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The I need a New PC dilema

missmanners

missmanners

grrrrrrrr...
I have the space and the $$$ and the time to go buy one, so whats stopping me? I have no idea what I need.

I just want something to mess around online with, like I do now, and play a few games with, like I do now and I'd really like to stick with XP, like I have now. Except what I'm using now is a cheap laptop because my PC died.

I go to Circuit City or Best Buy and some 19 year old starts in on geek-speak and my eyes glaze over and I leave more confused than ever.

Can someone tell me what I need in real English?

;)
mm
 
Basic rule of thumb. Like any tool, buy one from a company with a good reputation and get a slightly more expensive one than you planned (or the most expensive tool you can afford). That way the bugger will last you awhile.

More technical advice--be sure you understand what software it comes with and if it comes with the disks (or some other way to reinstall if the system crashes). Beyond that, you want the best processor you can get on a motherboard that has room for upgrades. I'd say you want plenty of USB ports, and slots in the case for more drives and other shit.

At the other end of the spectrum is my latest toy, an Asus Eee. Fucker is about the size of a large paperback book when closed. Because it doesn't have a traditional hard drive it really doesn't have any moving pieces and because it runs all Open Source, software (it runs a flavor of Linux optimized for the Eee), it is very fast with very little bloat. Oh, and it has an integrated webcam and iPhone-style navigation on the touchpad.

The keyboard is a little small and takes some getting used to, and I wouldn't mind a touchscreen, but I'm definitely happy with my decision to buy it. I throw it in my fag-bag and, unlike a regular laptop, I don't even notice I'm carrying it. Then I can whip it out and write, surf the web, or look at photos anywhere I want.
 
As far as lasting me a while? My last PC (plus software) was about $2800, another $350 for the sound system and around $600 for the monitor. The problem is, it lasted me almost too long. I bought it in 2001 and it just now died. Do you have any idea how technology has changed? Well of course you do. I was running Win2000Pro and resisted getting anything with XP until the bugs were worked out. Now I keep hearing things about VISTA, like it's buggy and another ME and MS is getting ready to launch a better OS. I HAVE to stick with a windows OS for work reasons....

So just because I can afford some $6000 supermachine right now, doesnt mean I want to get one. I'd rather spend $1000 every couple of years and at least have the latest technology.

;)
mm
 
Well, even higher end systems are much cheaper now than they were in 2001, of course. If you have to stick with Windows, get XP rather than Vista if possible. I think XP is still possible in some cases, but they charge extra for it. My experiences with Vista have been less than thrilling, to say the least. No, that was too kind -- it's garbage.

Drive space and RAM are pretty cheap right now, so max those out. You may or may not want to get a decent video card, depending on how much gaming you do and if good fast 3D rendering is required. It's a handy thing to have at any rate.

Personally, I'd spend a little more money and get some decent hardware that'll last awhile. By the way, are you looking for a desktop or laptop? Would you prefer to buy from a box store or online?
 
I plan on getting an HP Pavillion DV5 soon. For $700 it comes with:

Intel core 2 Duo T5800 ( Sorta like having two Microprocessors)

Built in 802.11n wireless (for WiFi connections in internet cafe's)

Burns DVD's and CD's (self explanatory)

250GB Hard drive ( Not bad for a Laptop)

4GB of RAM "Ramdom Access Memory" (Makes you computer run faster)

Built in Webcam ( for video conferencing with friends)


Best buy has them on sale now for about $700.

Not too bad for thr price :cool:
 
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