XP: Computers

[sweetptater]

I posted this on MM, but only got one response. I'm hoping for a little more help here! 

My desktop computer died a few days ago and I need to replace it. I have no idea what's out there and I'm 100% technologically challenged so I'm looking for recs. H suggested using a laptop as a hard drive and just plugging it into my monitor so that it's portable, but I honestly can't think of any situation where I'd want to take it. He also said something about computers now having hard drives that are in the cloud, whatever that means.


I work full-time from home and have a work desktop and a work laptop. All I need a home computer for is photos and home videos, electronic document/bill filing, and internet. Neither of us are gamers. Any recommendations? Cost isn't a factor, but I think I'd like to stick with a PC, since that's what I'm familiar with. I'm sure I can be swayed though.


I appreciate any help! 


Read more: pandce.proboards.com/thread/361242/computer-recs#ixzz3BPsdIxah

[Deleted]

Are you interested in a desktop or laptop? What is your budget?   I don't know anything about Macs, only PCs.

Some PCs I recommend are Asus, Lenovo, Dell, HP. Any of those will suit your purposes. I think an i5 processor would be sufficient for your needs (i7 is the best). For $500-$600 you can easily get a strong PC, especially since you don't need a high-quality graphics card. Are you thinking of buying online or in store? Newegg.com and the Dell website both have a variety of computers that may fit your needs.

Here is a Dell laptop for $599: Dell Inspiron 15  

It has Windows 8.1, an i5 processor, 6gb RAM (memory), 1tb hard drive, built-in wireless, 15" screen.  It has good reviews.  I would get it myself if I didn't need a strong graphics card for gaming. 

[sweetptater]

Either desktop or laptop. If I can make a laptop work for my desktop needs, then that may be the way to go so that I have flexibility to take it with me if I want to. I didn't know if laptops had equivalent processing(?) capabilities as a desktop.

No budget. We've had terrible luck with our last two computers (Gateway and a Dell) and we want something that will last more than a year or two before it dies. We've had nothing but problems with our Dell, so we probably won't go that route for a desktop. We rarely use it (maybe 2x a week?) so I don't see any reason why they keep crapping out on us. I'll look at the laptop though.

I'll probably look in a Best Buy and then buy online for a better price. Thank you for your recs!

[Deleted]

Laptops have come a SUPER long way in computing power and while I'm a bit rusty in my in-depth tech knowledge, they can definitely compete with desktops in terms of harddrive and processing power. Graphics and sound is where I think they start having more difficulty competing but since you aren't a gamer, that won't really matter. For a laptop, you can also plug in peripherals like your husband said, I personally use a cordless mouse as I don't like the fingerpad and mine is placed awkwardly so that it was always thinking I had activated it while typing and jumping my cursor around the screen so I just have my touchpad turned off. The portability is really nice, even within your own home. For example, I was in a car accident a little over a week ago and with the laptop, I can use the computer while lying on ice on the sofa so I'm not completely shut off from the world

[mala]

(ETA: a tag sweetptater) You say price is no concern, but for what you're looking for, you'll want to just decide how much you want to spend and then get the best laptop at that price point. For internet, photos, and home videos, you really don't need much in the specs. I suggest getting something with an SSD drive, which will be less likely to break than a traditional HDD. I also recommend getting an external drive to use as a backup for photos/videos/media.

I can find something for you if you give me:

Price point?
Do you have a preference for size? Do you want smaller and more potable or a larger screen?
Memory size? Do you have a preference? If you're not gaming this isn't as important
Do you need an optical drive? CD/DVD/Bluray or any combination of that?
Does weight matter to you?
Do you have a minimum CPU speed?
Do you care about bluetooth connectivity?
You want Windows or a different OS?
How big of a hard drive are you looking for? Are we talking A LOT of photos/videos?
Do you need a touch screen?
Do you want to connect to a TV? You say you want to connect to a larger monitor, what kind of connection does it have?
How many devices do you need connect? How many USB ports are you likely to need at any one time? Do you need any connections OTHER than USB ports? Remember if you use a wireless mouse you'll use one USB port for it at all times.

[mala]

Also, do you run any photo editing software or anything?

[sweetptater]

mala - I'm going to apologize in advance for my idiotic responses. This is a completely different world to me! 

Aug 25, 2014 18:04:24 GMT -5 mala said:

(ETA: a tag sweetptater) You say price is no concern, but for what you're looking for, you'll want to just decide how much you want to spend and then get the best laptop at that price point. For internet, photos, and home videos, you really don't need much in the specs. I suggest getting something with an SSD drive, which will be less likely to break than a traditional HDD. I also recommend getting an external drive to use as a backup for photos/videos/media.

I can find something for you if you give me:

Price point? I have no idea how much they cost. Maybe $500-$800?
Do you have a preference for size? Do you want smaller and more potable or a larger screen? Larger screen. I don't see it leaving the house often, if at all. 
Memory size? Do you have a preference? If you're not gaming this isn't as important. No idea...
Do you need an optical drive? CD/DVD/Bluray or any combination of that? An optical drive would be nice so I can play movies for the kids. I hadn't thought of that. 
Does weight matter to you? No, preferably not a 20 lb beast though.
Do you have a minimum CPU speed? No idea. I would like it to not have a lot of lag time though. I like a quick response time because I have no patience.
Do you care about bluetooth connectivity? What would this be used for? 
You want Windows or a different OS? Windows
How big of a hard drive are you looking for? Are we talking A LOT of photos/videos? No, not tons. I take less than 100 photos/videos a month.  
Do you need a touch screen? Not necessary
Do you want to connect to a TV? You say you want to connect to a larger monitor, what kind of connection does it have? USB
How many devices do you need connect? How many USB ports are you likely to need at any one time? Do you need any connections OTHER than USB ports? Remember if you use a wireless mouse you'll use one USB port for it at all times. I have a wireless mouse, the monitor is a plug, but I may just use the laptop screen or get a monitor one with a larger screen. I also need USBs for the wireless card and my external hard drive. So a minimum of 6 I'd say. What do you mean "connect to a TV"? I feel like a complete moron here.

[mala]

Aug 26, 2014 7:47:55 GMT -5 sweetptater said:

mala - I'm going to apologize in advance for my idiotic responses. This is a completely different world to me! 

Aug 25, 2014 18:04:24 GMT -5 mala said:

(ETA: a tag sweetptater) You say price is no concern, but for what you're looking for, you'll want to just decide how much you want to spend and then get the best laptop at that price point. For internet, photos, and home videos, you really don't need much in the specs. I suggest getting something with an SSD drive, which will be less likely to break than a traditional HDD. I also recommend getting an external drive to use as a backup for photos/videos/media.

I can find something for you if you give me:

Price point? I have no idea how much they cost. Maybe $500-$800?
Do you have a preference for size? Do you want smaller and more potable or a larger screen? Larger screen. I don't see it leaving the house often, if at all. 
Memory size? Do you have a preference? If you're not gaming this isn't as important. No idea...
Do you need an optical drive? CD/DVD/Bluray or any combination of that? An optical drive would be nice so I can play movies for the kids. I hadn't thought of that. 
Does weight matter to you? No, preferably not a 20 lb beast though.
Do you have a minimum CPU speed? No idea. I would like it to not have a lot of lag time though. I like a quick response time because I have no patience.
Do you care about bluetooth connectivity? What would this be used for? 
You want Windows or a different OS? Windows
How big of a hard drive are you looking for? Are we talking A LOT of photos/videos? No, not tons. I take less than 100 photos/videos a month.  
Do you need a touch screen? Not necessary
Do you want to connect to a TV? You say you want to connect to a larger monitor, what kind of connection does it have? USB
How many devices do you need connect? How many USB ports are you likely to need at any one time? Do you need any connections OTHER than USB ports? Remember if you use a wireless mouse you'll use one USB port for it at all times. I have a wireless mouse, the monitor is a plug, but I may just use the laptop screen or get a monitor one with a larger screen. I also need USBs for the wireless card and my external hard drive. So a minimum of 6 I'd say. What do you mean "connect to a TV"? I feel like a complete moron here.

I would suggest this one: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834314351 I personally love the acer brand. This one comes with Windows 7, which is a generation back on Windows BUT there have been so many complaints about 8 and every review for the model that comes standard with Windows 8 the reviewer said they uninstalled and went back to 7. It has a DVD drive (not blu-ray so if you want to play BR you'll have to upgrade that). It has a 500GB hard drive, which is plenty of space for what you need. It only has three USB ports, but you won't need a wireless card since it's built in. There is also an HDMI port to connect to your TV or to a monitor. Or you can use the LAN/VGA port to connect to a computer monitor. (the monitor will connect with the VGA or HDMI. The LAN port you'll use if you need a wired connection to the internet).

[sweetptater]

Thank you so much for your help! I would have been completely clueless on all of this. I really appreciate it.