I need a new computer

[HIGHLANDER]

Soooooo, looks like I need a new computer !! Damn Zumo !!!

My computer didn't have a DVD reader , bought one and plugged it into the HP 6835 to read City Navigator, , next found out City Navigator won't update unless I have XP or Vista. ( Yeah I didn't research very well, thought everything was plug 'n play ! )

So should I deep six the HP, and go new ? OR try to strip ME and buy XP or Vista and different memory or chips or cards or what ?? Is it possible to do easily ?

If I buy new , what a decent set up for under 1K ?

Would you buy a desktop or a laptop ?

I didn't research very well when I bought the HP, turns out ME program has a bad rap and was outdated within a year, so help the computer illiterate out would you ? It's all a foreign language to me.

Old sytem ...

" The HP Pavilion 6835 home PC, which is powered by an Intel® Celeron™ 800 MHz processor and includes 128 MB SDRAM, 30 GB hard-disk drive and HP CD-Writer Plus CD-RW drive, with Microsoft ME software. "

 

[FtLFjr]

Soooooo, looks like I need a new computer !! Damn Zumo !!!
My computer didn't have a DVD reader , bought one and plugged it into the HP 6835 to read City Navigator, , next found out City Navigator won't update unless I have XP or Vista. ( Yeah I didn't research very well, thought everything was plug 'n play ! )

So should I deep six the HP, and go new ? OR try to strip ME and buy XP or Vista and different memory or chips or cards or what ?? Is it possible to do easily ?

If I buy new , what a decent set up for under 1K ?

Would you buy a desktop or a laptop ?

I didn't research very well when I bought the HP, turns out ME program has a bad rap and was outdated within a year, so help the computer illiterate out would you ? It's all a foreign language to me.

Old sytem ...

" The HP Pavilion 6835 home PC, which is powered by an Intel® Celeron™ 800 MHz processor and includes 128 MB SDRAM, 30 GB hard-disk drive and HP CD-Writer Plus CD-RW drive, with Microsoft ME software. "

I just bought an HP 1640n recently for my neighbor from CompUSA $799 w/keyboard & mouse WinXP Media Center Ed. (No Vista for me until SP1)

Specs: Intel 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo (Conroe), 2GB Dual Channel RAM, 250GB HD, DVD/CD Writer w/Lightscribe, modem, on-board video with up to 256MB of ram, and several format memory card reader.

It's quit as a mouse, cool as a cucumber doesn't have the power of my 8 core mac but if your needs are simple it's not a bad choice.

Cheers

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Highlander,

On the inexpensive side, your machine can accomodate WinXpPro with 128mb ram. It is better if you have 256mb ram or better. XpPro is a nice operating system and most vendors have made the drivers for the current and older programs where Vista, this is not the case.

If you are going to buy a new computer, it is best to get a desktop. Laptops are VERY proprietary and expensive to repair.

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[wallypiper]

XpPro is a nice operating system and most vendors have made the drivers for the current and older programs where Vista, this is not the case.
If you are going to buy a new computer, it is best to get a desktop. Laptops are VERY proprietary and expensive to repair.

Hope this helps and good luck.

I have a laptop and a desktop. If I was going to buy one computer for everything it would definitely be a laptop. You can't take a desktop with you. They are proprietary and expensive to repair but if you start with a good brand (I'm a Toshiba fan myself, on my third one now) you won't need repairs. I don't recommend Dell. In my experience at work, many of the Dells I've seen have some kind of problem when new and have to be sent back. Although Dell always fixes the problem, its a pain. I've never experienced that with Toshiba. I've dragged my laptops all over the world and also taken them across the country on the FJR. That's the thing for me. It is now unusual to find a place without a connection to the web so having my puter with me means I'm always connected. Never have to miss a single day of FJR Forum.

I agree about Vista - not ready for prime time from what I've heard but I'm sure its changing. And one of the good things about a laptop is that the manufacturer, at least the reputable ones, will have worked out the OS-hardware bugs for you. Its going to be hard to find a laptop or desktop on the shelf now without Vista preinstalled. But the laptop I'm using now was actually purchased with 2000 and I immediately upgraded it to XP Pro. "Downgrading" would be more complicated.

 

[kulwen]

Keep an eye out here for good deals on computers:

Slick Deals

Bens Bargins

Digital Deals

Tech Bargins

Here is an example:

Dell Business has the Dimension E521 Desktop for a total of $399 with free shipping. Your choice of Microsoft XP Home or Microsoft Vista Home Basic. Includes 19" Flat Panel Monitor.

AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512MB DDR2 Memory, 19 inch E197FP LCD Monitor

80GB SATA Hard Drive, 16X DVD ROM Drive, 1-Year Warranty, Windows Vista

Link

 

[Geezer]

If I only had one computer it would be a laptop. I prefer the IBM/Lenovo because I like the TrackPoint pointing device, which is a small stick in the middle of the keyboard the serves as the mouse. You can get a pretty good laptop for uner $1k. If you really don't want the portability of a laptop, a desktop with similar capabilities is about half the price. I never tried Vista and I am happy with WinXP.

 

[05fjrman]

+1 on the laptop idea. They are definately more expensive, and you can't get the huge monitors like you can with a desktop, but it's worth the tradeoff to have the portability. I'm partial to Gateway ( I've had 3 laptops), but the ones that they carry in Best Buy, not online. And I always get the extended warranty, it's worth every penny.

 

[v65]

Buy the cheapest one you can, no matter how much you spend you will be replacing it soon enough anyways. If you pay $600 for a desktop will it's technology be viable for twice as long as a $300 desktop? Nope, go for the $300 computer and replace it twice as often. Do some internet shopping and be patient, my son just paid $300 for his HP tower off from their website, no monitor, I paid under $500 for my laptop, and they both surf the net and do word processing just fine.

Plan on a 3-6 year lifespan depending on how long you are willing to keep old technology alive. I kept a gateway 90mhz desktop alive for 10 years, for the kids, and it was most definitely not worth the hassle.

Now if you were into serious gaming I would have a different answer.

 

[wpbfjr]

consider the advice above, then shop the major brands for their factory refurbs...

i know dell and apple have refurbs at nice savings... same warrantys...

 

[HIGHLANDER]

Thanks for all the feedback so far, looks like everyone buys a new one and considers their old one disposable..guess you can't " hot rod " old computers !!

 

[FJRSTAR]

Thanks for all the feedback so far, looks like everyone buys a new one and considers their old one disposable..guess you can't " hot rod " old computers !!

I have the Sony Vaio Digital Studio that came with ME. I eventually had to upgrade for better gaming soon. My brother installed it all for me. We went to Windows XP Pro and added a ATI Radeon 9600 card.

ME sucked way too soon!

Currently have installed in our original computer....

XP Pro 2002 version

80 gb

1.70 ghz

Pentium 4 cpu

640 MB of Ram (had 128 mb)

Not sure how much the upgrade costed but it was cheaper than buying new (for me) anyways. Just some worthless 2 cents.

 

[TexasFJR]

HP Pavilion Media Center m8000n TV PC

$899

dual core

vista

500GB HDD

2GB ram

DVD

lightscribe

TV tuner (HDTV)

 

[FJRski]

You too, huh? I'm still running Windows 98 on an AMD Athelon (and System 7.5 on our MAC). We also have a 486 that still runs DOS 6.0. Who needs more than 640K? I do, to load my Zumo. And that's another thing they don't tell you before you buy one...