Help wifey's friend find a desktop quickly...

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Originally Posted By: 97tbird

It does come with a FREE win 7 upgrade; shall I tell her to get it?

Are you asking if she should get the upgrade rights? Definitely. It probably is included, whether you want it or not. Or you may just have to fill out some extra form. When W7 is released, Dell will ship it to her and she will perform the upgrade (if she wants).
 
cool; Thanks a lot; i wasn't sure if she had to do something special at the moment of buying the PC ...

so what did you think of that package, QP?
 
Seems OK to me, considering her intended use.

One thing I've never played with is the 64-bit OS. I would want to make sure that all the apps/devices she's planning on using actually have support for 64-bit OS. It's probably a non-issue for the majority of apps/devices though.
 
yeah..i thought about that. she'll be starting from scratch, which means she'll just use the app's that are on the new pc.

Only thing she's gonna connect to this thing is old modem (Road runner high speed), and a USB printer/fax thingy....
those should be ok, no?
 
How is the modem connected to the PC? If via Ethernet, it's a non-issue. If via USB, go to the modem's manufacturer's page and see if they offer a 64-bit driver for download. But even if they don't, chances are, the OS includes some generic driver that will allow it to work. Or check with the ISP (RoadRunner).

Same goes for the printer.

All in all, 64-bit OS is becoming quite common nowadays, so the support isn't usually a problem.
 
she can't even answer those questions....she doesn't know what the difference is (she's not at home, so can't look at it either)

i just feel better recommending her that Compaq deal now, (32 bit), and it seems to be a solid system too...and still exceeds her demands...

one thing i noticed: this PC has an internal modem, i see in the specs. and if she has a modem already from RR, how is that gonna work? I guess she can always call ISP (RR) for help on that, but i was just wondering... will she have to disable the internal modem on the new pc or something?
 
Yeah, those are two different things. The modem in the PC is just for dial-up (telephone line internet access). The modem she has from RoadRunner is a high-speed internet cable modem. The two don't interfere with each other. No problems there.
 
cool ... thanks a lot guys...
I am gonna suggest both my last choices to her, and try to get some more details on her existing hardware; and depending on that, i will choose 1 of the 2 systems that I mentioned above...
seeing how low tech they seem to be, i really am leaning towards the 32 bit compaq deal, and she saves a lot there with the bundle, and will spend only about $30 for a 19" wide screen Compaq monitor...

will update soon.
if u guys see any other good 32 bit desktop/monitor packages pls post here.
 
Wow, 64 bit OS and modem configurations....I thought this thread was a suggestion for ano frills kinda machine and that they have high speed internet access already? Did I miss something?
The computer shop near me has been there 5 plus years, just how long do you think a branded PC is warrateed for? Good luck on exercising a warranty claim in...well....Asia these days!
 
Originally Posted By: twouvakind
The computer shop near me has been there 5 plus years, just how long do you think a branded PC is warrateed for?

Have you noticed how many small businesses are going belly up these days?
 
tewoovakind:

I didn't notice the 64 bit OS till QP pointed it out:
after that I have almost decided to recommend her the $400 Compaq desktop/monitor package with regular 32 bit Vista.

We've had good luck with our compaq, and like mentioned above, it depends a bit on luck; so hopefully this desktop will last her long, and not need any warranty claims. i REALLY don't think ANYone in that family is knowledgeable or picky enough to need a custom designed PC from a small business, and with the current economy, i don't know if that's the best way to go either. Thanks again for the input.
 
Dell used to have a lot of low end power edge (server) that are fairly bare bone for $250-300, integrated graphics, no sound card. If you are after the ultimate bargain this is it (after adding your own sound card and stuff).

Vostro is also a very good value if you want to cheapest of the cheap with at least acceptable quality (not as bad as emachine or packard bell).

Have they bring the PC over to a friend and see if swapping the power supply would fix it?
 
Um, i don't know if they tried that, but the general feeling i got as I was talking with her is that they kinda like the fact they have a chance to upgrade from the "horrible" (as she put it) 10 yr old Win Me desktop they had anyway.... so I didn't ask much about trying to repair it.
 
UPDATE:

after all that research etc, wife's friend went to buy a desktop, and the salesman (who said he's not only a salesman , but also a "tech" guy) told her that they had a lot of returns on Dell, and emachines (which i didn't recommend anyway, and i don't know what he said about Compaq i had selected) and convinced her to buy a Gateway desktop. (i don;t know which model).

I hate when people ask you to help with stuff and make you spend a few hrs researching and bothering other people, and then go and do something else...oh well.

I have no idea about how good Gateway is.
hope she got something good.

Thanks for all your help.
 
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That's funny, because Emachines is owned/built by Gateway...

Emachines are actually some of the best rated in terms of reliability these days.

The Gateway will serve her fine. I have an HP desktop that is over 6 years old that is used daily without a problem, and it was originally bought for $550.
 
Me, I would have gotten the eMachine, but the Gateway is decent. He was right to recommend against the dell. I wonder what he was doing selling computers if he was a "tech guy." Seems his time would be more valuable that that.
 
Originally Posted By: GMFan
That's funny, because Emachines is owned/built by Gateway...

Emachines are actually some of the best rated in terms of reliability these days.

The Gateway will serve her fine. I have an HP desktop that is over 6 years old that is used daily without a problem, and it was originally bought for $550.


Bought myself an Emachine after my custom built gaming computer finally died. It's been 4 years now with the Emachine and not had one issue at all
thumbsup2.gif
I only paid 329$ with tax.
 
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