Re: OT--Computer brands

In article <462aa39a_1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, cyberpurrs@xxxxxxxxx says...

"yetanotherBob" <yetanotherbob@xxxxxxxxx> wrote
You don't say whether you are looking for a laptop or desktop model. I
would probably buy a Dell desktop, but my experience with their laptops
has been 100% disappointing.

Sorry, I want a desktop. I have a five-year-old HP with a Celeron 1.3 gb
processor, 512 mbs of memory and a 60 gb hard drive--that was a good
bit of computer for five years ago! Now I want to get something faster and
use this one as a backup. (Instead of just waiting until this one breaks!)

Sounds like a plan. Of course, I always say that I'll use the old
computer as a backup, but then never turn it on again once I get my
hands on a new one. Then, before you know it, the backup is so outmoded
that you can't even give it away to a charity...

If you're looking for a laptop, check out the HP models with the AMD
processors. The ones I've looked at are well-made, and offer good bang
for the buck. Compaq and HP are now one company, but I've never owned a
Compaq of any kind, so I can't say how good/bad they are compared to HP.

Bob, I got so mad at HP because they put a video card in this thing (HP
Pavilion 520N)
that had a conflict with Windows XP and caused system instability. Meaning,
it
just rebooted at all odd times. So I had a new computer that I had to put a
new video card in--once I figured it out. And they did not send it with any
system or software CDS, which sucked when I had to re-install, I had
to ask them for them and PAY for them. So I don't feel like I want another
HP.

I know what you mean. In my experience, Gateway, HP and Compaq all have
a history of doing proprietary stuff with their desktops (probably to
hit a price point) that ends up tripping up the unsuspecting user some
time after purchase. Of the major brands, Dell desktops seem to be the
most "standard".

Laptops are a different (ob food) kettle of fish. Since they're so
inherently integrated, just about *everything* is proprietary. Of the
bunch I've looked at of late, I'd go for a Toshiba or HP over Acer,
Dell, or Lenovo/IBM. The various laptop models from both brands have a
solid feel to them that the others don't, imo. Sony is also nice, but
they tend to be a bit pricey for some reason. Speaking of pricey
laptops, a friend of mine recently got a new Apple laptop, and it is
*very* nice, but big $$$ compared to the Windows machines.


From what I've seen so far, I don't particularly care for Vista, but
it's what Microsoft is pushing, so it's a fact of life. You're likely
to see better deals on late-model, high-powered machines that are pre-
loaded with Vista than on back-level machines that still have pre-loaded
XP. And if the Vista resistance movement gets any traction, I suppose
the XP machines could even command a premium for a while...

Have you looked at that "Dual Core" technology stuff?? I have friends
who say they are faster than Pentium IVs. That's what I am getting my
heart set on. I am sure I will eventually buckle and get Vista.

I've used a couple of machines equipped with dual-core processors, both
Intel and AMD, and they definitely have a faster feel to them than a
fast Pentium 4 model with the same amount of memory. I haven't looked
at any benchmarks, but just based on subjective impressions, I'd go for
a dual-core processor over the straight Pentium. Celeron processors are
pretty much left in the dust.

With Vista, if you've got any USB, Firewire or serial/parallel devices
that you plan to keep using with the new machine, make sure that, if
they're not supported directly by Windows Vista, the manufacturer can
provide a Vista-compatible device driver. The way device drivers are
handled seems to be a big difference between XP and Vista. If Vista
doesn't handle the device natively, or if the manufacturer can't/won't
supply a Vista driver update, you may be unable to use the device or
have to go through a lot of tweaking in Windows to get it to work. Most
printers, scanners, modems, external disk drives and the like should be
plug and play, but some less common devices may not be.

Good luck.

Bob
.

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