I’ll second, or third, or fourth a recommendation to not go with Best Buy and their Geek Squad. I’ve never heard anything good about their support. More often I’ve heard about how machines have been out for service with them for three weeks or more, and come back with the same problem. I would go with a reputable local company, or a highly recommended online one first.
I think you will want to go with a lot of RAM, at least 2GB possibly 4, a nice big hard drive, at least 500 GB, and a nice modern processor, likely a dual or quad core Intel. You might enjoy an upgraded graphics card, though if you are not gaming the standard one would probably be fine. You’ll want a CD/DVD burner, so you can make DVDs for backup and storage.
Your no Mac rule certainly breaks my heart, but I’ll respect your preference.
Cnet Reviews is good place to find a particular model that suits you needs. A 320GB or 500GB drive should be plenty to start with (if you get into video you can easily expand.) If it were me I’d probably go with a Sony, HP or Lenovo.
Consider your entire set up, too. A comfortable, supportive chair is a must. Since we’re spending, I’d also grab a speakers/subwoofer set from Cambridge Soundworks or similar.
It’s funny how a thread about buying a Windows PC attracted so many Apple fans.
[Basil Fawlty]Listen, don’t mention the iMac! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it alright.[/Basil Fawlty]
Hard to post on a computer when it’s the computer that needs setting up! But thanks for the offer. And believe me–the neighborhood 10yo is more techno savvy than the Mrs. and me.
I talked to her, too, and she hasn’t ruled out the Mac (I remember lots of issues converting files, but I guess that’s a thing of the past–the times how they’re changin’!). She’s been told that video editing is best on the Mac, and I did want to try my hand at some desktop cutting (I haven’t really done it since my Avid days years and years ago), just for fun.
Thanks for all the responses (still haven’t read them all but wanted to chime in so far).
If a Mac is back in the running, definitely don’t reject it because of the file sharing issue. For mainstream programs like Word, Photoshop, etc., sharing between the two platforms generally seems to be a completely hassle-free process. I’ve always had Windows PCs, and i like them, but my wife is going to get a new Macbook Pro pretty soon, and i’m really not worried at all about compatibility issues. Here’s my recent thread on the subject.
Also, while i’m as critical as anyone of the constant “Get a Mac” mantra that gets tossed around by some people in PC threads, the fact is that Macs are, in many ways, perfect for users just like you—people who aren’t especially techno savvy, who like intuitive interfaces, who just want things to work, and who don’t mind paying a little bit more money for ease of use and peace of mind.
Frankly, if you’re not going to be playing recent flashy games, and can avoid having to run Windows Vista, I think most of the suggestions so far are way overkill.
Any computer from the last five years or so will be way more than powerful enough to surf the web (including watching video), look at and edit still pictures, listen to and edit music files of any length, do word processing, do checkbook programs, and even run the entire bookkeeping system for a medium sized corporation. If you ever end up doing much serious video editing, you might want something slightly more modern, but on the other hand at that point
Now, I’m not saying that the cheapest computer you can buy is a necessarily a good deal for someone like you, but if you have the choice of parts, you will never notice the difference between the cheapest option and the most expensive (except monitors).
The local computer store isn’t a bad idea, but one way to tell the good store is to tell them your needs and ask what they recommend-- if they start talking about ‘quad core’, they’re probably not really paying attention to what you need and are trying to sell you what a geek/gamer would think is cool. If they suggest a refurbished used machine (assuming they’ll support it), then they’re actually focused on you, and that’s probably the place you want to count on support from.
I disagree. If someone (like the OP) asks me for recommendations on a system and money doesn’t matter much, I’m going to recommend something big and fast. It’s not because they need all that power right now as much as I want to get them a machine that isn’t an obsolete pile of crap in a year. I aim to keep my own machines at least three years, and buy at the outset accordingly. It sounds like the OP is that sort of person as well.
I’m inclined to agree on this point. I don’t need something that runs state-of-the-art games right now, but I think it’s advisable that Mrs. AG & I are forward-thinking enough to have something powerful and reliable enough that anticipates the (often exponential) rate of sophistication even standard streaming/surfing applications seem to be growing at. I don’t need the bells & whistles, but I’m also hoping “simple” and “top-of-the-line” aren’t completely mutually exclusive.
But thanks for the offer. And believe me–the neighborhood 10yo is more techno savvy than the Mrs. and me.