[BobM]

I've been out of the PC buying market for quite some time, so I need a little ed-u-cation on what to look for out there today and which brands are the most reliable. My old desktop is about 5 years old now, running XP. I do have a separate XP Toshiba laptop as well that my older daughter uses. I'm looking to move the desktop into my younger daughters room for her use. So I need a replacement for myself.

I'm unsure about getting a laptop or a desktop. My house is wired for internet and I do have a wireless router, so the portability of the laptop is a huge convenience. But I also want the upgrade to be able to play new video games, whch choke on my old PC. If I get a laptop I will also need a new flat screen and a docking station, keyboard and mouse.

If I get a desktop I'll probably get all of that and probably a faster processor, more RAM, & bigger hard drive but lose the portability - for a lower cost than the laptop though.

So, what should I consider and look for?
 - How much RAM?
 - How large a hard drive?
 - What about video cards and their RAM?
 - Which brands to steer clear of these days?

No, I am not considering an Apple at this time. I want to maximize what I get for my $$$ and go with Windows 7. And no, I'm not planning to use it as a music server or to hook up to my system.

Thanks,
Bob

[mjosef]

RAM: at least 4G.
HD: 1.5Tb
Graphic" sweet spot is the ATI4870. usually under 140$ with 1Gb DDR5.
CPU: AMD recently brought out a 3-core for under 100$
PS: min. 650-700W

Those would be the min specs. to aim for...what kinda budget you got?

[mshan]

If you are not a gamer, I'd say watch http://www.techbargains.com for a good deal on the Dell Vostro 220 (usually around $400, often including a basic monitor).  Mid-tower configuration more expandable than the slim mini case, but that is probably fine for general purpose computing (and may be possibly found much cheaper than $400 if you get a good coupon code deal from Tech Bargains).

I'd say 1 GB RAM minimum, 2 GB is probably fine for most, ATI 4350 or 4550 unless you are a gamer (integrated is probably fine for general purpose computing).  Either is supposed to be plenty powerful for Blu-Ray.

Equivalent of 2 ghz Core 2 Duo cpu is probably fine, ~ 2.5 gHz is probably sweet spot now, and 3 gHz is probably more for power user.

160 GB hard drive is probably plenty if you don't have a lot of music or ripped dvds, but 320, 500, or even 640 GB system hard drive are probably very common (platter density of 160, 250, and 320, with some hard drives even sporting 500 gb platters now).

[macrojack]

Look here:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/series_can.do?storeName=computer_store&landing=desktops&a1=Category&v1=High%20performance&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/desktops/High_performance

The word from the young people in my life is Apple or H.P. for the biggest bang and best product.

Within the last 6 weeks, one son bought a MacBook Pro and the other got an H.P. Pavilion Elite.
Both are very happy.

I've always thought it wise to emphasize operating speed because RAM and hard drive are easy and cheap to upgrade later. Seems like the speed is what obsoletes a PC.

[MaxCast]

I damn near bought this one

Thanks to a $356 instant savings, you get a $250 premium 24" LCD monitor from Samsung and a sleek slim desktop computer for just $449! Samsung's 2494SW LCD monitor features a 5ms response time, a 50000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, DVI, 300cd/m2 brightness and a 1920x1080 resolution in a very nice and comfortable 24" screen. The computer system features a 2.60GHz Intel Dual Core E5300 processor, 3GB of DDR2 SDRAM memory, a huge 500GB SATA 7200rpm hard drive and Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit. I would opt for the no pre-installed anti-virus software for $0 as opposed to being stuck with Norton, and upgrading to an even bigger 750GB hard drive for just $35 would be tempting. Monitor shows up in the cart before you check out. This offer is set to expire tonight or possibly earlier (as we've seen others pull) so if you want it, get it soon. DELL VOSTRO 220S SLIM TOWER COMPUTER WITH SAMSUNG 2494SW 24 INCH LCD MONITOR COMBO DEAL

    * Update: You can see the specs and pictures of the handsome Samsung LCD monitor here: SAMSUNG 2494SW 24 INCH LCD MONITOR SAMSUNG.COM

keep watching gotapex.com for dell deals.

[Bemopti123]

I am wary of any HP laptops and desktops.  They "seem" to be a good bang for the buck, but my experience with them have been nothing but headaches. 

I purchased my computer from VelocityMicro almost 1 year ago in order to play a game that has yet to be released.  Mine has been overbuilt with an I7 core chip, 3 GB of triple channel 1300 or was it 1600 MHZ memory, a large Nvidia video card and a 150GB velociraptor 10,000 RPM harddrive.  This tower is a speed demon, perhaps more like a cannon for a knife fight, but one thing I can tell, power and in this case, speed corrupts.  All other computers I have tried seem turtle like in speed, even my speedy Macbook Pro unibody with 4GB of ddr3 memory with independent Nvidia 9400GT videographics card and a 7500 RPM drive. 

Customized computers are expensive but if I was in the market for another tower again, I would go for another VelocityMicro.  BTW, VelocityMicro has this upgrade program where you send your computer back to them and they will charge you a flat $90 fee to reinstall and upgrade things with you just paying for the parts.  In 5 years, I will take advantage of that. 

Good luck with the hunt. 

[BobM]

Thanks everyone. I remember about a year ago the techies I wrk with were saying to stay away from Dell and get a Toshiba or an HP. But things change fast. Are Dell's back on the reliability wagon again? I know they tend to put together some nice packages around Thanksgiving where monitors and printers and memory upgrades and such are all included in the base price.

I'll keep an eye on these links.

[stereocilia]

Things do change fast!  I'm still very satisfied with the machine I built with parts from newegg, thanks to the help of AC members.  This way, I was able to choose quiet parts, and that was important to me.

[cruz123]

After a few bad experiences buying computers on-line and poor service from on-line vendors, I've gone the route of buying computers locally.   The last two computers I have bought have been from Best Buy and Fry's and in both cases I had their in-house techs maximize the computer, i.e. erase all the trial and/or unwanted software, install virus protection, optimize performance settings, etc.   They are easily the most trouble free computers I have owned and the small premium in price has been well worth it to me.   If you're savvy at optimizing computers yourself, then online will save you some money, but otherwise the retail path is an option I would strongly recommend.

[GHM]

I have three Dell's at home. All have been very reliable. No hardware problems to speak off. The prices are tough to beat for the packages they put together.

[WerTicus]

direct x 11 just came out...
Id get a 5850 or 5770 video card from ATI at this stage or your already obsolete
grab an intel i5, great value for money and speed to boot or a phenom II x4 are also good value.
and at least 4gb ram and you should be set.  Id probably just get 8gb though to be honest.

[mjosef]

I would never buy a Dell, but that's just me. I have looked at a few friends' Dells and they were all dead end(proprietary)/non-upgradable units. I build/assemble my own.
If you are not computer suave, then cruz123 approach is the best way to go.

Edit: I should add that the Dells I looked at were at the lower to mid price level.

[Doublej]

With Dell, HP or other major brand the manufacturer worries about making sure all of their drivers are kept updated as required and that the consumer has a seamless way of finding and installing those updates. With my Lenovo Thinkpad I just run their System Updater and it finds all the updates I need for the machine.

That's a lot more efficient than having to chase down an updates from 6-12 vendors. If you want to get a sense for how many you have to deal with download and run DriverMax (it's free) and you'll see what I mean.

If you buy from Dell's business line, the machine comes without the bloatware of their consumer models. Pricing is the same across both lines. I know a lot of people with Dell computers that have had no problems. Check the Dell deal sites and you should be able to pickup a decent machine with monitor for $500.

If you live near an Apple store and want the ultimate in hassle free computing, buy a Macintosh. Then anytime you have a problem you can make a free 15 minute appointment for assistance at the store. But you'll pay 30%-100% more for them.

[GHM]

Here's a smoking deal for you. Just add your own OS and you're set. The processor new in this unit cost as much as the entire package! http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=TS-0008M-C2Q842-R&cpc=RESX. These won't last long either. It uses the same processor as one of my Dells. This thing is blazing fast!!!

With Win7 as the OS..no need to worry about drivers as a whole..it will find most of them all by itself. If I already didn't have too many in the house I would buy one of these myself!

[Levi]

I love my MacBook Pro.  I have the latest Windows 7 Professional loaded in it.  @2400 beans that's two computers in one!   

Whichever computer you buy, make sure you buy the additional warranty.  It's a hit and miss. 

[goldlizsts]

Hi Bob,

Dell is still pretty good, esp. they now understand slacking in tech support will mean only lost customers.  I think they're pretty good.  HP has improved a lot, supposedly.  But, I've always had Dell, even with problems here and there (nobody's perfect!).

You're lucky to be wanting to buy a PC or laptop at this time.  Dirt cheap, relative to several years ago.  If you can, get a new one WITH Windows 7, and not XP or Vista and look to upgrade later.  Upgrading may give you nightmares.  That's what some experts say.  Buy one WITH 7 installed already.  Processor, the current Quad Core is the way to go, not Duo Core (quad is mathematically better than duo already, so a Quadcore PC is much better!).  RAM you'd need at least 2 GB, the more the better, since they're dirty cheap also.  If you play games, or a lot of videos, you'd need a hard drive as big as you can (cheap also).  Much of this you probably already know.

Laptops is approaching mainstream.  So, you may not want a desktop.  But, a desktop does have advantages.  Even Netbook is getting more sophisticated now.  I think Samsung, or HP is coming out with beefed-up netbooks.  But, for more sophisticated users, Netbooks probably are not the ultimate in versatility.  It's just good for mobile, traveling.....

Some will also swear by Macs.  Of course, they look cool.  But, they' d cost you more.  With PCs, you'd be better off with software availability.  Pound for pound, PCs are much easier on your pocket, etc.

If you're not demanding, picky, desiring brand new stuff all the time, check each co's outlet stores.  They have good bargains often.  Many a time, their stuff may even be new, just that a customer abandoned an order..... You save on $$$.  Dell has an outlet link on their site (check the menu bar somewhere at the top).  Others shoudl have similar deals.

Go to a Micro Center to check them out.  Westbury should have one.  Micro Center is like CompUSA of old.....  Big showroom, good for browsing, if not purchasing.

[srb]

Processor, the current Quad Core is the way to go, not Duo Core (quad is mathematically better than duo already, so a Quadcore PC is much better!).

Depends what you want to do.  On my HTPC, I specifically chose a dual core over a quad core because I wanted to cool it passively and didn't want the extra 30W of heat dissipation.
 
Also, even though half the computers going out of a Best Buy have 64 bit Operating Systems on them, there are still a fair number of software programs and hardware devices that won't run on them.
 
I chose a 64 bit OS because I wanted to utilize more than 4GB (or less) of memory.  But I have been bitten in the a$$ several times, because I did not have a 32 bit OS to run certain programs or hardware.
 
Steve

[BobM]

Can anyone tell me if my existing version of Microsoft Office (for XP) would still run on Windows 7, or do I have to buy the new version of Word/Excel/etc also?

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Keep 'em coming.

[Levi]

Thats correct!  You get an A+ for that!

It doesn't mean you have a Quad core cpu thinking your computer is 4x as fast.    It is how the software utilizes the core threads/heaps addressing simultaneously (multitasking).  A single 3.0Ghz Dual Core will run faster than a computer on a Quad Core 2.6Ghz in basic computer operation.  Example, browsing the web.  Using Word, Excel, Powerpoint and accessing internet emails or simply booting a computer.

Correct again with the 64bit, it addresses large amount memory usage compared to 32bit OS and processor.  Again, software that are written for 64bit operational takes advantage of that extra bits.  Otherwise, you are running 32bit software (most software are written for 32bit) on a 64bit OS which works fine.  However, some 32bit antivirus, printer drivers etc will not work on a 64bit system. 

Many benefits of 64bit OS and 32 or more processors are in a server environment.  Video production and image manipulation environment.  Again, the OS and software is written for that type of environment.

Further readings about 32bit and 64bit here.

just my .02

--Levi

Processor, the current Quad Core is the way to go, not Duo Core (quad is mathematically better than duo already, so a Quadcore PC is much better!).

Depends what you want to do.  On my HTPC, I specifically chose a dual core over a quad core because I wanted to cool it passively and didn't want the extra 30W of heat dissipation.
 
Also, even though half the computers going out of a Best Buy have 64 bit Operating Systems on them, there are still a fair number of software programs and hardware devices that won't run on them.
 
I chose a 64 bit OS because I wanted to utilize more than 4GB (or less) of memory.  But I have been bitten in the a$$ several times, because I did not have a 32 bit OS to run certain programs or hardware.
 
Steve

[Levi]

Hello Bob,

Microsoft Office 2007 works fine in Windows 7 environment.  I have tested it and gave you my seal of approval! 

--Levi