Buying a new computer (revisited)

So, I gotta buy a new computer...my current one is POS and slowin down...i worry that its day is coming.

So a new one then! What shall it be? Im pretty open to just about anything...my only request is that it can run Floops without the stuttering (ive been told its a memory problem, so a lot of memory?)

help me WATMM you are my only hope.

What's your price range?

yeah price range... also laptop or desktop?

id be aiming for a laptop

lets say under a grand.

Is the laptop for portability/space concerns? If not, keep in mind you're going to pay more for less in most cases when it comes to laptops - you can get a monster of a computer desktop usually much cheaper than a laptop, and typically run a higher resolution monitor cheaper too.

http://www.tigerdire...Sku=D211-173103

$699 after $80 rebate

Core i7 @ 2.2GHz, 6GB RAM, 640GB HDD.

This is a pretty decent deal.

I bought this for my music stuff... also does gaming quite well :)

http://www.amazon.co...s00_i00_details

• Intel Core i7-2630QM Quad-Core Processor 2.0 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz; 500GB Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
  
• 4GB of DDR3 1333 MHz SDRAM, 4 slots, 16GB Max; Nvidia GT540M Graphics with 1GB DDR3 VRAM; Super-Multi Optical Disk Drive
  
• 1 USB 3.0 port; 2 USB 2.0 Ports; Bluetooth; 5-in-1 card reader (SD,MMC,MS,MS-Pro,MS-Duo); Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn
  
• 15.6-INCH FULL HD (1920x1080) LED Display; HDMI Port; VGA Port; 2.0MP Webcam; Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
  

as Joyrex says, you'll pay a lot more for a small or light laptop - if you compromise and get a small/light and cheap laptop then you'll end up with a crappy computer. i7 cores are great, and make sure you try them out in a shop just to see if the basics like the trackpad/keyboard etc are to your style. I've got a Samsung and it has a crap touchpad which is really annoying. Also it depends on what you do but a larger laptop with a numberpad is a godsend when you spend most of your time crunching spreadsheets at work and then try to carry on that work on a tiny laptop with no numberpad.

My laptop has a Intel Core i7 2670QM, AMD® Radeon HD 6990M, 8GB 1333MHz, 500GB HDD (7200), 17" HD matte display, Win7, Clevo chassis, yada yada.

I got mine for about $1400.

13 inch macbook air is the best thing out there, but sadly does not run floops unless you want to dual boot or use parallels/wine/etc.

if you dont 100% need a laptop, do not get one. you can save a lot of money and get way more bang for your buck by putting your own machine together

or getting a good deal on a slightly used one maybe?

Don't get a mac

  On 4/18/2012 at 6:51 PM, Zeffolia said:

Don't get a mac

Based on what? Price? Features? Sure, there's no Fruit Loops for Mac, but you can easily run that either by dual booting or by using Parallels to virtually run Windows.

I personally find Windows 7 on my 13" MBP runs better and has a better Windows benchmark than on a similarly equipped desktop Dell system I have at work.

the macbook air is great for couch use. it's basically an ipad with a keyboard in terms of form factor and weight. laptops aren't just for travel. if you'd rather be in a comfortable chair than at a desk, or you move around your place a lot, it's perfect.

either way, whatever you get, make sure it has an ssd. you don't know what you're missing until you get one, then suddenly everything else seems unacceptably slow. it's like going from dial-up to cable.

  On 4/18/2012 at 9:56 PM, chaosmachine said:

either way, whatever you get, make sure it has an ssd. you don't know what you're missing until you get one, then suddenly everything else seems unacceptably slow. it's like going from dial-up to cable.

I'm gonna have to agree in full with this. SSDs are amazing. Even if you just get a small SSD (64-120GB) it's totally worth it. Programs that used to take 20-30 seconds to open now open in 2-5 seconds. Not even kidding.

  On 4/18/2012 at 7:04 PM, Joyrex said:

  On 4/18/2012 at 6:51 PM, Zeffolia said:

Don't get a mac

 

Based on what? Price? Features? Sure, there's no Fruit Loops for Mac, but you can easily run that either by dual booting or by using Parallels to virtually run Windows.

 

I personally find Windows 7 on my 13" MBP runs better and has a better Windows benchmark than on a similarly equipped desktop Dell system I have at work.

i heavily agree with this. If you're going to get a mac, you're gonna want to put some windows in there

running windows 7 on a 2007 mbp and it runs phenomenal

  On 4/18/2012 at 7:04 PM, Joyrex said:

  On 4/18/2012 at 6:51 PM, Zeffolia said:

Don't get a mac

 

Based on what? Price? Features? Sure, there's no Fruit Loops for Mac, but you can easily run that either by dual booting or by using Parallels to virtually run Windows.

 

I personally find Windows 7 on my 13" MBP runs better and has a better Windows benchmark than on a similarly equipped desktop Dell system I have at work.

i'd say based on price. you can get a demon of a pc for much less than a similar mac.

for example, my current pc cost $1000. if i wanted to get an imac with basically the same gear (and a worse graphics card and only one 1tb hd), it would've cost $2200. i guess the form factor is nice (i do miss the extra desk space), but that's not worth $1000 in my opinion.

edit: and yeah, i realize you guys are talking about laptops. i'm assuming that their laptops are marked-up in price because of the label as well.

Yes, there is a premium to pay for the Apple aesthetic, but I've found that even though they cost more, I get more value for my money out of an Apple computer.

I'm gonna have to consider an SSD upgrade for my MBP... that sounds sooo tempting!

my laptop was all good and powerful but one day the graphic card simply died. damn you planned obsolescence.

  On 4/19/2012 at 1:53 AM, Hoodie said:

  On 4/18/2012 at 7:04 PM, Joyrex said:

  On 4/18/2012 at 6:51 PM, Zeffolia said:

Don't get a mac

 

Based on what? Price? Features? Sure, there's no Fruit Loops for Mac, but you can easily run that either by dual booting or by using Parallels to virtually run Windows.

 

I personally find Windows 7 on my 13" MBP runs better and has a better Windows benchmark than on a similarly equipped desktop Dell system I have at work.

 

i'd say based on price. you can get a demon of a pc for much less than a similar mac.

 

for example, my current pc cost $1000. if i wanted to get an imac with basically the same gear (and a worse graphics card and only one 1tb hd), it would've cost $2200. i guess the form factor is nice (i do miss the extra desk space), but that's not worth $1000 in my opinion.

 

edit: and yeah, i realize you guys are talking about laptops. i'm assuming that their laptops are marked-up in price because of the label as well.

With the iMac you also get a pretty great display. If you already have a decent display, the price point seems less reasonable than if you do not have one.

macs also last much longer in my experience so you're kind of paying more up front but getting more use out of the thing overall. i think they actually work out cheaper in the long run.

plus when it gets old, you can sell it on ebay for a shitlOAD, its unbelievable what mac users pay.

lol yeah i've just sold my 2007 macbook for a very nice price indeed... need the money for rent and stuff as i'm currently not working - stuck the thing on gumtree and literally within 30 seconds of posting the ad i got a call from someone who wants to come round saturday and take it away. didnt haggle or anything, happy to pay what i'm asking... i think he's getting a pretty good deal though really - excellent condition 2007 13" White MacBook, 3GB RAM, OSX Lion, Core2 Duo 2.0GHz - £350.

  On 4/19/2012 at 7:47 PM, BCM said:

macs also last much longer in my experience so you're kind of paying more up front but getting more use out of the thing overall. i think they actually work out cheaper in the long run.

Longest any of my Macintosh computers ever lasted - 8 months.