Need home computer help, please!

[Kelly's Girl]

My DH and I are finally going to replace the home computer that has been in a closet for 2 years! :eek: I know, we are dinosaurs not to have one, but with the baby coming, I thought I'd need net access to send out all my dig. pics!

I am a complete moron at this. We're thinking a laptop but don't have a clue where to start. Can anyone suggest computers that would be good for simple documents and internet access that won't break the bank? We don't need to do anything terribly complicated, so I'd prefer not to go broke buying this thing that I'm not too sure I'll know well how to use! (I'm just getting my first dig. camera and feeling overwhelmed there, too! ;) ) Thanks much!

[lml41981]

I bought a Sony Vaio from Best Buy and love it. I got the performance service plan, and it has been worth the money! I have used it twice for minor things (battery replacement and a piece broke). The batteries alone, I believe, are about $200...the PSP was less than that, I think.

I had a horrible experience with Dell that I won't go into...so I would definitely NOT buy from them.

[MsPeachy]

I'm kind of a dinosaur too - my computer is 4 years old and I just keep fixing it up instead of buying a new one. To be honest, if you want a laptop, it's going to cost more than a desktop. Other than some lack of expandability and the issue of battery life, laptops are just as decent for your needs.

Keep your eye on the Dell website. They're always having deals and have some nicely equipped PCs for reasonable prices. They also often have free "extras". I don't love them - but for the price, it's not too bad.

Another brand I like is the HP Pavillion.

I don't care to purchase computers from chain stores like Best Buy or Circuit City because they usually come preloaded with alot of extra software that you'll never use. It'll just sit there taking up space on your harddrive or you have to go through and remove it. Plus, their prices seem high (although that may be my area)

One other tip: If a computer has a Pentium, it's going to cost more than one with a Celeron or AMD although both those chips work just as well.

IMO - don't pay more than $900-$1000 for your computer. The more money you spend, the less likely you'll be to upgrade in a few years which you'll need to anyway.

PS - LML - I love Vaios and would love to get the desktop version if they weren't so expensive!! I used to have the notebook version at one job at it was awesome. Loved loved loved it. :)

[lml41981]

PS - LML - I love Vaios and would love to get the desktop version if they weren't so expensive!! I used to have the notebook version at one job at it was awesome. Loved loved loved it. :)
We got an "older" model from Best Buy that was on sale...and we opened a RewardZone account; so we ended up getting somewhere in the vicinity of $250 off in the form of RewardZone certificates (useless if you don't buy a bunch of junk from Best Buy...but we do...we also got our fridge, washing machine, dryer and Dyson from Best Buy solely for the RZ Certs). The computer (which is a laptop) was $1100, then subtract the $250 for RZ and there was STILL a mail-in rebate for $150...so we walked away pleased.

I will admit there was a lot of stuff loaded that I didn't need...but I also had a free license for XP Pro at home (from when I was in college), so we just wiped the hard drive and installed XP Pro.

[MsPeachy]

I just wanted to pop back in here and say that I saw a commercial last night for HP - they're offering laptops starting at $579.

You might want to check them out -
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/generic_category.do?catLevel=1&storeName=computer_store&template_type=computer_store&landing=notebooks&category=hp_pavilion&aoid=1426

[Aimee]

If you want a basic machine for word processing and basic photo editing, any bottom-of-the-line model out there will be more than enough for you. I'm running a Dell Inspiron 600m laptop - 1.5 ghz and 256 mb of ram. I basically only use it for what you describe you want to do and it is just fine.

As for brands, I would strongly advise against the ones available at any of the big-box retailers. I've never known of a Compaq/HP, Toshiba, etc, to be nothing but trouble. Plus, they are usually extremely overpriced in comparison to what you can get through building your own for a desktop or, say, Dell for a laptop.

I'm especially biased against Compaq/HP laptops (they're the same brand now)- everyone that had one in law school hated them. DH had one in college and it was DoA within a year. Ugh.

My best advice: go for one of the "value" lines at Dell. If you're not going to be toting it around a lot, don't worry about the weight. I got through my first 2 years of law school on the bottom-of-the-line laptop from Dell and had very few complaints.

[isign]

I have a toshiba and love it. It has traveled all over the country with me, been dropped, been sat on (dh put a pillow on top of it when it was on a chair) and still it runs great.

[MsPeachy]

If you want a basic machine for word processing and basic photo editing, any bottom-of-the-line model out there will be more than enough for you. I'm running a Dell Inspiron 600m laptop - 1.5 ghz and 256 mb of ram. I basically only use it for what you describe you want to do and it is just fine.

As for brands, I would strongly advise against the ones available at any of the big-box retailers. I've never known of a Compaq/HP, Toshiba, etc, to be nothing but trouble. Plus, they are usually extremely overpriced in comparison to what you can get through building your own for a desktop or, say, Dell for a laptop.

I'm especially biased against Compaq/HP laptops (they're the same brand now)- everyone that had one in law school hated them. DH had one in college and it was DoA within a year. Ugh.

My best advice: go for one of the "value" lines at Dell. If you're not going to be toting it around a lot, don't worry about the weight. I got through my first 2 years of law school on the bottom-of-the-line laptop from Dell and had very few complaints.
Aimee - I'm going to have to disagree with you. I had an HP desktop that was a total trooper no matter what kind of software or warez I stuck on it. I have a Compaq laptop that I haven't had any problems with in the 2 years I've owned it.

On the other hand, my Dell Dimension which was top of the line when I got it, I've had more problems with than I can count. The DVDROM-CDRW died in 1 and a half years - conviently right after my warranty expired. My HD is quirky and I'll be replacing it soon and the monitor crapped out after only 3 years (CRT)

Also - you can buy the brands you see at the chains from online sites including the manufacturer's and you can avoid the inflated retail prices. Although, if you prefer to take advantage of a program similar to that which LML mentioned, you can get money back in other ways.

I do agree that staying in the "value-priced" or economy level of computers is the best option however and like I said before, I wouldn't spend more than $800 on a new computer. That way you won't feel guilty about upgrading in a few years.

[Kelly's Girl]

Thank you all for your help! You are so knowledgible about this stuff, and like I said, I am a technology moron. I appreciate it!

Off to search for good, base-priced computers...

[lml41981]

On the other hand, my Dell Dimension which was top of the line when I got it, I've had more problems with than I can count. The DVDROM-CDRW died in 1 and a half years - conviently right after my warranty expired. My HD is quirky and I'll be replacing it soon and the monitor crapped out after only 3 years (CRT)
I had a Dell Inspiron laptop that wasn't the cheapest but not the most expensive Inspiron...granted, it wasn't a Latitude, but still...it wasn't bottom of the line. First, Dell screwed up the shipping address despite my catching the error and correcting them multiple times (they shipped it to my bill to address and I was in PA while my bill to was in TX). Then, they let it sit in TX for almost a month before they finally got it shipped to me...all the while blaming me for the error. The hard drive started failing about two weeks after it got to me in PA...but conveniently, they counted the time it sat in TX in the "satisfaction guaranteed" time - you have 30 days to return the computer for a full refund, and I was just outside that 30 days, despite having only had it two weeks. After arguing with them about my warranty, they finally agreed to let me have the computer worked on at my school by a certified Dell tech. They replaced the hard drive at no cost to me. That hard drive ended up failing about six months after the warranty expired. That's when we bought my Sony...I've had no problems with it except for the couple minor things I mentioned (the battery life and a broken piece)...but there were no problems getting it fixed.

A friend of mine got a top of the line Inspiron (again, not Latitude, but still) and the computer burned his desk. His ended up dying about 3 months after the warranty expired, too.

eta: Forgot to mention...if you have problems with Dell, don't bother with the BBB. Dell is a member of the BBB, which means they pay in dues...who will the BBB side with - the people who pay them, or the people who don't? They have a vested interest in siding with the members. When I filed a complaint requesting resolution, they refused to get involved.

[PookiePrincess]

I also have to say DO NOT BUY A DELL.

I bought a Dell Inspiron laptop last Oct (not cheap, BTW). I am having problems with my USB ports and have to send it back to have it fixed. That means that for now I can't hook up a printer or my dig camera. It seems to me that a computer that is 9 months old shouldn't have problems like that.

[Wrighty26]

Guess I'm the odd man out here because I have a Dell laptop and I love it. It took 8 years for me to get it (long story), but I got it for a great price, with all the fixin's and a free printer.

Ours is a 8600M... I don't really remember the specifics, but it's fairly powerful, yet lightweight. It's also widescreen and the graphics always look really good.

I used a Toshiba laptop at work for 2 years and it was a piece of crap. The screen had to be replaced twice in less than a year-- and I constantly had error messages/screen would freeze.

Oh- to me the best feature on this laptop is that I have no problems typing on the keyboard. They moved up the keyboard, so that there is room to rest your hands (kind of necessary for me!)--AND the mouse doesn't jump around (it used to do that on the Toshiba and it drove me NUTTY!)...

Good luck with whatever you decide-- I'm sure it would be a vast improvement over what you currently have!

[MsPeachy]

Have any of you ever noticed, that anytime someone asks about PCs, there is such a wide range of experiences and opinions? I think that buying a computer ends up being a very personal experience for people. For example - some of us here have had bad experiences with Dells whereas others have had good ones. Some of us like other brands that others dislike. I think you can get both good and bad computers with any brand. In a way, that reinforces my point about not spending alot of money for the machine. Because if it turns out to be crap (whatever the brand) you won't have dropped too much cash on it.

LML - I never knew that about the BBB before. Thanks for sharing. Oh- and the Vaio I used to have - man, that thing crashed more times than I can remember. I got the infamous Blue Screen o' Death often or I'd have to pop the battery to get it to unhang and restart. But no matter what it did, I still loved it anyway because it was just SO COOL. :cool:

[AusMarchBride]

I got the infamous Blue Screen o' Death

I thought I was the only one who called it the "Blue Screen of Death" :D I've never heard anyone else call it that.

[Aimee]

I saw a Dell Laptop advertised on the back of Parade Magazine for $549 yesterday. It's basically the same model I paid $1000 for a few years back - not a bad deal at all.

[MsPeachy]

I thought I was the only one who called it the "Blue Screen of Death" :D I've never heard anyone else call it that. That's pretty common verbiage amongst all the computer professionals I know. Just one mention of that is sure to get you the proper level of sympathy! :D

[Kristy]

I have a Dell Inspiron 5160, and it's OK. I bought it in October, and Dell's had to send tech support to us twice already, the second time being just last month. I made sure to buy the extended care coverage, so anytime they send us something or someone comes out it doesn't cost us a dime. It can get a little pricey depending on how long you want the coverage to go, but it's already paid for itself with what we've had to get fixed.

We use it for basic word processing and internet, and when it is working, it works very well.

Price wise, we got a really good deal. I can't remember how much we paid for it, but we stalked laptap websites for months until we found something good.

[AusMarchBride]

That's pretty common verbiage amongst all the computer professionals I know. Just one mention of that is sure to get you the proper level of sympathy! :D

LOL, have to agree about the sympathy level :D