# I'm buying a new computer - any advice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 4, 2000, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596 "2000-05-04T20:15:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/21 "2000-05-05T03:57:40Z")
Was that “Mothers Against Canada” I just saw there. ---
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/22 "2000-05-05T05:07:42Z")
i would go with Dell computers, get the best one you can afford, since it will last longer. you can customize them at their website to what you want. as for cdr, i recommend the plextor brand, they are excellent! dell probably comes with an option for one though if you want to get it with the system, the HP is pretty good too! > **[Computers, Monitors & Technology Solutions | Dell USA](https://www.dell.com/en-us)** > > Shop the latest Dell computers & technology solutions. Laptops, desktops, gaming pcs, monitors, workstations & servers. FREE & FAST DELIVERY ---
**Author:** ![junebeetle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@junebeetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/junebeetle)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/23 "2000-05-05T05:30:16Z")
Whatever you get, pay special attention to the quality of the monitor. Nothing’s worse than a crappy monitor -JB ---
**Author:** ![SingleDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SingleDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleDad)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/24 "2000-05-05T05:41:24Z")
I got my computer from [NexGen](http://www.nextechinc.com/). Incredible prices and excellent service. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/25 "2000-05-05T06:28:26Z")
> [@](#): > > 4 A cable modem will need a Lan card, but the company that installs the cable modem will probaly install that too Not always. I had to purchase and install a NIC when I got my cable modem. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/26 "2000-05-05T11:14:46Z")
I didn’t say they would supply the card. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/27 "2000-05-05T14:46:26Z")
I didn’t say you did. Actually they probably would have installed the NIC. It was a year and a half ago that I got my modem and I’d forgotten that I had told them to basically take their $100 installation fee and cram it. Plugged in the wires, installed the drivers for the NIC, ran winipcfg and it was up and running. $100 for 5 minutes worth of work? I think not. ---
**Author:** ![ignatiusjreilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@ignatiusjreilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ignatiusjreilly)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/28 "2000-05-05T14:51:44Z")
Yeah, my preference would be to buy a Dell, but I don’t want to spend that much money - especially when it seems that all of the high price is just to pay for technical support that I don’t need or want. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/29 "2000-05-05T15:39:10Z")
KP, sure shipping is high, especially on a mail order computer, which can be $75.00. However, surplusdirect, for example, sometimes [not always] monitor & printers ship for like $8.00. Tigerdirect also has very reasonable shipping. Some online comp’s ship for free. Dell computers & the major brands come with what we in the computer industry call ‘semi-pirated’ operating systems, multi-cloned licensed OEM crap. Having a real cdrom with a real complete, full & tech support operating system is a major plus. ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/30 "2000-05-05T15:50:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*\* > > There are people out there that say gateway sucks but mine doesn’t. > > \*\* > > Yeah, but I bet the president of Gateway is a close personal friend of yours. RHIP. > > your humble TubaDiva > > \*\* Well I wasn’t gonna brag about that but… ---
**Author:** ![ignatiusjreilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@ignatiusjreilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ignatiusjreilly)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/31 "2000-05-05T16:47:06Z")
What does OEM stand for? I see that a lot… Does that mean the OS is preinstalled and I cannot reinstall even in cases where I might need (or want) to reformat my hard drive? ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/32 "2000-05-05T18:09:17Z")
OEM - original equipment manufacturer With preinstalled software, you usually don’t get a disk or CD. They will have the “original” files in a directory. In the days of diskettes, it was a pain to make originals for a backup in case of a hard disk crash. Not really a problem if you get a CD writer. I would prefer to have original disks/CDs. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/33 "2000-05-05T19:25:59Z")
As a friend of mine’s sig line says: > [@](#): > > The box said “Requires Windows 95 or better.” So I bought a Macintosh. G4’s run around $1500. Windows '95 = Macintosh '84 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/34 "2000-05-05T23:01:39Z")
Mmmm… popular games… for that I guess I’d get a mac, and a sega or nintendo 64. If you want to play games, get a machine to play games with, I say. Don’t do a half-assed “bought an compaq to play solitaitre” manouver. Ahem. This rant brought to you courtesy of Wolaver’s India Pale Ale ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/35 "2000-05-06T00:54:38Z")
HP likes to say preloaded on hard drive. They’ve modified the operating system a bit and give you a emegency reinstall cd. The cd isn’t a Win 98 cd. The cd is a image file of the hard drive when installed at the plant. It will not load when you change motherboards, and will load the hardware setups for the original configuration. Only buy a system that gives you a Win 98 installation CD with it, if you buy a prebuilt. Get a great system, don’t buy a prebuilt. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/36 "2000-05-06T01:01:12Z")
You won’t need a large hard drive, if you get a MAC. The ten programs written for MAC only take up a little space. Apple sold me out years ago. I will never buy an Apple computer of any kind ever again. ---
**Author:** ![furman89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@furman89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furman89)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596/37 "2000-05-06T01:39:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > You won’t need a large hard drive, if you get a MAC. The ten programs written for MAC only take up a little space. > > Apple sold me out years ago. > \*\* Oh, but how things change in just a year or two. There will never be the same number of games written for MacOS as for Windows simply because of the economics involved. However, the majority of the “popular” games, sims, and office suites are now available in a MacOS version. They might come out a few months later, but they are being released. SimCity 3000, Fly!, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Douglas Adams’ Starship Titanic - all have Macintosh versions currently shipping (I’m beginning to sound like an Apple Marketing Rep). Also, for the kids, I’ve yet to find a mainstream educational/entertainment title designed for kids that didn’t have a MacOS version. Before you buy anything, give the new iMacs, G3s an G4s a serious look. You might be pleasantly suprised. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-computer-any-advice/18596.md?page=1)