Help me choose a new PC

[GonzoStyle]

I know nothing when it comes to technical shit about computers so I need help. I do know that after 5 years its time for a new comp. Time to upgrade from my 63.0mb of ram and my windows 98 os.

Heres the comp I was eyeing:

Compaq SR1620NX Desktop

An AMD Sempron processor, Microsoft Windows XP Home, enhanced protection from viruses, and a one-year limited warranty are just a few features that make the SR1620 an excellent value. It's perfect for e-mail, word processing, games, music, and more.

AMD Sempron processor 3400+ 2.0GHz
160GB 7200RPM Ultra DMA hard drive
512MB DDR PC3200
DVD+RW/CD-RW combo drive
Windows XP Home

It's about 460 bucks after the rebate, I don't use my comp for gaming so I dont need anything special. Mainly I just surf the web, download torrents and play music. But I need something that doesn't have a panic attack when I download torrents and wanna open a webpage at the same time.

Also the guy at the store said that I could burn dvds I download but if I wanna copy actual dvds I have to get a seperate drive for that. He said a drive is about another 90 bucks or so.

So is this a good pc or is something better available for the money I am spending on this? I don't really wanna go over 550-600 with the extra dvd drive, naturally I just need the tower.

[Keyser Soze]

Compaq sucks. Get a no name pc built from scratch at a mom and pop pc store that you can configure from top to bottom or get a Dell or IBM. Dell has some really good deals.

[GonzoStyle]

why do they suck?

a built from scratch pc would be nice but like I said, I am a technical moron.

[Keyser Soze]

you dont build it, they do.

compaq is just very poorly rated.

the best place to compare pc's is C|Net

the best prices on pc's are generally on pricewatch

[Goatweed]

compaq = shit

I'd recommend a dell, something basic shouldnt run you more than $550 esp since you already got the monitor.

I go to gotapex and check out the deals - they change daily.

[GonzoStyle]

I don't have a credit card, checking account or nothin so i'd really have to buy it in a store.

theres no comp usas by me so basically I got staples, best buy and a bunch of overpriced mom and pop shops.

[Keyser Soze]

no checking account? where do you put your money? under the matress?

[GonzoStyle]

places!

you ain't helping, anyway i'll go through the sites and post some other pc's and you give me the yea or ney.

[GonzoStyle]

what about emachines? I saw a bunch of those at best buy.

emachines AMD™ Athlon™ 64 3400+
$549.99


• Processor/Memory - AMD™ Athlon™ 64 3400+ / 512MB DDR RAM
• Hard Drive/Optical Drive - 200GB / Double-layer multiformat DVDRW drive
• Operating System - Microsoft® Windows XP Home Edition (T6412) Add to shopping list
Buy online
$50 Mail-In Rebate Available

[Keyser Soze]

crap!

[Goatweed]

yeah, those are even worse.

[diceisgod]

get a mac





hahahahahaha

[GonzoStyle]

why are they bad tho? I dont get it, they got the same shit inside eachother as the dells I been lookin at.

what makes a dell better, so I can understand.

[GonzoStyle]

The current eMachines T series line includes five models, ranging in price from $340 to $600 (after a $50 mail-in rebate). The two low-end models use a budget AMD Sempron processor, the middle model uses an old Intel Pentium 4 CPU, and the two higher-end models use an AMD Athlon 64 processor. Although exceedingly affordable, we'd steer clear of the lowest-end T3104 because it offers only 256MB of memory; the middle three models include 512MB, and the high-end T6524 we reviewed provides 1GB. The T6524 also differs from its budget brothers by using Windows Media Center Edition; you'll get XP Home with the others. If Media Center doesn't interest you and you need a basic home PC, the T6412 provides great value by including a 200GB hard drive, a double-layer DVD burner, and an 8-in-1 media card reader for $500. Aside from the lowest-end model, we recommend any of the current T-series models; you'll be hard-pressed to find better value among budget PCs.

thats from cnet, so I dunno who to trust.

[Keyser Soze]

go with c|net, they know better than goat or i. if they say its good, i'm inclined to believe them.

[Gooch]

emachines are now owned by Gateway, which may have improved their reliability.

compaq is owned by HP, btw.

if you can, Gonzy, try a cheap Dell with a 2 year warranty. i'd take my time, and just wait on a hot Dell deal to come along OR a hot computer deal at the store...


also...there is a low-cost computer maker (in brooklyn) where you can get computers cheaply and customize it at:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.maincomp.com/shop/showcase.jsp">http://www.maincomp.com/shop/showcase.jsp</a><!-- m -->

prob only set for delivery, not pickup..but perhaps a phonecall can find out.

[Jack]

Whatever you do, do not buy a Dell PC.

As most of you know, I am a manager of a computer repair shop (Tech Services within CompUSA). Dell basically pays my paycheck and we have absolutely no affiliation with them. We are not an authorized dealer/reseller/service center. Yet, customers bring their computers to us and pay us $100.00 just to look at them because they don't want to deal with Dell's poor customer support. I'd say on average, we see 10-12 Dell PC's a week that are under manufacturer warranty.

Emachines have really stepped up their game in the last 2 years. They still need to shake the bad image but their machines have been pretty reliable lately.

On average, we see the most machines from HP/Compaq. Following that would be the Dell PC's in and out of warranty, Apple G5 series Imacs (power/logicboard issues), Toshiba notebooks, Gateway/Emachines Desktops, Sony Desktops, Custom Built PC's.

Out of the box, Emachines gives you a 1 year full parts and labor warranty. Thats pretty standard.

I would go with the Emachine over the Compaq. First and foremost because the Compaq has a Sempron Processor (only has 256k On Die Cache and is only 32 bit) and the Emachine has the Athlon 64 Processor (64 bit and 1MB Cache).

If you are going to spend any extra money on the machine, up the ram to 1GB or more. You will thank yourself in the long run.

[HedCold]

when people bring in the dell whats usually wrong with it?

[Jack]

Most of the time, the logic (mother) board has failed in some capacity. Either the NIC won't work, or the video is garbled, or sound won't work, or it just won't turn on at all. The most common problem is that it won't turn on at all.

The power supplies 90% of the time will test just fine and none of the other components are shorting out the board, it usually just boils down to needing a new motherboard.

There is a reason that Dell PC's are inexpensive. The first reason is that they outsourced their support to India, and the second is that they use sub-par components in their systems.

[Goatweed]

I have 2 Dells, one is pushing 8 years old, the other is almost 3. I had the motherboard die on the old one once, and it took 2 days for them to ship me a new one. The younger one had a casefan die on me, but it was a known issue and I got the fan free (and upgraded).

I know they outsource, and it does suck but it only sucks because of the India factor - they cover their shit, their warranties are still the best IMO.