Help, Buying a new computer...

[Puffer]

I love my dell desktop. my pops bought it for me when I started college in '98 but it's a bit out dated. now that I have some money in my pocket I would like to purchase a new pc...I've been looking at dells and to spend $800 - $1200. there are so many bad *** systems out there I would like some outside opinion.

note: i'll just be usinjg it for internet, emails, some graphic stuff (ndesign, photshop, etc.), nothing fancy.

my questions to the board; what type of pc do you have? do you like it, brag to me about your computer? what are some recomended models or brands?

any other thoughts are appreciated.....

gracias

 

[Apostle7550]

Post on the Horn Depot board.. They'll get you squared away, but you should get ready for everyone to bash Dell.

 

[forgotmyusername]

I have a dell laptop that I got when I was in grad school. Never had a laptop before, and will probably never buy a desktop again. I'm not much of power user though.

 

[idigTexas]

I'll post the obligatory "build your own." In that price range, you can get a lot more PC for your $ than if you buy something that is preassembled. There are plenty of guides online to walk you through it. Tom's Hardware is a good place to start. You'll also want to check out Sharky Extreme and AnandTech.

 

[CleverNickname]

a $900 homebuilt comupter will be on par with a $1300 Dell or similar. But if you want a laptop, which are pretty fun if you are not a power user, then just look for a good deals. This is the week to buy. Check fatwallet.com or other bargain sites. I bought a compaq/hp presarion 2100 with massive rebates from circuit city. Cardinal rule of buying a computer: manufactures always seem put too little ram in the base models. If dell is offering an upgrade, make sure you get at least 512. A gig is probably the sweet spot (price/performance) at the moment.

 

[Perham1]

For your uses, a Dell is just fine.

I built my own PC last year, and although I started to hate the "build your own, it's better" mantra, I found it to be true.

I'm not a whiz by any means, and building my own was not cheap (I went overboard a bit - my fault), but if you're going to play any games don't get a Dell. Something about video card (or lack thereof) and sharing video memory with the motherboard?

You might even want to go supercheap and get a basic model from Fry's.

I had a PC made at UBM (Houston: Beltway 8 and Westheimer) and they did an outstanding job.

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

if you're going to do graphic work, avoid computers that come with on board video.

i'd say that you get a 9800 pro / higher card now.

 

[Puffer]

awesome, thanks dudes