Results 1 to 20 of 20

Thread: Brand of computers

  1. #1
    Banned ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Castle 2_5_2, Swissland.
    Posts
    0
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default Brand of computers

    I am looking into a new comp under 1,000 USD. Should I go with a Dell,HP, Gateway or what? I be using it for college and games.

  2. #2
    the G-Diffuser Senior Member pevergreen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    11,585
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Build it yourself.
    Quote Originally Posted by TosaInu
    The org will be org until everyone calls it a day.

    Quote Originally Posted by KukriKhan View Post
    but I joke. Some of my best friends are Vietnamese villages.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemur
    Anyone who wishes to refer to me as peverlemur is free to do so.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Build it yourself is probably the best option, but this assumes that you are talking a desktop (or small form factor) not a laptop.

    Dell is a matter of getting yourself a good deal (they sometimes offer really good value for money deals) but if you tack on upgrades to a particular base configuration be sure to check with component retail to see if you can't get a better deal by simply choosing a plain base configuration and installing upgrade components manually.

    The plus point is specs and price, and an eye for using good quality kit. The downside is that the machine is not always put together quite as thoughtfully as one would like, presumably to drive price down or accommodate the need to do the shiny dance. For instance looking at a studio 15: laptop case and lid are not quite as sturdy and unyielding as you would like, plus on the one hand the screen is located at about the same height as the keyboard (as opposed to having the screen raised firmly above the keyboard) which means a less ergonomic viewing angle to the screen itself and on the other hand the construction of hinges means that the screen cannot tilt as far back as more conventional designs (which exacerbates the previous issue). But to illustrate the plus points using the same machine: keyboard gives good tactile feedback, laptop motherboard is definitely a notch above what you would expect from a laptop at the price and you get a Core i3 and DDR3 RAM with dedicated graphics card. Battery life is “average”. Mediocre by some standards, but quite good for “desktop replacement” type.

    Last time I bought an HP (desktop) it did its job fairly well, considering. As far as specs go, HP has a habit of doing it almost but not quit right (specs of CPU/RAM/disk and connectivity all make solid sense but they might drop the ball on for instance graphics; again, presumably to get the price point down). The upside is that if you don't need to meddle with the innards of the case (much), then you get kit that is put together sensibly, runs decently, in all probability can withstand a little accident, and will last its time.

    The big downside to HP will only be apparent to those who want to do (semi-frequent) upgrades. With their desktops my experience has been that they're cutting corners on things like PSU (not much leeway for power hungry upgrades), and motherboard (for instance using only 2 RAM slots instead of 4, few PCI expansion slots etc.), and wireless kit. Also their internal layout can be a pain to work with. (who thought it a smart idea to flip a hard-disk enclosure on its side and mount it vertically so the lower front half of the interior of the case is basically unusable??)
    Last edited by Tellos Athenaios; 07-09-2010 at 07:32.
    - Tellos Athenaios
    CUF tool - XIDX - PACK tool - SD tool - EVT tool - EB Install Guide - How to track down loading CTD's - EB 1.1 Maps thread


    ὁ δ᾽ ἠλίθιος ὣσπερ πρόβατον βῆ βῆ λέγων βαδίζει” – Kratinos in Dionysalexandros.

  4. #4
    Darkside Medic Senior Member rory_20_uk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Taplow, UK
    Posts
    8,690
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    As I'm sure you're aware, there are many, many sites that review what is the "best for the money" at a given point in time, both in reviews or in items. One example is www.tomshardware.com which does the best systems at a price point.

    In terms of brand, think that again it's best to look at group reviews. This will often pick up smaller companies and special deals that otherwise might not be available.

    An enemy that wishes to die for their country is the best sort to face - you both have the same aim in mind.
    Science flies you to the moon, religion flies you into buildings.
    "If you can't trust the local kleptocrat whom you installed by force and prop up with billions of annual dollars, who can you trust?" Lemur
    If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain.
    The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter. Winston Churchill

  5. #5
    the G-Diffuser Senior Member pevergreen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    11,585
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    On Tellos's post, if you get a copy of Windows with the PC, you may run into trouble if you change parts. I added a graphics card to a Dell computer, the Windows XP license then did not work, as hardware had been changed.
    Quote Originally Posted by TosaInu
    The org will be org until everyone calls it a day.

    Quote Originally Posted by KukriKhan View Post
    but I joke. Some of my best friends are Vietnamese villages.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemur
    Anyone who wishes to refer to me as peverlemur is free to do so.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Quote Originally Posted by pevergreen View Post
    Build it yourself.
    Yeah, honestly brand doesn't really matter.

  7. #7
    Member Member jabarto's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Colorado, U.S.
    Posts
    349

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Quote Originally Posted by pevergreen View Post
    On Tellos's post, if you get a copy of Windows with the PC, you may run into trouble if you change parts. I added a graphics card to a Dell computer, the Windows XP license then did not work, as hardware had been changed.
    That's odd. If it was an OEM license the hardware change limitation is a concern, but simply adding a graphics card shouldn't have tripped it.

  8. #8
    Master Procrastinator Member TevashSzat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    University of Pennsylvania
    Posts
    2,367

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    If you are looking for a decent gaming laptop (since most college students can't do much with a desktop), I'd suggest you take a look at the Asus Gaming line. They have a ton of great performing laptops that are priced very competitively. Best Buy tend to sell alot of their really cheap (under $1,000) models.
    "I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." - Issac Newton

  9. #9
    Darkside Medic Senior Member rory_20_uk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Taplow, UK
    Posts
    8,690
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Why can't college students use a desktop?

    To get a decent gaming laptop you need to be generally loaded and prepared to put up with sub-par hardware, or seriously loaded... and be prepared to have a dislocated shoulder and still not the best hardware.

    I'd imagine that one could get a desktop for gaming and a simple laptop for lectures for close to the same cost of a gaming laptop.

    An enemy that wishes to die for their country is the best sort to face - you both have the same aim in mind.
    Science flies you to the moon, religion flies you into buildings.
    "If you can't trust the local kleptocrat whom you installed by force and prop up with billions of annual dollars, who can you trust?" Lemur
    If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain.
    The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter. Winston Churchill

  10. #10
    Iron Fist Senior Member Husar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    15,617

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    But then people couldn't play WoW during lectures...


    "Topic is tired and needs a nap." - Tosa Inu

  11. #11

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Quote Originally Posted by rory_20_uk View Post
    I'd imagine that one could get a desktop for gaming and a simple laptop for lectures for close to the same cost of a gaming laptop.
    This. A lightweight laptop that doesn't run out of juice halfway through the first lecture of the day, plus a mid-to-high-end desktop will work out as the better deal.
    - Tellos Athenaios
    CUF tool - XIDX - PACK tool - SD tool - EVT tool - EB Install Guide - How to track down loading CTD's - EB 1.1 Maps thread


    ὁ δ᾽ ἠλίθιος ὣσπερ πρόβατον βῆ βῆ λέγων βαδίζει” – Kratinos in Dionysalexandros.

  12. #12
    The very model of a modern Moderator Xiahou's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    in the cloud.
    Posts
    9,007

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Quote Originally Posted by Husar View Post
    But then people couldn't play WoW during lectures...
    Pffft... most netbooks can run WoW. It's an old game.
    "Don't believe everything you read online."
    -Abraham Lincoln

  13. #13
    Iron Fist Senior Member Husar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    15,617

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Quote Originally Posted by Xiahou View Post
    Pffft... most netbooks can run WoW. It's an old game.
    If yout netbook can run it, does that mean you signed up for OnLive?


    "Topic is tired and needs a nap." - Tosa Inu

  14. #14
    Member Centurion1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Wherever my blade takes me or to school, it sorta depends
    Posts
    6,007

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    yeah i need help picking out a laptop for uni as well.

    anyone care to help me out i know a fair bit about computers but am not sure what specs to go through. it has to be able to handle like physics and engineering software and possibly business programs and i will want to do some light gaming on it (im not a huge gamer, gasp!)

    Any ideas what i should b elooking for?

  15. #15
    Master Procrastinator Member TevashSzat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    University of Pennsylvania
    Posts
    2,367

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    @rory_20_uk

    True in some regards if you only look at Alienware or boutique dealers like Falcon Northwest, but like I said, if you look at the Asus line of gaming laptops, they are extremely competitively priced. MSI also has some really nice deals that perform great too. My Asus G51 can easily play almost every game out there right now maxed out with no problems and it was a bit under $1,000.

    A desktop is unfeasible simply because you can't and shouldn't be stuck in your room with respect to computing. A computer is too vital in college for general use for you to have to be stuck in one place all the time just so you could have decent access to it. Furthermore, gaming laptops while they are heavy really aren't that bad. Compared with sticking a couple of textbooks in your backpacj, its really nothing.

    @Centurion1

    I can give you some advice but it depends.....budget, location countrywise, preferences.
    "I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." - Issac Newton

  16. #16
    Member Centurion1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Wherever my blade takes me or to school, it sorta depends
    Posts
    6,007

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    im on a big scolarship so my parents will probably be willing to spend pretty high. im american, nothing too ghardcore gaming wise, im a windows man ummmmmmm the latest game for computers i play is probably rtw lol.

  17. #17
    Iron Fist Senior Member Husar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    15,617

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    I'd humbly suggest something with a midrange graphics card then, look for a GT 9600 or so, not a 9400 or lower, ma laptop has a 8600m GT and plays games quite nicely, it's an MSI and suffers from a few other issues though, so maybe avoid MSI, heh.


    "Topic is tired and needs a nap." - Tosa Inu

  18. #18
    the G-Diffuser Senior Member pevergreen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    11,585
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    The studio range from dell would probably suit you.
    Last edited by pevergreen; 07-25-2010 at 15:14.
    Quote Originally Posted by TosaInu
    The org will be org until everyone calls it a day.

    Quote Originally Posted by KukriKhan View Post
    but I joke. Some of my best friends are Vietnamese villages.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemur
    Anyone who wishes to refer to me as peverlemur is free to do so.

  19. #19
    Member Centurion1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Wherever my blade takes me or to school, it sorta depends
    Posts
    6,007

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    that would support mild gaming and normal requirements?

    could it play first generation games at a limited capacity?

  20. #20
    the G-Diffuser Senior Member pevergreen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    11,585
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default Re: Brand of computers

    Yup, I had the previous range (the XPS m1530) I could run Rome/Med 2/Empire. Powerful enough to do all normal computing needs.
    Quote Originally Posted by TosaInu
    The org will be org until everyone calls it a day.

    Quote Originally Posted by KukriKhan View Post
    but I joke. Some of my best friends are Vietnamese villages.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lemur
    Anyone who wishes to refer to me as peverlemur is free to do so.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Single Sign On provided by vBSSO