Query to the all-knowing flist - computers!

[castalia]

My mom just asked me what I thought was the best in desktop computers, b/c their family computer died a horrible hardware death (ultimate BSOD, sadly, won't boot up at all even in safe mode) after they've abused it for 5 years or so. Thus, they're in the market for a new one.

I've only ever had laptops, so I have no experience whatsoever in buying desktops and what features to look for there. I know she wants decent storage space for pictures and enough power to use their high-speed DSL comfortably. The last computer was a Dell and seemed to really crawl after a year or so of use (despite all my verbal and even written instructions, they are absolutely rubbish at keeping things updated, running scans, cleaning the drives, etc).

So, any recommendations? Anything to definitely stay away from? They're probably going to be looking at a basic to medium price range.

Comments

[antjgiab3.livejournal.com]

The IT techs that work on our office stuff swear by HP (Hewlett Packard) for both desktop and laptop computers.

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I haven't used HP but I've been considering them for my next laptop. I've been pretty happy with my current Compaq.

[pyrae.livejournal.com]

Just don't go HP for printers. It's a nightmare.

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

They have one of those. I hate it. Argh.

[pyrae.livejournal.com]

We bought a fancy HP Laserjet scanner/printer/faxer/younameit to use as a network printer. The software had to be reinstalled every time, and years later I struggled to get bits of that software off my computers. There are still traces of it because it would not uninstall properly. I have a Canon Pixma now, which is a little slow and not as fine, but I can count on it to always work and to have bare-bones software.

As for computer requirements, I agree with what's recced below, except to say I've got a Geforce 7600 that works fine for high-power gaming, so they probably don't need anything much fancier than that. My computer came as a kit, though, and I've been upgrading it by pieces for a few years, so I sadly can't help.

[windrose.livejournal.com]

I have an HP desktop and an HP laptop. I love them both.

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll mention HP to them :)

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Compaq is HP

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

Sort of. They're getting similar since the merge but they're not quite interchangeable yet. And I usually see HP costing more than Compaq. I used to hear Compaqs were better built, but not sure if that's still the case if it ever was.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Put it this way, most HP staff get Compaqs as their work laptop. Embarassingly those of us who work for EDS, an HP company, still get Dells. Mine's a Latitude 610!

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

Heh, that's amusing. I've really enjoyed my Compaq laptop, but it's three years old now and I'm itching to upgrade. Are the Dell laptops better than their desktops? I wasn't too impressed with the last few Dell desktops they bought, although that might be their choice of the lower end models.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

I really don't know. My desktop machine is an iMac. I just use the work machine for routine work stuff.

[cedara]

Well, since we build ours custom made, I can't quite recommend a brand. What I can do is tell you to go for 2.5Ghz CPU and 2GB RAM minimum. Also, I'd suggest a nvidia graphic card (anything in the 8000er range, myself I have a 8600GT with which I'm content with) and at least 500GB harddisk space, maybe an extra USB one for storage. More would go into the gamer range.

Oh, and if she goes for XP as operating system, it won't read more than 3GB RAM, only Vista is said to read more (but I haven't tried that yet). Also, Vista needs 2GB RAM minimum.

[castalianspring.livejournal.com]

They're definitely not the types to build a custom set-up, so it's going to have to be something they can get from the usual Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. sort of places. I always try to suggest the AMD processors (I love mine), and I do wish they'd go with the external storage route b/c they're just so damn handy.

Thanks for the Vista info. I'm trying to avoid Vista myself for now, but maybe by the time they buy it'll have some of the bugs worked out.

[krzykat.livejournal.com]

Since they aren't good about keeping things updated, are they willing to switch to a Mac? I keep telling my parents that's what they should have, but, I know it's hard for parents to change. My next computer will be a Mac.