# Who buys these $1500-2000 computers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2000, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822 "2000-03-12T19:47:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/21 "2000-03-13T01:17:00Z")
Voguevixen:can Hewlett Packard or Compaq be expected to provide quality anymore? Just comparing the two, does either one come ahead? beatle: You took the job? ---
**Author:** ![Girlbysea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Girlbysea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlbysea)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/22 "2000-03-13T01:18:00Z")
Guilty * * * * * * Girlbysea (AKA: ChiefScott’s GBS) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/23 "2000-03-13T01:26:00Z")
sunbear, when I researched it, HP and Compaq were getting poor customer response. I think IBM and Dell are far and away the highest rated in customer satisfaction. Granted that research is at best a year old. ---
**Author:** ![tbea925](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@tbea925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tbea925)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/24 "2000-03-13T01:51:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by voguevixen: > I just spent $900 for a computer so crammed full of sensible components and frivolous extras it’s unbelievable. > > -533MHZ processor > -20GB Hard Drive > -64MB RAM (11MB video memory) > -DVD Drive > -CDwriter Drive > -6 bays and 4 slots, plus extra room to add a ZIP drive or tape backup system. > > \*\* Depends on the processor; if it’s a Celeron, that’s not good, regardless of the speed. And, if you’re going to run NT 4.0, 64M of RAM is about half what you need for a minimum. My system is kind of a frankensteinmonster type of conglomeration, with parts from all over. I’d like to replace my MB with a 4-processor XEON board that costs more than my car. I bet I could crank through those SETI@home files then… Maybe someday. * * * Not voted most anything ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/25 "2000-03-13T02:07:00Z")
I’m echoing tbea here: Celeron sucks. My laptop (district property distributed to teachers to use) is less than a year old; it’s a Compaq Armada with 64meg ram, 300mhz, etc. The thing _crawls_ compared to my new Dell. Of course, I don’t know if that’s the Celeron or not, but I can say it simply: it sucks. But, I’ve had sour experience with Compaq anyway–horrible, horrible machinery. In my limited experience, that is. Added note: When I orginally bought my 2gig Pentium I 3 years ago, I thought I could never fill all the memory, etc. I managed to, and also managed to get a relatively mild program that was too much for it to handle. The software is getting bigger, and the computers have to increase to handle it. :::continues rocking out to her Jars of Clay CD::: * * * Teaching: The ultimate birth control method. [Laura’s Stuff and Things](http://members.aol.com/lrconaway) ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/26 "2000-03-13T02:08:00Z")
_raises hand_ Bought a new PC last November from Gateway. Cost me around $1800 before taxes and shipping. For that, I got: 550mHz Pentium 256 Meg of RAM 8G hard drive, plus I moved my old one over, since it was less than a year old. I now have 20G of space. Sound and Video was as good as I could get. Honestly, I don’t care as much about those as the memory and processor speed. I kept my old monitor and printer. ANd I think I got a good deal…spent all the “extra” money from that on memory. Only thing I wish I had now is a CD-RW. Oh well. This Christmas. 🙂 * * * Winner, SDMB’s Biggest Chat Addict “Only two things that’ll soothe my soul - cold beer and remote control.” ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/27 "2000-03-13T02:10:00Z")
**bda** > [@](#): > > beatle . . 1 gig? . . a tape drive? Yeah, the data files can be quite large - I’ve had one that was 17 GB - and drawing up pieces of them goes much easier if you have a lot of RAM - I haven’t turned in the bids yet (I’ll do so tomorrow), maybe I’ll max it out to 2 GB…, hmmmm, probably not, that’ll add another $3500 or so to the price and I’ve only got $15,000. The tape drive is the method of accessing the data, primarily, and this industry is married to 8 mm tape - that’s where the data is. **sunbear** > [@](#): > > Voguevixen:can Hewlett Packard or Compaq be expected to provide quality anymore? and > [@](#): > > beatle: You took the job? I can’t speak to the tale on Compaq (Sealemon could) but I do know HP remains a quality producer and they are included in my requisition (for a 750c plotter). Yes, I took the job; they allowed me to let my companies keep going, under the aegis of my partner, and we may actually do some business with them (I remain a shareholder and will have no active part in the companies’ operations). ---
**Author:** ![tbea925](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@tbea925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tbea925)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/28 "2000-03-13T02:32:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Zette: > \*\*My husband does music recording in his home studio, > \*\* Zette, I was wondering if your husband would mind expressing an opinion about a particular piece of hardware or two. First of all, I can’t help but be a tad jealous of your husband’s system you describe. Alas, my requirements are not so demanding. What I’d like to do is record several tracks from some arrangements for symphonic band, to demonstrate what the arrangements sound like. The data would probably be from at most two to (at most) four sources, the PC Sound card and a string of MIDI devices (synthesizers). The software I’ll probably use is Coda’s Finale 2000. I’m looking at a couple options, including a Korg D8 or a cheaper Tascam 4-track tape recorder/mixer. I guess another option would be an internal digital recorder card and a string of SCSI drives. I’m leaning toward the D8 because it’s a bit more expandable. I was wondering if your husband would have an opinion which would be best, or another option which would be better yet? Thanks! * * * Not voted most anything ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/29 "2000-03-13T03:36:00Z")
beatle: I work for a big company and we have lots of fun with equipment. Right now we have 1991 GE NMR, no longer made. The computer is something invented before PCs and nobody but the engineers who service it understands it. Our computer people told me it’s not Y2K compliant. I told them it thinks it’s 1993. I guess I have 7 years to replace it 😉 A new one would cost $200,000 mostly because of the superconducting N2/He cooled magnet. New instruments run on PC’s, or often even Silicon Graphics stuff if you get fancy. We scientists don’t care about storing data, we just plot the spectra on paper and we’re done. But I did have 10 binders of by then useless data when I left my previus job! ---
**Author:** ![Konrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f475e1/32.png) [@Konrad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Konrad)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/30 "2000-03-13T16:29:00Z")
Celeron sucks? Celeron kicks ass. I’ve been running a Celeron 300 overclocked to 450 for about a year and a half now. It’s actually faster than a P2-450 and it cost half as much. Part of my job is buying computers for our office and for our customers. I find it’s always best to buy mid-range computers. That’s where you’ll get the best price/performance ratio. For example you add 100 dollars to go from 400 to 600 MHz but if you want to go from 600 to 800 it’ll cost you 300 or 400. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/31 "2000-03-13T16:54:00Z")
In about 6 months the new computer you just bought is going to cost half as much or be twice as fast. That’s progress. How do you think they make so much money in Sillicone Vall? ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2000, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/32 "2000-03-13T20:57:00Z")
> [@](#): > > -snip- Example, I can get a Acer 350 MHz package for $600, or I can get an Aptive 700 MHz for $1700, the IBM name counts for alot, but the 2-3 years I say your buying are due to the performance advantages. - Omniscient - - - Omni, yer killin’ me over here. I spent $1400 for an Acer PII 350 64Megs & DVD a year and a half ago - just for the computer: no monitor, no printer, no scanner, no nuthin’. - - - Actually one of the best ways to tell how many problems any brand has is to find one of those “help forums”; AOL has one, staffed by volunteers. They had a different board for most every brand, and all you had to do was look at the posting totals. Somebody on AOL will have to tell us as I am now on a local ISP; as I recall, any time I looked it was Hewlet-Packard or Compaq -I can’t remember for sure which- that had the most problems (maybe 175 posts at any time), with Gateway running second (maybe 125 posts). Most other brands had far less requests for help than the first two (others typically had perhaps 10-30 posts). AOL users might not know as much about the subject as the average net user, but when a couple of particular computer brands consistently turn up with the highest amount of requests for help it probably means something. - MC ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2000, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/33 "2000-03-14T02:02:00Z")
Mhz isn’t everything on a system. The important things to look at are the sound and video components. They are the ones that will vary the most. Before you buy a computer, find out what components are used. If they are integrated into the motherboard, they are cheap components that will give you a lower performance, and are possibly non-upgradable. Better systems usually have better components, and don’t stick you by putting them on the mobo. The other big factor is warranty. A one year warranty is too common, and is fairly worthless. Most of your failures will happen in the first 30 days or in the 2nd-3rd year. Some places offer on site service. All they’ll do is turn screws, but it’s better than getting a ram chip in the mail with no instructions on what to do with it. I would never buy a computer… it’s always preferable to build it yourself if you have time and know how. But if I were going to buy one, it would be either the big screen gateway system, a sony vaio, or an IBM aptiva. All relatively expensive machines, but I know I’ll have features I wouldn’t have otherwse, and support if something should go wrong. * * * [http://www.madpoet.com](http://www.madpoet.com) Please hit Ctrl-A I hit Ctrl. Now what, eh? Damn Canadians. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/34 "2000-03-14T02:17:00Z")
Due to a number of problems with HP with different things, I can say for a fact, that the customer service sucked. I have stopped buying anything HP, because of the hoops you have to go through to get things fixed, that shouldn’t have or be a problem in the first place. How would you like to stay on hold for an hour to get a replacement printer that was under waranty. They didn’t have a toll free line either. One hour of long distance charges to replace a 3 month old printer. That was when they first started to impress me, but that wasn’t the last time. * * * I’m only your wildest fear, from the corners of your darkest thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2000, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/35 "2000-03-14T03:53:00Z")
Hey… when you called the LD line for HP, it was a 503 area code, no? Guess what else I used to support? The company that HP contracts with is a tech farm. You get a job there, work a few months, and then you’re qualified to make a lot more than they’re willing to pay you. For an example, I was doing network support at $12 an hour. I forgot another rule of buying a computer. Find out if they do their own tech support. HP and Gateway do not. Most companies don’t. It’s worth finding someone that does, it’s almost always better support than you get from a contractor. ks * * * [http://www.madpoet.com](http://www.madpoet.com) Please hit Ctrl-A I hit Ctrl. Now what, eh? Damn Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2000, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/36 "2000-03-14T03:57:00Z")
Dammit… was gonna comment on this in my last post too. > [@](#): > > AOL users might not know as much about the subject as the average net user, but when a couple of particular computer brands consistently turn up with the highest amount of requests for help it probably means something. Wouldn’t the number of people that own that particular brand, and the number of marketing deals that brand has with AOL have an effect on the numbers in the forums? Anyways, AOL users are not always the savviest of users. Ask someone you trust what brand to get, they should be able to point you towards a machine that fits your needs. If you don’t know a suitable geek, adopt one. * * * [http://www.madpoet.com](http://www.madpoet.com) Please hit Ctrl-A I hit Ctrl. Now what, eh? Damn Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Euri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e57/32.png) [@Euri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euri)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2000, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/37 "2000-03-14T03:57:00Z")
I spent a grand total of 713.53$ on my computer. Which is a PIII 600, 128 megs of ram, top of the line nVIDIA Riva TNT 2 vid card, sound blaster live! 19 inch monitor, color printer/scanner/fax machine, 10 base t/100 baset twisted pair ethernet 56 data fax modem thingy (have cable now…so the 56k part doesnt matter) 133 mhz front end side bus, 13 gig harddrive (recently crashed :() 6xDVD rom People who pay so much for computers are those people who are too stupid to realize that you pay about twice as much if you have someone else build it. Keep in mind that my computer is ~almost~ 10 months old. * * * One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious _Carl Jung_ ---
**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:** [March 14, 2000, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/38 "2000-03-14T04:00:00Z")
I build my own computers and sell off the old one eventualy. * * * I’m only your wildest fear, from the corners of your darkest thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Euri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e57/32.png) [@Euri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euri)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2000, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/39 "2000-03-14T04:18:00Z")
A couple of years ago I got cheated in a bum business deal, so the judge ordered them to ‘bequeath upon me all property associated with the business’ because they had technically violated A LOT of laws (which I didn’t know about due to their horrid criminal natures) so I got a crap load of computers. I sold them all for about 10k dollars, built my own, for 1200, and was happy. I didn’t QUITE break even, but I did learn a hell of a lot. * * * One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious _Carl Jung_ ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2000, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822/40 "2000-03-14T05:23:00Z")
> [@](#): > > but when a couple of particular computer brands consistently turn up with the highest amount of requests for help it probably means something. - MC Yup. It tells me those brands have the highest number of users/owners. * * * – From an actual catalog: “Disco balls create an enchanting, dazzling effect of light shafts, adding movement and glamour to any occasion” _the Abrams’ bris was certainly memorable_ O p a l C a t [www.opalcat.com](http://www.opalcat.com) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-buys-these-1500-2000-computers/14822.md?page=3)