# Computer recommendations?



## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

I need a new computer...I definitely want a desktop (don't ask)...anyway, I have NO idea what to get...recommendations?

I need:

Internet access (obviously)
Word
Excel
A way to download pictures from my Canon Elph Digital camera (another dinosaur in the technology world)
AOL/Yahoo messenger
Compatible with an HP laser printer
Outlook would be nice

I have thought about making the switch to a Mac, but I don't know how that works with regards to all my files that are currently saved on my computer as well as my printer...

As you can tell from my post, computers really are NOT my thing...sorry if I sound stupid but I would really appreciate if someone could hold my hand through this process...


----------



## PedanticTurkey (Jan 26, 2008)

Watch Dell's sales for a couple weeks and grab their biggest, fastest, cheapest ~$500 desktop when you recognize a good sale.


----------



## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

I am a bit bias, but I don't like Apple. They're commercials irk me like no other. If they just work, why do they have a tech support forum?

Anyway, I digress.

I've heard good things about Sony, and you can get a Vaio that has everything built in. So you just have a slim monitor, and your keyboard and mouse are wireless. There is a Sony Outlet here, and they are having a 15% off sale as well as no interest and no payments for a year through the end of the week.

Most important, I think are the specifications. You want at least 2 GB of RAM, because Vista is a resource hog. Any of Intel's Core 2 Duo processors should work well. AMD Phenom's should also work well. From what it sounds like, you don't need to go high end for your components, but you want to get middle of the road stuff. It is senseless to buy a $100 Dell, when you'll need to upgrade it in a year.

All of the programs you have listed seem pretty standard Windows stuff, and you shouldn't have an issue there. If you don't have a CD for your camera stuff, you may want to check Canon's website.

Just search for you model and you should be good there. Price wise, you'll probably be better on the internet. Best Buy and the like tend to charge 10-15% more.


----------



## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

Ahh...good stuff! Thanks! 

I have heard not so great things about Vista...do I have to get Vista? Should I be worried?

I will probably go to Best Buy or a place like that so I can get someone to hook it up for me...yes, my incompetence spreads as far as not being able to get the computer out of the box myself (for the record, I consider this kind of stuff "boy jobs"  )


----------



## JibranK (May 28, 2007)

brokencycle said:


> I am a bit bias, but I don't like Apple. They're commercials irk me like no other. If they just work, why do they have a tech support forum?
> 
> Anyway, I digress.
> 
> ...


They have a tech support forum, but from my experience, tech issues are few and far between with OSX Macs.


----------



## marlinspike (Jun 4, 2007)

Vista isn't bad, just make sure you have 1.5gb of ram or more. Also, there are some of the new "features" of Vista that I turn off, but that's not a big deal. As far as a brand to recommend, I don't know, I would just build my own desktop (though I do usually recommend Thinkpad laptops, the Lenovo desktops aren't that great).

Any modern computer is going to do the things you want to do, but hard drive speed is always welcome because you can always have a faster bootup, so that's the difference I would shop on if I were in your shoes.


----------



## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

If you just want a computer that works, get a Mac. A Mac mini and monitor will cost around $700. Add in Microsoft Office for another couple hundred and you're good to go. You might have to get a new printer, depends on what kind it is, but the Mac has a sort of omni-driver that works with a lot of printers out of the box. Office for the mac will work with all of your files, no problem. You can also create files that will open with the PC version of office with no problems.

Macs do cost a bit more than PCs initially, but they are made much better and tend to last longer. I have a Mac that's 8 years old that I use nearly every day, and it's still going strong. (I use just about every make and model of Mac, PC and workstation you can think of, I use Windows machines every day, I prefer Macs)

If you MUST get a PC, get an HP desktop. The newer batches of Dells I've used have had an alarming failure rate, and their offshore tech support is abysmal. You don't want to spend more that $500-$700 probably, but spend a bit more and get a nice, big monitor. It'll last a long time if it's good quality, and you can keep it when you upgrade in a couple of years.

You're going to have to get Vista, all the consumer models come with it standard. The only way to get XP is to buy a business desktop, which isn't a big deal, but you're going to spend a little bit more, and you'll have to order it off the internet.


----------



## Asterix (Jun 7, 2005)

For inexpensive PC deals visit https://www.tigerdirect.com/

A good example of a decent power house box they have to offer is https://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3596009&CatId=2629
add this https://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2943578 and this https://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2954373&CatId=980

The combination of the 3 items above would give you all you require in a state of the art system that can last you for at least another 5 years.

Don't dwell on the brand names as they are all made in China PCs (Dell, Lenovo, Acer, HP et al)


----------



## Senator LooGAR (Apr 19, 2008)

How PCs are even around anymore is mind boggling to me. Macs are FAR superior in terms of innovation, portability (size/slimness), ease of use.

An example, from my work this week -- I needed to send an email to 100 people from an excel list. Using Outlook, my coworker tried to get gmail to run through is outlook, and also tried to cut and paste the list into the "To:" line - but it wouldn't automatically comma delineate -- After about 20 minutes of mucking about with this, I formatted my mail program to run the gmail account, cut and pasted the email list, and got the whole thing done.

We'd probably still be trying to get it done on a PC.


----------



## Asterix (Jun 7, 2005)

Senator LooGAR said:


> How PCs are even around anymore is mind boggling to me. Macs are FAR superior in terms of innovation, portability (size/slimness), ease of use.
> 
> An example, from my work this week -- I needed to send an email to 100 people from an excel list. Using Outlook, my coworker tried to get gmail to run through is outlook, and also tried to cut and paste the list into the "To:" line - but it wouldn't automatically comma delineate -- After about 20 minutes of mucking about with this, I formatted my mail program to run the gmail account, cut and pasted the email list, and got the whole thing done.
> 
> We'd probably still be trying to get it done on a PC.


This seems more like your coworker's lack of know how in using mail merge (a basic MS Office functionality) than the fault of the PC. :icon_smile_big:


----------



## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

I find PCs far suprerior to Mac's. I can't stand them... a one button mouse... honestly?!?

Anyway, that's not the point of this thread.

You will want to go with Vista, because XP is being phased out. Vista is significantly better since release. It will continue to get better: XP was not great when it was first released, and today it is quite a solid operating system.


----------



## BertieW (Jan 17, 2006)

Senator LooGAR said:


> How PCs are even around anymore is mind boggling to me. Macs are FAR superior in terms of innovation, portability (size/slimness), ease of use.
> 
> An example, from my work this week -- I needed to send an email to 100 people from an excel list. Using Outlook, my coworker tried to get gmail to run through is outlook, and also tried to cut and paste the list into the "To:" line - but it wouldn't automatically comma delineate -- After about 20 minutes of mucking about with this, I formatted my mail program to run the gmail account, cut and pasted the email list, and got the whole thing done.
> 
> We'd probably still be trying to get it done on a PC.


I agree. In my experience, Macs have been vastly better than the PCs I've seen. (My wife has to use one for work, and several people in our office are on them.) Much more stable OS, better design, better performance. If you do any music/graphics/design, Apple is the only way to go. The sticking point for some people is the price point, although even that is better than it used to be. You get what you pay for. I wouldn't get near a PC at this point.


----------



## hbecklin (Aug 22, 2007)

Although I personally prefer macs, if you are more familiar with XP it will certainly be a smaller jump to Vista. However, if you feel uncomfortable with XP or you haven't learned all the minutiae of it, a mac might be better for you. I have very few problems with my mac and more problems with Vista and XP.

Everything you listed can be accomplished by a mac, and all of your files will be usable unless you use a lot of strange, proprietary programs related to your profession, etc. As I doubt that's the case, I recommend at least a quick trip to the Apple Store. Talk with someone there, and see if a mac meets your needs. If it seems like too many hoops, then it probably is and you should go with a PC. If not, welcome to the cult.


----------



## 16412 (Apr 1, 2005)

If you live in a college town there must be many who can put together a pc for you for way less than a store bought (this one guy had professionals set up his business and they failed, but his 14 year old neighbor boy built him a better computer and showed him how to do the business better- as far as computers go). Photos require lots of RAM 4gig should be enough (less than 4gig is not a good idea, if you are doing video you will want more, something like 8gig RAM).

Mac or PC? Which ever you feel more comfortable with.


----------



## PedanticTurkey (Jan 26, 2008)

4 or 8 gigs of ram! You guys are nuts.


----------



## Bob Loblaw (Mar 9, 2006)

A mac would work well for you, but if you decide to stick with a PC, Pidgin works very well for unifying multiple messengers: https://www.pidgin.im/



TheWardrobeGirl said:


> AOL/Yahoo messenger
> Compatible with an HP laser printer
> Outlook would be nice


----------



## 16412 (Apr 1, 2005)

PedanticTurkey said:


> 4 or 8 gigs of ram! You guys are nuts.


When doing art work I can easily have several big programs open plus some pictures are not small. Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign and several files opened takes alot of RAM, not to mention the art work itself. The hard-drive shouldn't hardly be use, or you will wear it out way to soon like my last one. All the computers I have used when the RAM got full they became very slow and the only way to get the speed back is by turning off the computer and then restarting it after about 20 seconds.

If you know a better way don't be shy in sharing your knowlege.


----------



## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

.... RAM is not the same as memory. A photo does not take up any storage in RAM. Programs use RAM for quickly accessible stuff.

I have a gaming computer, which I play video games on the highest settings, and I can multi-task with my system, and it only has 2 GB.

I disagree that for internet, word, and even photo editing at the same time requires 4 GB RAM.


----------



## PedanticTurkey (Jan 26, 2008)

There's no doubt at all that having enough ram to avoid HDD swap will speed your computer up dramatically. It won't save your hard drive, though.

But--how much do you need? For years I had one gigabyte and found it to be perfectly fine-- I could play a game, listen to music, watch a video and encode a DVD all at the same time, with swap file disabled, and never had a problem. Now I've got 2 gigs, and I do all that, except its 1080i video instead of DVD, and I've still never had a problem.

There's a few apps out there that I guess might require more ram, but she ain't going to be using them.


----------



## Rossini (Oct 7, 2007)

Wardrobegirl, Macs are designed especially for computer novices like you. I would happily and _enthusiastically_ recommend that you get one. You will find it much easier to deal with, especially when it comes to cameras, printers, upgrades, etc., etc... Compatibility with respect to office - word, excel, powerpoint, is perfect. There's very little in the way of a learning curve as they're so intuitive. They're more fun, they're easier to use, less hassle. From personal experience, I can tell you there's nothing from the PC world that you will miss but (if you really want) you can run a fully functioning PC environment on your Mac too - either alongside or instead of OSX. I don't recommend the latter - I would go for the full mac environment. Either way, You won't regret it.


----------



## Asterix (Jun 7, 2005)

*Gentlemen:*
The only thing Mac is better than a PC for, is the graphics arena and aside from that a Mac can be a pain due to its propriety nature which means the most common every day apps/games might not be available for cheap.

Also the talk about needing 4 to 8 Gig of RAM for graphics is incorrect. Only the 64bit Vista can see 4 Gig of RAM, the regular Vista (32bit) the everyday PC user gets can only see and utilize up to 3.2Gig.

* TheWardrobeGirl:
*Get anything close to the specs of the links I sent you irrespective of the brand name if you just want a functional but inexpensive PC. Please don't ever ask any one to build a PC for you except the person can assure you of continued support because most times, the so called homebuilt cheap PC projects require extremely cheap off brand parts to be "cheap" which many times can become a problem when it comes to time for service/repairs as the drivers needed might be a pain to find unlike the generic off the shelf PCs like Acer, HP, Dell et all where you need to do is go to their websites and download all the drivers you need.


----------



## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

Asterix said:


> *Gentlemen:*
> The only thing Mac is better than a PC for, is the graphics arena and aside from that a Mac can be a pain due to its propriety nature which means the most common every day apps/games might not be available for cheap.


This argument has been dead for years. Most people these days spend their time in Office or on the internet. You can get Office on the Mac. You can get the Internet on the Mac. The main difference between MacOS and Windows these days is the Mac has a far superior UI and is much easier to maintain for end users.



> Only the 64bit Vista can see 4 Gig of RAM, the regular Vista (32bit) the everyday PC user gets can only see and utilize up to 3.2Gig.


You can't get a modern PC with 3GB of RAM due to channel banking, so if you want more than 2 you have to go to 4, and with Vista you're going to want every last bit of RAM you can get. 32-bit XP and Vista can see 4GB of RAM if you force PAE on, and you have a 64-bit processor, which every machine made in the last two years has.


----------



## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

Thank you guys so much for all the information! I think I need to make a trip to the Apple store before I do anything...

While I don't live in a college town, maybe I can "barter" clothes for someone to do my dirty work with regards to computer setup


----------



## JibranK (May 28, 2007)

Good luck in finding the right computer. Thanks for taking into account we Mac advocates' advice.


----------



## Asterix (Jun 7, 2005)

jbmcb said:


> This argument has been dead for years. Most people these days spend their time in Office or on the internet. You can get Office on the Mac. You can get the Internet on the Mac. The main difference between MacOS and Windows these days is the Mac has a far superior UI and is much easier to maintain for end users.


It supposedly has been dead for years but it is not the reality of basic users aside from the "coolness" of Apple fad. I have 4 laptops (MacBook Pro, An Asus EEEpc, a Lenovo T61 running XP Pro & a Gateway TabletPC running Vista Ultimate) & an Acer PC running Vista Home Premium at home and as far as I know, the *"easiest"* ones according to the non IT pro in my household (my wife) are the Windows boxes and the EEEpc while the *"coolest"* one is the Mac.



jbmcb said:


> You can't get a modern PC with 3GB of RAM due to channel banking, so if you want more than 2 you have to go to 4, and with Vista you're going to want every last bit of RAM you can get. 32-bit XP and Vista can see 4GB of RAM if you force PAE on, and you have a 64-bit processor, which every machine made in the last two years has.


I don't recall saying any box or laptop comes standard with 3G Ram. I know what I typed was something to the effect that the *32bit Vista* only *sees* 3.2G of 4G and only the *64bit Vista* sees beyond 3.2G. Your link above is stating the same thing I had stated before. So just because you have a Dual/Quad Core 64bit processor doesn't mean the off the shelf boxes come with 64bit Vista OS for the consumers. Now on the issue of PAE, it doesn't work with some systems like it didn't work on my Acer Box at home and that is coming from a boring old geek.

To know what the requirements are to see and use the full 4G in a 32bit box, visit: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605/en-us

Finally, the average consumer who just wants to type docs, surf the cyberspace and chat via IM wouldn't be interested in tweaking the PAE just so their box can see 4G ram on a 32bit Vista/XP.

If the most basic functionality is all she needs then she might as well, just shop for an inexpensive Linux based box with the free OpenOffice and Pidgin as someone had earlier recommended.


----------



## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

It is blatantly false that you can't do 3GB of RAM. As long as all of your sticks are matched, there will be no problem.
Also, most pre-built boxes I see, have been coming with Vista Home Premium, and that is both 32 bit and 64 bit, so you would have to check which it comes with installed.

Second, Mac's OS is not more intuitive or user friendly.

But this arguing isn't answering the question.

I'm just saying though, if you go Mac, you'll immediately miss your right mouse button.


----------



## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

brokencycle said:


> I'm just saying though, if you go Mac, you'll immediately miss your right mouse button.


I doubt I will miss it as I had to look at the mouse to see what you were referring to! I told you, when it comes to computers, I am in the remedial class! (I can type fast, that is about it)


----------



## Asterix (Jun 7, 2005)

TheWardrobeGirl said:


> I doubt I will miss it as I had to look at the mouse to see what you were referring to! I told you, when it comes to computers, I am in the remedial class! (I can type fast, that is about it)


If you hadn't specified wanting a desktop, I'd have recommended the ASUS EEEpc laptop (https://event.asus.com/eeepc/microsites/en/index.htm) for you. It is currently the most user friendly laptop anyone can buy and it comes with all of what you need besides being very inexpensive.


----------



## larsrindsig (Dec 31, 2006)

A couple of quick remarks in the pro-Mac camp:

Most (if not all) new Macs ship with Mighty Mice that have two buttons. Or (since the build quality of those is such that you either love or hate them) you can use your regular two-button USB mouse with the Mac which has full support for multi-button mice.

I was given a laptop pc when I started my new job in January. I've had more headaches and trouble with it than with the three or four macs I've used in the past five years. It just never works and everything's counter-intuitive on the pc. And when I connect to the office network, that also doesn't work. My experience is that Macs are tonnes less hassle.

Also Macs are prettier.


----------



## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

Asterix said:


> It supposedly has been dead for years but it is not the reality of basic users aside from the "coolness" of Apple fad.


Interesting but not a cogent response.

https://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/appleaday/blog/2008/01/leopard_gets_love_vista_gets_d.html

More users like OSX than Vista.



> I don't recall saying any box or laptop comes standard with 3G Ram.


You didn't, but if you want more than 2GB of RAM, the only option is 4GB, and you're going to loose ~800 of it. I was just pointing out that you can try to reclaim the final 800 by forcing PAE, which really isn't hard to try at all - IIRC it's a couple of commands.



> If the most basic functionality is all she needs then she might as well, just shop for an inexpensive Linux based box with the free OpenOffice and Pidgin as someone had earlier recommended.


That would be a good idea, but most companies don't support Linux on the desktop that well. I think Dell might but I hate Dell too much to recommend them to anybody (and I own four Dells 

Wasn't Wallmart selling ultra-cheap desktops with Linux for around $300? I hate Wallmart too much to recommend *them* to anybody, but it's so cheap it's hard to resist...


----------



## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

larsrindsig said:


> A couple of quick remarks in the pro-Mac camp:
> 
> Most (if not all) new Macs ship with Mighty Mice that have two buttons. Or (since the build quality of those is such that you either love or hate them) you can use your regular two-button USB mouse with the Mac which has full support for multi-button mice.
> 
> ...


No offense, and I'm not sure this is true in your case, but I hear a lot of that sort of thing and usually the person never connected to the office network via the Mac. Many times the "tonnes less hassle" has to do with new requirements and applications than OS. YMMV.

To the general discussion ...

Both Mac and WIntel are fine platforms for consumer-based computing. Anyone making a "one is best" is forcing a foolish test. Convincing someone with PC experience or MAC experience to switch platforms because of personal preference is even worse.

Use what you know. They are both good platforms and M$ Office runs on both of them.

The important thing in buying a computer is distinguishing Service from Support then doing your eval appropriately. Lots of business people I know bought Dells or HPs consumer line because they are inexpensive, but then they complain about the Support. Usually, with some idiotic complaint like, "I'm trying to run a business I can't spend 3 hours on the phone to get someone that knows less about the computer than I do." Well then, buy a business line of computers and get real support instead of saving $199 "Donald." That's HP Compaq for me, but everyone plays favorites. IBM is good too. I would only buy a Dell for business applications if I qualified for Premier Support. Dell hardware is ok, their service is good, their standard-level support sucks. So does HPs if you get in the wrong line (consumer) instead of a business-to-business account. However, the B2B-side, the old Compaq group still usually knows what they are doing. It's not as good as the 'old days.'

Use your head. It's no different than any other major purchase and Ford vs. Chevy arguments aren't cost<benefit.

I also meet people who "ask an expert" and end up with BSD or Linux. Fine for the expert, but not so good if you call 800s when your computer won't install a device because the driver is deprecated or never existed in the first place.


----------



## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

How much are you willing to spend on one?


----------



## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

I had a Dell and did not have a good service experience...I don't mean for this to sound rude and I certainly don't mean to offend anyone or hurt anyone's feelings, but when I called Dell, I think I got transferred to India...I couldn't understand a word the guy was saying (I actually asked if he was speaking English because his accent was so thick), since I couldn't understand him, I couldn't follow what he was telling me to do, so he got frustrated - after about an hour, I gave up...finally, I called some Geek Squad type place and paid a guy $100/hr put me back on track (I think he spent 3 hours simply checking out the history of my computer and 20 minutes fixing the problem...I couldn't get him out of my house!)


----------



## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

I am hoping to pay between $1000 and $1500 (including software such as Excel and Word if that is possible)


----------



## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

You have to be careful with those geek squad guys (he might have thought you were cute though).

I just built one on HP's website for $1000, and it would certainly meet your needs. Unfortunantly, I believe you will get a lot of tech support from people in India. If it happens, I would ask the tech support guy to talk to a superior or something.

The best thing I think is go to miscellaneous computer stores around and compare prices. I know here in SE Wisconsin, we have a local computer chain, and all their tech support is local so you will never get someone from India. I don't know where you live, but you might have something similar. Some of those smaller stores you'll find charge a bit more.


----------



## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

ksinc said:


> No offense, and I'm not sure this is true in your case, but I hear a lot of that sort of thing and usually the person never connected to the office network via the Mac. Many times the "tonnes less hassle" has to do with new requirements and applications than OS. YMMV.
> 
> To the general discussion ...
> 
> ...


haha

I'm a computer guy, majoring in CS and CMPE, and I hate linux. People around me love it, but it drives me crazy. I've just never used it enough to get comfortable with it, but all the computer science labs have linux, and they're hooked up to ancient servers and a crappy version of linux that takes forever to load stuff.


----------



## Apthorpe (Apr 8, 2008)

That price definitely puts you in the range of low-end iMac sweetness, which is all you probably need. But switching to Mac may not be worth it if it requires that you get a new printer and if iPhoto doesn't support your camera. If you are interested in a Mac you should drop into an Apple store if one is close and they should be able to help you determine if it will suit your needs (but I think if the printer is USB and if HP makes OS X drivers (which you can usually figure out from the HP website) you should be good to go). Older printers may not have OS X drivers, but HP provides better support in this regard than Canon. I ended up dumping a 3-4 year old Canon for an HP when I switched to Mac. If the switch requires that you dump your printer and get a new camera, you will likely exceed your $1,500 price point.

Either way, Macs are sweet. But if you have previously only used PCs there is a period of reorientation that can be a bit frustrating. Also, as intimated by Ksinc, if you use any sort of work network that doesn't provide Mac support, going it alone can be very frustrating.


----------



## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

brokencycle said:


> haha
> 
> I'm a computer guy, majoring in CS and CMPE, and I hate linux. People around me love it, but it drives me crazy. I've just never used it enough to get comfortable with it, but all the computer science labs have linux, and they're hooked up to ancient servers and a crappy version of linux that takes forever to load stuff.


Yeah a lot of Unis are cheaping out on the licenses. I like Solaris and AIX, but I'm strictly interested in production financial systems.


----------



## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

brokencycle said:


> You have to be careful with those geek squad guys (he might have thought you were cute though).


Yeah, geek squad guy did ask me out...I wasn't interested...I suppose if I was interested my bill might have been a few bucks less


----------



## pt4u67 (Apr 27, 2006)

I bought an HP from Costco last September. Excellent price and it comes with an unconditional 90 return policy and 2 year on site warranty. 

About one month later I received a $100 off coupon for the same computer from Costco. I took the old one back, received a refund and immediately applied the coupon to a new computer (with even more RAM) with no questions asked.


----------



## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

pt4u67 said:


> I bought an HP from Costco last September. Excellent price and it comes with an unconditional 90 return policy and 2 year on site warranty.
> 
> About one month later I received a $100 off coupon for the same computer from Costco. I took the old one back, received a refund and immediately applied the coupon to a new computer (with even more RAM) with no questions asked.


Costco can be great like that. The B2B warranty is only a little better @ 3 years. I really like the Costco option and Costco has great service IMHO.

I should also say I love the Mac option in that they make you pay for the cake. They are not as cheap as PCs, but PCs with that level of support would be. I tell my Mom to buy a Mac because she likes that sort of 'go to the store and ask someone for help' service option, but she has an HP Compaq ordered on my Agent account through their company. So, I end up playing support guy a lot. ic12337:


----------



## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

TheWardrobeGirl said:


> Yeah, geek squad guy did ask me out...I wasn't interested...I suppose if I was interested my bill might have been a few bucks less


Next time just give a suggestive wink like so: :icon_smile_wink:

I'm told my dimples work well; however, if you don't have them, they won't help.


----------



## JibranK (May 28, 2007)

TheWardrobeGirl said:


> I had a Dell and did not have a good service experience...I don't mean for this to sound rude and I certainly don't mean to offend anyone or hurt anyone's feelings, but when I called Dell, I think I got transferred to India...I couldn't understand a word the guy was saying (I actually asked if he was speaking English because his accent was so thick), since I couldn't understand him, I couldn't follow what he was telling me to do, so he got frustrated - after about an hour, I gave up...finally, I called some Geek Squad type place and paid a guy $100/hr put me back on track (I think he spent 3 hours simply checking out the history of my computer and 20 minutes fixing the problem...I couldn't get him out of my house!)


Regarding Dell tech support, I once got put on the line with this great rep and I made note of his extension. He has a slight East African accent, but nothing strong and he's solved my computer problems with ease. If you want the extension, let me know.


----------



## mipcar (Dec 12, 2007)

*The yin & Yang of home computers*

I've built a lot of pc's for myself over the yrs. I mainly went pc as they were the most commmon and most readily available, does not mean they were/are the best.
It's a bit like the Beta/VHS debate, I believe most ppl will say the Beta was a better system but the VHS got domination by higher profile/better advertising etc etc. It's a bit like that with Mac & PC.

Mac owners have always lived with the nerdy/geeky image and until Imac got a foot in with things like Ipod etc Mac computers were a fringe element in the home computing world.

Certainly there is a learning curve if you've only ever used pc (read Microsoft) operating system but my mate who has only ever used Mac often wonders why I have to go to so much trouble to do things that he does with ease.

My pet nerd whom I get in to solve things I cannot has advised me against Vista and I see that Microsoft is now extending support for XP for a few more yrs, that says something to me.

Microsoft O/s is memory hungray when comapred to a Mac and it loads so much into memory that you need a meg just to keep things happy. 512k minimum.

Now that Macs are moving to an Intel processor it will be interesting to see how they go as well.

Seeing both, had I the money I would swap to a Mac machine.

Mychael


----------



## 16412 (Apr 1, 2005)

My understanding of RAM is so that the hard drive is not used hardly at all, plus it is quicker. Only the programs and files that are to be used get booted up and at the end the files that have been changed or newly created get sent back to the hard drive, otherwise the continuous back and forth from computer to hard drive to computer and computer to hard drive is added wear and tear.

In the old days there was no RAM, and that took longer. But, with RAM, which is closer to the computer, or proccesor, less hard drive was needed for proccesing. Nowadays, big RAM makes computing so much nicer. Hard drives are so much better today than the old tapes of the past. I'm sure glad we don't need punch cards anymore.


----------



## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

TheWardrobeGirl said:


> I am hoping to pay between $1000 and $1500 (including software such as Excel and Word if that is possible)


That's how much some are going for these days,Would this be a regular computer or a laptop?


----------



## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

TheWardrobeGirl said:


> Yeah, geek squad guy did ask me out...I wasn't interested...I suppose if I was interested my bill might have been a few bucks less


That was your call,the ball was in your court and you threw it back to him.


----------



## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

TheWardrobeGirl said:


> Yeah, geek squad guy did ask me out...I wasn't interested...I suppose if I was interested my bill might have been a few bucks less


"Nice Car!" would have done it. :devil:


----------



## Country Irish (Nov 10, 2005)

From what I understand so far, you don't really need any special hardware so you are free to choose from PC with XP or vista or an apple. While keyboards are a little small with a laptop it may be just right for you so if you don't plan any major changes in your system it can be an option.
As for asking on a forum, it really doesn't solve the problem because what you need is a system that does what you want, of course, but you need it to be a comfortable experience so you are not frustrated or fatigued as you use it. It can be a small thing like a wheel mouse that makes your life easier or better resolution in your monitor to avoid eye strain. Forums can not decide that for you.
So here is an option. Take a morning off and go to the local store with the most working demo systems on display. Growl at the salesman so he goes away and stays away. Then just go from system to system and do things similar to what you expect to do. Make notes of things you like, either features or specific models of components (not necessarily a packaged system). This will be your list of musthaves. Then find the best quality/price system or peacemeal setup that has ALL of the musthaves. That is your system. Feel free to go back some other day and see if you still feel the same about your musthave list.
Finally it is sometimes a help to have a techie as a friend to go along and assess the system you choose BUT do not let her tell you what you should like. That way you will only end up with her dream system, not yours. Also building your own sytem is simple but you need to know what you are doing so have your techie friend teach you if you like adventure (with the offhand chance of failure since it will be new to you).
One added bit of info: The most important thing to remember is that you should NOT buy anything on the recon mission. Nothing, nada, zip. Leave the credit cards and checkbook at home. NO, not even gum at the checkout.
With that said, go forth and conquer.


----------



## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

What are you gonna put on this new computer?


----------



## Country Irish (Nov 10, 2005)

One added thought is that if you buy a packaged system, look for a long labor warranty. If you don't know how to swap dead components one failure can be a nightmare.
If you take a class at any local community college in PC maintenance and administration you will find you are free and self sufficient (the teach a girl to fish thing you know). Then you can build and maintain your system as you see fit. Custom building yealds a far superior system to the mainstream brands that use cheap components on the assumption that they should last beyond teh warranty and then they could care less.
Oh, if you see something interesting, post the tech specs. Then a critiques might be helpful.


----------



## cycliste1 (May 27, 2008)

*2cents--go Apple*

Obvi, you have gotten a ton of responses but let mine be the final word:icon_smile_big:

If you need a laptop, get a basic MacBook with the MS Office suite so that you can run outlook, etc. Also, get Apple Care. It is worth its weight in gold as far as warranty repair and assistance.

If you need a desktop, get a basic iMac with the above options.

You won't be disappointed with either. It is a cinch to move your old files to a Mac with a program such as "Move to Mac".

Just one word of caution. Don't special your Mac over the phone--by special order I mean upgrading the hard drive, having special software pre-installed etc. My brother just did this, didn't like what he ordered, and was told that he couldn't return it because he had customized the computer. I did give him the pertinent arguments so that Apple would take it back--and they did.

Insead, buy an off the shelf Mac from an Apple store if there is one in your 'hood.

I'd like to welcome you to the world of Apple. Once you switch you will wonder what you were doing with Windows!

All best,

Jonathan


----------



## brokencycle (Jan 11, 2008)

Make your decision yet?


----------



## TheWardrobeGirl (Mar 24, 2008)

I haven't made the decision yet although I am leaning toward the Apple...


----------



## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

*Mac*

Gentlemen

I got my daughter the Mac laptop as well. 4 years ago. Applecare was also included with this buy. Plus the Ipod
My first experience with Apple. I was very impressed with this system. There is no comparison to this computer. 
I plan to get Apple as well. Again, sweet is a word I saw here. 
Again, nothing like the Apple.
Lot of schools are going with Apple, for their incoming freshmen.
Need I say more
No problems with it at all.
Great computer. Need I say more!

Nice day gentlemen


----------

