Need new computer

wutadumsn23

Title says it all, budget will be between $500-$700. All I need is the "brains", just bought a new monitor not long ago and have a Logitech wireless mouse/keyboard combo as well. Tower took a crap on me about 6 months ago and have been getting by on a crappy laptop that a friend gave me for free. It is finally about to die and it's tax time, so time to stop putting it off. Not too picky as far as requirements, but a decent amount of memory would be good, 500GB or so, but not a requirement. Decent graphics card, but won't be used for gaming so nothing too fancy is needed. Mostly will be used for web browsing, networking/streaming to my PS3 and home use. Sound card is also not a big deal as it won't be used for that. Decent processor/web browsing speed and memory are about my only requirements, and of course a CD/DVD burner as well. I am Active Duty Air Force and can get some pretty good discounts on a Dell through the Dell store on AAFES.com, just need model number and upgrade options so I can see if they have it on the site. Also, have had good luck with HP in the past, so wouldn't mind another one of those as well. No Alienware required here, just something to keep the Family happy and get me back out of the stone age. Thanks in advance guys.

-Jeff

wayne3burk

get a mac mini....and call it close enough

wutadumsn23

wayne3burk wrote: »

get a mac mini....and call it close enough

Thanks for the suggestion, but forgot to mention. Not intrested in Apple/Mac products. Trying to stay away from laptops too.

-Jeff

wayne3burk

I'm running windows XP on mine... no noise, it has an external power supply - no fans. And it's right in your price point

nguyendot

And what are the specs/upgradability of your mac mini?

I'd like to get a few 1tb drives later without having power bricks all over or paying extra for an external shell...
then i'd like to maybe upgrade the video card to something that uses more power than your mac mini brick has in total.....

after that I'd like to be able to replace the optical drive with an off the shelf product should it fail.... .

and then later on i'd like to possibly play blu rays.

Options for all that on mac mini?

billbillw

Just get anything with a basic quad-core processor, 4+GB RAM, Win 7-64bit, and whatever standard hard drive the offer. You should be able to get in under $450. Integrated graphics will suit you fine.
I searched and found just what you are looking for, it would be hard to go wrong a deal like this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5642528&CatId=5138

billbillw

FYI: If you are willing to use the Bing Cash back process, you can also save 15% on the Tigerdirect purchase. Just go to bing, search for netbook, and you will see a sponsor link that gives you 15% back. Make sure you are using the IE browser (not firefox), and you must use the bing link to get to Tigerdirect. Once you are at Tigerdirect, you can search for the PC I linked above and you should see some indication of ~$55 cashback for that purchase. Bing cashback works. I've gotten well over $200 back on various purchases since last summer. Just make sure you use IE and always go to Bing first and search there. Always use the links that show cashback.

Systems

Sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with this. I would not recommend a refurbished HP computer. I would stick with getting a new Dell. Theres a Studio XPS 8100 for $649 would be a better route, it doesn't have integrated graphics either. I always recommend getting a stand-alone video card no matter what your doing on the computer...

billbillw wrote: »

Just get anything with a basic quad-core processor, 4+GB RAM, Win 7-64bit, and whatever standard hard drive the offer. You should be able to get in under $450. Integrated graphics will suit you fine.
I searched and found just what you are looking for, it would be hard to go wrong a deal like this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5642528&CatId=5138

Sherardp

Both Dell and HP have problems. So if your going that route pick one and prepare for the ride when dealing with customer service.

I would entertain building a rig rather than going big box. I certainly would not run integrated graphics unless they have gotten better as of late. For $700 bucks you can build a rig that will smoke a Dell or HP costing way more.

concealer404

Build one, it's fun!

billbillw

Lorthos wrote: »

Sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with this. I would not recommend a refurbished HP computer. I would stick with getting a new Dell. Theres a Studio XPS 8100 for $649 would be a better route, it doesn't have integrated graphics either. I always recommend getting a stand-alone video card no matter what your doing on the computer...

What's your basis for this statement? You gotta problem with the refurb aspect or the specs of that PC?
I've never had a single problem with any refurb PC product. I've bought refurb PCs, refurb hard drives, refurb video cards, refurb printers. Never a problem.

As for the specs, he said he doesn't game, so he really doesn't need anything more than integrated graphics. If he wanted a stand alone graphics card at a later time, he could add a much nicer one than that Dell has, and still be spending a lot less money.

Sami

You could build a decent dual core for $250-300 in parts + the cost of operating system (if applicable).

Systems

Sami wrote: »

You could build a decent dual core for $250-300 in parts + the cost of operating system (if applicable).

Hmmm, I reread his post just in cased I missed something. I did not see any indication that he wanted to build a computer. He pretty much laid out exactly what he wanted and mentioned getting discounts through Dell.

Sami

Lorthos wrote: »

Hmmm, I reread his post just in cased I missed something. I did not see any indication that he wanted to build a computer. He pretty much laid out exactly what he wanted and mentioned getting discounts through Dell.

I said, COULD build one for a few bucks. It's not very complicated.

bigaudiofanatic

Lorthos wrote: »

Sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with this. I would not recommend a refurbished HP computer. I would stick with getting a new Dell. Theres a Studio XPS 8100 for $649 would be a better route, it doesn't have integrated graphics either. I always recommend getting a stand-alone video card no matter what your doing on the computer...

I have to agree and disagree. HP and dell both have went down the drain for quality. I would look at acer, sony, and ibm.

bigaudiofanatic

Sherardp wrote: »

Both Dell and HP have problems. So if your going that route pick one and prepare for the ride when dealing with customer service.

I would entertain building a rig rather than going big box. I certainly would not run integrated graphics unless they have gotten better as of late. For $700 bucks you can build a rig that will smoke a Dell or HP costing way more.

Or this

AsSiMiLaTeD

Lorthos wrote: »

Hmmm, I reread his post just in cased I missed something. I did not see any indication that he wanted to build a computer. He pretty much laid out exactly what he wanted and mentioned getting discounts through Dell.

I reread the post as well, and I didn't see anything RULING OUT building his own PC either.

I'm not saying building is the best option for everyone, but it's a viable option that hadn't been brought up yet. He probably gets a discount at other places as well that sell parts with which he could build the pc.

comfortablycurt

All I can tell is not to buy a ZT Reliant from Staples. I bought one a few months ago...and I've had nothing but problems with it. A few weeks ago I had to send it back in to be fixed...that's pretty bad for a 3 month old computer.

On the other hand...my last computer was a Gateway, and it ran trouble free for about 5-6 years.

billbillw

Hey, I've been building my own PCs for over 10 years now. Its definitely the way to go for some people. That said, for others, an off the shelf, ready to go system is the way to go.

Even though I've been building my own systems, I wouldn't hesitate to buy that HP I recommended above, especially for only ~$325 (after cashback). In fact, I recommended it to my parents who need a new PC.

EDIT:
Just wanted to add to my point of view. Bottom line is that all PCs are just a sum of their parts. No matter who the name brand is, most of the parts are made by a small group of OEM companies. The only thing that really makes an HP, and HP, is the case. The motherboard is probably an OEM Asus (Pegatron), the memory is probably a well known brand, the hard drive will be Seagate, samsung, WD, or Hitachi. Power supplies are mostly made from a handful of OEM companies. Get rid of the HP bloatware, and you've probably got a computer that is just as reliable as anything out there.

wutadumsn23

Thanks for the ideas/suggestions guys. I have a better idea what I want now, and the build your own suggestion was a good one. Haven't done much of that, but def is something I will look into. Just wanted to get some ideas/feedback so I'll take what I got and roll with it. Thanks again guys.

-Jeff

mewisemagic

well,if you have a sams club in your area, check with them. i found a decent deal on an hp pc in the clearence dept. ended up way cheaper than i could build it for. the deal sealer was the 24" hd monitor that came with it:D

bruss

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

Not too picky as far as requirements, but a decent amount of memory would be good, 500GB or so, but not a requirement.
-Jeff

Man thats alot of memory

Hillbilly61

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

Thanks for the ideas/suggestions guys. I have a better idea what I want now, and the build your own suggestion was a good one. Haven't done much of that, but def is something I will look into. Just wanted to get some ideas/feedback so I'll take what I got and roll with it. Thanks again guys.

-Jeff

I've built a bunch of PCs over the years. It's a really good father/son activity too. The key in a homebrew PC project is match all of the components for balanced performance and budget, as the least powerful component will tend to limit the rest of the system. It all starts with selecting the right processor, a motherboard balanced with it and going from there. Picking the right motherboard is most crucial as there are many out there with different characteristics.

A 500 GB internal hard drive is fairly cheap. Strongly suggest one with a good reputation, at least a 7200 rpm speed and as big a buffer that can be had within budget. In general, there is a world of performance difference to be had with higher RPM speed. In fact, I'd select a hard drive with less storage, but higher RPM over a drive that has a slower RPM and more storage.

Good luck!

- follow up: I forgot to add, a non-trivial hidden cost of a homebrew PC is the OS and any other software, like an office suite, etc you might require. If you have your OS disks from the PC you are migrating from, then that is a non-issue. The OS is most always bundled into a store bought PC.

wutadumsn23

Thanks again Hillbilly and everybody else, I am still researching, and should know which way I am going before the weekend is over.

-Jeff

Sami

Hillbilly61 wrote: »

- follow up: I forgot to add, a non-trivial hidden cost of a homebrew PC is the OS and any other software, like an office suite, etc you might require. If you have your OS disks from the PC you are migrating from, then that is a non-issue. The OS is most always bundled into a store bought PC.

This is one of the key items I ask anyone who wants me to build their system. The OS depends on what they are going to use their computer for. For 90% of the casual users I recommend one of the free versions of operating systems as their needs don't really demand any software they have to pay for. Some have specific needs that rule out free OS and also OSX.

Ranger0912

Get one of the new Mac Minis. You will never go back to a PC.

Sami

Ranger0912 wrote: »

Get one of the new Mac Minis. You will never go back to a PC.

I agree and I disagree. I got one from work to use as a development platform for iPhone apps, and I like it. However, it's not a magical machine that solves all your computing needs. To avoid a lengthy explanation of how I feel about it, I'll try a short explanation: OSX is a crossover between Windows and Linux.

Sami

Nice deal: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=5618187&sku=M975-10170&SRCCODE=WEM2179BY&cm_mmc=Email-_-Main-_-WEM2179-_-tigeremail

Ranger0912

Sami wrote: »

I agree and I disagree. I got one from work to use as a development platform for iPhone apps, and I like it. However, it's not a magical machine that solves all your computing needs. To avoid a lengthy explanation of how I feel about it, I'll try a short explanation: OSX is a crossover between Windows and Linux.

Sami, Agree that Macs aren't for everyone. I noted that the OP said he wasn't interested in Apple products. There was a time when I said the same thing, but for the tasks he described he might be surprised at the simplicity and reliability the folks in Cupertino can deliver. Just an opinion and you know what folks say about those!

Sami

For people that don't have specific software needs, I would recommend a Mac if they weren't overpriced. A Mac Mini is a nice machine and not expensive so it is a good option for nearly everyone. For the value minded people you can't beat the value of self built machine with Linux installation. If I had not played around with Linux so much I would have been more impressed by the Mac Mini but it lacks quite a lot of features that are possible with Linux.

All systems come with their benefits and issues, you just have to pick the right tool for your job. Unfortunately most people are afraid of changea and will stick to whatever they are familiar with so they will not try the tool that might be better for them.

wutadumsn23

Yeah, the old computer just died on me and I am suspecting that it is the power supply. I had so many issues with it (on my windows partition) with adware, spyware etc. that it wouldn't even boot the Windows partition, but my Linux partition worked flawlessly. The computer is dated to say the least and even a $30 power supply wouldn't be worth resurecting it. Whatever I do get, I will def. be running it on Linux, with a Windows partition for all my Microsoft specific programs. Thanks again for the help, and I'm about to go look around now.

-Jeff