ickeyshuffler Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 so my computer is basically dead, the power went out last friday when i was at the game. When it came back on, it was running really slow and loud. I don't think its worth taking somewhere to get fixed as it is 6 years old. I have a new moniter and printer, so i'm just looking for the CPU itself. Where are some good places to look? and what kind of specs should i be looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 [quote name='whodey24k' post='541684' date='Sep 7 2007, 12:30 AM']so my computer is basically dead, the power went out last friday when i was at the game. When it came back on, it was running really slow and loud. I don't think its worth taking somewhere to get fixed as it is 6 years old. I have a new moniter and printer, so i'm just looking for the CPU itself. Where are some good places to look? and what kind of specs should i be looking for.[/quote] Thought about building one yourself? You can usually save yourself $200-500 by going that route if you're willing to put an hour or so of work into it. That, and you don't have to call India if something breaks; you can just fix it yourself... Unless of course you buy an Apple... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 [quote name='whodey24k' post='541684' date='Sep 7 2007, 01:30 AM']so my computer is basically dead, the power went out last friday when i was at the game. When it came back on, it was running really slow and loud. I don't think its worth taking somewhere to get fixed as it is 6 years old. I have a new moniter and printer, so i'm just looking for the CPU itself. Where are some good places to look? and what kind of specs should i be looking for.[/quote] Dell, Dell, Dell. you can build your own box, but I've never known anyone to save $500 unless you're specing a computer that would run north of $2500 from a manufacturer. It sounds more like you'd be looking at a CPU that will probably run in the $600-$700 range and you'd probably save $100-$150, maybe. My personal preference is Intel chips, not an AMD fan. Core 2 Duo is nice and you can get into a box for a reasonable number Intel Core 2, 2 gb of memory, whatever HD size that suits what you do (alot of pictures, etc. go larger and so on) but for most a 80-120 gig HD is more than adequate. Oh yeah - and demand XP, preferably Pro but I'd settle for Home if that is the only option you have. I've had my home Dell for 2 1/2 years, 3 in October and nary an issue. At work all I buy for all the locations are dell workstations. Servers are another issue. [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/26.gif[/img] As for Apple... as they say if you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all so [img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/32.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 [quote]Servers are another issue.[/quote] Amen to that. [quote]My personal preference is Intel chips, not an AMD fan.[/quote] While I agree that the Core2 is kick-ass, you can save a good chunk of change by going with the Athlon X2... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CincyInDC Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 AMD is fine, but avoid CYRIX like the plague. [img]http://gwyn.tux.org/~balsa/linux/cyrix/Cyrix_6x86MX_PR233a.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 [quote name='Elflocko' post='541852' date='Sep 7 2007, 01:21 PM']While I agree that the Core2 is kick-ass, you can save a good chunk of change by going with the Athlon X2...[/quote] Oh, I don't disagree in that regard. The computer I had prior to my current box was an Athlon (a T-Bird) as they called. It was my second one - both had issues when I was multi-tasking with more than 3-4 applications open. The onboard cache in the chip wasn't as efficient, etc. as the Intel and I think that caused it to have more issues with multiple apps being open at one time. Only 2-3 things open, it was just fine. But, you're right it will save some money to go that route. [quote name='CincyInDC' post='541859' date='Sep 7 2007, 01:33 PM']AMD is fine, but avoid CYRIX like the plague. [img]http://gwyn.tux.org/~balsa/linux/cyrix/Cyrix_6x86MX_PR233a.jpg[/img][/quote] Yes, that almost goes without saying. I'd have mentioned them as well but I didn't even think they were still in business making chips. The last I'd seen of a Cyrix chip was almost 10 years ago. Major overheating issues with those things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ickeyshuffler Posted September 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 what are you feelings on this one? i have been everywhere online(dell,tigerdirect,microcenter) in store(circuit city,bestbuy,hhgregg). below is the computer i like most, anyone have one? any feedback on this thing? [url="http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-Media-Center-TV-PC-M8100N/sem/rpsm/oid/185192/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do"]here it is[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [quote name='whodey24k' post='542165' date='Sep 7 2007, 10:03 PM']what are you feelings on this one? i have been everywhere online(dell,tigerdirect,microcenter) in store(circuit city,bestbuy,hhgregg). below is the computer i like most, anyone have one? any feedback on this thing? [url="http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-Media-Center-TV-PC-M8100N/sem/rpsm/oid/185192/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do"]here it is[/url][/quote] not bad...good value all around.. ive never been an HP fan, but only experience is with former employers buying garbage HP's.. so should work well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [quote name='whodey24k' post='542165' date='Sep 7 2007, 09:03 PM']what are you feelings on this one? i have been everywhere online(dell,tigerdirect,microcenter) in store(circuit city,bestbuy,hhgregg). below is the computer i like most, anyone have one? any feedback on this thing? [url="http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-Media-Center-TV-PC-M8100N/sem/rpsm/oid/185192/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do"]here it is[/url][/quote] I've always had good luck with HP's. Looks like a good system... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [quote name='Elflocko' post='542199' date='Sep 7 2007, 10:55 PM'][color="#FF0000"][u][i][b]I've always had good luck with HP's.[/b][/i][/u][/color] Looks like a good system...[/quote] REALLY?!?!??!?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go Tory Go! Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 We have purchased several 'emachines' from OfficeMax, I believe; after rebate, they come to like $450, they always have solid specs if you can deal with a somewhat generic 'brand,' and you can't beat the price. Last time, they came with a printer/scanner as well. They usually run out, gotta get there early when the deal's on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ickeyshuffler Posted September 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [quote name='GoBengals' post='542200' date='Sep 7 2007, 10:56 PM']REALLY?!?!??!?!?![/quote]Your scaring me. are they shit or something? i have an HP right now that i have had since the day the patriots won the sb in 2002. I have done some upgrades to it. But the thing is 5 years old, and is just now dying.[quote name='Go Tory Go!' post='542210' date='Sep 7 2007, 11:10 PM']We have purchased several 'emachines' from OfficeMax, I believe; after rebate, they come to like $450, they always have solid specs if you can deal with a somewhat generic 'brand,' and you can't beat the price. Last time, they came with a printer/scanner as well. They usually run out, gotta get there early when the deal's on.[/quote]i couldn't find an Emachine that had 2gig of memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [url="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8432868&st=acer&type=product&id=1182557425296"]http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1182557425296[/url] also don't forget to check CC, BB, etc for their open box/returned/demo units. Sometimes you can save some good $$ on pc's that are prefectly fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [quote name='whodey24k' post='542230' date='Sep 8 2007, 12:17 AM']Your scaring me. are they shit or something? i have an HP right now that i have had since the day the patriots won the sb in 2002. I have done some upgrades to it. But the thing is 5 years old, and is just now dying.i couldn't find an Emachine that had 2gig of memory.[/quote] no they had some rocky years in the last decade but have turned a corner more recently, i would buy an HP if i found the right deal as well. its a good machine.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go Tory Go! Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [quote name='whodey24k' post='542230' date='Sep 8 2007, 12:17 AM']Your scaring me. are they shit or something? i have an HP right now that i have had since the day the patriots won the sb in 2002. I have done some upgrades to it. But the thing is 5 years old, and is just now dying.i couldn't find an Emachine that had 2gig of memory.[/quote] Forgot to mention, whenever we get one (we've gotten several for old folks we know requesting computer help) we always buy some memory; it's a very simple and relatively cheap upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Elflocko| Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [quote name='GoBengals' post='542200' date='Sep 7 2007, 09:56 PM']REALLY?!?!??!?!?![/quote] Their servers are bullet-proof, and we run our entire virtual environment as well as a good chunk of storage on them. I think I had a bad backplane on one out of the box a couple years ago, but other than that you just plug them in and go. As for the desktops, I have an issue with 1 HP for every 7 Dells, and at least with the HP's I can go to PC club and buy the replacement part instead of having to call "Jim" in India and wait a week for him to ship me the "part-of-the-month" they happened to use in that particular box that particular day at the Dell plant. There's a reason they rhyme with "hell"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 [quote name='Elflocko' post='542254' date='Sep 8 2007, 07:38 AM']Their servers are bullet-proof, and we run our entire virtual environment as well as a good chunk of storage on them. I think I had a bad backplane on one out of the box a couple years ago, but other than that you just plug them in and go. As for the desktops, I have an issue with 1 HP for every 7 Dells, and at least with the HP's I can go to PC club and buy the replacement part instead of having to call "Jim" in India and wait a week for him to ship me the "part-of-the-month" they happened to use in that particular box that particular day at the Dell plant. There's a reason they rhyme with "hell"...[/quote] yea servers are a different story. dell isnt as proprietary as before. seems only power supplies, and there are a few companies that make compatible models now, but still ordering that. i got ram hd's, drives, cables, everything at newegg and all worked fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vol_Bengal Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 [quote name='Elflocko' post='542254' date='Sep 8 2007, 07:38 AM']Their servers are bullet-proof, and we run our entire virtual environment as well as a good chunk of storage on them. I think I had a bad backplane on one out of the box a couple years ago, but other than that you just plug them in and go. As for the desktops, I have an issue with 1 HP for every 7 Dells, and at least with the HP's I can go to PC club and buy the replacement part instead of having to call "Jim" in India and wait a week for him to ship me the "part-of-the-month" they happened to use in that particular box that particular day at the Dell plant. There's a reason they rhyme with "hell"...[/quote] Elf - you and I just have had different experiences I guess... Servers - I'll buy Compaq / HP all day because those boxes are unbeatable. Desktops - all the Compaq / HP's I've ever had were garbage. I'll not buy another. I've been buying Dell's for the last 5 years now and I guess I'm upwards of a total of 200+ machines and we've actually had to lay hands on maybe 10 of them total for issues that were hardware / Dell related. I'm not counting our stupid users screwups in that number. HD failure, network card on motherboard, etc. In 8 of those 10 they were warrantied work and we had a person here the next day replacing the part and had that user back up by that afternoon. The other two were one of two things - out of warranty HD (which I can also go to the local store and replace) and the other was power supply which I got next day. As for e-Machines, don't even get me started on those. I guess I'll just say - buy what makes you happy because regarding computers - they're a lot like cars. Different people prefer different brands for various reasons. Usually, good / bad experiences is the first determinant. And, in the end, you're the one that is going to have to use it and maintain it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|RayDoggBengal| Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Just got an email from Dell for a Vostro 200 for $379 with the following, it's small business so you'll just need to put your name in as the business name when ordering from small business: You can get another gig of ram from microcenter for about $40 [url="http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=brdw2af&s=bsd"]linky[/url] My System Details Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core E2140 (1.60GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 800FSB) Genuine Windows® XP Home Dell 17 inch E178FP Analog Flat Panel Monitor 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz - 2DIMMs 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ Single Drive: 16X DVD-ROM Drive Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 No Floppy Drive No Modem Option Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ochosucko Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 I got an Alienware computer and it is the best computer that I have ever owned. It has liquid cooling in it so it never has problems when I turn my graphics card up. I would avoid Dell. If your going to buy a Dell then you can afford an Alienware. My last computer was a Dell, and it cost me over $4,000 for it. Here is a link for their website. [url="http://www.alienware.com"]http://www.alienware.com[/url] I also found that Dell had limited places for upgrades, like more ram slots inside the computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ickeyshuffler Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 [quote name='RayDoggBengal' post='543147' date='Sep 10 2007, 11:28 AM']Just got an email from Dell for a Vostro 200 for $379 with the following, it's small business so you'll just need to put your name in as the business name when ordering from small business: You can get another gig of ram from microcenter for about $40 [url="http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=brdw2af&s=bsd"]linky[/url] My System Details Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core E2140 (1.60GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 800FSB) Genuine Windows® XP Home Dell 17 inch E178FP Analog Flat Panel Monitor 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz - 2DIMMs 80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™ Single Drive: 16X DVD-ROM Drive Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 No Floppy Drive No Modem Option Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio[/quote] thanks for the heads up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 I'm not a fan of anything from HP. I have never seen any company put more bloatware onto a desktop or laptop than HP. I've also never seen peripherals that "require" more crap installed and running than with HP (You should really look at all the background processes than run just so you can print a letter to mom. It's obscene.). As for calls to India with Dell, I think you must be calling different help lines than I do. The only times I've called Dell, I've been put on the phone with people who work at the Dell facility right out on I-75. I think the best bet is always to do a little research, and build the computer yourself. You might be able to buy something cheap from Dell or HP, but they're built with low quality components, and just can't handle anything more than RAM upgrades. Build it right yourself, and you'll have a much faster computer today, at a VERY reasonable price, and you'll be able to do CPU/Video Card/RAM/etc upgrades to keep it treating you well for years and years longer than anything else. My only real exception to the build it yourself rule is when it comes to laptops. Actually building your own laptop is a real hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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