Buying a New Computer

[Nikki]

Alright, I am finally purchasing a new computer and I know very little so I was hoping I could get some help.

What I am looking for is something for my music, pics and something fast for surfing the net. No gaming at all.

Should I buy a Mac or PC? What kind of options should I get?

TIA!!!!

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Nikki

Alright, I am finally purchasing a new computer and I know very little so I was hoping I could get some help.

What I am looking for is something for my music, pics and something fast for surfing the net. No gaming at all.

Should I buy a Mac or PC? What kind of options should I get?

TIA!!!!

Either mac or PC will work. I personally know PCs, but a lot of people, including a vocal contingent on CP love their Macs.

Do you use one or the other at work? Are you more comfortable with one or the other? How computer "savvy" are you? (how much support you will need can steer you towards certain makers and away from others).

Do you want a portable notebook computer, or just something that sits at a desk?

Does screen size matter?

Are you going to want to watch movies on it?

Something "Fast for surfing the net" really has very little to do with your computer. That is more a result of your internet connection. Almost anything that you buy new today won't have any issues with surfing the net.

Music and pictures take up a lot of space, so it sounds like your biggest concern will be hard drive space. That one is pretty easy - just buy a computer with a big hard drive. Or any computer and get someone to install a big hard drive. Or any computer and also a big external hard drive.

This isn't to confuse you, just trying to zero in on what would be best for you.

[Russic]

I am by no means a computer expert so take my opinions as you will. It sounds to me like you want a run of the mill computer to do the basic essentials. I'm a little bit like you in that music, photos and internet are my main concerns. Personally I'm in the process of saving for a mac. They are more expensive (you didn't state budget constraints), but I really like the interfaces and the bundled programs (iphoto, imovie etc.).

It will ultimately boil down to personal preference. Some people just hate mac, some just hate pc.

edit: I don't want to come off as a biased mac fan, I use both at work and have a pc at home. Both will definitely do what you want and they will do them well. Bobblehead makes some good points. His questions are important to answer in my opinion.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

Either mac or PC will work. I personally know PCs, but a lot of people, including a vocal contingent on CP love their Macs.

Do you use one or the other at work? Are you more comfortable with one or the other? How computer "savvy" are you? (how much support you will need can steer you towards certain makers and away from others).

Do you want a portable notebook computer, or just something that sits at a desk?

Does screen size matter?

Are you going to want to watch movies on it?

Something "Fast for surfing the net" really has very little to do with your computer. That is more a result of your internet connection. Almost anything that you buy new today won't have any issues with surfing the net.

Music and pictures take up a lot of space, so it sounds like your biggest concern will be hard drive space. That one is pretty easy - just buy a computer with a big hard drive. Or any computer and get someone to install a big hard drive. Or any computer and also a big external hard drive.

This isn't to confuse you, just trying to zero in on what would be best for you.

I use a PC at work and at home, and I am quite comfortable with it. I am 'pretty' computer saavy. As long as I can find the answer online, I can usually fix any problems that have come up with my current system.

I want a desktop

At least a 20' monitor

Not likely

I'm not confused yet....ha ha!

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by Russic

I am by no means a computer expert so take my opinions as you will. It sounds to me like you want a run of the mill computer to do the basic essentials. I'm a little bit like you in that music, photos and internet are my main concerns. Personally I'm in the process of saving for a mac. They are more expensive (you didn't state budget constraints), but I really like the interfaces and the bundled programs (iphoto, imovie etc.).

It will ultimately boil down to personal preference. Some people just hate mac, some just hate pc.

edit: I don't want to come off as a biased mac fan, I use both at work and have a pc at home. Both will definitely do what you want and they will do them well. Bobblehead makes some good points. His questions are important to answer in my opinion.

My budget is about 1500-2000. I have tried out a Mac a little and I liked it but not sure if I want to pay the price difference.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by Nikki

My budget is about 1500-2000. I have tried out a Mac a little and I liked it but not sure if I want to pay the price difference.

If you're aiming at a 1500$ and up computer (laptops), Apple's arn't any more expensive then anything else when comparing components. I found the opposite. I spent 1400$ on a middle tier Macbook that has the same components as a $1500 Dell XPS.

Now if you're talking desktops, the iMac is underpowered versus a comparable Windows based machine between $1500-2000. But for what you are planning to use it for you won't really notice a difference between a 800$ desktop and a 2000$ desktop unless you spend the money on a massive monitor. Heck, you could get away with a 700$ Mac Mini.

If you want a laptop, I highly recommend the Macbooks. If you're dead set on a Windows machine, look at the Dell XPS series. Avoid Sony/Toshiba as they are overpriced. Acer is hot and cold depending on the model. I'm sure other people can give better comments for other brands.

Good luck!

[Vulcan]

If you're not into gaming or overclocking I've found Dell supports their products pretty well. Here's a nice setup on the right for $1099, with a 500GB harddrive, that would maybe be overkill for what you need right now but looks good to me. You can always add a video card for watching HD movies later. Something to get you thinking anyways.

http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/prod...hs1&l=en&s=dhs

On second thought I wouldn't buy that one as it only accepts half height video cards and it only holds one hard drive.

[Hack&Lube]

Wait for a Dell sale, you can get an amazing computer for roughly $400 including monitor.

I bought a similar setup to this for my grandparents.

Athlon X2 4000+
120GB Harddrive
2GB RAM
Windows Vista

Judging by your first post, you only need a basic computer, you can be well to do with one that is sub $500 or even sub $300.