I need a new computer!

May 15, 2006 6:18 PM

What kind of computer should i get? My laptop died (motherboard fizzled).

i am trying to be somewhat economical but i do want a decent machine. where can i get the most bang for my buck? dell hell? hp? new egg? oh wait... i know... i should get a mac maybe (those mac vs. pc commercials are making me feel self-conscious)?

i prefer laptop but i am thinking more bang for the buck with a desktop... but please offer your thoughts for either kinda box.

thanks yo!

posted by rare_g to Computers & Internet (25 answers total)

Most bang for your buck will be building your own desktop. It's easier than you think.

For laptops, I have a few year old IBM thinkpad, which I quite like. They're now made by Levono, but I believe they're supposed to be just as good.
posted by pombe at 6:21 PM on May 15, 2006

The Mac vs. PC debate is eternal and unending.

I have recommended Macintoshes 100% of the time for about two years. The ease of use of the OS, combined with wonderful hardware make it a no-brainer.

For starters, what are you planning on doing with the machine? The current set of iMacs are wonderful all-in-one computers. I've never heard a bad thing about them.

Macs tend to keep their resale value a lot longer than PCs, too.
posted by unixrat at 6:38 PM on May 15, 2006

Response by poster: primary uses: bittorrent, photography, music archive, and interneting. pretty basic.
posted by rare_g at 6:51 PM on May 15, 2006

If you can afford a mac, and have no particular preference for PC, I'd edge towards that. That said, you can build a nicer PC for $600 than a Mac Mini is, and that PC will be a solid machine. The only companies I'd buy a PC from are IBM and HP, and then only their workstations, which cost significantly more.

For what its worth, I don't think I'll ever switch from my Win2K desktop(self-built)/FreeBSD (IBM T41) laptop. Its what works for me, and there's a lot to be said for that.
posted by devilsbrigade at 7:24 PM on May 15, 2006

They were manufactured by Levono, they were designed by IBM. The difference is, IBM didn't rely on them for income, so they could afford to have higher prices, lower margins, fewer commercial sales, and a better product. Levono is now aiming for the consumer laptop business as well, trying to drive costs down to be competitive. I, for one, am quite disappointed about the sale.
posted by devilsbrigade at 7:32 PM on May 15, 2006

IMHO, if you're using your machine mostly for your pics and tunes and maybe movies, then you should really consider a Mac.

iMacs, iMac Minis and MacBook Pros all come with everything you need to handle your entertainment life. Just turn it on.
posted by iTristan at 7:33 PM on May 15, 2006

Don't fall for Macs "be cool" ad campaign. Be like the common man and use a PC. Dell's got some good deals on now, seems like. Fast hard drives (for a laptop) available for pretty reasonable prices.
posted by salvia at 8:07 PM on May 15, 2006

I use both PC and Apple platforms side by side, and have found that gradually everything (email, browsing, word crunching, music listening) has migrated from the PC to the iMac G5 simply because it is such a superior computing experience. And the iMac is just about silent, and after PCs that sound like air conditioners there's a lot to be said for that. I now use my XP PC only for video and audio editing and everything else is on the Mac. Oh and by the way, it's been running for 6 months without a crash.
posted by gallois at 8:37 PM on May 15, 2006

FWIW, I've never seen a Dell that didn't need service within the first 6 months of ownership. My friends and I may just be unlucky, however.
posted by knave at 9:14 PM on May 15, 2006

No offense, but your question is pretty useless. Not enough info. But since you asked, I'd get a mac. Unless you just want the cheapest piece of crap to surf the web on, then I'd get a pc.

Be like the common man and use a PC. Dell's got some good deals on now, seems like. Fast hard drives (for a laptop) available for pretty reasonable prices.
posted by salvia

And ignore this advise, as it may well be the worst ever given on askme.

Forget the common man. Look around you at the uncommonly creative man, and you'll find a high number of macs.

As far as dell's 'good deals', they have good deals constantly. There is no 'now'. You get what you pay for.

I now use my XP PC only for video and audio editing and everything else is on the Mac.

And its with video editing that the mac is clearly superior. Strange choice.
posted by justgary at 9:14 PM on May 15, 2006

primary uses: bittorrent, photography, music archive, and interneting. pretty basic.

Best bang for the buck is an off lease Dell/HP/Compaq. Try looking at retrobox or vfxweb. Any PIII from 800MHz up, any Celeron from 800-1.4GHz. Avoid PIV and Celeron from 1.6-2.2GHz. Most PIV's at 2.4GHz, and all above, are good, but the price starts to go up fast. Celerons from the PIV era must be called "Celeron D" or they are completely unacceptable. You will want a memory upgrade, to at least 512mb, 768mb is good, and higher is always better (you might have to ask here for help with that). Get a second machine for torrenting and file serving and stick an uber massive hard drive in it, or two in a mirror, or whatever..

If you must have new, watch fatwallet and other deals sites for the latest Dell special at about $300.

If you must go laptop (then you don't really want best bang for the buck..), retrobox has those too, but I'm not sure how much I'd trust them. For new, Dell laptop deals from fatwallet are your best bet again. Price will be about $600.
posted by Chuckles at 10:23 PM on May 15, 2006

Do not go Gateway, I still regret buying mine to this day. Numerous problems and worst battery life I have ever seen. Go Dell, that many people cant be wrong. Check out the webpage Dell Outlet Store
posted by isopropyl at 10:28 PM on May 15, 2006

find a good local computer shop and get them to put something together for you.

i build my own pcs, the hardest thing about it is buying parts that are compatible. i started by upgrading the RAM and video card in my first computer, a P166. it was so simple i just took the next step and assembled my next pc from parts. i don't think i can do it cheaper than the local computer shop though.

are you highly gullible? you might want a mac.
posted by Tixylix at 10:52 PM on May 15, 2006

Get a new iBook, they're rumored to be dropping very soon. Perhaps Thursday. I've been a Windows user for the past ten years, and just got a MacBook. With Boot Camp, it's the best of both worlds. Windows runs crazy fast on it, son. Still, I personally have found that OS X is just worlds better. Liger or whatever the next version will be called, is promising to give up some even more incredible awesome. Meanwhile, for real everyday use switching from XP to OS X is like going from a mid-80s Chevy Astro minivan to this hawt 06 Civic hatchback.

So you could get a Dell, but even Dell wants to sell OS X. Windows XP is so 2001, and Vista *might* ship a year from now. *Might.*
posted by mullingitover at 1:13 AM on May 16, 2006

Hey, they dropped sooner than I thought they would!

They're a deal. Get one.
posted by mullingitover at 6:13 AM on May 16, 2006

The new ibooks that dropped today seem to be a very good value. Only thing to be concerned about is their integrated graphics cards but it doesn't sound like that's an issue for you. If you have a legitimate copy of Windows XP on your current system you can run that on the Mac as well, so you can continue using any software you're likely using for bittorrented files (like video conversion tools).

If money's a concern you can find decent PC laptops with lower specs for around $500 that would likely make you very happy. You should have no difficulty finding one with a 15.4" screen which might be ideal if your computer is used most of the time on your desk.

If money's the ultimate concern and portability less so, buy a desktop from Dell or get something preconfigured from your local big-box electronics shop. Models are changing all the time and you should be able to get a clearance system for a few hundred dollars. I've always built my own systems but it's tricky and time consuming to pick components that play well together and if you're not looking for the latest and greatest, just let someone else do the work. Besides, desktops from the big manufacturers come in far more attractive cases than you're generally able to buy for a homebuilt system.

Regardless of what you choose, it's a great time to buy something new. There's a ton of choice out there and technology has far outpaced actual system requirements so anything you buy new will be overkill for your needs.
posted by ChuckLeChuck at 8:36 AM on May 16, 2006

Hey, they dropped sooner than I thought they would!

So you can pay $1099 for an Apple:

13.3-inch widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo1
512MB memory (2x256MB SODIMMs)
60GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive2
Combo drive (DVD-ROM, CD-RW)

Or $699 for a Dell with virtually identical specs. Wow, those Apples have great bang for the buck!!!
posted by Chuckles at 8:45 AM on May 16, 2006

If you have a legitimate copy of Windows XP on your current system you can run that on the Mac as well

Probably not true. These things change, but last I heard, an OEM XP license stays with the machine. Which is to say, you can resell the license along with the machine nowadays (this is relatively new, and there may be some serious limitations I'm not thinking about at the moment), but you can't use the license on any other machine.
posted by Chuckles at 9:04 AM on May 16, 2006

how about the new MacBook just released today?? They start at about $1000
posted by TheDude at 10:04 AM on May 16, 2006

My wife just got a Toshiba Satellite laptop for $500 after rebate. It rarely wakes from sleep in a timely manner, gets memory leaks that slow it to a crawl, etc. but when it is working it is fine and relatively snappy. The battery life is something like 35 minutes. All of those minor annoyances add up.

My Ibook is just a lot less work to use, but sucks for games. The battery runs forever.
posted by mecran01 at 10:07 AM on May 16, 2006

and while you're deciding, we can also answer your questions about circumcising your son and declawing your cat.
posted by incessant at 10:10 AM on May 16, 2006

find a good local computer shop and get them to put something together for you.

Seconded. If you decide you want a pc and you're concerned about what b1trot was warning about re:build it yo self, this is the way to go.
posted by juv3nal at 11:01 AM on May 16, 2006

MacBooooook.
posted by trevyn at 1:39 PM on May 16, 2006

Response by poster: and while you're deciding, we can also answer your questions about circumcising your son and declawing your cat.
posted by incessant

exactly.

thanks flok!
posted by rare_g at 6:18 PM on May 16, 2006

Or $699 for a Dell with virtually identical specs.

Yeah, Chuckles and I are on the same page here. I actually spent less than that and got more RAM. (But not a Duo Core, so that's a major Mac advantage, but since I'm just word processing I hardly need it.)
posted by salvia at 12:51 AM on May 17, 2006