Help with purchase of new PC

Ron-P

I need a new desktop home PC and have no idea what to look for as for specs (memory, hd space, video specs). It won't be used for gaming. Ive got a budget of $1,500 +/-. I would like a photo-quality printer, dvd-drive, 17" or bigger display.

I've used Dell's here at the office for over 4 years and they have preformed very well, I have no complaints.

Any idea on basic specs I should be looking at?

Pablo

I'm a dell fan as well (although there customer support has really dropped since it went to India).

What will you be using it for? Do you need a lot of disk storage? What ever you use it for, get a Gig of RAM and a dual layer DVD burner. You will need that down the road if you don't need it now. For $1500, you can probably get a pretty decent machine. If you do like the Dells, check the outlet (there should be a button at the top of their site) and browse by the $1500 range. You can get some good deals there (I bought one 2 years ago with out a problem). They are ussualy refurbs, or scratch & dent, and come with some extra software.

What type of pictures do you want to print? If it's just 4x6, then the personal printers are great. I have the Epson PictureMate, and the pictures come out fantastic (from both my Digital SLR & my wifes Kodak EasyShare. You can't tell it from a regular print). (I just checked Epson's site and they have a refurb for $59 [a bargin]). For bigger prints that are really high quality, you may have to spend a few bucks (like $500+). Otherwise, the other "picture" printers have a decent large print, but nothing real photo quality (plus the ink gets kind of expensive). I'm waiting for the die-subs to come down in price.

mldennison

i gotta second dell, i was looking for my father just recently (same sort of thing, no gaming, just a solid machine) and they ended up a few hundred less than everyone else. i dont think you will need their top of the line XPS system, just a Dimension with the options you like...

i have also heard good things about the sony Vaio desktops although it seemed to me when i looked that they were becoming harder to find, not sure if sony is getting out of this market

PhantomOG

I've never owned a Dell (and never will), but their customer support is pathetic. My wife is a project coordinator and worked with Dell to replace bad motherboards in their business systems sold throughout the country (which they denied and said only affected a "few" customers; yeah right!). She said working with Dell was horrible and even worse for the actual Dell customers.

I live in Austin (where they slap them together) so I know a little more about their business practices. I'm sure no company is perfect but the things I hear about Dell make me sick. Trust me... there is a good reason why the systems are so cheap.

It doesn't seem like you need a high end machine so any manufacturer will probably do. I don't think you'll really need to spend $1500 though.

Ron-P

I don't need a lot of disk space, we store most everything on disk. It will be used mainly for everyday home stuff and internet. My daughter does play some games but nothing major.

I was looking at the Dell XPS 400.
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsdt_400?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn&~tab=specstab#tabtop
Seems like a decent machine. I'd upgrade the RAM and add a nice printer and that should be good, I think.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Why not just build a desktop? You can get a lot better PC for the money. That would be my suggestion. I'd be glad to help in anyway I can if you decide to go this route - hell I'll even build it for you.

I just hate seeing people throw money at mass produced PCs when they can spend the same amount or less abd build a quality PC with good parts. It's like buying one of those cute little Bose systems, sure they come all pre-packaged and ready to plug in, but the same amount of money and a little more effort can get you a great set of speakers and some Outlaw Separates...

Ron-P

but their customer support is pathetic

My dad says the same about HP. We used Dell support in our office and have not had any problems. There 2 year warranty is in-home, no too bad a deal.

My budget is $1,500, if less, great. I may hit Best Buy and Circuit City and see what they have to offer up.

bobman1235

The only problem with building your own is that
a) if you're not that computer literate, you're screwed if everything doesn't work, or something brekas
b) software is EXPENSIVE retail. At the very least you have to buy windows, unless you want to pirate it. Most everything else has a "free" counterpart, but you're kinda stuck with that.

Ron-P

sure they come all pre-packaged and ready to plug in

That is exactly what I am looking for. Plug and Play. Thank you for the offer Polkmanic but I've gone down that road before and don't want to anymore. I want an entire package deal I can unbox, set-up, plug it in and it goes. Sure, I'll pay more for it but I'm ok with that.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I worked for Dell for a while, and wouldn't recommend their products. If you're going to buy a mass produced PC, look at something like Alienware, as they build their machines with decent parts. One of their lower end machines should suffice.

Having worked for Dell, HP, and Sony, I would still take the Dell over the other two, but you're choosing the lesser of the evils IMO.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I think Best Buy sells the Alienware machines, or at least they used to - that would be my choice of what they offer - only thing is they're a bit more expensive than your typical HP or Sony.

PhantomOG

Polkmaniac wrote:

Why not just build a desktop? You can get a lot better PC for the money. That would be my suggestion. I'd be glad to help in anyway I can if you decide to go this route - hell I'll even build it for you.

I've built all my PC's so far and tend to agree, but today's low-end manufactured computers come very close. You can get a decent desktop system w/monitor for less than $500 now. Unless you enjoy sourcing and putting together all the components it makes sense just to get a pre-built system. When I was in college it was fun, but I value my time alot more now and just don't want to deal with the hassle.

The next computer I get will probably be pre-built.

Ron-P

Unless you enjoy sourcing and putting together all the components

Nope.

AsSiMiLaTeD

If you give me a budget of say $1000 I can build a machien that FAR surpasses any pre-built in that same price range. That increase is not 'perceived', it's quantifiable using benchmark programs, and the damn thing won't fall apart on me as quick.

As far as time is concerned, it's basically a wash. Once I have the parts I need, I can have the hardware together and running in less than 15 minutes (less time than it takes me to unbox and hook up the HP from the store. Then I install the OS, which takes maybe half an hour, and install all my other software, another half hour or so. In all, I MAY have 2 hours invested in building and getting the PC set up. I'll spend close to that if not more with a pre-built machine, because when I get it home God knows I'm going to spend at least an hour unpacking the thing and removing all the crap software that comes preloaded.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Sorry for the derail Ron, good luck with whatever you decide to do.

PhantomOG

bobman1235 wrote:

b) software is EXPENSIVE retail. At the very least you have to buy windows, unless you want to pirate it. Most everything else has a "free" counterpart, but you're kinda stuck with that.

exactly why when the next version of Windows comes out I will definitely buy a pre-built PC.

If you live near a Fry's, check the ads on Fridays in the newspaper. They always have a decent deal on mainstream pre-built PC's (usually HP/Compaq/Sony).

Ron-P

Sorry for the derail Ron

No problem at all, I do appreciate the offer. I just want something that has a solid warranty and I can drop off at the local shop or have them come to my house and not be out any cash.

I know nothing of computer guts and if you built one and it went down I'd have no idea one how to fix it and don't really know anyone locally that could. At this point I'll pay more for less of a machine for the simplicity of set-up and warranty service.

PhantomOG

Polkmaniac wrote:

If you give me a budget of say $1000 I can build a machien that FAR surpasses any pre-built in that same price range. That increase is not 'perceived', it's quantifiable using benchmark programs, and the damn thing won't fall apart on me as quick.

I'd say this is true at $1000 but definitely not at <$500. In order to get components that cheap, you really have to watch for deals on individual items and that takes time. And then you've got the OS to buy as well.

A few weeks ago I took my parents to Fry's to get a system. We got a Sempron 3200+ system, 512MB ram, 200GB HD, 16X Dual layer Light Scribe DVD burner, SD/CF/MMC/etc. reader, 17" flat CRT, printer, Windows XP (legit, not pirated) for $399.

I'd be hard pressed to believe you can build a system comparable to that with a $400 budget. And it would take you ALOT longer than the 15 minutes to go to the store and bring it home.

Demiurge

Everyone with an internet connection and a keyboard is a computer expert.

My suggestion, go to a local computer store that has some strong roots in your community. Tell them what you're looking for and make sure they understand that you want a place you can go to and get things fixed on site. You can do a 'build your own' at a store like that, and most will offer warranties on them right through the store.

If you just want a PC in a box, by all means just go to one of the box stores like Best Buy and get one. I would build my own, but I know what I am doing. You have to decide if you want service after the sale, if you do, go with the 'mom & pop' PC store.

You get what you pay for.

Ron-P

If you live near a Fry's, check the ads on Fridays in the newspaper.

This is one company I will not buy from. Sure, they have some good deals but their CS is bar-none the worst I've ever had to deal with.

Demiurge

Ron-P wrote:

This is one company I will not buy from. Sure, they have some good deals but their CS is bar-none the worst I've ever had to deal with.

That's the problem with Best Buy, Circuit City, and the like. You go in and each kid knows the 'big' features each machine has. He or she will rattle it all off in about 30 seconds and then there is this uncomfortable silence, like "OK, man, I told you all I know....you going to buy it or what?" Any follow-up questions are usually met with blank stares or they blow smoke. If you go to a place like that you just need to read all the tags on your own and know what you want.

PhantomOG

Ron-P wrote:

This is one company I will not buy from. Sure, they have some good deals but their CS is bar-none the worst I've ever had to deal with.

That's true, but for a purchase like this I don't see what the problem is. You go home, plug it in, it works - - from then on your CS is with the manufacturer (Sony/HP/Compaq/etc). If it doesn't work when you plug it in, its a simple exchange which shouldn't be that difficult.

For the level of service it seems you want, maybe the Mom-and-Pop place is more your style. Expect to pay more though.

AsSiMiLaTeD

PhantomOG wrote:

exactly why when the next version of Windows comes out I will definitely buy a pre-built PC.

If you live near a Fry's, check the ads on Fridays in the newspaper. They always have a decent deal on mainstream pre-built PC's (usually HP/Compaq/Sony).

Don't buy Windows 'retail' - that's crazy and a waste of money if you're building your own PC. Buy an OEM copy of Windows when you buy the parts for your computer, much cheaper - I think I paid like a hundred bucks for my full copy or XP Pro.

PhantomOG

Polkmaniac wrote:

I think I paid like a hundred bucks for my full copy or XP Pro.

Which makes building a PC at <$500 almost impossible when compared to the pre-built ones.

From what the original post specified as far as needs, anything you personally build would probably be way-overkill. Spending $1000 on a computer to do "home stuff and internet" is ridiculous in my opinion. Nothing wrong with it, and if that's what he wants to spend more power to him.

Ron-P

That's the problem with Best Buy, Circuit City, and the like.

True, although I've had better luck with them over Fry's. Yet another reason I'm leaning towards Dell. It's 2 years in-home. If something happens all I need to do is make a call. I'm willing to pay more for that.

I've had more then my fair share of computer problems, repair issues, replacing parts and such and just don't want the headache of dealing with it anymore.

polkatese

For home PC, I swear by Dell. I've Dimension 8100 and 8400, bought in 2001 and 2004. Both are still chugging along nicely. HD on the 8100 failed, it was a Western Digital known problem, Dell cross-shipped a replacement overnight (I bought 3 years extended on both). I used to build machine back in the 8086/386/486/P1 time, part hobby and part work. No more, the time-value-of-money kicked in, and can't beat the value prop of buying it from Dell, comparing apple and apple (including the legit software bundle).


Two rule of thumbs in getting PC:
1. Get the fastest processor possible for the budget (to protect against planned obsolescence)
2. RAM - The more the merrier (again, within the budget)

ps: monitor quality used to be a big deal, not anymore. In fact, you can get a whole lot of deal by shopping around for it separately. Obviously, LCD is the way to go, unless you don't mind big CRT display (which is whole lot cheaper) Have fun, Ron!

PhantomOG

Ron-P wrote:

True, although I've had better luck with them over Fry's. Yet another reason I'm leaning towards Dell.

Fry's doesn't provide service for the PC, the manufacturer does (HP/Sony/etc.)

Strong Bad

The Dell XPS 400 I bought about 4 weeks ago is smokin! I went through our corporate employee purchase program. I didn't feel like building a new one. Been there, done that.

I paid $1900 for mine. XPS400, P4 3ghz Dual Core, 2gb RAM, dual 160gb SATA HD's RAID 1, 256mb GeForce 6800 video, Dual layer DVD burner, DVD ROM, 19" Ultrasharp LCD w/DVI and finally, 4 year Gold Tech support next day.

I run mainly Photoshop CS2 and need some muscle to run it right.

I didn't get a printer. I want the Epson R1800 (around $500). Serious archivable photo printer that does 13X19 like you wouldn't believe.

Dell service is a pain, but I've been dealing with them for 2 years now and know just what to tell them, .


John

Ron-P

Fry's doesn't provide service for the PC, the manufacturer does (HP/Sony/etc.)

I realize that, I'm going off past experience with other issues. I won't buy anything from that place to support it.

I was in the return line and the guy in front of me ask to see the manager because it was taking so long. That manager said, flat out, "we're here to take your money, not give it back". That was many, many years ago and I've never been back and never will go back, no matter how good the deal.

cfrizz

Ron, look for a local shop that puts pc's together & get one there. I have gotten my last 2 pc's from a local shop here in Cambridge called PC's For Everyone. They are local & if something goes wrong I just hop into a cab with my box & get it back within a week!

Plus all labor is free.

WWW.pcsforeveryone.com

Check out their website & see if you can find something like it in your city.

Ron-P wrote:

No problem at all, I do appreciate the offer. I just want something that has a solid warranty and I can drop off at the local shop or have them come to my house and not be out any cash.

I know nothing of computer guts and if you built one and it went down I'd have no idea one how to fix it and don't really know anyone locally that could. At this point I'll pay more for less of a machine for the simplicity of set-up and warranty service.

RuSsMaN

www.dell.com

Yeah.