[huskerguy]

I haven't had a problem what so ever with Vista yet... only had it for a couple months so far, but everything transfered fine from my old computer

[husker B-rent]

anything but an acer.....they kinda suck.

[Landlord]

acer makes computers?

 

 

 

also huskerguy you are very lucky