# Desktop computer recommendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desktop-computer-recommendations/489011 "2009-03-10T22:19:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desktop-computer-recommendations/489011/1 "2009-03-10T22:19:55Z")
In case the effort described [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10924068&posted=1#post10924068) goes badly šŸ˜› (or probably even if it goes well, actually), weā€™re likely to be in the market for a new computer in the next week or so. Usage: standard household stuff. We donā€™t do gaming so nothing really high-end. We use it for a fair bit of music downloaded from iTunes or ripped from CDs. Fair number of photos (not enormous). And householdy stuff (Quicken, address books, etc.), We donā€™t want a really low-end box either, seems like weā€™d have to replace that sooner rather than later. Current machine is a 4 year old Lenovo (maybe they were still IBM then) that has worked fine except when it hasnā€™t (failed spectacularly 2 years ago and we think it was the mother board but some techie insisted it was the hard drive and replaced that too). 2.86 ghz processor, I think, though the specs are all downstairs at the moment. Weā€™d consider a laptop except the kids would likely break that. Safer to have a box they donā€™t have to mess with, and a separate monitor (which has had its own share of [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=441386&highlight=monitor](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=441386&highlight=monitor) but these days is working pretty well for a 7 year old dinosaur!). Brand recommendations? Iā€™ve heard that Dellā€™s low end is crap but their mid-level stuff is actually decent. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desktop-computer-recommendations/489011/2 "2009-03-10T22:28:44Z")
You cannot really go wrong with Dell or HP. Avoid Packard Bell. Get one with a good warranty. Since sound is one of your main things, be sure to get an add-on sound card. The motherboard chipsets can have playback issues when multitasking. In the unlikely event youā€™re feeling flush, get a second PC - one for the two of you (placed in your bedroom or office) and one for family usage, and buy a copy of Windows Home Server and install it on your old PC and network the lot. Nightly backups are very convenient. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desktop-computer-recommendations/489011/3 "2009-03-10T23:14:11Z")
I agree Dell and HP are safe choices, Iā€™ve owned both and havenā€™t had any problems. If youā€™re buying from their online stores, be sure to keep an eye on bargain-hunting sites that post deals and coupon codes, like [xpBargains](http://www.xpbargains.com/). I think for your stated purposes, any current desktop with a dual-core or quad-core processor and 2GB or more RAM would do fine. You might want to stay away from 64-bit versions of Windows, they tend to have more compatibility issues (especially hardware drivers). ---
**Author:** ![old\_joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/58956e/32.png) [@old\_joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/old_joe)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desktop-computer-recommendations/489011/4 "2009-03-10T23:32:29Z")
[/QUOTE] Brand recommendations? Iā€™ve heard that Dellā€™s low end is crap but their mid-level stuff is actually decent. [/QUOTE] Low end anything is pretty bad. Low end ram, video on board, small power supplies etc. I have seen 110 watt power supplies! I always get my clients to go a little above that, $800 to $1200 should get you a decent machine that will do anything you could want. Even the stuff that you dont know you want. Be aware that vista needs a good video card to run well. Dual core, 3 or 4 gigs ram, 320 gig hdd, 400 watt PS, vista and 20 inch lcd monitor is pretty much the norm right now. I deal with these guys ([http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/Computers(ME)/ComputerSystems(ME)/GamingSystems(ME)/Default.aspx](http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/Computers(ME)/ComputerSystems(ME)/GamingSystems(ME)/Default.aspx)) but I go to the stores so I have no idea what the internet end is like. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desktop-computer-recommendations/489011/5 "2009-03-11T00:25:46Z")
My business partner and I have recommended/set up about a dozen machines so far from [http://www.dfsdirectsales.com/](http://www.dfsdirectsales.com/) the Dell refurb site. Companies buy large quantities of ā€œgenericā€ desktops and laptops, then the warranty or lease is up and the boxes go back to Dell, and Dell re-sells them here. Every box Iā€™ve helped someone buy is for people who just do what you want to do. Certainlly I would not recommend them for gaming. But for everything else theyā€™re plenty (provided you run XP and not Vista). I personally bought one as my work machine. Every day I run 2 copies of Visual [Studio.Net](http://Studio.Net), plus Visual Studio 6, Eudora, SQL Server Manager, Trillian, Firefox, Photoshop and sometimes WMP - all at once. The only thing I did was check out the RAM specs for the machine on [www.crucial.com](http://www.crucial.com) and bought the max amount of RAM for the machine. You can get good Crucial memory for cheaper than the memory upgrade price on the site (meaning buying a machine with more RAM - they donā€™t actually let you configure it). I got a box with an 80GB HDD which is plenty for most people. I keep my massive amounts of work data on an external drive. Oh, those machines donā€™t come with a monitor. But I have plenty of CRTs around the house and they work just fine, so I saved money that way. Just my 2 cents!