OT-Need to buy new desktop ASAP. What to buy?

[sdrealtor]

So my clunky desktop is just too damn slow and buggy for me to take one more day of this. Its a few years old and running Windows Vista. Usually I just go to Dell.com and pick up an inexpensive desktop which last me 2 to 4 years. I dont need bells and whistles just a good functional PC for Internet, email, Word, Excel, photos,itunes etc. I’m a cheapskate and dont like to spend much on a PC like this nor do I see a reason to. Am I better off buying online or just running over to Costco?

Any suggestions what and where I should buy? My trigger finger is itchy!

[an]

Depending on what you currently have, the cheapest option might be upgrading to SSD hard drive and windows 7 would make a huge difference. If you need help with that, let me know.

[bearishgurl]

I would buy a multimedia computer with dual processors, at least a 512K video card, dedicated sound card (not on motherboard) and a TV tuner (or an extra slot to put one. It should hold two 1 GB RAM chips but have four slots to be expandable to 4 GB RAM You get so much more for your money with a MM desktop than buying an “empty box” for $400.

I think the cheap “mass marketed” desktop computers are a HUGE waste of money. Tell Frys or a hole in the wall local computer shop what you want and they will build it for you.

For backup, I use a dual processor ASUS multimedia Pentium III (circa 2000) with SCSI and the works (weighs at least 25 lbs) which will blow any current cheap model out of the water.

My main desktop is a (very expensive) 2006 Sony Vaio HD (w/1st gen blueray) multimedia desktop but its video card is on the blink right now and needs to be replaced. It also weighs at least 25 lbs.

[sdrealtor]

I thought about upgrading to windows 7 but I think its quicker, easier and better to just buy a new PC. This PC has been turned on for about 4 years and has rarely been shut down. The fan sounds tired and the power supply is probably quite geriatric also. I have no problem dropping $500 just to make my pain go away asap.

[an]

In that case, whatever you buy, make sure you get one with a SSD hard drive. I upgraded my 4 year old laptop to SSD (nothing else) and Windows now start up from cold boot in 15-30 seconds where it used to takes many minutes. Launching apps would take mear 1-2 seconds where it used to take many seconds. Bringing the computer out of sleep mode is almost instantaneous and ready to use. So, for ~$100, that gives me the bang for my buck. Hard drive is the biggest bottleneck in a computer and SSD drastically improve that. An analogy would be, upgrading the other part of the computer is like upgrading your car to get more power. But if the road you’re on is congested, you can’t make full use of all of those HP. Upgrading the hard drive is like adding more lanes to the road and increase the speed limit by 5-10x.

[sdrealtor]

pardon my ignorance but what is SSD?

[carlsbadworker]

It really depends on what you need it for. If you just need a basic PC like you said, Staples is going to have a discount on this PC for $299 starting this Sunday (4.5/5 stars based on 110 reviews):

http://www.staples.com/HP-Pavilion-p6-2100-Desktop-PC/product_444697&cmArea=CIRCULAR?cm_cat=358129&cm_ite=Ongoing+-+Staples+Basic&cm_ven=CJ&PID=361116&SID=FWas8xm4&cm_mmc=CJ-_-361116-_-361116-_-10422268&cm_pla=361116&AID=10422268&storeId=10001&CID=AFF%253A361116%253A361116%253A10422268

[sdrealtor]

Will they have them in the store so I can walk out with one?

[carlsbadworker]

[quote=sdrealtor]pardon my ignorance but what is SSD?[/quote]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive

[LAAFTERHOURS]

[quote=sdrealtor]I thought about upgrading to windows 7 but I think its quicker, easier and better to just buy a new PC. This PC has been turned on for about 4 years and has rarely been shut down. The fan sounds tired and the power supply is probably quite geriatric also. I have no problem dropping $500 just to make my pain go away asap.[/quote]

You can build a monster machine with 500. Or search for one on sale. Both could be found on Slickdeals.net

http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9&intagid%5B%5D=9

[burghMan]

How much memory do you have? If you only have 2GB, an upgrade to 4GB could make a big difference. Crucial.com can show you what memory you have and need and give you a quote, although you can actually get it cheaper elsewhere. If you want a whole new system and all you do is basic stuff then a low-end box at Dell or HP or Costco in the $300-$400 price range will be fine, just make sure it has at least 4GB RAM.

Cheap laptops are pretty good these days too, you really can’t buy a new one at any price that would be inadequate for basic stuff.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=AN]In that case, whatever you buy, make sure you get one with a SSD hard drive. I upgraded my 4 year old laptop to SSD (nothing else) and Windows now start up from cold boot in 15-30 seconds where it used to takes many minutes. Launching apps would take mear 1-2 seconds where it used to take many seconds. Bringing the computer out of sleep mode is almost instantaneous and ready to use. So, for ~$100, that gives me the bang for my buck. Hard drive is the biggest bottleneck in a computer and SSD drastically improve that. An analogy would be, upgrading the other part of the computer is like upgrading your car to get more power. But if the road you’re on is congested, you can’t make full use of all of those HP. Upgrading the hard drive is like adding more lanes to the road and increase the speed limit by 5-10x.[/quote]

Good suggestion, AN … you have my attn! I have a SATA/eSATA bus for 3 drives with cheap WD drives (“caviar green and blue”) installed next to each other, in addition to the smaller WD drive which holds the operating system and programs. This year, I will replace the Vaio Pent D’s original WD SATA with a SATA II/III SSD to speed the boot time up … that is, after I install a *new* video card and power supply 🙂

Thanks for the tip!

[bearishgurl]

[quote=LAAFTERHOURS]You can build a monster machine with 500. Or search for one on sale. Both could be found on Slickdeals.net

http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9&intagid%5B%5D=9%5B/quote%5D

Absolutely agree! And if you want to watch TV and HD movies on it, MAYBE $750. (I disconnected by cable again recently.)

[carlsbadworker]

[quote=sdrealtor]Will they have them in the store so I can walk out with one?[/quote]

Yes, that’s how I get my PC now. Dell is not producing good quality desktops so I usually setup alert on slickdeal for Staples deals and walk to the B&M store to get one when they are on sale, like the one I posted earlier.

I recently got a Toshiba C655-S5231 Laptop (Core i3-2310M 2.10GHz, 4GB DDR3, 640GB HDD, 15.6″, 6 Cell, Win7) for $219.50 @ Staples B&M.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=sdrealtor]Will they have them in the store so I can walk out with one?[/quote]

Good L@ord, can ANY COMPETENT PIGG closer to “Nirvana” offer to accompany “sdr the neophyte” to buy/order a computer?

[Author]

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