I'm buying a new computer and need advice

[EveningStar]

My computer is over 5 years old and dying.
I'm thinking of getting another desktop.
At this time, I'm trying to decide between either Dell or HP.
I would like to get a machine that has more power than I need right now, for obvious reasons. I'm not a gamer but I do spend a lot of time on the computer and I multitask like crazy.
I wish I could say that money is no object, but it is. I can't afford one of those $6000 machines.So, should I get a Dell or a HP? Or do you know of any other reliable and warranted manufacturer? What specs? What features?

Thanks in advance. :)

[LordoftheLeftHand]

I understand you don't want to spend a lot, but how much are you willing to spend?

LLH

[EveningStar]

I understand you don't want to spend a lot, but how much are you willing to spend?

LLH

$2000. Maybe a little more.

[Native American]

My computer is over 5 years old and dying.

I'm thinking of getting another desktop.
At this time, I'm trying to decide between either Dell or HP.
I would like to get a machine that has more power than I need right now, for obvious reasons. I'm not a gamer but I do spend a lot of time on the computer and I multitask like crazy.
I wish I could say that money is no object, but it is. I can't afford one of those $6000 machines.So, should I get a Dell or a HP? Or do you know of any other reliable and warranted manufacturer? What specs? What features?

Thanks in advance. :)

If you can afford to spend $2000, you might want to think about eMachines instead of Dell or HP. You could purchase a real powerhouse machine from eMachine instead of Dell or HP and have money left over to sink into extra RAM, a backup hard-disk drive, an outstanding videocard, etc. etc. etc.

Why do you want to limit yourself to Dell or HP?

[Rhino]

The support for Dell or HP is better, though it isn't as good as it used to be, but you could say that for any of the big manufacturers. eMachines aren't bad, but my experience with them in a corporate environment has convinced me that Dell or HP is more reliable, with Dell being somewhat better than HP. I personally prefer the Dells, but there are plenty of good machines out there. However, given a choice between Dell or HP, I'd pick the Dell. You can get one heck of a PC for $2,000 these days. Native makes a good point though. Do not skimp on RAM. It has great effect on performance.

What exactly do you multitask with?
Do you have a network?

As an example, you could get the Dell XPS 600 system below for $2,009 (not including shipping or any tax)

Pentium D Processor 830 with Dual Core (3.0GHz, 800FSB)
Windows XP Media Center Edition
256MB PCI Express x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
1GB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
Two 160GB Data Security RAID 1 SATA Hard Drives (built-in backup)
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive and a 48x CD-RW Drive
19 inch Ultrasharp™ 1907FP Digital Flat Panel Monitor
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Sound Card w/Dolby 5.1
Dell A525 30 Watt 2.1 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer
USB Keyboard
Optical USB Mouse

That's just an example of course, but I wouldn't mind having that system myself, and I do play games.

As another option, you can get great prices on a refurbished or blemished PCs at the Dell Outlet (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&~ck=mn). I have three refurbished PCs from the outlet and they are great. And they are not used. They are brand new PCs that had minor cosmetic flaws you'd probably never notice or had a problem off the assembly line that was repaired and recertified as 100% operational. They have warranties too.

[Native American]

The support for Dell or HP is better, though it isn't as good as it used to be, but you could say that for any of the big manufacturers. eMachines aren't bad, but my experience with them in a corporate environment has convinced me that Dell or HP is more reliable, with Dell being somewhat better than HP.

Actually, according to the latest (March 2006) issue of Consumer Reports, based on their survey of owners of more than 134,000 desktop and laptops, HP is less reliable than eMachines! Dell, however, is more reliable than eMachines. That is for desktops.

But the issue of reliablility may not be very important, given the low percentage of machines that actually ever need repairs or have a serious problem. For example, even HP (which has the next-to-the-worst reliability record of all machines surveyed, being second only to Gateway, which was the most unreliable brand) only had 19% of owners reporting a repair problem. And eMachines has only 17% of owners reporting a repair problem, with Dell machines down at 15%.

Another reason perhaps for AVOIDING an HP desktop is that the Consumer Reports readers gave HP the worst rating for tech support! Dell received the highest rating for tech support, earning a reader score of 55 versus HP only getting 49. Consumer Reports didn't give a reader score for eMachine tech support.

Just to give you an idea of what you can get for your money, Consumer Reports gave a rating of "Excellent" in the categories of Speed, Multitasking, and Expansion to both of the following models:

eMachine T6410 2.2 GHz AMD Athlon 64

and

Dell XPS 400 3 GHz Pentium D830

The eMachine comes with a 160 GB hard drive, while the Dell has a 250 GB. The eMachine has 7 USB ports, the Dell has 6. The eMachine has 128MB of video RAM, while the Dell has 256MB. The eMachine is somewhat more expandable, having 3 free PCI slots, while the Dell only has 2.

But here's the big difference: The Dell costs $1,580, while the eMachine only costs $550. You could buy a LOT of extra RAM, extra hard drives, enhanced video board, etc. etc. etc. with the $1,030 you'd have left over if you buy the eMachine! Or, you could just buy three eMachines for the price of only one Dell! Forget about repairs! You could just throw away a bad eMachine at the first sign of trouble, and STILL have money left over, compared to buying the Dell!

Or you could shovel the $1000+ left over from buying the eMachine and buy yourself a real nice LCD display and a laptop in addition to the desktop for the same total cost!

These are all things to keep in mind as you shop around for a new desktop PC!

[LordoftheLeftHand]

If I had to pick one based solely on brand names I would pick Dell as well.
<O:p
LLH<O:p
*edited formatting<O:p

[Peachdiane]

At this time, I'm trying to decide between either Dell or HP.


Neither. The new Intel Macs. (http://www.apple.com/imac/)

(I know...I know... I'm no help!) :computer2

[Eagle1]

no macs!!! please, dont go over to the dark side!!!!

ok, that being said (sorry peach, i am a loyal servant of microsoft) dell is better than hp, hands down, no contest

[Rhino]

As I said there are lots of good machines out there, and I don't consider eMachines to be a bad choice. I just prefer the Dells based on my personal experience. The Dell also includes a flat panel display. The eMachines doesn't come with a display. Then again, the Dell Outlet computers I mentioned don't come with a display either. Of course, if you want to just keep using your existing display, none of that really matters.

The eMachines T6410 is no longer offered, but the T6420 sells for the same price with a 200GB hard drive.

The XPS 400 comes with a Pentium D 820, not 830.

Everybody has their own preferences, and you really just have to decide what you're comfortable with. If you have really decided to narrow the choices between Dell or HP, Dell seems to be the consensus here. But as Native points out, there are certainly other options out there (except for Macs).

[DoctorDoom]

For a really satisfying experience, build your own. $2k will finance a fairly potent machine, especially if one starts with a "bare bones" box.

IAC, the major problem with store-bought puters is that most of them are in shoebox cases with Micro-ATX mobos. They are cramped for inside space, and doing under-the-hood work such as adding or changing RAM is a pain in the ass; their case cooling is pathetic; they have only a couple of open drive bays; there are usually only one or two available card slots for expansion cards (typically they have a PCI dial-up modem, which can be removed to free up one slot if it will use DSL/cable and doesn't need a phone connection); power supplies made for mini-tower cases are at best about 300 watts, and a power-hungry card such as a high-end graphics card might well run the supply at its upper limit; etcetera.

In short, plan ahead. If the box will be used as-is and never modded, the above considerations are immaterial. However, if the possibility exists of upgrades and additions, consider a box than can accomodate them.

Here are a few factors to think about no matter what machine is chosen.

• Don't skimp on RAM. 512 megs is okay for general use (despite Bill Gates' statement years ago that "640K should be enough for anybody"), but multi-tasking calls for a gig or more.
• Get a hard drive that's big enough to hold a schitteload of stuff. 120 gigs is adequate, but 160 or more is preferable.
• Have the hard drive partitioned into three or four sections, and use the partitions for data storage. That way, reformatting C or doing a system recovery doesn't endanger irreplaceable data. And, defragging a half-full 200-gig single-partition hard drive can take hours.
• Get an external Firewire/USB data backup drive and use it regularly. It can save mucho wailing and gnashing of teeth.
• If the computer has the ability to add cooling fans, do it. Heat and computers are mortal enemies.
• Consider a UPS even if power interruptions are rare. One power loss while the hard drive is reading or writing can cause a world of grief.
• If the company offers CDs for system recovery, get them. Most machines these days have the recovery software in a partition on the hard drive, which is useless if the drive goes gonzo.

Doubtless our other geeks can add to this list.

[Rhino]

I used to build all of mine, but the newer ones are so cheap nowadays it just isn't worth it anymore. The XPS comes in a full tower and the modem is built in to the motherboard. Mine cools just fine, certainly better than models coming out a few years ago. I kinda doubt ES will be doing much internal work on it, but who knows?

[DoctorDoom]

My computer is over 5 years old and dying.That's usually a sign of a box in desperate need of maintenance, starting with a scandisk and defragging, followed by a spyware/adware scan, purging of Temp folders, a registry clean-up, the usual routine. It's amazing how much performance can be regained.

Of course a format and reload will bring the box up to peak performance, if one has the original sofware and a way to back up all that valuable data. Geeks are known to do it a couple of times a year just because.

[Rhino]

Because we can.

[Peachdiane]

ok, that being said (sorry peach, i am a loyal servant of microsoft)

It's ok, I forgive ya.... I think..... :D

Because we can.

Yep! I customized my own backup plan with Apple Backup and it does my backup daily (what I’ve changed since last backup anyway.)

[DoctorDoom]

Macs are good machines, if you like grossly-overpriced puters that suffer from a dearth of available software as compared to the Wintel platform, and in some cases are just plain butt-ugly.

[BEST45CAL]

Warning: HP used to be Compaq!

[EveningStar]

Rhino is correct. I do no work on my own computer. I can barely tie my own shoelaces. :D

[Peachdiane]

LOL...

I got my mac box real cheap thru education. Plus the Mac OS is easier to learn, requires fewer keystrokes for similar tasks, and results in much higher user productivity. BIG differences in quality, performance and ease of use.

Plus El Rushbo uses macs. Good enough for me. :grin:

[RayChuang]

One good thing about Macintosh machines lately is that because they now sport USB 2.0 and IEEE-1394 connectors, you can get a lot of peripherals for Macs.

For example, all current HP inkjet printers use the USB interface, and you can get MacOS X drivers for them nowadays. And most of the newer high-end mouse pointers from Microsoft and Logitech use the USB interface, and MacOS 8.5 and later will use the full functionality of these mouse pointers. :thumb:

[DesertFox]

I'll start it: Macs suck.

[Peachdiane]

MacOS 8.5 and later will use the full functionality of these mouse pointers. :thumb:

Yes but Ray!!! Have you tried Tiger yet?

[bannerman]

LOL...

I got my mac box real cheap thru education. Plus the Mac OS is easier to learn, requires fewer keystrokes for similar tasks, and results in much higher user productivity. BIG differences in quality, performance and ease of use.

Plus El Rushbo uses macs. Good enough for me. :grin:


my mac G5 2.3 gigahertz dual porocessor New In November will run Photoshop faster than any PC including a SUN MICROSYSTEMS MACHINE

thems the facts

its too bad theres no way to show our freinds here the SHRINKING DESKTOP trick by hitting the F9 key.

[Peachdiane]

Hey Bud! Well sometimes people just don't like facts. ;)

2.3 is spiffy! I'm keeping my eye on the core duos...

[DoctorDoom]

my mac G5 2.3 gigahertz dual porocessor New In November will run Photoshop faster than any PC including a SUN MICROSYSTEMS MACHINEMacs are great for Photoshop. So what percentage of the tens of millions of US computer users want to spend $2K-plus for a computer and several hundred bucks for Photoshop so they they can make fancy graphics?

Apple, BTW, has been known to fudge its speed claims by basing them on PS filters and highly specialized scientific software running on Macs that are finely tuned for them. In real-world applications, they're not significantly faster than comparable Wintel boxes.

Macs are excellent for their intended purposes.

[Rhino]

EveningStar, I hope all this Mac talk is helping you with your buying choice. LOL!

[Rhino]

LOL...

I got my mac box real cheap thru education. Plus the Mac OS is easier to learn, requires fewer keystrokes for similar tasks, and results in much higher user productivity. BIG differences in quality, performance and ease of use.

Plus El Rushbo uses macs. Good enough for me. :grin:
You don't have OS X, do you? there's a serious flaw in it that was just recently discovered.

http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/69862

[Jim Sentry]

Yesterday I bought an HP 1320. It had a 3.0 Pentium 4 processor, 1 Gig Ram, 250 Gig Hard Drive, MS XP Media Edition, 15" Flat Panel LCD.

Out the door it was $1,009 incl tax, but I also get $250 in cash rebates.

I bought it at COMP USA.

[RedCastle9]

I love my Dell, man. :D ... but it's a laptop ... and I work with a whole host of IT geeks to help me out when it hiccups ... which it hardly ever does :D

I have an older HP which I gave to my daughter. It works fine, but could use an upgrade.

[DoctorDoom]

There is a dangerous vulnerability in Mac OS X that Secunia deems extremely critical. Further info is in the Neighborhood Watch forum.

This is the same problem that Rhino linked to above, but from a different security site.

[bannerman]

Neither. The new Intel Macs. (http://www.apple.com/imac/)

(I know...I know... I'm no help!) :computer2


my mac 2.whatever gighertz G5 dual processor tower can whip any windows machine out there running photoshop...an we mac fanatics have the verified benchmark data to prove it

this machine cost less tham my last two

this thing cost less than my 33 MEGAHERTZ QUADRA

no viruses.....speed...macaroni.....keeps all of the data intact

what could be better

[Rhino]

Well, if I was running only Photoshop, I might care. But I'm not, so I don't.

[DoctorDoom]

... an we mac fanatics have the verified benchmark data to prove itI.e., the Apple-fudged benchmarks that run filters on Macs set up to maximize their speed. And if a process takes 0.1 second on a Mac vs 0.2 seconds on a Wintel box, so what?

Macs are good at what they're most used for, but out here in the real world, we can't see spending twice as much for the same power just because Jobs wants that price.

[dajoga]

My computer is over 5 years old and dying.
I'm thinking of getting another desktop.
At this time, I'm trying to decide between either Dell or HP.
I would like to get a machine that has more power than I need right now, for obvious reasons. I'm not a gamer but I do spend a lot of time on the computer and I multitask like crazy.
I wish I could say that money is no object, but it is. I can't afford one of those $6000 machines.So, should I get a Dell or a HP? Or do you know of any other reliable and warranted manufacturer? What specs? What features?

Thanks in advance. :)

ES, I know this thread is several months old, but did you buy a new 'puter? If so, what? If not, here's the latest my 'puter guy/repairman said, FWIW.

Getway started out with good components and advertising. They sold a lot of units and then began using lower grade components to enhance profits. At one time he repaired more GWs than any other.
Then Dell made its big push--same scenairo--started good, then after getting good name recognition, started lowering quality to get profits.

In his opinion, HP is now making the better systems.

It seems that quality of components is the key--he put a dial-up modem in my current 'puter that runs faster than all my friends do with their dial-ups.

So, like most everything, there's a lot of variation to consider and everyone has their opinion on the matter.

[DoctorDoom]

Fact of life: if one pays $400 for a computer package that includes a monitor and printer, one is buying a computer built to the minimum quality specs:

• A power supply that is adequate as shipped, but that can't handle added loads from expansion cards, etc.
• 256 MB of RAM, enough to run XP but not enough for any major productivity programs.
• Video built onto the motherboard, with its required memory taken from system RAM, reducing the RAM available for Windows.

Etcetera. One gets what one pays for, and that's especially true for computers.

Re Dell, my daughter bought one for my oldest grandson last Christmas. It was one of their basic models. It has required a replacement MOBO and hard drive. It would have cost Dell less to send her a new puter than to dispatch techs to repair that one.

No doubt Dell makes very reliable boxes, but their low-end models aren't.

[EveningStar]

I ended up buying a high-end Dell desktop (avoid their laptops - LOL!). It's quite good.

Unfortunately, their tech support is outsourced. That means the techs are in ****ing India. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll get someone who speaks better English than you do. But much of the time, you'll get someone who is barely coherent.