Posted: 7/9/2009 2:18:34 PM EDT
|
A co-worker wants to buy a new PC. His is a 2005 era PC and it needs a refresh. He doesn't want to build one so he's looking to buy. Looking to spend between $1-1.5k on the new PC. Usage is mostly email, web, digital pics and word processing. It does not have to be a blazing fast gamer machine.
Question: assuming you did NOT want to buy a PC from the big manufacturers (e.g. Dell, HP, Best Buy, etc.) where would you send a person who wanted to buy a PC? How are outfits like ibuypower.com and the like? Thanks in advance. PS don't bother suggesting a Mac, it isn't gonna happen. |
|
Quoted:
...... why no big names? I love my dell and I got it for <$400 I think he is still pissed at Dell for using proprietary motherboards and other parts. I told him that the higher end Dells no longer use proprietary mobos but he said no Dells. He is under the impression that the custom builders like ibuypower.com don't use proprietary parts (and I think he is right). PS his current PC is a Compaq. Quoted:
If that's all he's using it for, his current machine should be fine. Well yes and no. He has kids and according to him they have been downloading crap such that the computer is running very slowly. I told him he could wipe the hard drive and do a fresh install of Windows but he doesn't want to do it. He would rather buy a new PC and back up his data (which is currently on an external hard drive) to the new PC. |
|
Quoted:
A co-worker wants to buy a new PC. His is a 2005 era PC and it needs a refresh. He doesn't want to build one so he's looking to buy. Looking to spend between $1-1.5k on the new PC. Usage is mostly email, web, digital pics and word processing. It does not have to be a blazing fast gamer machine. Question: assuming you did NOT want to buy a PC from the big manufacturers (e.g. Dell, HP, Best Buy, etc.) where would you send a person who wanted to buy a PC? How are outfits like ibuypower.com and the like? Thanks in advance. PS don't bother suggesting a Mac, it isn't gonna happen. 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
...... why no big names? I love my dell and I got it for <$400 I think he is still pissed at Dell for using proprietary motherboards and other parts. I told him that the higher end Dells no longer use proprietary mobos but he said no Dells. He is under the impression that the custom builders like ibuypower.com don't use proprietary parts (and I think he is right). PS his current PC is a Compaq. Quoted:
If that's all he's using it for, his current machine should be fine. Well yes and no. He has kids and according to him they have been downloading crap such that the computer is running very slowly. I told him he could wipe the hard drive and do a fresh install of Windows but he doesn't want to do it. He would rather buy a new PC and back up his data (which is currently on an external hard drive) to the new PC. if he does that, then he should create an account for him as an administrator, and one for his kids that has limited access and cant install anything, that will solve 99% of virus/spy ware issues. seriously, a $400-$500 dell should suit him fine. I would suggest PC club, but they are no longer around, and I don't know if Geekbox is nationwide or just local here... |
if thats as he is going to use it for 1 - 1.5k is way to much 
The cheapest i would build , would be around $750 for a quad core 2.4GHz, 4gb ram, 500gb hard drive, 9800GTX gpu, no monitor, keyboard, mouse, or OS though. You could use the release candidate of windows 7, its free. ibuypower.com builds gaming machines, so is that what he wants to do? they have lots of good customizing options. |
|
People need lay down the law to their kids,family or friends that use their computers. Don't download shit unless you need to. Restricted accounts, putting it out where everyone can see it,etc. Seriously, buying a new computer every 2 years because people don't know enough about computers is wasteful. Plus, the whole backing up data is laughable because the brand new computer ends up reinfected. There are plenty of old computers out there that just get thrown away because people are stupid. Forgot to add: a 2005 computer has plenty of power for what was listed. |
|
I've got a top end machine that I built (assembled) myself and it didn't cost near that much. We have a local custom builder that sells nationally. They build good stuff for a fair price w/good service. Have him look at this one and trick it out even further if he wants to, but it would serve him well for under $600 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0307514 |
|
Quoted: People need lay down the law to their kids,family or friends that use their computers. Don't download shit unless you need to. Restricted accounts, putting it out where everyone can see it,etc. Seriously, buying a new computer every 2 years because people don't know enough about computers is wasteful. Plus, the whole backing up data is laughable because the brand new computer ends up reinfected. There are plenty of old computers out there that just get thrown away because people are stupid. Forgot to add: a 2005 computer has plenty of power for what was listed. I've got a buddy that has his whole family on his PC too and it got infected big time. It's about a circa 2004 so I re-imaged it yesterday with a clean install and it runs like a champ. He'll be thrilled just to have it able to do everything he wants to again because it's more than he needs even now. |
|
Quoted:
With what he wants to do, he would be much better off with a mac, or a cheap dell, locked down. Or just reload his current box. No offense, but your co-worker is acting like an idiot. Off-brand PC's don't make sense for situations like this. This. What is wrong with a big name brand? Your likely to get better support should an issue arise. And with Dell being the exception, most of the hardware is the same as a lesser brand. and if all he is using it for is basic internet word processing, why would you even worry about proprietary hardware components? Personally I like to build my boxes as I can get exactly what I want in it. |
|
AVA Direct
Puget Systems Two I've used. AVA's prices are hard to beat...and they do a very, very good build. |
|
Guys, thanks again for the recommendations and tips.
Some points: 1. YES, HE IS BEING IRRATIONAL ABOUT NEEDING A NEW PC. I told him he could just reformat his current HDD and start afresh without all that junk his kids loaded on his PC. I offered to give him my copy of Maximum PC magazine which describes, in excruciating detail, how one can buy a new HDD and get a "clean start". He doesn't want to take the trouble to do it. It's a real head-scratcher because he is reasonably savvy when it comes to tech stuff. He figures he can just throw some money at the problem and it will go away (i.e. buy a new PC). He knows about the administrator function. I don't know why he doesn't use it. I think he figures his kids are beyond saving when it comes to tech, because he recently bought them their own PC so they could download stuff and not mess up his PC. Well it didn't work out because his kids used his PC to download stuff anyway, which is why he is in his current predicament. 2. On the whole "don't buy from Dell" thing I can agree with him because the last Dell I bought had @#$@# parts. My Dimension 8100 had a fan so loud it was like standing next to a turboprop on takeoff. I'm glad they no longer use proprietary mobos. Maybe he will reconsider a company other than Dell. 3. The reason I brought up ibuypower.com is not because he's a gamer. I play games on my PC so I tend to see ibuypower.com as a place that I might buy from. Plus, it seemed to fit his requirements that it not be from a big name dealer (e.g. Dell) and they use standard, non-proprietary parts. I have never bought from ibuypower.com so I figured I'd ask youse guys to see if it was a good company or not. To those who provided alternate builders, thank you. I will look into them for my next PC, as I don't believe I can build another PC and compete on pricing (for mysefl). Quoted:
PS don't bother suggesting a Mac, it isn't gonna happen.
Here, he is not being irrational. I tend to agree with my co-worker on that one. Macs are overpriced for what you get. And I'm really getting sick of the "I ownz a Mac so I am counter-culture" attitude. No Macs for him, or me. |
|
Here is a good link to check out. You'll find lots of pc's ranging from bare bones to gaming machines. Users rate the various companies regarding the machines. I've used them and had good luck. You can specify what hardware that goes into them and you can end up with a very nice model for under $300 Like this for example. AMD 1GB DDR2 RAM & 500GB HD!! $279.98 Incl. Shipping Complete Athlon 64 X2 7750 AM2 WINDOWS XP or VISTA DVD & COA! 1GB DDR-2 RAM; 500GB SATA Hard Drive; DDR2-800 6400 SATA2 PCI-e X16 -MBoard; nVIDIA GEFORCE 7050 VIDEO; 6-CHANNEL HIGH DEF AUDIO; 10/100 E Ascendtech Inc. http://www.pricewatch.com/ |
|
Quoted: A co-worker wants to buy a new PC. His is a 2005 era PC and it needs a refresh. He doesn't want to build one so he's looking to buy. Looking to spend between $1-1.5k on the new PC. Usage is mostly email, web, digital pics and word processing. It does not have to be a blazing fast gamer machine. Question: assuming you did NOT want to buy a PC from the big manufacturers (e.g. Dell, HP, Best Buy, etc.) where would you send a person who wanted to buy a PC? How are outfits like ibuypower.com and the like? Thanks in advance. PS don't bother suggesting a Mac, it isn't gonna happen. Linux??? you got Firefox for the web GIMP for photos and Open office for word processing. go to Fry's or best buy put a blind fold on and just pick one, they will all work for his desired needs. ...but building your own computer from scratch has never been easier and for $1k he can build a kick ass system. 6-8GB of ram, 1Tb HDD, NVidia 9800gt or 260gtx....etc.... |
|
Quoted: Quoted: A co-worker wants to buy a new PC. His is a 2005 era PC and it needs a refresh. He doesn't want to build one so he's looking to buy. Looking to spend between $1-1.5k on the new PC. Usage is mostly email, web, digital pics and word processing. It does not have to be a blazing fast gamer machine. Question: assuming you did NOT want to buy a PC from the big manufacturers (e.g. Dell, HP, Best Buy, etc.) where would you send a person who wanted to buy a PC? How are outfits like ibuypower.com and the like? Thanks in advance. PS don't bother suggesting a Mac, it isn't gonna happen. Linux??? you got Firefox for the web GIMP for photos and Open office for word processing. go to Fry's or best buy put a blind fold on and just pick one, they will all work for his desired needs. ...but building your own computer from scratch has never been easier and for $1k he can build a kick ass system. 6-8GB of ram, 1Tb HDD, NVidia 9800gt or 260gtx....etc.... Are you shitting me? We are talking about a guy that refuses to refresh his hard drive and you want to give him Linux? Right.  Your friend is an idiot, and you should just make him get a Dell, Mac or tell him to STFU. |
|
Quoted: People need lay down the law to their kids,family or friends that use their computers. Don't download shit unless you need to. Restricted accounts, putting it out where everyone can see it,etc. Seriously, buying a new computer every 2 years because people don't know enough about computers is wasteful. Plus, the whole backing up data is laughable because the brand new computer ends up reinfected. There are plenty of old computers out there that just get thrown away because people are stupid. Forgot to add: a 2005 computer has plenty of power for what was listed. F that noise. My computer is MY computer. No damn way other people will use it. Why do you think it runs so damn well? Get 3+ people to use a Mac or a PC and I promise you it will end up proper fucked in some way. |
|
Quoted:
If that's all he's using it for, his current machine should be fine. Indeed...however, if he wants faster startups, and a more solid PC overall, any new PC will blow the socks off his old machine. There is NO NEED to spend $1000...or even close to that amount. Get a $500-700 HP or Dell. |
|
I know you said he doesnt want to build one, so why dont you build one for him. Charge him $1-200 to do it. After parts and a everything i built a PC for $600 last summer, and the thing is still better then any PC on the market that is below $2,000. I even bought a $90 case, and a powerful $150 GPU for it. (included in the $600) Its rediculous how cheap building a PC is. Best part is that i got a $120 CPU, and since its not a dell or something i can "overclock" it and it is now running at 4Ghz! Plus the ram is at 1150Mhz, compared to the 2.6Ghz-3Ghz CPUs in the PCs your talking about getting, and the 800Mhz ram they usually have.
Also PCs that you find prebuilt tend to have older components in them. The CPUs they use are usually 1 generation behind, and yet charge more then brand new processors. If you want a PC that has newer components you will pay out the ass for it. For the things you mentioned he wants to do you dont need a super PC, infact get THIS and go to newegg.com ,get a pack of OCZ reper memory, and a E7500 and you will have a super PC and it will cost less then $350 |
|
Quoted: A co-worker wants to buy a new PC. His is a 2005 era PC and it needs a refresh. He doesn't want to build one so he's looking to buy. Looking to spend between $1-1.5k on the new PC. Usage is mostly email, web, digital pics and word processing. It does not have to be a blazing fast gamer machine. Question: assuming you did NOT want to buy a PC from the big manufacturers (e.g. Dell, HP, Best Buy, etc.) where would you send a person who wanted to buy a PC? How are outfits like ibuypower.com and the like? Thanks in advance. PS don't bother suggesting a Mac, it isn't gonna happen. I guess I would go with the Keebler Elf Edition You seriously don't leave a lot of options on the table. |
|
1. Add 2 gig memory.
2. Format the current PC Hard Drive 3. Re-install the OS 4. Re-install programs 5. Create an admin account with password; restrict the kid's accounts Voila! New computer. ETA: Upgrade video card and Use this for a monitor. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?dest=9999999997&product_id=10993796&sourceid=35314488072811750797 |
|
Quoted:
I agree, don't get a Mac. They are for Democrats only. Barney Frank probably uses a Mac. AAAAAAH HAHAHAHAHAHA! Thats just too funny. I drive by Apple headquarters almost every day, its funny watching the libs with their man purses, pink polos and khakis or tight acid washed jeans walking around campus. |
|
Quoted: This.1. Add 2 gig memory. 2. Format the current PC Hard Drive 3. Re-install the OS 4. Re-install programs 5. Create an admin account with password; restrict the kid's accounts Voila! New computer. $100 of ram, $100 for you to spend a couple hours alone with the machine, and poof. #5 above should prevent the root of most of the problem that's he's having, i.e. slow/virus/spy/adware. I bought a new computer in 1999 for $1,300. Used it until 2007, and then gave it to a 4channer when his 2003/2004 dell emachine died. I'd still use the TigerDirect if I had it, but I've since built a new tower. 99.99% of common problems with computers running 'crappy' are software related. #2 #3 #4 will fix it. BTW, if this 'guy' is reasonably tech savvy like you think he is, IMHO he should have already bought an external HDD and refreshed windows. It doesn't take that long. I like getting elbow deep into a tower and having inexpensive parts, which is why I don't have a Mac, but this guy said he didn't want to do a simple software fix? Sorry, but a few things don't add up. EDIT: Almost forgot: Tell this guy that he'll end up with a $1,200 hunk of junk in a year or two, if he doesn't fix the root problem.(Which, BTW, fixing it now would save him a lot of money.) + Tell him to take it to a comp shop if he doesn't want to do it himself. His 'backup' reason is BS, unless he plans on not using, AND storing the current PC(i.e. nobody uses it. period.) |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
1. Add 2 gig memory. 2. Format the current PC Hard Drive 3. Re-install the OS 4. Re-install programs 5. Create an admin account with password; restrict the kid's accounts Voila! New computer. ETA: Upgrade video card and Use this for a monitor. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?dest=9999999997&product_id=10993796&sourceid=35314488072811750797 You forgot the spraypaint  But I added a 1080p 42" LCD TV and video card to "feel" like an upgrade. |
| Offer to build him one yourself - It is NOT hard to do. Get his budget, knock off $200 or whatever a couple of hours of your time is worth, run up a spec sheet, make sure he's happy with the selections, get his cash, order the parts, and put it together. If the co-worker is a gun guy, work for ammo, mags, or spare parts! |
|
Quoted: Quoted: I agree, don't get a Mac. They are for Democrats only. Barney Frank probably uses a Mac. AAAAAAH HAHAHAHAHAHA! Thats just too funny. I drive by Apple headquarters almost every day, its funny watching the libs with their man purses, pink polos and khakis or tight acid washed jeans walking around campus. I hate that stupid place. Been there many times. Oh and I guess Rush is a Liberal Democrat Emo Tard. He is a Mac user. I was one, until OSX came out, never took a liking to it. |
|
Quoted: Offer to build him one yourself - It is NOT hard to do. Get his budget, knock off $200 or whatever a couple of hours of your time is worth, run up a spec sheet, make sure he's happy with the selections, get his cash, order the parts, and put it together. If the co-worker is a gun guy, work for ammo, mags, or spare parts! And be on the hook for support with a guy like that? No thanks, only a fool would do that. If he bought a Mac/Dell/Whatever on OP's recommendation, and it was a lemon, or he didn't like it, or it got "slow" too fast, or what have you, It will be OP's fault, no matter what. Run, don't walk. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I agree, don't get a Mac. They are for Democrats only. Barney Frank probably uses a Mac. That's right, buy a Windows box. They're for people that can't figure out how to manage a real operating system. I thought Apples required less "managing"? I agree with what was said earlier. Linux isn't for this guy and he says he doesn't want an Apple. That makes the OS decision rather easy. For what he's doing, however, a Dell, HP, ect. would be just fine. More than fine, really. |
|
Again, thanks for the input.
schizrade is right. I can build one but I don't want to be this guy's help desk. Especially if his kids get a hold of his new PC. I think the idea of him getting a local computer shop (not Best Buy) to do the restore is a really good one. Perhaps he can save money and have someone else take the hassle of reinstalling Windows. In the alternative, I know spending $1k is not a good idea but as he sees it the more PC he buys now, the longer it will last without going obsolete. Kinda hard to argue with that logic. My socket 939 AMD single core has been obsolete for some time now; try finding an Intel Core i7 equivalent chip that will plug into a socket 939! It aint' happening ... kissfan, I don't want this to turn into a PC vs Mac debate. There is no question that Macs are overpriced for what you get. Whether you like OSX better or you like being counterculture by using a Mac, I don't care. For me it is dollars and cents; I can build an equivalent performing PC for a lot less than paying ransom to Steve Jobs. |
