Anybody know about computers?
Oct. 13th, 2007 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
My poor little iBook is on its last legs, so I'm shopping around for a new laptop. I've had this one for over 5 years, and it was free, so I figure I've more than gotten my money's worth. Unfortunately, my new laptop will NOT be free, and as much as I like Apples, I'll be going for the cheap and getting a PC.
Of course, I went to college in a Mac bubble, and I know nothing about PCs. I've used an HP and a Dell laptop for work, and frankly, couldn't tell the difference (I'll be completely honest, I thought my current work computer was an HP until I looked at the top of it and realized it had the Dell logo on it). I guess if you have Windows, it doesn't really matter what kind of computer it is. The only things I really use it for are the internet, downloading music, and Microsoft Office. I occasionally download videos, but I don't store them, just watch and delete - I haven't been able to keep anything since I have practically no storage space left on this hard drive. I also store some photos, but I don't do any kind of artwork. I want to be able to play and burn both CDs and DVDs - is that stuff standard now? I can burn CDs on this comp, but not DVDs, although I do have a DVD player.
The main problem I have with this computer is that it's slow. I'm paying a crapload of money for high-speed internet, and it still takes forever because the computer's so slow. Of course, it's 5 years old, so my processor is 700 MHz, my memory is 384 MB, and my hard drive is 18.5 GB. I've just been browsing around, but the numbers I've seen are... much higher than that.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? I have no idea what the differences are between brands. There seems to be a million different types of processors, which already makes me miss the simplicity of the Apple "G" numbering method. I don't want to spend a lot of money, so what's worth the price and what isn't?
Of course, I went to college in a Mac bubble, and I know nothing about PCs. I've used an HP and a Dell laptop for work, and frankly, couldn't tell the difference (I'll be completely honest, I thought my current work computer was an HP until I looked at the top of it and realized it had the Dell logo on it). I guess if you have Windows, it doesn't really matter what kind of computer it is. The only things I really use it for are the internet, downloading music, and Microsoft Office. I occasionally download videos, but I don't store them, just watch and delete - I haven't been able to keep anything since I have practically no storage space left on this hard drive. I also store some photos, but I don't do any kind of artwork. I want to be able to play and burn both CDs and DVDs - is that stuff standard now? I can burn CDs on this comp, but not DVDs, although I do have a DVD player.
The main problem I have with this computer is that it's slow. I'm paying a crapload of money for high-speed internet, and it still takes forever because the computer's so slow. Of course, it's 5 years old, so my processor is 700 MHz, my memory is 384 MB, and my hard drive is 18.5 GB. I've just been browsing around, but the numbers I've seen are... much higher than that.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? I have no idea what the differences are between brands. There seems to be a million different types of processors, which already makes me miss the simplicity of the Apple "G" numbering method. I don't want to spend a lot of money, so what's worth the price and what isn't?
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Date: Oct. 14th, 2007 04:18 am (UTC)Yeah, CD/DVD burners are standard now. The memory is a lot bigger than 384 MB, so it's really fast. It comes with wireless capability if you move around a lot. Windows Vista is actually really cool -- I don't know what people are complaining about, I love it. And the hard drive is 160 MB so there are no worries about storage space.
Before that, I had a Dell for over 5 years, so I know a lot about those too if you have questions. In my opinion, the best part of Dell is their technical support -- over the past five years, I'd had pretty much every part replaced (keyboard several times, plastic casing, CD/DVD drive several times, LCD screen, hard drive, etc... it's free and a technician comes to your house to fix it for you, which is awesome).
The first question I usually ask when looking around is what's the technical support like, because I am super accident prone and drop my laptop a lot, so I need to go with a company that replaces it quickly and for free. LOL!!
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Date: Oct. 15th, 2007 01:10 am (UTC)Windows Vista was one of the things I was concerned about. I've heard only bad things about it, but it seems like 90% of computers come with it now. I still have XP in work.
The tech support is really the thing my mother is concerned about. The reason my computer lasted as long as it did is because I had what amounted to 4 years of free tech support in college. Otherwise, I'd probably have gotten a new computer a couple years ago. So, Dell is looking pretty good for that.
Thanks for the advice! I think I'm leaning toward Dell right now, but I may end up with just whatever's on sale next week, lol.
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