New computer advice

[DoctorUnne]

So my laptop is like 5 years old now and it's past time for a new computer. Since I'm now somewhat permanently settled, I was thinking instead of getting a new laptop getting a nice fast desktop and an iPad for portable needs. Would be interested in hearing people's thoughts on that.

As for desktops, what is a good make/model to get? I don't know shit about computers. I'm looking for something fast and nice, but I don't do any gaming other than Gemstone so it doesn't need to have a ridiculous graphics card. Basically I'll use it for surfing the internet, MS Office, email and watching videos. Price isn't an object, and I want to get something nice, but I don't want to pay for shit I don't need and won't notice a difference in what I'm using it for. Also would like it to come with a nice monitor. I know desktops are cheaper than laptops, so I'm expecting to spend under $2,000 unless there's a good reason.

Any advice would be very much appreciated. Also let me know where to buy it from (I heard newegg was good)? I need a new mouse too so if it doesn't come with the computer could use a good recommendation on that as well.

[BriarFox]

You should be able to get a desktop that does everything you want for under $750, IMO.

I have a Gateway SX-2800-03 compact desktop with a 20" LCD monitor that I got for about $550 about 18 months ago, which works great, and a new iPad 2 that I bought in May. I love the combo.

[Sam]

Based on your listed needs, you should probably just get a walmart special and buy a nice monitor from the internets.

[Androidpk]

Based on your listed needs, you should probably just get a walmart special and buy a nice monitor from the internets.

This, for your needs you don't need anything flashy.

[username]

since you're planning on using MS Office, check out office depot and those stores too... they offered me MS Office at a discount, and I didn't take it. huge mistake because I ended up buying it all anyway. That is, if you have to buy it, not your company.

[Bobmuhthol]

Get a decent computer, $1000 or so, two $400 monitors, a $100 keyboard and a $100 mouse. Or, if you don't want to spend your budget and given the needs of your computer, just halve the price of everything.

Also fuck iPads. Get an Android tablet ffs.

[SpiffyJr]

Also fuck iPads. Get an Android tablet ffs.

This. Android blows the shit out of any shitty iOS device.

[phantasm]

The price range for the system you need without monitor should be $300-$450. If you have more money to spend, spend it on a really really big sexy LCD.

[Androidpk]

Ipad 3 early 2012!

[TheEschaton]

Why does apple come out with a new version of their same products every year? I mean, what idiots fall for that and buy the iPhone 4 when they have the iPhone 3?

Oh, yeah.

[Androidpk]

Why does apple come out with a new version of their same products every year? I mean, what idiots fall for that and buy the iPhone 4 when they have the iPhone 3?

Oh, yeah.

Upgraded hardware and new features?

[Bobmuhthol]

Those upgraded hardware and new features are the result of rushing an inferior product and then making marginally beneficial changes very frequently. If you don't see how corrupt Apple's product cycle is then you're another sucker that Apple fooled.

[Keller]

Why does apple come out with a new version of their same products every year? I mean, what idiots fall for that and buy the iPhone 4 when they have the iPhone 3?

Oh, yeah.

It's pretty easy to sell your old iPhone for a good price.

I've never paid, net, more than $75 for a new iPhone when I went from 3g to 3gs to 4.

People will pay good money to have an iPhone and no cell carrier contract.

[septus]

If you want to go full on mac, a 24" iMac is a good choice. If you're just looking for a normal everyday PC, then I'd suggest getting something AMD Phenom X4 or X6 in the $400-500 range. (If you want something faster you can look at intel core i5 machines in the $600-800 range.) SSDs also make a big difference if you're willing to spend the money on one, however most of them aren't very reliable. You'd also have to be willing to either pay the premium to get a machine that already comes with one or take the time to tweak everything. a 120GB drive for the operating system and applications that you use the most along with a 2TB for other applications and data works pretty well. Don't be afraid to get a larger drive even if you feel you'd never use it. Since the platters on the drive are denser they're faster than the smaller ones..even if they have lower RPM.

For monitors, I'm a big fan of Dell's UltraSharp line. A U2312HM would be a good monitor if you're willing to spend the money on it. However, if you don't care as much about viewing angles and color accuracy then You can find some decent 23" TN monitors. (TN and IPS are two of the technologies that are used in monitors.. TN has worse viewing angles, less color accuracy, but a faster response time. IPS has superior viewing angles, colors, and contrast, but are much slower. Speed only really matters if you're playing games or watch sports on it.)

For mice, I suggest going to a best buy and testing out the ones they have. I'm a bit fan of the Logitech G500, but everyone is different and you want to make sure the mouse feels good in your hand.

For what you're looking for you can go crazy and get a real nice setup for $2000, or you can get a nice usable one for $1000 or less. However, if you really want to spend $2k I'd go for getting a nicer monitor and something with a SSD over a better processor/graphics card setup.

[Androidpk]

Those upgraded hardware and new features are the result of rushing an inferior product and then making marginally beneficial changes very frequently. If you don't see how corrupt Apple's product cycle is then you're another sucker that Apple fooled.

If they're rushing an inferior product out then Apple competition must love them for that! Oh wait..

[pabstblueribbon]

This is such a dumb argument.

It's simply not an apple to apple comparison.

It's more like a gay to monster truck comparison.

With Apple being gay.

[Bobmuhthol]

If they're rushing an inferior product out then Apple competition must love them for that! Oh wait..

The iPhone couldn't handle MMS for like 2 years. iPads have never supported Flash to my knowledge. iPods/iTunes had the worst fucking software of all time.

I'm not saying Apple doesn't make a lot of sales, because obviously they do, so you're not really saying anything meaningful. Their products suck. It's always fun watching the hype about the "new" things that the next generation of Apple shit can do even though the obviously technologically challenged competition has been doing it since inception.

I am not making a case for Apple not being a successful company, but their success is strictly due to the ignorance of their retarded customers.

[Androidpk]

I am not making a case for Apple not being a successful company, but their success is strictly due to the ignorance of their retarded customers.

Strictly? Right.

[Bobmuhthol]

Very nice rebuttal.

[septus]

Don't feed the trolls. If we want to argue about the merits of Apple vs their competitors you should make a new thread for it instead of ruining this one simply because the ipad was mentioned.

[DoctorUnne]

Thanks for all the input guys especially Septus. Sounds like I was way high on my estimate for how much a desktop should cost in general. If this SSD thing is not too reliable it's prob not something I want since I just wouldn't know what to do if it broke. I guess I'll buy some computer with an i7 and then just get a really nice monitor separately. Any suggestions for brand? It sounds like maybe Gateway for computer and Dell Ultrasharp for monitor and Logitech for mouse? I've never used a mac so not going to go there.

And it sounds like get an Android tablet instead of an iPad. What is the Android tablet called that is the best?

[septus]

Thanks for all the input guys especially Septus. Sounds like I was way high on my estimate for how much a desktop should cost in general. If this SSD thing is not too reliable it's prob not something I want since I just wouldn't know what to do if it broke. I guess I'll buy some computer with an i7 and then just get a really nice monitor separately. Any suggestions for brand? It sounds like maybe Gateway for computer and Dell Ultrasharp for monitor and Logitech for mouse? I've never used a mac so not going to go there.

And it sounds like get an Android tablet instead of an iPad. What is the Android tablet called that is the best?

Go to the store and test out the ipad and the android tablets and see which ones you like better. Personally I don't think android tablets are there yet, but you might feel differently.

As for SSDs, samsung and intel are the two reliable brands. From what I remember OCZ has around a 10% failure rate. I'm unsure how reliable crucial m4s are. Samsung is almost always what you'd find if you bought a computer with an SSD already in it.

I've never bought a pre built desktop, so I'm unsure which brands to suggest. I would have originally suggested HP, but they're getting out of the PC market so I'm unsure how updates will be for them in a year or two.

[AnticorRifling]

Every pre built will have its fanboys and its haters. For every "BRAND X sucks a pile of burning monkey penis" you'll get a "Well I've had my BRAND X for (n years * 2 where n is a random number they saw printed on something on their desk).

[SpiffyJr]

Go to the store and test out the ipad and the android tablets and see which ones you like better. Personally I don't think android tablets are there yet, but you might feel differently.

As for SSDs, samsung and intel are the two reliable brands. From what I remember OCZ has around a 10% failure rate. I'm unsure how reliable crucial m4s are. Samsung is almost always what you'd find if you bought a computer with an SSD already in it.

I've never bought a pre built desktop, so I'm unsure which brands to suggest. I would have originally suggested HP, but they're getting out of the PC market so I'm unsure how updates will be for them in a year or two.

If you're going to try out an Android tablet wait just a bit until you can get your hands on the Android 3.0 ones. They're incredible. I think the Motorola XOOM has Android 3.0 on it. I build an almost top-of-the-line gaming PC every year/two years for right around $1,000. I say almost, because it's not worth the marginal increase in performance to get the top of the line parts (video cards, for example) for the price increase. I even went with an SSD last time and they work great on Windows 7 out of the box though tweaks can still be made.

If you're looking to skimp on price don't do it on the motherboard or power supply (if you're going custom built). Those, imo, are the most important parts of a quality computer. If you're not doing any heavy gaming you should easily be able to build a quality desktop machine for under $400. Hell, two years ago I built my mother-in-law a new desktop PC for work (lots of old school Cobalt), web browsing, and email. I reused a few parts from the old machine, gave her my old monitor, and it only cost her about $160.

[SpiffyJr]

Go to the store and test out the ipad and the android tablets and see which ones you like better. Personally I don't think android tablets are there yet, but you might feel differently.

As for SSDs, samsung and intel are the two reliable brands. From what I remember OCZ has around a 10% failure rate. I'm unsure how reliable crucial m4s are. Samsung is almost always what you'd find if you bought a computer with an SSD already in it.

I've never bought a pre built desktop, so I'm unsure which brands to suggest. I would have originally suggested HP, but they're getting out of the PC market so I'm unsure how updates will be for them in a year or two.

I second Samsung. I love them. My TV, monitor, SSD, and even my refrigerator are Samsung made. No problems with any of them.

Plus, they look damned sexy.

[Xaerve]

J- we get discounts from school, Pm me.

[Keller]

I've had an apple for 59,290,000 years.

[CrystalTears]

For what you need, prebuilts will work fine. It would be different if you were a gamer and needed a fast system, but you really don't. And for what is currently available out there, they will all be fast.

I agree that you should try out both the tablet and the iPad. It really depends on what you want to do with it so you should get a feel for what works best for you.

[DoctorUnne]

J- we get discounts from school, Pm me.

oh saw your PM before i saw this. how much? do they sell anything good?

i was thinking of either samsung 27" LED monitor or samsung 24" widescreen LCD monitor, which is like half the price. 24 vs 27 doesnt matter that much to me, but is LED much better than LCD?

on computer i was thinking i7 processor, 8GB memory, 1 or 1.5TB hard drive, which all seem to be in the $800-$900 neighborhood. there seem to be a bunch of brands with these specs, including dell, HP, asus, lenovo and gateway. sounds like there's no consensus best, but stay away from HP. so should i just get whichever one looks the best?:shrug:

[septus]

oh saw your PM before i saw this. how much? do they sell anything good?

i was thinking of either samsung 27" LED monitor or samsung 24" widescreen LCD monitor, which is like half the price. 24 vs 27 doesnt matter that much to me, but is LED much better than LCD?

on computer i was thinking i7 processor, 8GB memory, 1 or 1.5TB hard drive, which all seem to be in the $800-$900 neighborhood. there seem to be a bunch of brands with these specs, including dell, HP, asus, lenovo and gateway. sounds like there's no consensus best, but stay away from HP. so should i just get whichever one looks the best?:shrug:

the main difference between LED and CCFL (which is what the other one would be using for backlighting) is power usage. LEDs use less power, but they also have slightly less color accuracy due to not being able to emit pure white light. IMO it doesn't matter which one you choose unless you're looking at laptops.

I'd also avoid anything sony, as they seem to have higher failure rates than most brands. Past that choosing one that looks the best sounds like a good plan to me.

[Parkbandit]

My wife loves her iPad... but to me, it's just a toy to browse the Internet with and not much more.

Personally, I would have a laptop for school/work and a desktop for gaming.

[Keller]

My wife loves her iPad... but to me, it's just a toy to browse the Internet with and not much more.

Personally, I would have a laptop for school/work and a desktop for gaming.

I use my iPad for work all the time.

I don't use legal pads anymore. I take notes on the iPad and send them to myself in pdf form and then save them into project folders on my laptop. It is painless to work remotely now because it I have a project from 6 weeks ago that flares up again while I'm on vacation, I can easily pull the file on my laptop that has all my notes from every meeting on that project.

I also record most meetings in case I don't understand something live, I can go back to listen to it again. I delete those files though. No need for discoverable voice recordings.

[SpiffyJr]

I use my iPad for work all the time.

I don't use legal pads anymore. I take notes on the iPad and send them to myself in pdf form and then save them into project folders on my laptop. It is painless to work remotely now because it I have a project from 6 weeks ago that flares up again while I'm on vacation, I can easily pull the file on my laptop that has all my notes from every meeting on that project.

I also record most meetings in case I don't understand something live, I can go back to listen to it again. I delete those files though. No need for discoverable voice recordings.

I'd Google Doc those bad boys instead of sending them to yourself. Then you can sort them using their collections (folders) and have access to them anywhere in the world with a connection.

[SpiffyJr]

[QUOTE=Parkbandit;1327319Personally, I would have a laptop for school/work and a desktop for gaming.[/QUOTE]

Ubuntu 11.04 with Gnome 3 shell on my laptop for work (programming).
My regular rig for gaming.

Smart Phone (EVO 3D + Android) because my wife made me get a phone.

Only way to go, imo.