Looking for new PC

[bandit]

WARNING: Noob knowledge below...

Ok, so I come back from Philly on Labor Day only to see my monitor show wiggly colored lines (had computer running over the weekend). Rebooted the computer and nothing. No signal on the monitor. The harddrive doesnt seem to be accessing (no red light blinking on front of PC to show harddrive is being accessed). So I called up my friends uncle who built my computer and he said it could be video card, power supply or mobo. I just replaced my mobo about a year ago. So I UPS'd my PC to him in Delaware for him to check it out.

I think its time for a new PC. I would like to go the route of custom but I believe the price tag may be high. I dont play PC games..just surfing, downloading, occassional movie watching and graphic designs (yes, I know MACs are better..but its too pricey for me. Would like to pay off the rest of my $15,000 SJU loan (out of $36,000) before buying anything expensive.

My question is, what brand is reliable and worth my money? I know theres HP/Compaq, Dell, Gateway/Acer, Toshiba, Sony, etc. All I need is a tower. I have a 19" monitor and all-in-one printer/scanner. I had a P4 so these Intel Core Duo, would it be able to run my Adobe programs? What about Windows Vista, would it run my programs without a problem? I prefer XP but since Vista is replacing it, I doubt I can find a new PC with it and since I'm looking to get a new PC, might as well get the latest.

Suggestions? Not looking to spend more than $300-$500.

[George]

If you want to do graphics work you may want to look into at least a decent graphics card, unless you were overstating it and you meant photoshop or something.

HP makes a decent desktop nowadays, and you shouldn't have a problem salvaging parts from your old one if there's anything in there you want to use.

Vista is a mixed bag for your needs. On the one hand it has a lot of security and multimedia features. On the other hand, it has compatability issues at the moment with some design programs. Service Pack 1 should hit by October, fixing a lot of issues. Even now, there have been a number of updates improving compatablility. It's really up to you.

EDIT: One other thing. To run Vista comfortably you want 2 gigs of RAM. You can turn all the nice features off and it will run better, but at least a gig to run it at all.

I went to HP and ran a "recommended configuration" on their basic desktop model.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...add&disp_msg=0

[Thief Silver]

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5355458

I would say wouldn't be a bad choice, then just buy a video card for $100 or so and you've got yourself a fairly good $450 machine.

for $800 minus then a $50 rebate

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5274397

I may actually buy that.

[Netwurked]

Hey Bandit...

If you already have the monitor and everything else I suggest you get the Inspiron 531s from Dell. My company is a dell reseller and I have always bought from Dell. Except for a few minor glitches in customer service they have done pretty good.

The 531s I mentioned above is only $349 and includes 1 gig of ram, Vista basic and 160 gig HD. A very good deal.

http://www.dell.com/content/products...tab=bundlestab

Hope that helps.

[Dyne]

if you absolutrly MUST go pre-built i always recommened Dell. they will usually have some awesome deals and are somewhat customizable. HP and Gateway are garbage.

you want an Intel Core 2 Duo. the one you worded is not a dual core processor so stay away from it. and yes, a C2D would run adobe stuff very well. they are [retty much the bee's kness for cpu's atm (besides the unnecessary quad cores).

getting a Dell with XP anymore might be tricky. i have the whole Adobe CS3 suite on my Vista rig no problems. Quark does not istall though. not sure if you use that.

[Dyne]

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5355458

I would say wouldn't be a bad choice, then just buy a video card for $100 or so and you've got yourself a fairly good $450 machine.

for $800 minus then a $50 rebate

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/5274397

I may actually buy that.

that first HP at Fry's is a friggin refurb. don't say you haven't been warned.

[Thief Silver]

I knew it was a refurb, but that just means it's an extra risk.

[George]

Dell's the number 2 guy now for a reason. Their parts aren't anything special, it's all about the customer service, which sucks verily at the moment, and they are themselves having supply constraints that will last into November.

[Netwurked]

Dell's the number 2 guy now for a reason. Their parts aren't anything special, it's all about the customer service, which sucks verily at the moment, and they are themselves having supply constraints that will last into November.

Just bought a server/desktop from Dell and had it at the office in 4 days with regular shipping. The hardware they use for the cases are better than anyone else. Plus the parts they use are top of the line products. I would never consider buying anything other than Dell. I have about 30 desktops and 6 servers to administer and all have been running without hitch for the last 3 years. Buy a Dell!

[bandit]

If you want to do graphics work you may want to look into at least a decent graphics card, unless you were overstating it and you meant photoshop or something.

HP makes a decent desktop nowadays, and you shouldn't have a problem salvaging parts from your old one if there's anything in there you want to use.

Vista is a mixed bag for your needs. On the one hand it has a lot of security and multimedia features. On the other hand, it has compatability issues at the moment with some design programs. Service Pack 1 should hit by October, fixing a lot of issues. Even now, there have been a number of updates improving compatablility. It's really up to you.

EDIT: One other thing. To run Vista comfortably you want 2 gigs of RAM. You can turn all the nice features off and it will run better, but at least a gig to run it at all.

I went to HP and ran a "recommended configuration" on their basic desktop model.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...add&disp_msg=0

I do graphic design as in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Fireworks, Dreamweaver and a little in flash. No 3D Maya or anything like that as I havent touched that in ages.

If I buy a pre-built computer..it will have everything I need so I dont plan on taking anything from my old computer. If I do get the old computer which has a P4 2.26ghz, 1GB Ram, 80GB HD..I plan on giving that to the parents for their daily surfing and what not.

Hey Bandit...

If you already have the monitor and everything else I suggest you get the Inspiron 531s from Dell. My company is a dell reseller and I have always bought from Dell. Except for a few minor glitches in customer service they have done pretty good.

The 531s I mentioned above is only $349 and includes 1 gig of ram, Vista basic and 160 gig HD. A very good deal.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspndt_53xs?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=bundlestab

Hope that helps.

Thanks. I dont have a need for mouse, keyboard, speakers or monitor. I have all that already and what I have now, suits my needs. May plan to upgrade monitor to something with DVI/HDMI later on.

if you absolutrly MUST go pre-built i always recommened Dell. they will usually have some awesome deals and are somewhat customizable. HP and Gateway are garbage.

you want an Intel Core 2 Duo. the one you worded is not a dual core processor so stay away from it. and yes, a C2D would run adobe stuff very well. they are [retty much the bee's kness for cpu's atm (besides the unnecessary quad cores).

getting a Dell with XP anymore might be tricky. i have the whole Adobe CS3 suite on my Vista rig no problems. Quark does not istall though. not sure if you use that.

Seems pre-built is cheaper and less of a hassle when building. I'm not really a tech person when it comes to PC. I wouldnt mind a custom built PC as I can customize it to my likings.

Intel Core 2 Duo is what I meant. What is the difference between DC and C2D? Any specific processor I should keep an eye on? I plan on putting CS3 but CS2 works fine for what I do atm. Which Vista do you have? I know there was a thread regarding differences between premium and ultimate. I have Quark installed on my current crapped out computer but I dont think anyone uses it anymore..my job finally is switching to InDesign. What is yours setup like?

I had a HP Pavilion a while back. Worked great but its a Windows 98. I didnt have much problems with it. I may have to look into Dell and the links provided above. Any other suggestions?