I Hate Sony!!!

Airplay355

I hate my sony computer, its the biggest POS I've ever bought. Its put together with so many pop on parts that break when you pop them off and both of my stupid optical drivers are **** up. Ones dead the other is dieing. I am never ever buying a sony computer again. If it wasnt my only computer Id take it out back and beat it to death, office space style.


Now, can any of you computer wizzes help me with getting a new computer? I'm not an idiot so I don't think putting one together would be that hard, I just don't know what kind of parts I need, and where to plug them in. I've heard newegg is a great place to get parts for cheap, and cheap is GREAT. I can't spend alot of money.

Should I try to salvage anything from the sony comp? Like the hard drive, processor, or ram? I don't know what works with what, and I don't really know how to go about building a comp. I would really appreciate it if someone helped me put together one. Thanks in advance.

fireshoes

Typical Sony man. Whatever they make, "Wow, that's a nice one!" Good value, mostly good performance, and then after you've had it a while, it goes to ****.

jcaut

I am not an expert on this, but I have a few comments:

About the only thing that might be worth saving from your old computer would be the hard drive. Maybe as a secondary drive. And that kind of depends on age, capacity, etc., whether it would be worth messing with or not. Actually if your computer is more than about two years old, I doubt that it would be worth trying to salvage parts from it.

I built my own computer about a year ago -- first one I've ever done-- and it's not hard at all. It's also not necessarily cheap. I'm rather picky about what parts I wanted in there, and I got a very nice system that's fast, stable, and does everything I wanted it to do, but it cost me more than I intended to spend on it when I started. At first I was just going to buy some new parts to upgrade my existing 3yr old Dell. I wanted more HD space and Windows XP, to make more effective use of the DVD burner I had installed previously. After research and parts shopping, I discovered what I mentioned above: There's nothing in there that's useable, or worth using, except for the DVD burner I mentioned. So I ended up starting from scratch, new case and all, and the price went up, and up, and up....

I just ordered (for Mom) a Dell system, that is a mid-level 4700 system (P4-2.8HT) that came with keyboard, mouse, basic speakers, AND a 17"LCD monitor for about $400 less than I had in the parts I used to build mine. Now granted that's a system with integrated sound and video, minimal RAM and no DVD burner, but still... All depends on what you want to do.

Newegg is a great source of parts. I built a P4 system on an Intel motherboard because I don't overclock, play games, etc., and because I'm willing to sacrifice some speed for enhanced stability. If you want to build a bang-for-the-buck system, you can do so using AMD for substantially less. There are numerous guides on the web that will help you with building a computer, and help you learn what works with what. I'll send you a link if I can find one, and I'm sure someone else will chime in here as well.

Jason

Willow

If you choose not to keep it before you bring it out back I would be willing to take your HD and even exchange some...what do you call that paper stuff....

nadams

I threw this system together for a family member-

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/WishShareShow.asp?ID=1480109&WishListTitle=MID%2DRANGE+DELL+COMPETITION

just if you want to compare to Dell. Obviously the computer is infinitely customizable when building it yourself, but I think that's a good starting point.

Sami

Building your own might not be the cheapest way but it's a better way. That way you will get more performance for your money if you know what parts to pick out. Wholesale computers many times have one or more parts that are holding the computer back and upgrades are expensive.

How much is your budget and for what would you be using it for?

jcaut

No doubt that by building your own you'll get better performance. And the ability to pick and choose your parts, to make your computer do what YOU want is a substantial benefit.

I got that Dell system I was talking about above for $500 after the rebate. It also came with one of their cheapie printers, and a 1 year warranty. It has limited upgrade room though, only 2 PCI slots, IIRC, and I've got a modem in one of them.

When we set that Dell up, it had so much pre-installed crap running (and as I mentioned, only came with 256Mb RAM) that it would barely do anything when we turned it on. I spent about an hour tuning it up; Mom would have had to spend substantially more than that on the phone with Dell, otherwise.

Sami

Originally posted by jcaut
When we set that Dell up, it had so much pre-installed crap running (and as I mentioned, only came with 256Mb RAM)

Clean OS install is the best way to go with those prebuilt computers. 256MB still runs XP if you clean up all the services that are not needed but all that prop. software in there is a pain to clean out.

PhantomOG

Originally posted by jcaut
I built a P4 system on an Intel motherboard because I don't overclock, play games, etc., and because I'm willing to sacrifice some speed for enhanced stability. If you want to build a bang-for-the-buck system, you can do so using AMD for substantially less.
Jason

are you saying a non-overclocked system is more stable than an overclocked system, or that an Intel based system is more stable than an AMD based system? if it is the latter, i'd like to know why you feel this way.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Originally posted by Sami
Clean OS install is the best way to go with those prebuilt computers. 256MB still runs XP if you clean up all the services that are not needed but all that prop. software in there is a pain to clean out.

Yep...take that 'system restore' set of discs they gave you and put them in storage. Get yourself a stand-alone copy of Windows XP, install it, then go online and grab any drivers that you need.

That's the way to go...

AsSiMiLaTeD

Originally posted by PhantomOG
are you saying a non-overclocked system is more stable than an overclocked system, or that an Intel based system is more stable than an AMD based system? if it is the latter, i'd like to know why you feel this way.

A system that is not overclocked will typically yeild more stability than one that is overclocked.

I'm not a big fan of overclocking - there's a reason that the processor speed is stamped on the box, and pushing it beyond that isn't a good idea IMO. However, there are entire online communities who would disagree with that.

AMD is typically known as the better choice for overclocking...likely because they don't run as fast (in terms of Ghz) as Intel chips and have more 'headroom'.

jcaut

I was trying to choose my language carefully, so as not to spark off an AMD vs. Intel debate . Frankly, I don't know enough about it to debate it and it really doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I was just relaying what I did, based on what I could find by researching on the web and from my previous experiences. It seems to me that AMD-based systems are more often chosen by folks who like to play games, intend to overclock, etc. The reason is that they probably perform better in those applications. Generally, if you're overclocking, stability is not at the top of your list of priorities. From most of my reasearch it seemed that those who value stability over speed, seemed to prefer an Intel-based system. I realize that I could have built an AMD system for >$100 less, that would have performed better on most benchmarks- but I don't care about that. It might not have given up anything in stability either. But I went for what I trusted more, and I've been very happy with it.

jcaut

Originally posted by Sami
Clean OS install is the best way to go with those prebuilt computers. 256MB still runs XP if you clean up all the services that are not needed but all that prop. software in there is a pain to clean out.

Yes. It is.

Dell used to enclose a Windows CD, but not anymore. This computer had a couple of restore options: They've burned an image of the C: drive onto a different partition, and have what is basically Norton Ghost installed, so that you can restore that image. Of course that gets all the crap back as well.

They have a utility that lets you burn a copy of the operating system on CD. I did this, and it appears to work just like a Windows disc, although it wouldn't surprise me if there's some difference. Instead of attempting a format and reinstall, I just removed or disabled the offending programs. It runs pretty well now. Plenty good enough for what my Mom will do with it.

nadams

A few words, if I may, on Dell, AMD, and Intel.

First off, I use almost exclusively, AMD. I also build all my own machines. The only time I use Intel is when it's free, or if a customer specifically requests a "Pentium".

This is not because I don't like Intel..... it's not because AMD is better than Intel, it's because AMD is cheaper than Intel, and works just as well. Here at the school, we have a mix of self-built AMD machines, and a few Intel-based highend Gateway workstations (for CAD). There have been absolutely no differences in reliability between the two platforms. I have had, at most, 3 AMD Athlon processors die on me since they came out, and I'm in contact with a LOT of these things on a daily basis. In a retail package, you get a 3yr warranty.... not bad at all.

Anyway, that's always up to the person building the computer... I figure, if I can cut costs by $100 per machine (plus the mobos are usually a little cheaper) then all the better. Makes more of a profit margin for me.

As for Dell, I have mixed opinions. For home use, Dell is starting to suck it. They load their machines up with bloated programs, and you'll spend hours on the phone w/ tech support before you get ahold of some Indian person (no offense to Indians... I just can't understand ya...) who runs you through all the basic stuff you already tried... yadda yadda..

However, the other school I work for buys Dell Optiplex workstations, exclusively, and the support rocks. We pay some money for it, but we have the Premier access, where if a part dies, we simply put in a request, and it's delivered either the next day or 2 days. Complete with return shipping label. On those machines, we use our own image, so I'm not sure what they load on those.

I also do work for another company, which has been buying a lot of Dells. They're the Dimension towers, and they come nice and clean. They have Office 2003 (special order), Acrobat Reader, and that's it. The only thing that's in the system tray on first boot is the sound icon. Plus, they still include an actual windows XP CD to load if something goes wrong. They leave all the additional software on separate CDs.

Just my thoughts....

Airplay355

It's an 80 gb harddrive, 256 mb of ram, 32 mb graphics card, 1.7 ghz processor (intel p4) and its running windows xp home edition. It's 4 years old.

Sami

Get a new DVD drive and 1GB of memory. Buy memory locally so you can exchange it if it is incompatible with your computer.

1.7GHz will still get the job done even if it isn't the fastest computer out there. Once you're ready to move to a new computer, install Linux on this one and set it up as a server.

Airplay355

its max is 512 for memory

nadams

With those system specs, a full computer replacement is not needed. Your HD is fine, and the processor is fine. I would upgrade your memory (you don't need a gig like Sami says, but if you have the money for it, that's great. You could feaseably get away with another 256, but usually it's almost cheaper to buy a 512), and also the video card (depending on if you wish to play any games or anything).

But yeah, you can still get away with just upgrading instead of trashing the whole thing. Also, depending on your motherboard, you may be able to upgrade the processor to a faster P4.

Just some thoughts...

Sami

512MB is ok. Just do a cleanup on services, that will save you memory and some processor time.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Originally posted by Sami
512MB is ok. Just do a cleanup on services, that will save you memory and some processor time.

Here's a good list of services that you can disable/clean up:

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/windowsxp_tips.htm#services_disable

Just read the descriptions and it'll help you figure out which ones you need...

PolkThug

My 1 cent on overclocking.

Overclocking does not make a system less stable. Improper overclocking makes a system less stable. -PolkThug*



*Above comment pertains only to AMD processors, some restrictions may apply, not available in all states.

Mjr7531

I would hold onto the parts, you never really know when you might need them again (a second computer etc.)

MacLeod

My little input, I have a Sony Vaio that Ive had for 3 years now and it has operated flawlessly. I havent upgraded anything and everything works fine.

Airplay355

Well, mine's 4 years old...Give it one more year, then things will start dieing.

MacLeod

LOL!! I hope not!

Im a pretty big Sony fan. As Ive said before, vrtually every electronic thing I own is Sony and they have all worked perfectly for years.

Airplay355

`I wish I could say the same. I hope my monitor and TV hold up.

As for what I'm going to do about the computer, I have no f'in clue.

MacLeod

My sony TV is 5 years old and works perfectly and my 19" computer monitor is 3 years old and also works perfectly.

Hopefully you just had bad luck and drew a lemon with your computer.

Airplay355

I'm gonna go find someone who drew vodka and have a party

MacLeod

LOL!! Not a bad idea.

Ive got some lime twisted Seagrams Gin in the kitchen. I may do some "partaking" tonight myself!