Buying a new computer -- advice please?

[Blue_Tires]

O.K., I've decided to pass on trying to upgrade my current 6-year-old Dell and decided to get a new one...I'm looking to buy in 3-4 weeks and have budgeted about $1000, and am looking to get the most for my money (can go up to $1200-1300 if needed for something special)...I plan to use this computer mostly for work, online gaming, movie and music downloads, so the faster I can do those the better...

Since I'm starting with a clean sheet, I want to avoid some mistakes from last time...I have toyed with the idea in the past of building my own, but have never done it before and am wary about something going wrong (I know Dell is a horrible, Bush-loving company, but their tech support never failed to solve an issue)...Reading some of the other posts in the forum, I also don't want a lot of resource-eating 'bloatware' and am willing to give Linux a try but i do have questions...

Right now I have a membership with Costco and am going to go price-shopping there first...

[Blue_Tires]

1. wanted to add:

my current system runs Windows XP and McAfee Security Center...Based on what I've read, I REALLY don't want to have to deal with Vista...And what exactly is needed to transfer my programs and files over to a new PC?

[Deja Q]

2. If you're looking for a laptop: Best Buy sells an Asus GT50vt-X5 for $999...

Asus has made high-end PC motherboards for over a decade.

Specs:
4GB RAM
1680x1050 display (15.6")
P8200 CPU (2.16GHz)
320GB HD (7200RPM)
nVidia 9800m video w/512B dedicated RAM
Vista Home Premium 64-bit


But with Costco, you might get a good deal too. Still, they are more likely bound to have last year's models at the same prices; all stores do NOT get good profits from laptops to begin with... :(

I haven't played movies on Ubuntu yet, but will likely do one day.

[Blue_Tires]

3. i've looked at best buy

and i forgot the possibility that costco could have 'last year's' models, so I'll look closely...(I'm looking for a desktop, preferably with one of those wider-screen monitors)...

[Why Syzygy]

4. fwiw

My Gateway is going on seven y/o. I've never had any issues/negative experiences with it. Their customer service is top notch. I had to replace the CRT monitor about two years ago. I didn't attempt to repair it, just bought a flat screen. As for gaming, looking at their FX series makes me want to weep :cry: I will never buy a different brand.

Ironically, their site is best viewed in IE. Some of the options (find my serial number) are not available in Firefox.

http://www.gateway.com/programs/fxseries/index.php

[Blue_Tires]

5. thanks...some good stuff there

is there ANY brand anyone would advise me to avoid completely?

[pokerfan]

12. My Gateway is ancient

Pentium 4, EIDE HDD, USB 1.0... I'm looking to replace it with another Gateway. I've owned nothing but Gateways since a 368 way back when. I'm looking at the LX 6810 which got a pretty good review at cnet. (They hated the AMD powered DX BTW).

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/gateway-lx-6810-01/4505-3118_7-33513654.html

ETA:
Detailed specifications: http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/LX/LX6810/LX6810sp3.shtml
Intel Quad processor
8 GB of SDRAM
640GB HDD
GeForce GT120 Graphics card with 1GB Memory
18X DVD R/W
15-in-one card reader
TV Tuner card
500 W Power Supply

Priced under $800. (No monitor)

[Blue_Tires]

6. not much so far...

Went to Costco and the selection was slim...This was the best of the bunch for $999: (I had to jot down the notes kinda quickly...)

Hewlett Packard A6767C-B

24 in LCD Monitor
2-year Warranty

Intel Dual Core E5300

6 GB PC2-6400 DDR2 Memory
640 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
Lightscribe DVD+R/RW/CDRW
64 Bit OS with Service PAck 1
Intel Graphics x3100
Built-in G Wireless
Memory Card reader...


I also went to Best Buy (although I try to avoid the chain) and liked this--Price is $1299, but includes a Canon multipurpose printer...

Hewlett Packard M9500Y

24 in LCD Monitor

AMD Phenom X4 Quad Core
Windows Vista

8 GB DDR2 Memory
750 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
Lightscribe DVD+R/RW/CDRW
NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GS with 512 MB
Built-in Wireless...

So what do you think? and should I really shoot for a quad instead of dual-core?

[Why Syzygy]

10. I would really go for a quad.

When I bought my Gateway 6 years ago, I got the fastest processor available at the time.

[handmade34]

7. HP

this is what I have picked to be best for me

edit-laptop approx. $1100.00 I have been out all day looking

HP Pavilion dv7t

Basic SpecsProcessor
Core 2 Duo P8400
Memory (GB)
3
Video adapter
NVIDIA 9200M GS
Hard drive (GB)
250
Video memory (MB)
256
Optical drive
DVD-RW
LCD size (in.)
17
LCD resolution
1440 x 900
Battery capacity (WHr)
73
Height (in.)
1.8
Width (in.)
18
Depth (in.)
11.3
Operating system
Windows Vista Home Premium
Travel weight (lbs.)
9.6
Warranty (months): parts/labor/in-home
12 / 12 / 0
User Reviews
Average User Ratin
Write a ReviewRead 6 ReviewsRatings Report Card

Ergonomics Performance
Features Display
Speakers Battery life (hr.) 4
Weight (lbs.) 7.6
Reviews and recommendations CR's Take
This is a very good laptop for those seeking a fast and reasonably priced desktop replacement. It also has long battery life.

Highs
Battery life was long. Speakers were very good. Keyboard has dedicated number pad. Touchpad can be deactivated via button. Includes remote control, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, docking port, and HDMI out. Upgrade options include support for second hard drive and second wireless card. Includes productivity suite and paper manual.

Lows
Heavy. Display prone to glare. Interior is shiny. Touchpad has a glossy surface and is not centered. No modem, S-video out, or free memory slots. Doesn't have a latch to secure the lid while closed. Features
Memory-card reader Yes
Remote control Yes
Built-in webcam Yes
Built-in microphone Yes
TV tuner No
Facial recognition No
Fingerprint reader No
Connections
USB ports 4
FireWire port Yes
Bluetooth No
PC card slots 0
Express card slot 1
Docking port Yes
Gigabit Ethernet Yes
Wi-Fi (802.11) n
Dialup modem No
DVI video out No
S-video out No

[Blue_Tires]

8. thanks

but i'm still looking for a desktop at the moment

[TygrBright]

9. Check in on Amazon.com frequently

My 10-year-old desktop died immediately after we got to DC for our 3-month consulting adventure. Limped along with just the laptop for a few weeks, but I was looking for a new desktop. I don't upgrade very often (the 10-year-old custom build replaced a 7-year-old Compaq!) so when I do I look to overbuy-- get capacity I've no use for at the moment but figure will come in handy in a couple of years as software changes, etc.

I checked Amazon.com and cnet.com regularly and finally ended up with a $1400 HP m9250f for $700 because it was a discontinued model that had been returned to Amazon's warehouse with "cosmetic blemishes."

I got an Intel quad core 2.6 GHz processor, with 4 Mg RAM and a Tb (Terabyte) hard drive, plus an NVidia GeForce 8600 GT Video card and a bunch of multi-media stuff like a TV tuner, Wireless LAN, HDMI Audio, remote controller, etc. The motherboard and many components are made by Asus. I had to take Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, which means I'll have to invest in some new software, but so far I've been able to download drivers for most of my peripherals and they work fine. It came with a reasonable minimum of crapware and I've deleted most of it already.

As far as I can tell, the "cosmetic blemishes" are some scratches on the front of the case, a REALLY dinged-up outer box (they re-boxed it, dinged-up box and all, in an Amazon brown box) and some of the poly film protecting the shiny surfaces is partly peeled away.

The only real downsides so far (besides having the Vista learning curve-ugh!) are that the power supply is pretty dinky (350 watt? What's up with THAT?!?) and the RAM is arranged in four 1-Mb chips. So at some point I'll have to spring for a beefier power supply and if I want to upgrade the RAM I'll have to buy four new 2-Mb chips.

Oh, yeah, and it came with a really crummy wireless keyboard and mouse. BFD. It's still an awful lot of machine for $700.

Amazon.com is good about returns and they have a high internet retailer trust rating. They stand behind their sellers and make sure they do right by you, too.

So if you've got the time, I'd recommend a regular check-in with them, and also with cnet.com. Both places have shopping tools that will allow you to enter the key things you are looking for (Processor speed, RAM, desktop vs. laptop, price range, etc.) and then will show you what they have available from several sellers.

I loved my old custom build and it was a screamer by 1999 standards, but I think I did comparably well out of the box this time.

helpfully,
Bright

[Blue_Tires]

11. yeah, i completly forgot about the scratch/dent option

and a quick glance shows me the best deals will be at amazon/cnet and not best buy...thanks again...

[qanda]

13. I have not had good experiences with HP laptops

I had three laptops with them. After two years, one is dead and the other two wouldn't turn on at all and had to be sent back to HP for something they recalled. I hope you have a better experience. I decided to switch to Sony.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Consider a Macbook. You can have it both ways.

I am not a Mac fanatic, but have recently switched from PCs to Macs. We now have three, our latest being a MacBook (not a MacBook Pro).

Mac software is rock solid (even the Microsoft stuff) and the files are fully Windows compatible. The machines are sock solid, too.

But here's the neat part. You can also run Windows, native or emulated, for those Windows programs that do not have Mac counterparts.

Out of the box, Macs come with remarkably decent software. The new iWork ($99 extra) is their answer to Office (although you can also get Office for Mac) and the files can be 100%, seamlessly Windows compatible.

The initial cost may be a bit above your limit, but you won't have any other crap to buy and they will alst longer and stay useful longer, than, at least in my experience, any PC ever has.

[Evoman]

15. Building a computer isn't hard.

I put mine together from various parts. I've been really good about keeping my virus, firewalls, and anti-spyware programs updated and I have had very few problems. Not as hard as it sounds, and you only have to put what you want on it.

Of course, it isn't top of the line, since I pretty much just took part and pieces that my upgrade-crazy friends don't want to build it. Only thing I bought was RAM and a hard drive.