so the lady and i are lookin to get a new computer. it will be used primarily for music and video. i can search cdw and all those sites til my eyes fall out of my head. just wondering what your suggestions would be. not lookin to spend more than a grand.
she's an ipod fanatic too so take that into consideration...i guess.

the Dell my son got from his grandparents for graduation seems to be working very well for him. Loaded pretty well for around $800.

Jess to thread.

I'm not sure what you're timeframe is (And I'm by no means a computer expert), but if you're thinking about getting a windows based system, and time isn't of the essence...I'd hold off because Windows has a new OS coming out in the near future (timeframe anyone?); and I've heard pretty good initial rumblings about it.

Ehhh... no. Vista is going to come in several flavors, sizes and prices. It'll likely have the usual Microsoft marketing spin, so people won't know what flavor to buy or why they should buy it, and no sales person on earth will be able to help you. And based on how Microsoft releases OSes, it'll likely be buggy with wonderous security holes you can drive a fleet of trucks through.

Stick to what works. XP is stable, and will be supported for several years.

Or getcherself a Mac.

we were thinkin mac but aren't they pretty expensive?

Depends on what you wanna do. If you want to edit video and have a big ass screen, yep. But then again, a high-end PC will be the same.

The new iMac I like very much. The low-end Mac is $1299, and it's loaded. Built-in 17" monitor, super drive, yadda yadda.

I would think about what you want to do v. how much you want to spend, and how many "extras" you will have to buy if you get a PC or a Mac.

well the imac is a though. i think we are just looking for the base...no monitor since we just received a brand new 20in LCD not a month ago. so that will probably drop the price a bit.

The Mac Mini just comes as a CPU. You'd have to supply your own keyboard and mouse. I think the fully-loaded one is under $800.

Just make sure you're computer has















and you'll be good to go.

www.tigerdirect.com

They also have an outlet in Naperville. Killer deals with time notch components.

sell that screen and grab an Imac. if you do decided to go the route of apple and the mac mini...be prepared to know that they are pretty un-upgradable. you will need to most likly buy some sort of adapter for your screen and keyboard and mouse like OX said. how much was the screen and what brand is it. I'm an apple fanatic so maybe dont listen to me but I've found them to be easy to use, pretty to look at (screen and computer) and a real good thing is if you download there are really not too many viruses formatted to a mac.

mac mini would run you about 850 bucks (with 100gb hard drive, dual layer dvd player/burner, 1 gb ram and keyboard and mouse)

Ha!


Check dealsofamerica.com.

hey casual...it's a samsung 20in LCD monitor. i'm sure its up towards 2 hunny or so. it was a gift.

NO. vista is teh reason i made the switch to linux. it is going to be horrible.

i highly discourage getting a DELL. they are cheap b/c they use crap parts. like integrated, non upgradable video cards, intel celeron processors, and a lot of proprietary parts that can only be replaced by sending your computer in to dell.

if you buy a computer system, go with HP, with an AMD Athlon 64 processor.

otherwise, get someone to build one for you. that option is the cheapest and most reliable.

I'd agree, if the person who builds the PC uses reliable parts and charges a resonable rate.

I would agree with Rufus though on the Dell. They make disposable systems, really-- sort of the Yugo of the computer world. I have had good luck with HP laptops but horrible luck with HP desktops (I procure hardware for my group at work, so I've been through a few of 'em).

As far as the processor goes, that's sort of gearhead. The issue isn't what's the best processor, but what's the best machine that will allow Skinny and Mrs. Skinny to enjoy their video and music.

If they're going to rip movies off of DVD, they're going to need lots of storage, regardless of the kind of machine they buy. More memory is always better.

If they want to go the PC route, you want a good video card and a good sound card. I don't know enough about that end of the PC market to make suggestions, but I know there are great components out there-- but you have to do research.

That's why I suggested the iMac. It will still need lots of memory and storage. But those components are easier to match on in Mac land than they are in PC land.

the problem is that dells come so underequipped, you have to upgrade them to get them in par. last i checked, their basic systems come with 256 MB of RAM. heh. you gotta be kidding. you need at least 1GB.
if you need tons of storage, i recommend investing in a large capacity external hard drive. this way if your computer goes, you just unplug it, and plug in in to your new computer and everything is still right there.

also, yancy, your computer i think is from before Dell went the ultra-cheap route with their parts. they used to make high quality machines, then somewhere down the line, they decided to go discount and become the Wal-mart of computer manufacturers.

Already?


I'm not sure I agree with you a hunnert percent on your policework, there.

You can build a basic box with more power for less money than a Dell, but not if you're paying someone to do it.

I recommend Mac as well--they're still not susceptible to virus problems, etc. Check w/ the Mac dept. @ your nearest MicroCenter though, to see if that monitor is optimal w/ a Mac. The hardware is prolly compatible, but the monitor might have resolution settings that don't match up w/ the Mac's settings. So you could end up w/ some letterboxing

you misquoted me. i said cheapest and most reliable. i kinda meant "Best value" i suppose.

BUY ME!!!



Mac mini At a Glance

* 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo or 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo processor
* Apple Remote with Front Row
* Up to 2GB memory4
* Intel GMA950 graphics processor
* DVI connector, VGA adapter
* Slot-loading optical drive
* Up to 120GB hard drive4
* Built-in gigabit Ethernet
* Analog and digital audio
* Expansion via USB and FireWire
* iLife ’06, Mac OS X Tiger

just saw this in the microcenter ad for this week. they have it for 799.00
don't sound like a bad deal.

Check out the computer section of Craigslist, too. You may have to do some digging, but there are some GREAT deals to be had.

Also, I've had no problems with Dell in the past in terms of performance and upgrading. I recently threw a new video card, cheap-o RAM, TV tuner and sound card in mine and it works like a charm. $300 for my 2.6 Ghz P4 didn't seem like an unreasonable price at all. You can even pick up dual-core systems for under $600. My old P3 is still kicking at my parents house after several years.

http://store.sysbuilder.com/
have them build you a pc
if you pick incompatable parts, they'll let you know
they run the pc for three days, after they build it for you, just in case

Fry's here in SD has it for $499.99, but it's the less powerful version.