# I can't afford my own computer
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 17, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117 "2006-05-17T16:12:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/1 "2006-05-17T16:12:30Z")
But golly, would I ever like one. Especially since my dad has been on some sort of shitty music kick lately. Apparently he gets them from some Chinese site where entire CDs are put up for download, and then removed after a certain number of downloads. What this means is that there is never any good music available, and instead he has been filling up the shelves with CDs such as **Tribal Mozart** and **Handelian Lute Concertos for Synthesizer** and **Little Mongolian Girl Sings Repetitive Songs in Mandarin and then again in Mongolian While Her Uncle Talks in the Background**. I asked him to keep it off the new computer but apparently the sound on the old one is broken. And then there’s the porn. He burns it to CDs for some reason to watch on the good computer, maybe so nobody can stumble across the files later. But guess what? They still show up on the recent documents list! And with such descriptive file names too! Christ on a bike, porn music sucks. You don’t need to listen to it. Avast recently found the first virus on this computer since we bought it. I wonder why. You know that feeling you get like you’re sharing a house, but one housemate keeps walking through wearing muddy boots? I’m trying to think of a tactful way to tell him to keep the crap off the good computer. Failing that I think I will stick a post-it on the monitor with “NO PORN. NO SHIT MUSIC.” written on it in large letters.
Just thought I’d share my frustrations. If anyone wants to donate money, I prefer Australian dollars.
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### Author:  [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/2 "2006-05-17T16:16:01Z")
Don’t kill him, it’s not worth it _comfort_
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/3 "2006-05-17T16:23:00Z")
I received a fax at work today touting a DELL $899 system with 19" flat screen, 160 gig HD, 512 meg RAM, 4.8 megaherz Pentium, Windows etc.
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### Author:  [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/4 "2006-05-17T16:27:28Z")
Ya know, they have these new-fangled inventions called CD-players, right? Ya don’t need a monitor, or keyboard, or even an internet connection anymore. Amazing piece of technology.
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### Author:  [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/5 "2006-05-17T16:28:11Z")
Huh. That’s really cheap. It’s still half my life savings though.
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### Author:  [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/6 "2006-05-17T16:55:36Z")
> [@don't ask](#):
>
> I received a fax at work today touting a DELL $899 system with 19" flat screen, 160 gig HD, 512 meg RAM, 4.8 megaherz Pentium, Windows etc.
The Dell Outlet has really cheap stuff. For $350 total (incl tax & shipping) you can get a celeron 2.4, 256 ram, 20 gig hd, 17" CRT, 56k modem, and Windows XP home. Look for the Dell Outlet tab on the dell website.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/7 "2006-05-17T17:05:51Z")
For half that price, get him a Mac Mini - he can download to his heart’s content with barely a care to viruses.
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### Author:  [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/8 "2006-05-17T22:28:46Z")
pff. amateurs.
When you want a cheap computer, you need to turn to the pros over at [www.fatwallet.com](http://www.fatwallet.com)
search their hot deal forums and you’ll find damn good deals.
[http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=613249&highlight\_key=y&keyword1=dell](http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=613249&highlight_key=y&keyword1=dell)
This one aint bad, but you can definitely get hotter deals from dell.
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### Author:  [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/9 "2006-05-17T23:06:33Z")
> [@c\_goat](#):
>
> The Dell Outlet has really cheap stuff. For $350 total (incl tax & shipping) you can get a celeron 2.4, 256 ram, 20 gig hd, 17" CRT, 56k modem, and Windows XP home. Look for the Dell Outlet tab on the dell website.
Bear in mind you’re talking USD, which still means it’s a good few hundred more for poor ole **FRM** who is in _Australia_. And that would only be if the companies in question would ship to Australia - which for computer equipment is highly unlikely.
Also, Dell Australia doesn’t have an outlet tab.
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### Author:  [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/10 "2006-05-17T23:13:24Z")
> [@don't ask](#):
>
> I received a fax at work today touting a DELL $899 system with 19" flat screen, 160 gig HD, 512 meg RAM, 4.8 **megaherz** Pentium, Windows etc.
(bolding mine)
I really, really, really hope that’s gigahertz.
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [May 17, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/11 "2006-05-17T23:55:38Z")
Australia? Oh well, I misread Perth, WA as Washington.
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### Author:  [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-afford-my-own-computer/357117/12 "2006-05-18T01:06:28Z")
> [@Sierra Indigo](#):
>
> Also, Dell Australia doesn’t have an outlet tab.
There is a [Dell Outlet](http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=au&l=en&s=dfo) on the Dell Australia site. It is accessed by a really obscure link rather than a tab.