Computer Advice

[NikatKimber]

If you're looking at a desktop, Asus or Lenovo. STAY AWAY from HP and Dell at this point. Familiar names, but unless you're getting into their business lines you're buying garbage. At Best Buy we don't have any Asus i7s in store, but I believe we can get you a Lenovo with one for a decent price. And honestly, if you can get a computer with an i5 2500k you'll probably be fine.

Macs are great, but only if you wanna pay 3x more that the Asus or Lenovo.

If you want a laptop, stick with Toshiba. We always have good deals on them. Just keep in mind that if you go above or below a 15.6" screen you'll pay a premium for portability or "entertainment" value. 15.6"s are most popular and therefore least expensive. My money though, I'd buy a desktop and then buy an iPad if you're really looking for portability later on down the road. Call me at 4799739524 then 8 then extension 2170 any MWF or weekend afternoon and I can do some snooping for you, check inventory and sales and the like.

My last computer was a Tosh (and it still runs after 4 years), and my wife's is, and my F-i-L's is, and my sister in law's computer is... but I just couldn't get over hte cheaper feel to the new Toshibas unless you step up to the nicer Portege model ($750+). The Asus U series (U56 = 15.6", U46 = 14") have some aluminum in the body, and just felt higher quality build to me. Also, mine has a fairly standard keyboard layout, longer battery life, num pad, and is very slim.

The Core i5 has been very fast to me, for what I do with it, watch movies, listen to music, word processing, Excel, and web browsing. With the battery life, I can take it to work and not have to plug it in all day. It has HDMI out, for external monitor or TV use, USB 3.0. That's all I needed.

My IT guy also highly recommended the Lenovo computers, and I very nearly bought one of them, until this one went on sale, and had the same specs as what I wanted for $100 cheaper. Also, didn't have the model I wanted in stock.

 

[tRidiot]

You haven't given us a budget, which is the most important thing in all this.

I vote for custom-built. I build computers all the time for friends and family and you'd be amazed at what you can get. Especially nowadays. And whatever you build will be better quality parts and better upgradeability later on than anything you're going to get from a pre-fab manufacturer.

I never never never recommend prefab anymore.

 

[O4L]

You haven't given us a budget, which is the most important thing in all this.

I vote for custom-built. I build computers all the time for friends and family and you'd be amazed at what you can get. Especially nowadays. And whatever you build will be better quality parts and better upgradeability later on than anything you're going to get from a pre-fab manufacturer.

I never never never recommend prefab anymore.

That's great if you know how to build/repair computers.

If I could do that, I would just upgrade the crap out of the one I have already, and I wouldn't be asking for advice.

If you or someone else built me one what kind of warranty would it have?

How do I know I can get it repaired?

If you are offering to build it for me, and stand behind it in the future, then we can talk about it.

As far as my budget goes, I know it will cost a little more to get the items I want, but I would like to keep it under a grand, depending on what I am getting for the money.

 

[O4L]

Thanks for all of the advice and information from everyone.

I have a few things to consider now.

I have been looking at the Lenovo and Toshiba, and Asus.

I checked out the Mac, and I might like it, but them things are high dollar!

For no more than I use a computer to actually compute, that's a lot of cash for one.

Thanks again, and keep it coming.

 

[Alan Frizzell]

If your considering used, I'd recommend http://http://cdrokc.com/ Warrantee and in house service.
That being said I'm looking at upgrading a 7yr old HP dualcore laptop (no issues in 7yrs, it is a high end from that generation). I agree that overbuying when you intend to keep it for a long time is the way to go. I'm looking small with an Ultrabook in mind, Solid State Drive=less powerconsumption and durability. SSD storage capacity has grown considerably and is said to withstand breakage due dropping, and seems the future in laptops.
I don't know if SSD's are offered in larger off the shelf laptops yet.

 

[tRidiot]

Jeebus, a grand? You can build a monster for that.

I would be more than willing to build it for you, I have no problem with that. I'm not a business, so warranty would be for parts through their various manufacturers. Building a computer is 10x easier than most people think. It's almost impossible to plug things in the wrong way.

If you're interested I'd be happy to help, either by putting it together and testing it myself for you, or helping walk you through the process, which really is much MUCH easier than you think.

And you'll get a much better machine than you'd get through Dell or HP, as well as not likely having problems later on trying to find drivers, etc., if you have to reformat the thing.

<edit> And repairs on a custom-built machine are easy, as you don't have to worry about proprietary crap by the OEM manufacturers... all parts are standard retail and will accept any replacement parts from the aftermarket.

I'll go spend some time on Newegg after a while and pick out some parts to show you what you can get for that budget. Assuming you'll need software, too, like a new copy of Windows, right?

 

[Blitzfike]

I was I/T director for a school district for several years. Our experience with Lenovo was very poor in their early days. We had Mac and windows machines and both worked very well for their users. As for upgrading, it depends on how old yor existing hardware platform is. In some upgrades, the only thing we kept was the case. Newer hardware requires different power supplies and the motherboard usually won't support the later video cards and memory. A bare bones machine from newegg.com is a good way to start. software compatibility is an important consideration, do you have to learn a new package to do what you already do? I have a MacBook and an IPAD (which I am using now) a Hitachi laptop, and 4 desktops (3 are game machines and one my wife has in her home office.) A good locally assembled custom system gives you more bang for the buck. Stay away from emachines, they are very difficult to find compatible parts for repair. Good luck.. Blitzfike

 

[NikatKimber]

Jeebus, a grand? You can build a monster for that.

I would be more than willing to build it for you, I have no problem with that. I'm not a business, so warranty would be for parts through their various manufacturers. Building a computer is 10x easier than most people think. It's almost impossible to plug things in the wrong way.

If you're interested I'd be happy to help, either by putting it together and testing it myself for you, or helping walk you through the process, which really is much MUCH easier than you think.

And you'll get a much better machine than you'd get through Dell or HP, as well as not likely having problems later on trying to find drivers, etc., if you have to reformat the thing.

<edit> And repairs on a custom-built machine are easy, as you don't have to worry about proprietary crap by the OEM manufacturers... all parts are standard retail and will accept any replacement parts from the aftermarket.

I'll go spend some time on Newegg after a while and pick out some parts to show you what you can get for that budget. Assuming you'll need software, too, like a new copy of Windows, right?

Yeah, for a grand, you could build a pretty nice machine. Do you need a new monitor also?

And for what it's worth, I wouldn't buy a desktop. I'd build. You can get what you want / need, and not have to get whatever other junk the OEM's think you need. Only factory computer I'd buy is a laptop.

 

[tRidiot]

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=26128288

See if this works for you. I put together some stuff, around $815 before shipping. Some of the components are good budget brands, some, like the PSU, are much higher quality items. It's an i5 2500k processor, which is MORE than enough for what you are planning, and will be quite enough for several years. It also has integrated graphics, so unless you're planning on gaming, it'll be fine for your purposes, as well. It'll run 1920x1080 on the included 22" LED monitor, and includes a 64-bit copy of Windows Home Premium.

The hard drive is a refurb'd Western Digital 750 gig unit, probably will be just fine, but you're in a bad spot right now for hard drives... a flood in Thailand or Malaysia or something wiped out some production and prices skyrocketed a couple of months ago. It'll go back down this year sometime, but will be a while. Manufacturers have not had any shortages due to demand, but still are capitalizing on decreased production reports to increase prices.

Any questions, I'm happy to help. If you absolutely wanted to include a video card, that could easily be done within your budget, but I really don't think it's a necessity, and there's always room to add one later, should you decide to do so.

 

[gunnut]

I researched all of December and decided on this Samsung. Great laptop. I bumped up the RAM to 8GB for $35 or so.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0375171

And if you wanted to custom build a desktop, search newegg.com, order your parts and I can help you with putting it all together. If you aren't looking for a speed demon, but want something serviceable, tigerdirect.com has some good deals on barebone pc kits every now and then.