Having been off the technology circuit for a bit, especially when purchasing a computer instead of building one, I need some help.

Had a request about which brand of computer is currently the most reliable. We're talking customer service, warranty, quality of product, etc. (Meaning Gateway, Dell, HP, etc)

This computer will be used for day to day internet activites, listening to some music, and probably not much more.

What type of processors would be best for this these days? I haven't built a computer since the dual core became popular, so i'm a little out of the loop with the types.

Actually, looking through a few other threads, i'm seeing Dell...thoughts?

I know this is a bit vague, but it's not for me so that's why I don't have a lot of answers. Thanks for the help!

[Edited on May 29, 2007 at 8:11 PM. Reason : Dell]

5/29/2007 8:09:50 PM

Something with a core 2 duo (4mb cache) and 2gb of ram. That should run you about 850 at dell.com/ncstate. That includes a 19" monitor too. An actual video card is optional, but might be a good idea with vista.

Really, as long as it's got 1-2gb of ram (2 is better for vista) and a core 2 duo processor they'll be more than fine.

[Edited on May 29, 2007 at 8:23 PM. Reason : ]

5/29/2007 8:22:30 PM

I've had really good support from sony on my Vaio. Certainly far better than Dell. Sony computers typically come with a higher price tag though.

5/29/2007 8:42:11 PM

1) Go here: http://bensbargains.net/
2) Search for "Dell" in the search box on the right hand box.

5/29/2007 8:47:56 PM

In my opinion Dell has the best support, and i've experienced support from sony, dell and hp. For example, i have an old dell inspiron 9100 laptop bought in 2004, and i've continued to renew the warranty for these reasons...

-The first issue i had was i stepped on the headphone jack while there was a headphone in it (so it obviously caused the audio port to become un-sodered from the board). I went online and spoke to a dell rep right away on the dell online chat feature, and they had a tech guy at my house the next day who replaced the part free of charge.
-The second issue i had was the power adapter stopped working after about 2 years, so i got on the same dell chat and they had a power adapter sent to my house within 2 days, and i sent the other one back, never having to spend any money.

So in conclusion as long as you get a warranty then in my opinion dell has the best support. They're amazingly quick, and if something breaks, expect to get it fixed within the next few days free of charge. Plus the fact you can go online 24/7 and speak with a tech guy who usually understands exactly what you're trying to ask.

[Edited on May 29, 2007 at 8:48 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on May 29, 2007 at 8:49 PM. Reason : .]

5/29/2007 8:48:09 PM

They are looking for the $400-$600 range.

Desktop only (no monitor, printer, anything extra)

5/29/2007 8:48:10 PM

dell's are good for generic reasons, their call support sucks, but I do have to hand it to them with their online support. I hate dell because they pre-load lots of shit on the OS (what manufacture doesn't?) and their horrible financial site. If you ever had DPA and used their service, you know why. Its not worth the hassle to save another 2-4% off most of the time.

You could build a generic box for about 600 bucks that would beat most computers offered by the companies at that price, but it would be cutting it close specially since OS cost would then be 1/5-1/6 of the total budget (unless you to linux or another other free OS or non-legit)

5/29/2007 9:02:31 PM

Quote :

"One possibility is buying one of the Dell deals for a decent desktop with a 19" monitor, selling the monitor for $200 or whatever on craigslist, then getting a decent PC (aka dual-core, 1gb of ram) for $250. Thats what i'd do if i was really trying to save $$$."

5/29/2007 9:07:55 PM

dell for home desktops.

For business either dell or hp. HP's business line of desktops and desktop support is suprisingly not total shit.

5/29/2007 9:36:00 PM

It would be home use

So suggest a Dell desktop, with a core 2 duo and 1-2 gigs ram?

5/29/2007 9:43:36 PM

all you need is the bare minimum 400 dollar dell.

just get a basic p4 or AMD system, bundled with an LCD keyboard and mouse, for 400-500 bucks and sell the monitor to recoupe some of the money.

Dropping 900 dollars for 2 gigs of memory and a Core2Duo is a complete waste of money for a basic computer.

My HIGH END GRAPHIC WORKSTATION isn't even as powerful as a Core2 Duo machine and I only have 2 gigs of memory.

5/29/2007 11:26:03 PM

Quote :

"just get a basic p4 or AMD system, bundled with an LCD keyboard and mouse, for 400-500 bucks and sell the monitor to recoupe some of the money. "

the current best deals from dell are the core2duo+1gb+19" LCD machines for $450. i doubt anyone could do better with a P4 system.

5/29/2007 11:35:33 PM

Quote :

""Dropping 900 dollars for 2 gigs of memory and a Core2Duo is a complete waste of money for a basic computer.""

850 with monitor, 679 without. 679 for a system which will still seem reasonably fast in 3 years vs saving 200 bucks for something obsolete out of the box. You call that wasting money? Hell they can get it with 1GB of ram for 599. Also, there'll probably be some coupon codes circulating around for the education site in a few weeks that'd save them 50-100 more (but only on models over 500 usually.)

Quote :

"My HIGH END GRAPHIC WORKSTATION isn't even as powerful as a Core2 Duo machine and I only have 2 gigs of memory."

Then you don't really have a HIGH END GRAPHIC WORKSTATION anymore if it's obliterated by a $599 dell, now do you?

[Edited on May 29, 2007 at 11:41 PM. Reason : ]

5/29/2007 11:38:19 PM

I just spent 513 including shipping and taxes on a new dell

3.0 ghz pentium D dual core
256 MB nvidia
160 GB mirrored drives (dell data safe)
1 gig ram
dvd/cd-rw
added my own dvd burner, firewire card
no monitor

[Edited on May 30, 2007 at 12:07 AM. Reason : D]

[Edited on May 30, 2007 at 12:15 AM. Reason : I know it's not great but it exceeds my needs]

5/30/2007 12:07:02 AM

lol

5/30/2007 12:07:58 AM

dude you're getting a dell

5/30/2007 12:25:31 AM

http://www.slickdeals.net/ or
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=bddebbd&s=bsd

for the direct link.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+
Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2DIMMs
80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/ DataBurst Cache
16x DVD+/-RW Drive
19 inch Samsung 920NW Widescreen LCD Monitor
NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Integrated Graphics GPU
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

$449 bucks with free shipping

Quote :

"679 for a system which will still seem reasonably fast in 3 years vs saving 200 bucks for something obsolete out of the box. You call that wasting money?"

Because for what they are doing a 300 dollar computer wont be obsolete in 5 years, much less three. No games, basic productivity has absolutely no need to spend anymore than the absolute minimum system, especially from Dell now. Yes I call that wasting money.

Quote :

"Then you don't really have a HIGH END GRAPHIC WORKSTATION anymore if it's obliterated by a $599 dell, now do you?"

The processor is and memory are. The entire system is still comparable, mostly due to the high end 3d card. My point still stands. For basic productivity, getting whatever is on sale is still MAJOR overkill.

5/30/2007 12:37:39 AM

come on, spend a little money. Dell even makes water cooled systems now:
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsdt_710h2c?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

[Edited on May 30, 2007 at 8:22 AM. Reason : .]

5/30/2007 8:22:08 AM

Shit, memory is cheap these days. 1gb is pretty much the bare min for running content creation programs. I got in on the 2gb for $45 deal two weeks ago for my system so it now has 4gb just for the hell of it (even though xp is limited to 3.25). Definitely helps out when I have 30 high res pictures opened at once.

5/30/2007 5:18:50 PM