Help me buy a computer

I vote for the MAC as well. I got mine when I graduated two years ago and I have not had one problem since.

 

People who have Macs love them. I'm more of a PC person. You will certainly save money buying a PC instead of a Mac. If you use a PC at work, you might want a PC just for familiarity of use questions. Same with a Mac.

It would be a good idea to talk to whomever handles the tech issues at your office. Make sure whatever you get is compatible with your office's system. On our system, it didn't work as well with Macs at first, although those problems have been fixed. Also, your company system might require you to have Microsoft Office. If it doesn't you might consider getting the WordPerfect suite, which can save you money. I've got that on one of my computers and it works fine.

I've got a Dell (company) laptop. I've had no problems with it. The one thing I don't like about it is that the disc drives are separate and kind of a pain in the ass to deal with. I have a Dell desktop and HP desktop also at home (yes, I'm kind of a computer geek). I've had no problem with either of those.

Definitely go with the laptop. Get as much memory and hard drive as you can afford. Make sure it has at least a CD burner and DVD player--getting a DVD burner is better, especially if this is your only computer.

When shopping for laptops, check the battery usage. Obviously go for as much as you can. It's a good idea to order an extra battery when you buy the laptop and keep it charged.

Get an internal wireless card. You will be very glad you did.

You will also need to consider what kind of internet hookup you're getting at home. For heaven's sake, spend the money and get DSL or cable modem. You will hate dial-up. When you get your DSL or cable, you can get a wireless router, then you can use the laptop anywhere in the house (or outside).

 

I have a Dell desktop (3 yrs old) and a laptop (7 months) and other than minor software issues, have had no problems. Had windows wipeout on desktop which happens; not backing things up was my fault.
I know some hate Dell, but other than having to talk to Banglore for customer service issues, its been fine and I'd buy one soon...

Also have a ton of coupons from enterin gtheir laptop give away so can help there if needed...

 

get a Dell.
their support staff, though in India, is always helpful.

 

DO NOT GET A DELL. I will shout this from the rooftops. DO NOT GET A DELL.

While I was finishing my final project for school, it overheated -- no shit -- every 10 minutes. Not fun when you have a 30-page presentation due.

DO NOT GET A DELL.

 

For those who have Mac laptops, do you have the Mac Book or the more spendy model?

Thoughts on each?

 

I have a G4 Powerbook. Of course Apple has replaced them with the Mac Book Pros now, but my parents just bought one of those. Other than running pretty hot, it has worked really well them.

I love the Powerbook I have. It turns on eveytime and I don't have any problems. Now that I have all the design software stuff, I am about to upgrade the memory to 1GB to help run a little faster.

 

I have a G4 PowerBook, and my wife has an iBook. Unless you're doing some heavy-duty processing there's no need to go with the MacBook Pro instead of the MacBook unless you're a geek like me who likes things like illuminated keyboards.

 

I will never purchase a Dell computer. I had a family member get her identity stolen, and the thiefs opened an account with Dell. They were less than easy to work with to get the problem solved. So I will boycott them till the end of times.

I prefer PCs to Macs, so I recommend a PC. Rather than purchase two computers, look at laptops since that is what you seem to really want. There's been some good advice here already, but allow me to add a couple things.

Don't look at anything which has less than 1GB of RAM.

Processor speed is secondary to RAM memory and hard drive speed. I would look at a minimum of 100GB hard drive space, and a much-overlooked spec, the drive's rpm. The higher this number, the faster access to files. 7200 is best, but you will pay for this. It's worth it.

Most laptops come with wireless capabilities. You want "g," which is backwards compatible with "a" and "b" standards.

And to preach as I always do, once you get that computer, make sure you have good anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed! And keep them UPDATED!!!!!!

 

i book G4. october will be 2 years with mine, and nary a problem.

well, except that the battery is dead, so i have to plug it in. which kind of sucks, but im too lazy to buy a battery.

 

Does Apple provide a 'same day as cash' program like Best Buy and CC do? In August of 2003 I bought my Toshiba laptop for about $1,600 including all goodies on a BB credit card. Paid it off in four months on 18/months no interest program and now I want something new(er) for all of my video editing needs. My current laptop is still pretty good but is getting slower as the days go by (heck, it is almost four years old).

 

Madhavok, CompUSA, Best Buy and Circuit City provide the "same day as cash" in the form of a credit card. CompUSA sells Apple computers so I would imagine that you could take advantage of their credit card in a way that will enable you to have several months of zero interest payment.

I agree that RAM is more important than the CPU speed, but RAM can always be updated while the same cannot be said for the CPU. Besides, pre-built systems that have have better CPU speeds generally come with higher RAM.