Computer advice

Hey guys

I was looking to upgrade computers because my old one is getting a little long in the tooth. I figure we have a lot of really good computer folks on here who can give recommendations that I thought I could ask. Now I'm not a huge gamer so I don't need all that stuff, but still would like something that can

1) store my iTunes well
2) decent speed for the Internet
3) can allow me to watch hulu and YouTube
4) around 700 dollars?

Thanks got suggestions

Mike

Idk if you're looking for anything with a warranty or whatnot but I could build one for you if you would like. Probably cheaper than that.

I was going to say the same thing. Are you looking for a laptop or a desktop?

also has to surf porn well and not get the porno sickness from bad sites

Preston

Man, that is really generous of you! I guess I would like to talk to you more in person about how we go about doing a build. Do you have time this week to talk about it ?

Mike

Text me I can do that all he time lol. It's not that tough I can probably sit down and show you all the basics you'll need + accessories if you want. When it comes in we can probably have it up and running in an hour maybe 2. I'll pm you my number if you don't have it already.

And just for the record you're looking to do a desktop correct? I have never messed with laptops.

Ok, I got all of the baseline hardware worked out. Came out almost exactly at $400. I didn't pick out a rom drive yet as I'm not sure if you'll want something a little extra there. Otherwise those are about ~$20? I also just found a 320 gb hdd idk if you're gonna need more than that, we can work that out when the time comes.

That will leave plenty for a nice monitor and speakers if you want some. Mouse, kb, etc. or you can just save it

Wow, Preston that is amazing and well under budget. You should of seen the stuff at best buy they were pushing in us!

MIke

The basics of the computer are

RAM: How much do you want to be able to do at once? (3gb is plenty for standard user, but you can easily acquire an 6gb+ desktop for under $700, really depends on if laptop or desktop as other users said)

Storage space: (Along with the amount of space on the drive, you also want to look at the speed in which it runs, 5400 rpm is the most you would want to go with a laptop because of the lack of room to ventilate unless you go with a SSD-solid state drive, which have no moving parts so they stay pretty cool without much ventilation and are also faster than the extremely hot 10k rpm hdds. For desktops you can get at least a 7200 rpm in it with a nice case, alot of stock cases will do fine for ventilation and cooling with the stock fans)

Processor Speed: 2.2GHZ running across several cores is plenty enough processing power for a standard user. I'm not sure with the newer computers but dual core processor laptops running at 2.2ghz would do the trick plenty and more, or a desktop at that same price is looking at a quad core duo or better running at 2.0ghz+

[My macbook has 1gb ram, 7200 rpm hdd runs pretty damn hot because no way to cool down that is why I wouldn't recommend high rpm hdds and instead go with a SSD if you can afford, but they are new technology and you would do fine with a 5400 rpm hdd. hdd speed determines boot speed, how fast your computer searches, and installation speeds etc. but 5400 is a standard. I use that computer for browsing internet, skype, omegle, music, watching normal def dvds]

[my desktop is a core 2 quad running 2.0ghz per core with dual graphics cards (i didnt mention graphics cards because the standard graphics card is fine for everything but gaming)I use this pc for rendering, uploading, downloading, gaming, running christmas light sequences to music, editing, and everything else.]

Personally best bang for your buck i'd say is always a windows computer over an apple computer and you get higher specs with the desktop than a laptop of the same price.
that's my .02.

Oh and for the simple tasks you requested that the computer be able to do, pretty much anything new would do the trick. Only older technology computer are really slowed down on a network, anything standard today will run fine at download speeds of at least 10mbps, but everything really depends on your browser choice, the bandwidth on your network being used and other little factors, you really dont have to worry about the machine limiting you at $700 because that is plenty. I just picked out a laptop for my gf with a 750gb hdd running at the standard 5400rpm on win7 with 8gb ram running at a turbo boosted 2.9ghz for $699.

@ tTwinkiEt - Very educational post on computer hardware but I'm not sure that (no offense to mikey) hes looking to do it himself lol

With the hardware I worked out, the computer for those tasks will probably be good for 5+ years with the current growth of computer hardware technology.

To be honest its only slightly slower than my current setup in terms of processing power and I play games like a motherfucker and I have to have the best graphics settings.

The video card wasn't top tier but for the tasks indicated it will do just fine.

MikeyT wrote:

Wow, Preston that is amazing and well under budget. You should of seen the stuff at best buy they were pushing in us!

MIke

Bust buy is the worst place to go for anything computer hardware related unless you just want something with a warranty.

They mark shit up like 400% its fucking stupid.

STiedVR4Guy wrote:

@ tTwinkiEt - Very educational post on computer hardware but I'm not sure that (no offense to mikey) hes looking to do it himself lol

With the hardware I worked out, the computer for those tasks will probably be good for 5+ years with the current growth of computer hardware technology.

To be honest its only slightly slower than my current setup in terms of processing power and I play games like a motherfucker and I have to have the best graphics settings.

The video card wasn't top tier but for the tasks indicated it will do just fine.

As soon as you purchase a PC it's outdated, what is important is having a machine that will last some years and then all you have to do is throw in a $100 upgrade after a few years and it can handle anything that is currently out. Yeah most video cards can handle those simple tasks. I have dual sli bridged cards and never had a use, just nice to have something that is slightly future proof so I don't have to worry about it. Pretty much whatever you have in mind for him will work. Since almost all pcs are made to handle those simple tasks. The only thing I would stay away from for now are SDDs as you might need to sell an arm and a leg to buy a large volume one lol.

Bust buy is the worst place to go for anything computer hardware related unless you just want something with a warranty.

They mark shit up like 400% its fucking stupid.[/quote]

is there a better place to buy a laptop if you want a warranty?? my wife is also getting a new one..

http://www.newegg.com/

Best customer service you will ever have and even with cheap shipping its at your door in 2-3 days.

STiedVR4Guy wrote:

http://www.newegg.com/

Best customer service you will ever have and even with cheap shipping its at your door in 2-3 days.

This.

tigerdirect.com has some good deals and they ship out of naperville, so generally things arrive the next day for me!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214434

how about that one?? it says recertified?? are these new or used computers??

Talk to Chris, aka, kthnxbia, he has hooked me up and never steered me wrong.

lilwillie wrote:

Talk to Chris, aka, kthnxbia, he has hooked me up and never steered me wrong.

yeah because Preston doesn't seem to know what he is talking about and has dragged his feet on the project.

blown383z28 wrote:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214434

how about that one?? it says recertified?? are these new or used computers??

Re-certified means it has been used more than refurbished. So used.
But far as specs go that would be a good choice.
You might want to look up that specific model and look up reviews people have done including there personal experiences.
The main problems that seem to be common with computers are fans failing, too hot, and other problems having to do with the cooling.
Most of the other problems are just from people not understanding how to use the computer. But you have the right idea of what you need.
There are alot of options when it comes to computers so no one computer will be the wrong or right choice

240sxguy wrote:

tigerdirect.com has some good deals and they ship out of naperville, so generally things arrive the next day for me!

They do have some good deals but I have heard the worst experiences from them. One of my friends ordered a computer from them back in the day. Took over 2 weeks to get everything. I have heard great experiences as well but I won't mess with them.

brngrhd wrote:

lilwillie wrote:

Talk to Chris, aka, kthnxbia, he has hooked me up and never steered me wrong.

yeah because Preston doesn't seem to know what he is talking about and has dragged his feet on the project.

Mike asked for advice, I gave it. I never said Preston did anything wrong. Doesn't hurt to bounce your ideas or others off different people.

STiedVR4Guy wrote:

http://www.newegg.com/

Best customer service you will ever have and even with cheap shipping its at your door in 2-3 days.

Agreed.

If you prefer something local though, I've had good luck at American for their laptops. I helped my wifes grandmother get a Sony Vaio a few weeks ago with dual Intel Core i3 processors, 500gb HD, and 4gb RAM for $575. They threw in an HP wireless copy/photo/print printer for $30. My wife bought a netbook for $220 around the same time. Sometimes their prices are high but we usually have pretty good luck.

I actually appreciate all the feedback given on the forum and actually found the tech description very interesting. I think Preston so far has really been awesome! I just haven't had time this week to talk with him about the build due to flag football and the usual chaos associated with my job

I guess I would like to know Steve what did you mean by dragging his feet in the project comment?

Mike