What computer to buy?
 

I need to get a new computer.My hp pavilion 8660 keeps locking up.I have had several computer people look at it including HP tech support nothing has fixed the problem which seems to be inherant to this model talking to other owners. This problem is getting worse and I can't stand it any more. Does any one have any sugestions on what to buy? don't want to go down this road again. HP SUCKS! :hothead: :hothead: :confused:

I can build you a new one its so cheap now days
if you dont sell the old one the Hard drive, Cd rom ,memory
cpu and floppy can be reused. I use quality Intel motherboards
and use a good case power supply or I can point you to the parts you need . The best bang for the buck is a intel 815 motherboard and a p3 1ghz or higher with 512megs ram
good for everything except Heavy Video editing

Check the Dell site their deals are hard to beat. I almost didn't build my new one myself with some of the deals they offer.

Look at Gateway. I have been SUPER happy with mine.

Jon

I just bought a new Dell. They are kind of like buying a pizza. They advertise the cheese pizza then sell you the Meatlovers Special. I called for a $799 pc, and ended up with a $1200 purchase.:) It goes something like this "would you like a modem?", "programs?" etc.

I've had it for over a week now, but still haven't even opened the box yet. Maybe I'll find a big fat sack of cheeba in it dude!:D

Here is what I spent on building my new one which is used for video editing. I have a Shuttle case and mother board which the case is the size of a shoe box. P4 1.8 gig cpu, 256 DDR ram, 80 gig western digital harddrive and a 120 western digital harddrive. Sony 19 inch monitor Mother board came with optical audio out, two firewire ports and 4 usb 1 and or usb 2 ports. It ran about $1200.00 for all the parts.

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Audio is right about gateway I spec them for my company
and they have real intel Motherboards just dont buy the
cheap ones. e-4000 deluxe for our customers
or I really recommend th e-6000 deluxe
real tower cases stay away from the mini towers
I will say the e-4000 or the e-6000 are the quietest
towers I every had in the lab I could not tell if it was on
unless I walked behide it, Very quite , I have bought 47 of these
4000 deluxe and none have come back!

You may want to check out the Shuttle case. For a DJ business they may work great. Very low noise. Optical out. I use it for video with a wireless keyboard and mouse. Everything fits in a case. I also run two 120 gig firewire harddrives.

Depends on what you use it for.
You could get a fast Pentium 4 3.0 GHz processor, but I would say that most people can get by with a "slow" Pentium 4 around 1.8 GHz and save some $$. Throw in 256mb RAM, 40/10/40 CDRW & 30 GB hard drive and you should be set.
If it were me, I would make sure to stick with a Pentium processor.

If you can build it yourself you can save some pretty good money. Otherwise it is hard to beat www.dell.com.

I have a 4 yr old Dell PIII 750 MHz w/512mb ram and I am still very pleased with it. I use it at home for everyday stuff (spreadsheets, docs, web surfing, photo editing).

Rob

I have always had great luck with DELL.

I have never had to deal with the customer disservice, but thanks for the advice, I will be prepared now.

I've been very lucky with IBM systems.
I've had this one (our second) for 3 years now and haven't had any trouble.
My only complaint is the limited amount of RAM I can have, 356K max.
As for lock-ups, the more programs you have running in the background the better your chances of trouble. Try hitting "Control- ALT- Delete" and you'll see what programs are open and active (everything listed there is open and active). Any program running uses up RAM. And when RAM availability low (system resources) it'll cause the system to lock-up or freeze. That's why you can't have too much RAM. The new computers can handle up to 1GB of RAM.
Also limit the amount of icons on your desktop. If you could see mine I have only four icons showing. Everything else is in "Programs" list and the keyboard has rapid access keys for my most used/accessed programs.

I have a Dell, best computer I've ever had.
Check out their specials/refurbs. They computer there are new, spec out systems they can't sell as new because someone canceled an order. They now have a speced out system built, so they put them in the "refurbished section" you'll save some bux.
http://outlet.us.dell.com/Dispatcher...rcDetail=offer

I purchased my computer from Best Buy last year and it is called a VPR Matrix.....It is a custom built computer at such a low price it didn't make it worth my wild to build my own...When I got mine it was a Pentium 4 with a Northwood 2.0g...They have more powerful ones now and still at a cheaper price...Plus 1 year same as cash:D

Dude--Get yourself a Dell.

I am the systems administrator for my company and we have 17 Dell pc's and have had good luck with all of them.

TooOld my Gateway has a alluminum case. I take it on job sites with me every day and it has been beat around good. Due the the high danger of were my laptop is I purchased coverage with it so if it ever goes down in 3 years they hand me a new puder the next day and I am off. When my computer is fixed they give me mine gack and we swap again. I have the thin one like the Sony VIO piece. You know my lick with things so to have this thing work for me what do you think :D:D

Jon

I have a gateway 9300 series 15.7 inch with a p3 650 upgraded
the drive to 30 gig and the memory to 288 this is a desktop
replacement that is 2-3 years old and built like a tank 9lbs
Ive have dropped it from 3-4 feet and those chrome steel
hinges dont brake mag frame seperate 8 meg video
can be had off ebay for 600.00 and Cdrw/DVD are still around
this was the worlds largest and most advanced computer
2.5 years ago 2 usb, Firewire, TV out and capture in, had digital
audio too. This was the best of of the best kinda like a older used
cig. just some comments from a IT guy!

dude...don't buy a dell...

their customer service/technical support is horrible. I'm a computer tech by profession and when I call a support line, it's for good reason and "reboot the pc" is not a solution I like to hear when i call.

with dell support, you will rarely get an american voice on the other end of the line either. now, don't get me wrong, but it is very difficult to talk to someone in Sri Lanka and understand what they are saying...nevermind the technical ineptitude of the majority of their support staff.

as far as quality of dell products, i can tell you that their consumer products(like Compaq/HP) are a whole different animal than their corporate products. The consumer products do not use the same quality construction or components...the motherboards chassis and cases in particular are quite different.

i advised a friend/customer to buy 2 dells(one for home, one for the office) two years ago and it has nearly cost me a friendhship because the office pc was never right from the day he got it. we replaced every piece of equipment in that box and never got it to run without locking up on a daily basis. I spent many a weekend trying to get this thing right...and the bottom line in my opinion was the chassis and case were so flimsy that they were causing the majority of the problem. It was so bad, that none of my operating system install cds would work on this system...i'd never seen anything like this in my life.

well, two years of phone calls, threats to put a sign in the shop window saying "Dell Sucks" finally yielded us a brand new computer...it was a nightmare and while many of you might think that getting a new computer out of them would be a good thing, my opinion is that they should have replaced it sooner and not jerked us around for two years.

I personally have an IBM ThinkPad which I use for webs design, graphics, spreadheets and web surfing(its my third and my next one will be an IBM also). It is an older PMMX 300mhz model and has been nothing but good to me. They are very durable and IBM sells you the same product...whether you own a multi-million dollar coporation, or a small web biz like me...

Just my .02 for whatever it's worth

Dell is your best bet. Service is consistently ranked number one in the industry, despite Troutlys anecdotal evidence. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience but I would be interested in more facts.

Building your own is fine for those that will never need any help if something goes wrong. It is fine if you don't mind replacing parts when they go bad. It is fine if you do not mind BUYING new parts when they break as typically, parts purchased separately don't carry the same warrantee as complete systems.

There is a reason why Dell is number one...

You simply can not beat Dell for quality and support.

Also, if you are a computer technician, calling any level one support can be a frustratng task. Dell has programs for corporate customers to bypass this for just that very reason.

I bought a DELL about 8 months ago... Love it.. no issues with locking up. Have not had to call customer service(no problems with it) so I can't comment on that one. At work here we use compaq computers and are starting to use dell's. They buy computers by the hundreds at a time here, so that makes me feel better.

Troutly, it sounds like you were unfortunate enough to get one of two things. A CSR having a bad day or not trained sufficiently.

Either way, you had a very unpleasant experience no doubt.

All I ask you to do is realize that any time you deal with humans, there is that chance. This being said, it certainly doesn't represent what EVERYONE deals with.

For every negative experience, I can cite thousands of positives.

My suggestion would be ANYTIME you don't feel you are getting the support you need, ask for a supervisor and tell the supervisor what you are dealing with. The CSR you dealt with either needs to be fired or sent for more training. Unfortunately, it happens.

As for service, again, I point to the industry statistics that have placed Dell's tech support in the number one position now for several years running.

Call it the cream of the crap if you like (I do) as service is an area that will never be where I would like to see it...in any industry for that matter.

Yes, I work for Dell so I have a bit of insight to this issue. I am not on the consumer side and you couldn't PAY me enough to be. This is but one example why. There simply are too many things that can go wrong for my liking...:)

Puttin a PC together......just like a bunch of legos. It's just getting it running that takes a bit. Personally, I had my last one built about 3 years ago, and don't think it locked up more than 10 times (i'd have to say most of the fault was the I-net connection).

Try this:

1) Go to one of the sites that was recommended, such as Toms hardware (mentioned earlier), or sharkey's extreme - those guys are great at letting you know what works together & what doesn't. Get the specs on a good system that they've tested

2) Go to pricewatch.com - get the best prices on the components from here.

3) go to http://www.cbwstores.com/ - find a location by you, and have them price out the system......then tell them they need to come closer to the prices you get for the components.

For another $100-150 bucks you can get the system, & buy the 2 year service agreement.

I did this for my last one, and I'll do it again for my next one........and I'm not even a computer dude, just a gearhead who spent a little time reading !


Or check this site out.....I got a sales paper from them & they seem to have some pretty nice systems for under a grand !

http://www.microcenter.com/index.html

mlite...I had a feeling you worked for Dell, but saw no response from you regarding our experience with support or the sub-standard hardware used in their consumer line.

i'm not looking for a pissing match, just your comments on my findings...

I think many times that causes of lockups/crashes is related to the mix of software you have on the pc. You could be running a version of software that is not totally compatible with the O/S or even with the other software on your system.
If you can recreate the lockup by starting up program A, followed by starting program B, then it will be easier to diagnose and solve. Maybe deinstalling program A will keep program B from locking up, maybe there is a service pack that can be applied to program B to bring it up to date, etc.

Rob

Go to a computer expo, my dad got a 1.8ghz P4, 80gig drive, flat screen monitor less than 2" thick, 512mb ram, everything matches, a killer sound system all for under 1k. you will need to buy software, Win98, and Win2k is still perfectly fine, you dont need XP. Plus 98 will be loads cheaper than XP Pro.
Trouty, i agree, every dell i have been on ever has always locked up way more than any other pc....even when mine had 128 viruses on it!!! (4mos of internet d/l everything with no antivirus software!)

:) WOW! thanks for all the responces however mixed. I'm shure that building a computer is the way to go as I have been Told before. I really don't have the time to sort through it all at this time as I have too much going.Thought I would just buy one ready to go and be done with it. I don't need much just internet,word,and some accounting thats it nothing fancy. my current set up would be fine if not for the locking up which is not related to any one program or command. With just the bare minimum installed on the computer and running still locks. I have given up on this one. My wife says I'm going to find it in the front yard some day soon. Just looking for relyability. :confused:

I agree with Gaspipe96.

We have 6 Dells in my office. All ran strong until we loaded xp pro networked with server 2000. We now have some glitchs and lock ups but nothing we can't deal with. If I were to do it again I would have stuck with windows 2000 all the way.

I have also noticed the machines with Winfax lock up more than others without. Just my .02

I know I'll get flamed and people will say I don't know what I am talking about, so here is why my advice counts.

Implemented $1,000,000 software on Windows and UNIX for fortune 500 companies worldwide. Taught programmers to end users for Tandem, HP, Compaq, Cisco, Nortel, Ford, Ericson, and over fifty other major companies. Write software on Windows and Mac. Have consulted mission critical internet companies who must have the most reliable crash free systems. Been on expert panels at trade shows and software conventions. Worked with some of the top security and anti virus programmers in the world.

All that experience has lead me to one important conclusion - if you don't want crashes ever again the only system good enough for mission critical is UNIX. Problem is most flavors are too hard to use or manage except one - Apple Macintosh. It is way easier than windows and way more powerful at the same time. It is the marriage of BSD UNIX with the Mac interface and you can forget about all the security and crashing problems as well as all the problems with getting it to work. Everyone I have gotten to switch can't believe that people still use that buggy insecure windows system, but didn't realize things don't have to be that way. I do not work for and never did work for Apple or anyone related to them.

http://www.apple.com/switch/

I stopped building my own nine years ago.
I stopped buying offbrands or custom hotrods six years ago.
I stopped buying consumer-grade computers five years ago.

I've bought only Dells in the past five years.
I do buy Dimension series desktops, but spec them with lots of memory and fast drives and the video cards I want as opposed to integrated junk. I make sure the motherboard chipsets are fast and well-proven to be reliable.

I've stopped upgrading pieces in computers more than 2 years old - if something is wrong with them that will cost more than $50 or take more than an hour to fix, I replace it with a new Dell.

While I used to have endless problems with hotrods getting hot chips, burning out power supplies, and losing harddrives (all due to poor heat management) I have never replaced anything but a bad netcard in any of my Dells (and the oldest is a Pentium Pro 200MHz workstation that has been relegated to a noncritical application but still runs like a top). I am convinced that the Dell configurations I now purchase are sold in adequate quantities to debug them and have heat and component issues worked out long before they reach my hands (I am a believer in a second-tier performance level - not the latest and fastest, but a notch back while still possessing a current chipset).

I hate to hear of anybody's trouble with their stuff.

I only know that I have been extremely well-pleased with Dell after years of stocking the closets with spare power supplies, drives, netcards, vidcards, memory, drive controllers, processor fans, soundcards, you name it. Now I keep spares, but never have to use them.

I'm a Dell customer.
Could care less about their tech support.
The resources on the Internet allow me to troubleshoot any issue I run up against, and Dell has been quick to FedEx me a part to install myself the ONE time I needed them to.

And I've found XP Pro to be a great (for Microsoft) Operating System.

The few boxes I have still running 98SE are more trouble than the other 17 combined.

I have a new Dell 8250 loaded (running XP Pro)- 200 gig hard drive, 1024 Ram 18" Ultra Sharp flat panel, DVD and CD burners.
No problems with this computer other than the speaker system (Harmon Karden) right out of the box. The speakers were replaced: since it took them an excessive amount of time to process the warranty claim, they gave me an upgrade to the Altec-Lansings for free. That is my only experience with CS. I can handle my own technical problems.

I also have an older Dell Latitude laptop that has never skipped a beat, and my desktop computer at work is also a Dell Dimension (a couple of years old) with no problems.
My new company laptop is a Gateway, and so far it has proved itself well. A couple of family members have Gateway desktops, and have had good luck with them as well.

Troutly
Since it only happens when surfing the net, does it have anything to do with the quanity of porn sites you visit and the light speed at which you click to see more pics (a pc can only handle a couple dozen porn popups before it will die)?:p
J/K..Not sure what the deal is with your laptop if you haven't added any wierd software or anything. How much ram and what O/S do you have? What is running in the background (Norton, popup stopper, etc)?
I have a Latitude C600 laptop with Win2K, my desktop at home is a Dimension P3 with XP Pro, at work I have 3 Dell GX110 P3 desktops (XP Pro, Win2k, NT4). I have had zero problems with any of these. Maybe I have been lucky. :confused:
Like others have said, it is easy to go to the Dell site and download any service packs/fixes you may need. I am an IT professional so maybe fixing some of the software issues is easier for me to do than others. I don't know. I try not to install too much software on the home pc so it keeps me out of trouble.

cartman - My brother in law had an issue with his HP as well. He has a P4 1.8 that he bought last summer. It has XP home, DVD, CDRW, subwoofer on it. Real nice system. He has a few of the "extra" crappy software that manufacturers add to their systems like HP Center, weather bug, misc games (all stuff to run in the background to use resources and slow you down), but for the most part it was fine. Anyways, he would periodically go to Windows Update and download security patches and other stuff that MS puts out. One day he did just that and downloaded a patch from Nov 2002, that crashed his system. Blue screen of death and that was it. The only way to recover was to do a full restore with the HP system setup. He did that and everything was fine. When he told me about this the next time I was visting him, I talked him into doing the Win Update again (I thought there was no way that a patch from MS could do it). WRONG. Same thing happened. Just to be sure, this stubborn IT guy tried it again. Same thing. I must say that the HP restore is a very handy tool.
Sorry for rambling. Good luck in your search.:cool:


Rob

Just go with an eMachine. In a few months it will end up being slow as heck again anyway, why waste the $$$ to upgrade what you have. For $499 you get a the hard drive with a burner, or get the complete package for $799 with $300 in rebates. Ends up being the same thing and not costing and arm and a leg. Just my $.02.

Sean, Didn't mean to bail but I am on the road again this week.

I am the first to line up and say we can do better from a support standpoint. I have been in that role in a past life and no one cringes more than I do when I hear these horror stories. Again, as I said earlier, support is an area that everyone needs to work on. Like I said before, Dell has ranked number one in the support arena for a few years running.

Cream of the crap is a term I like to use for that very reason. We do better than anyone else but have far to go, no doubt.

As for substandard parts, you lost me on that one. Dell uses industry standard parts throughout their systems. I don't follow your statement on that one. Help me out here with a few specifics.

Give Alienware a look before you plunk down a couple of grand for a Dell and crappy customer service. No reason to get another cookie cutter machine, you can get a great custom built system to your specs with excellent tech suport. Alienware will also give you discounts on upgrading hardware over the life of your machine, something Dell doesn't do. Dell is the Walmart of personal computing.

http://www.alienware.com/

mlite, support issues aside, because I know how difficult it can be to get competent help(I manage a support desk)...my main concern is the hardware. It is widely known that Compaq corporate hardware is superior to thier consumer line---both in construction and component used. it is my belief that Dell is the same way, because we use some Dell equipment here at work---all GX stuff---from GX1 to GX240 desktops...they seem fine, but...

On the consumer side...we bought a Dimension XXX...I dunno about the motherboard, but i ordered the latest and greatest at the time...PIII 733 or 800...INTEL ONLY! upgraded vid card, 20 gig drive, cdrw(no dvd)...but, as i see above, everything was integrated in the motherboard(execpt the modem)...

my main concern is the chassis...it is so flimsy and you could twist it into a prezel with one hand. Another thing i hate is the the motherboard(and most components for that matter) snap into place and are not screwed or bolted in. In my opinion attaching a motherboard to a chassis by pressing it into clips in the chassis puts stress on the board and can lead to failure(but i could be wrong).

my other gripe was th OS...and I know a lightbulb is gonna go off in everyone's head and yer gonna say, "ah...that was your trouble all the while..." but anyway, we were running WinME which in my opinion is the worst operating system since OS2...but the problem is, I was never able to upgrade the OS on this box...I tried everything including FDISK...and every OS install that I have in my little bag o tricks...nothing worked...98, NT or 2000. Every install failed and I use these cds every day. I would get mostly file copy errors at the initial part of the install(where the screen is blue)...

anyway, it's all over now...we got a brand new box w/XP and it's running great(knock wood)

thoughts?

UNIX???? Tom, yer a funny guy...UNIX is the most unfriendly OS ever built...The Windows shell is tough an forget about command line...grep? What the hell is grep??? :) :) :) Just breaking your shoes...

dell

UNIX is the most unfriendly for sure. That's why I said Mac is UNIX with the best interface making it the ultimate reliable user friendly system. Grep is the ultimate search tool as it will look for patterns in text like no other. Talk about unfriendly though.;) ;)

Thanks guys now I'm more confused than ever. There seems to be a consensus on dell or building one. Tom I have heard several good things about the I mac 5 people have told me to buy one but they all are recent purchases has any one had major problems with them? Glad to see no one is sticking up for hp if dell is the wallmart of pc then hp is the salvation army just my .02 :drool: