Computer hunt is underway

[helen99]

My 200 MHz with Win98 on has finally reached the end. This point was probably reached years ago in actual reality, but now my mind has caught up with it. I had figured that as long as it was usable, it was a stable machine that had never crashed in its life, so I may as well keep using it. I upgraded that computer since 1993 when I bought it, until there were no more upgrades available for it, and the case would not accommodate the kind of board that would allow further upgrades. Also, new viruses exist now which eat Win98 boxes for breakfast. Not that XP has great security, but it could be said that it has better security than 98. I can't put XP on that machine, since it would be a waste of a license and would also slow it down even more (hard to imagine). Hence, the decision to get a new computer.

The choices so far are -

1. Wait until the next computer show and buy components and put it together. That way we know what's in it, how it's put together, can ensure that nothing is fused to the motherboard or "integrated", and I can get everything I want. This option is cheap and ensures I can get basically what I want within reason, but I or rialian will have to assemble it (and also wait for a computer show). There should be one in a week, so this won't be a long wait.

2. Get a custom Dell, Gateway, or HP online, choosing the components myself. That way I know what's in it, but don't know how they put it together or what board they use or what components they used. Some components may be integrated with the board or not be to my liking. This option is nice, but not cheap.

3. Get an off-the-shelf HP or Gateway. Those seem to be the choices at all the stores I went to. There were some CompUSA, eMachines, Acer, and Compaq boxes, but those were Right Out of the running. The ones I liked all had something called "XP Media" on them. Media has drivers for all the extras those boxes have, such as camera card plugins, a firewire port, and extra audio plugins. It also has about a ton of bundled media software. They concentrate on entertainment rather than office. Not that this is a bad thing, but I'm wondering how well it upgrades, and what an upgrade would cost (I'm not seeing any XP Media upgrades off the shelf at the moment, so it's kind of hard to tell). It's not upgradeable to XP Pro, which bothers me - in what way is it different? Can I install Office on it? I'd also wonder how well Media networks with other computers. This option is both the easiest and potentially the most problematic. Some of those Media features look pretty spiffy (and I wouldn't be able to assemble them myself, probably - they've made Things a bit more complex now.

4. Get a laptop. I don't know if I want a laptop. There's something nice about sitting at a desktop. But I'd love a nice, fast laptop that I could take, say, to the livingroom if I felt like working in there, or maybe upstairs, etc. I could take it to work if necessary. We looked at laptops last night and found a _schweet_ little Averatec. It was a wide screen - very large and comfortable, but so lightweight I could lift it with one hand. The comparably sized HP laptop required both hands to lift. This option, while extremely attractive, would mean that I wouldn't have a Windows desktop, and I kind of want one...

So far I've been to about 5 stores, all of which carry basically the same things. Stores already visited include Staples, Office Depot, CompUSA, Best Buy, and Circuit City. Those chains may as well be the same store, and they have "relationships" with certain manufacturers and not others. HP and Gateway seem to be their favorite pets. I'll go to some smaller places this weekend to see what else is out there. But that Averatec over at Staples looked Schweet... Nothing fancy, just a nice, comfy-sized, lightweight laptop...

Comments

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I think among all these options, Option 1 would probably make the most sense and cost the least amount of money in the long run. I could get upgradeable components, no problem. I could put whatever I wanted in there. I could avoid getting junk I would never use or need.

Alternatively, I can dispense with the whole plan and get a Really Spiffy Huge Flat Panel Monitor (TM) for my Debian box. That, after all, is the box where all my movies, pictures, music, etc., will be. That's the Fun Computer. It's been telling me that it feels really old and frumpy with its CRT screen.

My computer wants a facelift. Yeesh.

[lyssabard.livejournal.com]

Option 1 is implementable sans computer shows (where I have often heard tell of shoddy equippment potentially hawked). I am going to say, cheaper is not always better. That said...

New Egg.
Great place for builds on components. You get all the tec specs and can do it all yourself. You can do a great desktop build there for under 1k, or a top of the line for 1100-1200.

Seriously.

ALso, western digital HDs are $99 for a 250gig, so that's easy. :)

[helen99.livejournal.com]

This one looks like it has everything I want. Not bad for the money. Except, doggone it, everything is fused to the board - I'd have to use Intel graphics instead of getting a hot NVidia or some such.

I could, of course, just purchase a case and start from there. I really liked this case, for example...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133154

I could buy one component every paycheck and end up with this 8K computer with a 30-inch flat panel. What I'd ever need that for is anyone's guess. Just to have fun putting it together, mostly...

250G and a gig of RAM is nice. Definitely nice. hmmm..

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

250G and a gig of RAM is nice. Definitely nice. hmmm..

That's what my *new* system has...

[tlttlotd.livejournal.com]

Check out CompUSA and Best Buy for hard drives. From time to time they'll have rebate specials on pairs of drives. A friend of mine just built a 1.2 terabyte RAID array for something like $300us after rebate.

[tlttlotd.livejournal.com]

It depends upon what you get at a computer show.

I have purchased processors, mainboards, and RAM at computer shows without difficulty. I would not recommend purchasing hard drives at them because they tend to be on the small side (which is to say, one-third the capacity of a current model drive for the same price as a current-model drive). Cases are hit or miss but tend to be sturdy. I have not yet purchased a power supply from a computer show.

[netdancer.livejournal.com]

My personal machine is an eMachine T3256; I've come to prefer that manufacturer because they're tough little machines. My next machine's pretty sure to be an eMachine unit if I can't afford a custom-built gaming rig.

Emachines used to be non-upgradable but the customer demand has reached them at last. My unit's one of the hybrid models between the old style 'no free bay and the current models. Mine's got a CD player, a DVDRW drive and one of those funky media-card interfaces in all the front bays. But the HD is huge, I've barely touched it. And I have a slot to use to shove in the high end video card of my dreams.

HP machines are pretty much universally intended for buisness use, so you're not going to get the gamer-end graphics unless you pay the price. HP is a major customer for my employer, and I can tell you they use pretty decent parts? :) (I'm involved in the warehouse end, getting the parts in.)

I don't like or trust Gateway, but that bias is because they seem to assume that their customers are too stupid to be allowed to configure a computer without assistance. I've never owned one because I felt insulted by their website, if that makes sense.

http://www.emachines.com/ - You might want to look at what they do have...MM, I like that T6420 unit. It is a media center PC, and that's a bit of a waste on me although I'd use it to handle photos. But it looks like it could handle Corey's demands. 2.2 gig processor, nice video chipset. 2 card upgrade slots (PCI & PCI-E) and an extra drive bay. Four memory slots, 2 of which are used. (Damn, now I want this.)

[enotsola]

You are aware Gateway owns eMachines, right?

[helen99.livejournal.com]

For some reason I'm prejudiced against Gateway also, even though a lot of their computers were not bad and selling for low prices.

[netdancer.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am. But the eMachines website doesn't feel like its calling you a retard when you shop. :)

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Oddly, HP seems to have gone more toward media center lately. I really liked the HPs, but now that you've given me more info on emachines, I'll give them a second look. Thanks!

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

I'll see Lyssa's comment that option one is doable without waiting for a computer show, through buying online. And I'll raise with the possibility that you could also get one or more of your friends to do the assembly for you some weekend if you and Ri do not have either time, inclination, energy, or some combination of the above. ;-)

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Oh the irony. I'm going backwards in my journal and came across this post. I recently made a similar post in April of 2007 (right after taxes). Never again would I use my 200 MHz, it was time to get a new laptop, etc. etc.

You are very right that both you and Rialian would probably have a great time assembling a new one for me. It's just a matter of getting to a show sometime when we're not doing three million other things, and at the same time having some money to spend on it.

Ignore the fact that I'm answering this post a year later...

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

Are you still in need of a better desktop? If so, one can potentially be arranged, without needing to wait for a show. Sites like TigerDirect, overstock.com, newegg, and a variety of others make computer parts available online at roughly computer show prices. And buying the components to assemble it ourselves would certainly make it cheaper than trying to buy a full system.

Alternately, Rhianna's talked many times about a government surplus store that I've been meaning to visit, which carries computers very cheaply. She's mentioned servers available for 100 dollars, desktops for less. Fairly new machines. Most likely they would need little more than a new hard drive, maybe not even that. If you really want a new computer, it may be quite possible. And I'd be more than willing to lend a hand putting it together, too. :)

[heron61.livejournal.com]

My last three machines have been Dells, and all three still work (I just upgraded and gave them to Becca and Alice). I highly recommend Dell machines.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Dell is an attractive option - seriously considering going that route. Most people I've talked to have no problems with them and like them alot.

[tlttlotd.livejournal.com]

I love Dell laptops.

Dell workstations are good for business use because at work they usually don't let you inside the chassis.

I'd suggest assembling your own box.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Yes, that does seem to be the only option that would allow me to easily interact with the hardware improve it over time. I can choose the case and motherboard I want and take it from there. When I bought my current obsolete Windows box in 1993, you could buy a generic, upgradeable system right off the shelf and upgrade it however you wanted. Mine had 80 meg of disk space, 8 meg of RAM, some horrid little sound card, an equally horrid little video card, and a card-driven sheet-fed scanner that was the most horrid of them all. It was all considered pretty good at the time, but after a couple of years, I was very glad I could change a few things... Its final configuration had 256K of RAM, a 10 Gig hard drive, and fairly decent audio and video. Its last upgrade was the addition of a CD burner (woo!) about 2 years ago (because the burner refused to work with Debian at the time)...