Originally Posted By Labuda Two words: Buy Dell Reasoning: I'll guarantee you that if ever you have a problem, Alice, you can contact me directly if regular support channels are too frustrating for some reason and I'll get it all sorted out for you if you have an issue with your Dell.
Originally Posted By Labuda "Apple makes computers too... and (in my best Tony the Tiger voice) they'rrre great! Expensive, yes, but near bulletproof, super-stable, and incredibly easy to use." Only near bulletproof, eh? I've seen pics of a system we (Dell) captured that actually DID take a bullet and still worked. Have also seen Dell Latitudes that have been run over that worked just fine afterwards. Plus, at Dell we have a Complete Care supplemnt available on our Latitudes (and some Inspirons) that covers accidental damage.
Originally Posted By iluvdisneyland Personally, I *highly* recommend Macs. I think Mac OS X is a lot easier to use and making the switch isn't as hard as it is made out to be. AND you can still use some of your favorite programs such as Microsoft Office for Mac, iTunes, Internet Explorer/Safari/Firefox, etc etc etc. I have never had a problem with my iBook G4, but I've had countless problems with Windows XP. Apple offers various computers for all price ranges. The Mac mini starts at $499 (+tax) and has excellent reviews. iMac starts at $1299 and is extremely elegant. The entire computer is housed within the flat screen monitor and it easily fits on virtually any desktop. Power Mac's are extremely good machines but are geared more towards the graphic or sound professional. They start at $1999. If you're looking for a notebook computer, Apple offers two: the more durable iBook and the elegant PowerBook. Both are excellent computers; iBook starts at $999 and PowerBook starts at $1499. All Apple computers can be customized to your own needs and specifications and come with customer service that cannot be beat. They are a bit more expensive, but (in my opinion) the excellent Mac OS X mixed with the sheer awesomeness (if that is a word) of the Mac really cannot be beat. There are some compatibility issues, but most are resolved through a special program called Virtual PC. Macs also do wireless internet far better (once again in my opinion) than a PC. Anyways, I guess what I'm saying is broaden your search just a bit. Go to your neighborhood Fry's Electronics and try them all out; visit both the PC area and the Apple area. You might be surprised.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Good morning, all! Coming to you now from a speedy-good Sony Vaio VGC-RB50(G) with a too-cool 19" Sony LCD flat screen monitor. I truly appreciate everyone's advice... Much I didn't see until just now... Thank you for everything! Ann... We decided not to go with Dell after I couldn't even get their "direct" store here in Vegas to return my voice message to let me know if we could actually purchase a computer(rather than simply place mail order) there. The way UPS works around here, they just drop boxes and ring doorbells. Couldn't risk having them leave computer equipment sitting on the doorstep in plain view if Mr. Alice and I were both at work when it was delivered. goodgirl, I'm heading out this morning to purchase a table for the printer (this desk is fairly tiny , AND a package of high-quality, burnable (is that a word?? *L*) DVDs to back-up the system. And thank you so much for the web site! I'm adding it to Favorites now. vbdad55, we did talk to the CompUSA guy about the HP and he recommended the Sony based on the fact that it's water-cooled - important for folks who have their computer running for long periods of time (hopefully, it wasn't B.S. ;-) We're very happy with this unit so far... Comp USA even installed all the security software, Microsoft Home Office Suite and the printer driver (and tested the printer) for us for free. It was a great feeling bringing it home knowing that it was working with no problems - straight out of the box. The set-up was a breeze as was the self-reinstallation of DSL (the techs who installed the phone jack/filter, etc. on the initial DSL installation handled everything before). We feel like we've actually entered the 21st century now! *LOL* It's amazing how much we were compromising (read "missing") due to the age/problems of the old computer. This is truly FAB! Again, thank you all very much for your input... I hope we made a good, long-haul choice... I think we did!
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Plus, at Dell we have a Complete Care supplemnt available on our Latitudes (and some Inspirons) that covers accidental damage. >>> If you travel with a laptop, I highly recommend Complete Care if you have a Dell, and I think that Apple has a similar program for their laptops. It's worth pointing out that these programs are separate from and in addition to an extended warranty. Generally, manufacturer standard and extended warranties cover only "defects in materials and workmanship" and not accidental damage. By getting the Complete Care coverage, you're covered no matter what (well, except from intentional damage and theft and the like). If you simply are careless and drop the computer onto the floor and break the screen, you're covered. I don't know if places like CompUSA offer such plans - they most definately offer extended warranties, but be very careful to check to see if they cover things like accidents and user carelessness.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Thanks SuperDry! We did purchase a two-year warranty... I know it covers damage due to viruses, but I'm not sure about the rest. And our surge protector guarantees completely against the 'frying' of the equipment. The chance of an accident or user carelessness is pretty slim. Getting it out of the box and set-up without dropping it was a good start! *L* Neither Mr. Alice nor I would ever be bold enough to open the case. This pup would take an immediate trip to the tech center if it was something serious we couldn't fix with a few key strokes via the instructions of a Sony or CompUSA phone rep. CompUSA will even send a tech to our home in many instances.
Originally Posted By Labuda Well, glad to hear that you'r ehappy with your purchase, girl. And, I hope you continue to enjoy it! Also - there's no way you'd have been able to just buy a PC from the Dell Direct store - each and every one of our systems is built to order, so none available to just sell outright. Boy howdy, though, you should see our factories in action! I've gotten to do a tour of one once and holy moly that was impressive! Esp knowing that they put out as much as they do without having ANY warehouses with parts in them. Anyhow, enough of that - I hope you're very very happy with your Vaio.
Originally Posted By avromark All brands have their share of lemons, I personally have Mac, Self-Builds, and OEM PC's at home. On The Windows/Linux side of things Remember one thing, stay away from the Celeron, if your on a budget get an AMD Semptron. Don't buy more then you need, I find buying an 800 computer now and another one a year or two down the road is better then buying a 1600 now (unless you really need it for say AutoCAD, gaming, video editing, etc) You'll have the benefit of having a second computer in another location. (Say one in the bedroom and one in the living room), you can set up a share on the computers so you have access to all your stuff on both computers. You may want to avoid the lower-end units with a lot of integrated components. If you are buying an LCD (flatscreen) look at the contrast ratio, and the refresh time. (Ie cheaper monitors are "slower" so they may blur videos more). Keep in mind places like Best Buy will package a better monitor (say you're buying another Compaq and you want a better monitor then the 17" Compaq feel free to buy the Sony 17" and pay the difference. Not all people know you can do this. Compaq is owned by HP now btw. IBM PC's are made by another company now. Some companies have more then one location for tech support. For example a company may have 2 or 3 north american tech support centres and 1 or 2 off shore instead of 1 large centre, this way they don't "drain" the local work pool. Sometimes the quality between centres may vary (along with the individual agent). For example you may call your ISP and they'll find the problem isn't with your internet but may be with your computer if they're located in another country when they switch you to the OEM instead of getting the offshore centre that OEM USA uses you get a domestic centre that the OEM of the other country gets thereby increasing your chance of getting an English as a first language agent. (I can't name company names here but this is a real example)
Originally Posted By avromark oops Heh Sony is expensive and yes some companies use water cooling such as VooDoo, an advantage of water cooling is quietness btw
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Thanks Ann! Yep... Even those factory shots in the Dell commercials are impressive! Hey avromark! Excellent info... even after the fact. No doubt, we've got other shoppers who'll appreciate it, too - my buddy LVBelle for one... THANKS! It was a little pricey, yes, but we went mid-range... Not too shabby. And we've got some good bucks coming back in rebates from Sony, Epson and even Norton. Cool!
Originally Posted By disney pete yep got to agree with Labuda DELL is great iv'e had no problems at all with mine.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <IBM PC's are made by another company now. < they are not even called IBM PC's now-- they are Lenovo Group ( not that we built anything here for the longest time anyway )
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Labuda has a reason to back Dell's ( it's called a pension--LOL ! ) -- I supported Dell as the best laptops because most people in the industry acknowledge that also -- and Ann -- my daughters' Dell laptop is now almost 4 years old and has suffered the life of a college student and still is excellent
Originally Posted By Labuda Glad to hear it, vbdad! I'm curious, what model does she have? I still have an oldddddddd Inspiron 7000 (it was built in 1996 or 1997) that works like a charm when I need it. I LOVE that puppy!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Glad to hear it, vbdad! I'm curious, what model does she have? < you know she has all the warranty paperwork and serials etc with her, I can;t for the life of me remember -- we bought it Feb 2003 - it was just out then I remember. Has a CD burner but not DVD burner ( they were too expensive if you could find one then) - I'll let you know when she comes home for Thanksgiving - she goes nowhere without it
