Thread: new computer

I prefer PCs. One because they are tons cheaper and two because I know jack about computers and all I do is play games and download porn.

Budget?

what exactly happened to your old computer?

Originally Posted by mike456

what exactly happened to your old computer?

The slid-out cup holder broke ...

Originally Posted by BoneCrusher

Budget?

well, I'd say around 1000$. its not much but a Future Shop close to where I live has really good deals on computers close to the beginning of the school year, so I am waiting for that.

Originally Posted by mike456

what exactly happened to your old computer?

well earlier this year for some reason it just stopped working, I had a friend who knows his stuff about computers come over and look at it and he said it seemed like my harddrive was fucked. so I bought a new one and it worked fine. then later the monitor started to mess up when I turned it on, and I usually had to end up restarting it every time. a few weeks ago my sister was using it and she said it wouldn't turn on again, and when it did nothing showed up on the screen. it's 7 years old, and the money I've spent on fixing it up I might as well bought a new one.

Originally Posted by ReproMan

I prefer PCs. One because they are tons cheaper and two because I know jack about computers and all I do is play games and download porn.

lol yeah, about what I'll be doing too, plus school work. I just heard that PCs are targetted more than Macs for viruses and stuff like that. they are a lot cheaper though for specs being equal (PCs).

$1000 is a good budget. Can you add components to a basic system? There are several systems out there for $3 or $400 that you can then add vid and audio cards too, toss in a few gigs of ram and bingo you have a high dollar system for less than that $1000. Add in those personal touches like a TV tuner or whatever and you'd still prolly be under $1000.

I'm NOT a dell fan, but there was a dell c521 for $280 or so on craigslist (change the default city to the one you live in)). I bought that and added a few things. Now it's an HTPC for under $500.

right now I am looking at an iMac and a PC, both are 900$. come September the sales they have are usually around 200-300$ off.

iMac specs:
Core 2 Duo processor 1.83GHz
512MB DDR2 Ram
160 GB harddrive
CD-RW/DVD rom
built in camera
and some other stuff...

PC I am looking at (Acer)
2 GB DDR2 ram
Dual Core Processor
320 GB harddrive
DVD burner

I like both of them, PC has better specs, iMac takes up less space (my desk I have in my room is not the biggest).

I have just looked and craigslist and there was not too much around in the city I am from

Have you looked at the service ratings for the companies in contention? Consumer reports or one of the big guys have data from a gazillion comp owners that you can make a better informed decision with.

Ive used a PC for years and can never go anywhere else. On the flip side, my friend has never used anything but Macs. Something about it being easier to use. I dont know...

Ever notice that in movies, if they show any computer screens, you can tell they are almost always Macs? And they make noise too!

There is a windows emulator for macs that basically makes it a mac and pc. If you want a mac, you can use it like a pc, so buy the mac if you want it.

$1000 is a pretty big budget for a new computer. Maybe you should try to build it from scratch (my bro built mine and I love it... spent around $1200 and I have 1.2TB hard disk space, duo core processor, 2GB RAM, running Windows Vista, a 22" widescreen HD monitor and more). I should add that he is a computer guy and gets a nice discount on some items since he works at Best Buy Corporate.

Originally Posted by KelJu

There is a windows emulator for macs that basically makes it a mac and pc. If you want a mac, you can use it like a pc, so buy the mac if you want it.

You can also install XP on a mac if you wish to, although it's a fiddly and trying process. But it kind of defeats the point of buying a mac in the first place.

OsX is a pretty good OS, I was impressed in the limited times I used it.

Aren't PCs better equiped to play games on? Can you play PC games on a Mac without problems?

As I move forward on the upgrades to this DELL C521 I encounter the hassle that it's got a proprietary PSU with a wimpy 280w rating in a BTX case. I'm having a hard time finding a work around. I'm even less of a DELL fan now, but still suggest a good basic system that you can tweak up to what you want it to be.

Get a lot of RAM, that is my only piece of advice to you. You could have the sickest computer but wouldn't know it without a large amount of RAM.

I've been on Mac's fulltime for 7 years now and I will never switch back to PC's.

Mac's are more expensive but in my experience last longer and are easier to upgrade. Or maybe I am just far more Mac savvy. My husband has used my G4 tower (desktop) for 6 years now... He downloads a ridiculous amout of shit and it's never had a virus and it still runs as fast as the day I bought it.

However, we're both graphic designers so having Mac's are a must. I have to say though that if I gave up graphic design I would still buy Mac's. You put me on a PC and I can't even figure out how to launch Internet Explorer or where to find a damn thing.

Originally Posted by OddGirl

I've been on Mac's fulltime for 7 years now and I will never switch back to PC's.

Mac's are more expensive but in my experience last longer and are easier to upgrade. Or maybe I am just far more Mac savvy. My husband has used my G4 tower (desktop) for 6 years now... He downloads a ridiculous amout of shit and it's never had a virus and it still runs as fast as the day I bought it.

However, we're both graphic designers so having Mac's are a must. I have to say though that if I gave up graphic design I would still buy Mac's. You put me on a PC and I can't even figure out how to launch Internet Explorer or where to find a damn thing.

Because of your occupations, I thought that was the only reasons why you guys use them. Besides, I thought the new Windows (maybe even win 95) "copied" Macs and now theyre identical..?

As far as getting a virus or spam, you gotta be a complete fucking idiot to have it happen. Hah, I did! But really, when you keep your eyes out, its easy to spot potential dangers. E.g. "FREE MYSPACE TRACKER, SEE WHOS LOOKING AT YOUR PROFILE! ( )

I might be one of those people that enjoy more complicated things. I remember using DOS and LOVED IT. When youre a kid and you want games like Doom2 and Rise of the Triad to run smoothly, you learn a lot of shit. I remember "associating" files to programs on Windows 3.1 and when I got Win95, I was lost even though it was so fucking easy.

Jesus, I remember I had to enter a code into DOS to turn my mouse on. Boot disks, "dir/w" commands, pc clocking, ah the good old days.

Programs from the past til now remind me of car's fuel delivery. When you got a carburator, its extremly dated, gets sub par mileage, but its so easy to fix. Now there are furl injection systems ran by computers...and unless you know how to read the car's computer, youll be lost when it comes time to fix or upgrade the engine.

Originally Posted by AKIRA

Because of your occupations, I thought that was the only reasons why you guys use them. Besides, I thought the new Windows (maybe even win 95) "copied" Macs and now theyre identical..?

I've looked at the features and tried playing on PC's at work. The last few versions of Windows have begun to mimic the look and feel of the MAC OS. It still just doesn't seem as user friendly to me. I feel like a retard when I sit down in front of a computer with Windows on it. For some reason it makes me very uncomfortable.

Neither of us really do much graphic design stuff from home anymore... But I still think we'd opt to get another Mac over a PC if/when the time comes to get a new computer.

I prefer PC's because I have always used them. Plus the Macs at school fucking piss me off when they have bugs. For example, if they freeze you can't turn them off, you have to unplug them. I've heard they are less susceptible to viruses, but if you just get a virus scanner and are reasonably smart, you should be fine.

Plus often times Macs don't support new games, and I'm a gamer so that wouldn't work for me.

They both have bugs, but one is less susceptible to virii and one is more compatible with all the software you will buy. I don't think it matters too much but I'd rather go with a PC.

I think it comes down to knowledge. If you know a lot about computers, you're better off with a Mac or maybe an Apple. The average Joe who doesn't do anything special is probably better off using a standard Microsoft PC.

Originally Posted by squanto

I prefer PC's because I have always used them. Plus the Macs at school fucking piss me off when they have bugs. For example, if they freeze you can't turn them off, you have to unplug them.

I have never been on a Mac that you can't turn off and you have to unplug. Just hold the power button for a few seconds and it shuts down.

thanks for all the ideas.

I was just wondering if anyone who built their own computer had a website for me to look at? I wouldn't be able to physically build it because I wouldn't know how, but a website that you can go on and design on yourself or something? with the computer I have now that is 7 years old, we had it built to what we wanted and it cost around 1400, that was 7 years ago now and it was pretty decent for the time.

Originally Posted by squanto

Plus the Macs at school fucking piss me off when they have bugs. For example, if they freeze you can't turn them off, you have to unplug them.

That same thing happens to me with my PC, it's not just the macs...