New computer

[GT40FIED]

Ok...so my mom is getting a new computer sometime here in the near future. She told me she was thinking of a Dell because of their "upgrades" (she's been watching TV commercials again). Dells to me are so-so. I know to steer clear of HP stuff. What do you guys think? She's selling a house so she'll have a bit of cash to throw around but doesn't need anything spectacular...just basic (but very reliable) PC stuff like Word, Outlook, and Explorer. I recommended a Sony Vaio, but that may be more than what she needs. Any ideas?

[blind34_1]

If she is wanting a basic computer, able to handle Office tasks, and get on the Internet, then a Dell will probably be fine for her. As much as I hate saying Dell is okay, in this case and for certain people, a Dell is fine. A Vaio is a nice machine, but the cost will be more than she wants.

If her reasoning for getting a Dell is because its "upgradeable" and "great tech support" she needs to reevaulate her decision. Limited upgradeability and subpar tech support.

I looked over Dell's budget PC, the Dimension 3000. This is a classic example of a disposable PC:

- uses SDRAM, and only two banks of it at that. regular SDRAM is old, and upgrading will be far more expensive than if you were using more CURRENT memory technology (184 pin DDR400, for example)

- No space in the case. It has two 5.25" bays, and two 3.5" bays. Your floppy drive takes one 3.5, and an optical drive takes one 5.25. The hard drive will take the remaining 3.5, leaving one 5.25 bay free for upgrading. You COULD add another hard drive in this space, with an adapter. Dell will likely just try to sell you a bigger hard drive.

- 3 pci slots and no agp. you cant add a decent video card if you want to.

You don't want this model. Its cheap for a reason. I looked at the next one up, the 4700. Its a little better:

- it has a newer motherboard, supporting pci-express. It allows for a new videocard also (pcie x16).

- has an extra bay for a hard drive.

- the memory still sucks. Its just as fast as DDR400, buts its still using old SDRAM, making upgrades more expensive than they should be.


The 8400 seems to be the best, but they all suffer from old memory.

Other things to consider about Dell:

- their tech support sucks. I bet if you call (assuming you dont get put on hold for a day), you'll get some guy over in India with a thick accent. They are very smart, but its unlikely they will be able to fix your problem anyway. Never actually used them, but I've heard the horror stories.

- this just scares me: Dell`s warranty specifically states, "Dell uses new and reconditioned parts made by various manufacturers in performing warranty repairs and building replacement products." This policy (an accepted practice industry-wide) results in the customer receiving quality parts and components which are thoroughly tested prior to shipment.

^^ this means they sell you crap that has already failed once, they tested it, its works now, so they repackage it and sell it to you as refurbished or recertified. I had one drive that was "recertified" and it worked for about a day. The next day I heard the click of death; paperweight.

- there are no local shops to send in your machine when it needs warranty work. They'll make you try to troubleshoot the problem first, then they will "arrange" to have it sent in. This means you wont have your computer for awhile, and the possibility of damage in shipping.

--

Dell does have some of the best flat panel monitors (and they give you free upgrades to bigger ones) plus they give you all sorts of free shit (printer comes to mind.) not too bad.


Components will fail, its just a matter of time. You have to consider how hard its going to be to get Dell to replace it, and how bad they are going to ream you on price. (even IF its under warranty)

If I didnt know how to build my own system, I would look around town and in the phone book for companies that build custom machines. If they are worth their salt, they will be willing to sit down with you and figure out what you need., They will warranty their work, plus let you take advantage of manufacturer warranties if a component fails. Plus they are local, so if there is a problem, you go see them about it.

Make sure you get WinXP PRO, and don't bother with the Wordperfect they bundle. See if you can get that taken off, and you might save some cash. (I have a "special" version of Office 2003 you can have, let me know)

[GT40FIED]

Always there with the answers Aaron. Well...there's really no one in town I'd trust to build a computer except an old friend...and I haven't seen her in years. The comp we have now is actually a local-made computer...I suspect this is why it blows so hard. But then again it's also 6 or 7 years old (still running Win 98). I suppose in some respects it's held up well...even considering the power supply has been replaced twice, the fan once, and a CD burner installed in it (my first time doing internal computer work). Right now it will only run for about 15 minutes before it locks up with the blue screen 'o death (something about a problem with something like the VXD or some other bullshit). Basically she wants cable internet (which is good since 10/100 ethernet cards are pretty much standard these days), email, and probably some sort of Office package (which you can usually get for free when buying a PC...at least I did...I just wish I could find it). Do all Win XP computers sold now come with the SP2 upgrade? I just know she's never going to check for spyware or any of that shit. All I know is that I'm not going back to CompUSA. That's where I got my current PC (Compaq 6350) and the guy that tried to help us was such a douche. I inquired about a deal I'd seen in one of their flyers the Sunday before (we went on a Sunday) and his response was "well...last week was last week". I then socked him in the colon and killed his children. Well...not really, but I told him to fuck off and picked out my own stuff. Right here CompUSA.

[blind34_1]

I was actually wrong about about my memory comments earlier, or at least inaccurate. Some people call DDR RAM (the good stuff we should be using) DDR SDRAM. Whats confusing is that regular SDRAM is almost obsolete. So you might have to call them up and ask what they mean. Anyway...

Yeah, 98 always had its VxD problems. Thankfully XP doesnt deal with those anymore. I would assume SP2 would come standard on any new PC sold by a company, but even if it isn't, it's a 200 mb download (which wont take that long if you have broadband).

If she's not going to take care of the computer (not scan it for spyware, update it, keep anti virus software, etc.) then you NEED to set it up for her. First, Microsoft's AntiSpyware program is very good so far. Its still in beta, but it shows great promise. It sits in the background and updates itself, all while watching for spyware. You can set it for a full scan and whatever time you choose. very slick, and great for people that don't want to keep up manually.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Make sure you turn Automatic Updates on for windows, as this keeps her up to date with the latest security patches in XP. You can turn this on in COntrol Panel, and click on Automatic Updates. You can define a time to auto install them, but it may still require her to click 'yes' or 'ok'.

On the same token, make sure her Windows Firewall is on and working. This can also be found in control panel. (If you have service pack 2, all these things are conveniently located in the Security Center applet (in control panel).

Lastly, make sure she has Anti-Virus software. Dell may bundle this with the machine. I've noticed they like to give out Systemworks. Most of that crap is useless except for Norton AntiVirus 2005. Thats all you really need, and all you should install. Set that to autoupdate and autoscan. To do this, (after you have installed it), right click on the norton icon in the bottom right corner, and click Norton Antivirus Options. There you'll find all sorts of preferences. Make sure autoprotect is set to on, and also Liveupdate is set to on. Make it autoupdate in the background (youll see - its self expanatory).

Contrary to what a lot of people believe, you only need ONE antivirus program, ONE firewall, and ONE spyware scanner (in background). I've seen people going with the logic that "if I have two or three program running, I'll be that much more protected." WRONG. Its extra crap running, and they may even conflict with each other. Make it easy on yourself and only run one of each.

**Make sure you get a DVD burner combo drive. This will burn all DVDs, CDs, and read DVDs and CDs. Dell is real vague about what you can get, so read that carefully. You'll want at least DVD reading capability, because in the near future, I think we'll see a phasing out of CDs (at least for software).

[FlooredAccord]

Try PCE Computers. I was the assistant manager there. Quality -parts, and they can get you anything you need. 925-934-8567. It's the only place I trust. Now I sell cars for Dodge-. But i'm not sleazy.