I’m in need of a new computer. The one I have now is 6-7 years old and occasionally crashes and sometimes does not reboot the first time.
I usually use my computer for the internet, photos and genealogical work. I don’t watch movies on it as I use my PS3 for that. Nor do I play games so I don’t need that fast of a machine. I do have a good bit of music and photos, 200 gigs or so, that I backup every few weeks so it would be nice to get a USB3 that’s faster then my USB2 that takes hours to do.
I don’t know all that much about the processors and such any more and would rather not put it together myself if I can help it unless I can save a ton. I’d also like to skip all the bloat ware that some companies put on their machines.
I’d like to keep it around $500 if I can, I don’t need a new monitor, though the ability to have two might be nice down the road. This place down the street has a computer, with USB3, for $600, which is a bit much and I’m not sure if their prices are too high or not.
So, where’s a good place to get a new computer? And I know it’s a big debate, but Windows 7 or 8? My brother swears by 8, but I’ve heard bad things about it and I’m used to using 7 at work.
Costco or Sams Club are good places to buy computers, and especially Costco has a great return policy last I heard.
If you don’t play games or do heavy-duty processing your main concerns are probably hard drive space and USB3. I’d stick with Win7 for now, Win8 gets on a lot of people’s nerves.
I bought this inexpensive Lenovo desktop a few months ago, and I’m pleased as punch. It comes with a keyboard, which I didn’t like at all, but you can get a decent keyboard for less than $20.
I was concerned about buying a brand that was new to me, but for $300, if it only works for a couple years, I’ll get my money’s worth. It’s fast enough for me, quiet, and I’m adjusting to Win8.
You might not have a choice between Windows 7 and 8. Everything seems to come with 8.
ETA: I also use 7 at work and had used XP at home, but you can make 8 look like 7, and there are lots of resources that will help you adjust. The Windows key + C is the first thing to know – it brings up the control panel, settings, devices, etc.
Both NewEgg and Tiger Direct sell pre-built, “off the rack” computer systems as well as the individual component sales which are their bread & butter. You can also try a place like iBuyPower where they built it to your spec but that sounds like more than you’re really looking to put into it.
Note that most off the rack systems these days have Win8.
If you can wait a month or so, both places listed above (and everyone else in the world, I assume) will start having holiday discount pricing.
Dell has been running specials. You can save even more by using a discount codes they include in their postal mail circulars. I just bought a new Dell Latitude laptop that was heavily discounted. It was sale on their web site and I got free shipping using a discount code from a mail circular. Sure glad I hadn’t thrown it away yet.
Lenovo bought IBM’s PC business a while back so for all intents and purposes you bought what would otherwise be an IBM. They’re not a new maker in the market so much as a new name for IBM. They didn’t change their quality downwards despite the acquisition so I thumbs up your choice.
I also like TigerDirect and Newegg for computer purchases, though I assemble my own desktops. I have heard good things about Costco though (this thread included).
If you don’t mind “last year’s technology,” I second Costco/Sam’s Club. What they typically have are 6-18 month old models but stuffed with extras - more RAM, more HD space, decent monitor bundled in, etc. - for a very good price. I second going for a Win7 system and otherwise don’t worry too much about the specs - anything with 8GB of RAM or more is likely to be powerful enough for most general users. (That extra RAM will give more performance boost than a 10% faster processor, so I wouldn’t even worry about what CPU is in it - that they’re still selling it and bothering to give you extras means the chip is probably adequate.)
If you would consider a refurbished machine, Woot has some awesome deals. I’ve bought a few computers for my kids and myself and have been very happy with price and quality.
How serious about working on photos are you? Because if you are serious then you should up your budget and look at a 10 bit GPU (AMD FireGL or Nvidia Quadro) and monitor. These will greatly improve the picture quality.
Even if you don’t go 10 bit, do make sure that your monitor is properly 8 bit.
I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit it, but I got a perfectly suitable laptop at WalMart for a very reasonable price.
I needed a new PC fast, and this one turned out to be good enough.
I wouldn’t doubt it. For most people’s WWW/Facebook/e-mail/YouTube/MS Office needs, virtually any new computer on the market will suffice. You still want one by a reputable company so you don’t have flaky components but, spec wise, it’s hard to undershoot most people’s fairly modest needs.
It’s really a desire to play games or to get into video editing and the like that drives up a legitimate need for a “good” computer.
I had taken my old one to a local strip-mall small-business computer shop – “Ye Olde Computer Shoppe” so to speak – and the guy did good work. So when my old one died the true death, and went back to him for a new one. He built it from standard components, so he could tailor it to my needs (not a gamer, for instance.) The whole thing was comfortably priced, enough so that I bought a 2 year warranty on top.
The key is finding a small-business computer shop you can trust. Not all of them can be.
Costco has a 90-day return policy on electronics. To make up for that, they extend the warranty by a year, and offer their “Concierge Service” for if you have a problem with the computer. You call the concierge service phone number and they call the manufacturer’s tech support with you on the line and stay on the phone until the situation is fixed. I’ve used them many times after buying glitchy refurbs, and every time they gave superb service, once with a replacement power adapter sent out the same day, another time replacing a hard drive and motherboard and returning the computer in under a week. Possibly I would have gotten just as good service on my own, but who knows?
I would go to Costco, but I don’t have a membership so that would add an extra $50 to the cost. I had a membership, but never bought enough stuff there to justify the expense for a single person.
The shop down the street also comes with a two year warranty, though I’m sure that if every thing works for the first few months then it should be good for the long term.
There’s the Micro Center near me so that might be a good option.
Do check them out. You might be able to find a great deal that fits your needs in their clearance aisle.
Prior to the HP that I bought from Micro Center was a Gateway from Circuit City a few years before they went defunct. It was a floor model, last one in stcok, and they let me have it for half price.
Pricewatch.com. All the vendors there have a brick and mortar store, and have been in business for decades.
Do not buy a bundle from sam’s, costco, or bestbuy. I tried that one time and you have to really know your stuff not to get ripped off. Best buy had a bundle for 700, but when I broke it down it had integrated graphics, the worst possible graphics money can buy (and to make it worse, integrated graphics also shares machine ram, so you get less available.) I ended up ordering it from pricewatch with a top of the line CPU, medium graphics card, large HD, and I recycled my CD-RW, for 600 plus 100 shipping.
If you don’t want to do the legwork, I would order from Toshiba or HP.
