I need a new computer

**lawchick** · 08.14.01, 09:16 AM

I need to buy a new computer, moniter, printer, the works. Are there any great deals to be had out there? I would actually prefer a laptop, but this is for my home so I am flexible. I know next to nothing about computers, but I want plenty of speed. Any good advice?

**diggyd** · 08.14.01, 09:40 AM

Get one custom-made or a Dell Dimension. Laptops are very expensive to fix if something goes wrong with them. I wouldn't get one unless the company I worked for supplied one. You need at least a 20Gigabyte hard drive and at least a 500MGhz processor. A TDK Velocd burner is nice to have too [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Look up the Dell website if you don't want one custom built. I had mine custom built but my nVidia TNT2 video card gave me troubles until I changed it out. Do alot of research before you buy.

**seenbad** · 08.14.01, 10:26 AM

min 128 ram, and I'd go with about 800 mhz. They are really coming down in price now, that seems to be the cut mark nowadays. I'd also go with AMD over Pentium for the processer. A buddy of mine designs processors for Intel and he says AMD is kickin their ass and Intel will probably be out of the market in less than 10 years. Its cheaper anyways and you get more. 20 gigs should be good. Try to get a burner too. Stay away from any of the 400 dollar rebates from ISP's. With cable and DSL out there its a total waste of money every month. Also check ebay. There are a bunch of places that will quote you pretty low prices on custom gigs.

**ANGEL4U** · 08.14.01, 11:35 AM

lawchick, I got myself a Dell, and I like it much better than the HP that I had. The nice thing about Dell.com is you can customize it to your liking..... [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I just checked and most of the systems have
Intel® Pentium® III processors up to 1.1GHz, 40--100GB harddrive, and
up to 512MB SDRAM memory or even higher up to 1 GB1 RDRAM memory. Good prices overall, though the more you customize, the more it costs.... [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Good Luck!!

**MikeL** · 08.14.01, 11:49 AM

I've had very spotty luck with Dell. I support a bunch of them at work, and I've decided we won't be purchasing from them again. Their support has been awful. Had a monitor burn out. After a few stupid questions from their tech support (which had me on hold for an hour) about what was on the screen (umm... nothing. It's dead!), they sent me another dead monitor to exchange it with (to the wrong address, I might add). The second time they got it right, but that was 2 weeks later. Probably going to end up buying from IBM this year. The Dells act... oddly.

Depending on what you do, I'd recommend a laptop. If you've only used a desktop before, it'll change the way you use a computer. I've got 3 machines, a Dell desktop (got it cheap from Dell, and I got what I paid for), a Mac G3 desktop, and a Powerbook G3. I use the laptop more than any of them.

If you get a laptop, get one that supports wireless networking. Apple and IBM make them with internal antenas so nothing is sticking out the sides. No one else does, yet. I just set up a wireless lab at work, and it really is amazing. That's next on the list for home stuff for me. It makes the computer far more useful.

I'd get either an IBM Thinkpad, or an Apple iBook or Powerbook G4. Depends on what software you need for work and such. If you just use the normal MS stuff, buy the Apple. You'll be far happier with the quality of the computer, and it'll amaze you with how well thought-out they are. I have to work with PCs all day, but when I'm home it's my choice. I never have to fix or worry about my Macs, so that's a big plus. If you've got to go with Windows, pick up an IBM Thinkpad. They make great laptops, and have come down a bit in price recently too. I've got some of their iSeries at work, and they seem to be good machines.

Laptops are plenty durable, provided you buy a quality one. My G3 is still in the same shape as when I bought it over a year ago. I'm not exactly easy on things, either. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[ August 14, 2001 at 11:51 AM: Message edited by: MikeL ]

**JWS_5150** · 08.14.01, 03:25 PM

Or, get a Mac and have Virtual PC put on it so you can run Windows from within the Macintosh interface for your Windows stuff. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

As for a new Windows computer, AMD is your best bet for price/performance punch. Their processors consistently outperform Intel.

**lawchick** · 08.15.01, 06:33 AM

Thanks for all the good advice. I use a ThinkPad at work and like it. If any of you thinks of any other information I should have, please let me know. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]