Can you suggest a computer (PC or Mac) that’s dependable, priced at $0-$300, and will not be obsolete soon?

Question

I am looking to buy a computer and would like some info, advice, and suggestions based on the features I would like to have. I would like a computer that

• Is dependable (will not freeze or break down often)
• Will be useful for many years (as opposed to obsolete and useless in one)
• Will be able to handle some moderate digital photo retouching with GIMP
• Has decent speed and storage (I do not need lightening fast speed or a whole lot of storage)
• Is reasonably priced ($0-$300)
• I will not be playing games on my computer so I need no info, advice, and/or suggestions concerning what I need for them.

If you have some useful info, advice, and/or suggestions, I would appreciate it.

I would also appreciate info on both PCs and Macs, as I am open to getting either.

Answer 1

Well I can see that someone has been giving a lot of thumbs down to answers here, but here is the truth. You are simply not going to get what you want. I am terribly sorry if this is not what you want to here, but the truth is the truth. The cheapest computer I have seen is one that Dell is offering for $359, and that does not even include a monitor. You throw in the fact that you want one that will be useful for many years, and your request is simply impossible. Now I don't know who is giving all these thumbs down to the above answers, but this is not a case of people being unhelpful, they are legitimately trying to explain the situation, what you are requesting simply does not exist.

Answer 2

No. Anything that is priced at $300 (even with a graphical Linux installed) will be obsolete within 6 months. Period. You may not be running games, but you said you would be running Gimp. Gimp may not be "high-end" as Photoshop or Corel Photo-Paint with memory or graphics requirements, but it still follows the same rule: the more memory, the better the performance; the faster the CPU, the better the performance; the better the ATI or NVidia video card, the better the performance. My suggestion is if you have a good monitor, USB keyboard, USB mouse, and some good speakers is to get Apple's MacMini with 1GB of RAM. This system runs $599, but will run Gimp, Apple's iLife and iWork software, and Microsoft Office for Mac. A $300 PC is a PC that will be obsolete within 6 months, will be highly INCOMPATIBLE with a lot of software in a short period of time, and may be of shoddy construction and suspect quality, and will not have a 64-bit Intel Core2Duo or AMD Athlon64x2 processor, wich are the processors that most modern graphical Linuxes, Windows Vista, and MacOSX Tiger and Leopard are designed to use. Get the Mac Mini, otherwise look to spend $700-$1200 on any other Mac or Windows PC for what you need.

Answer 3

Not including monitor or operating system, you can build a decent PC for close to that price.

$70 - AMD 3600+ X2 dual core
$70 - 2x1gb sticks of DDR2 RAM
$50 - basic motherboard with onboard everything
$80 - 320gb Seagate SATA hard drive
$30 - cheap case w/300watt power supply
$30 - DVD/CD burner

For a total of $330, buying parts from newegg.com.

They'll also have a longer warranty than a Dell or Compaq.

Adding even a $30 graphics card will smooth and speed up everything, as the PC won't be using/stealing main system memory as video memory.

You can buy a used CRT monitor on craigslist for $10 on up.

Pirate a copy of XP and you're set.

Video instructions on how to build a PC are on youtube, from putting the CPU on the motherboard to installing XP.

Answer 4

You won't be buying a Mac for $300 or less, so that's not even a consideration. Most computers become somewhat obsolete the minute you take them out of the box. The technology changes, upgrades are made, etc. constantly. Macs are less likely to freeze or crash, but again, not in your price range. So go someplace reliable and look at some pc's and ask some questions so that you get the computer that fits YOUR needs, not someone else's. With any luck you can find some sort of super duper can't-be-beat sale that'll get you a pc in your price range.

Answer 5

Since u use Gimp u might try out Ubuntu. Its a linux based OS...very userfriendly. The reason i told u abt Ubuntu is that it can do almost everything like Win XP and takes very space, memory and processor power. Since u dun play games then u 256 min 512 max mb ram would be more than enough. As far as i know these days u wont get any cpu under 1ghz. Good luck.

Answer 6

IF you want something that match exactly $300, then there are options there and you better build it yourself so you can save on parts and also the labour, but such system won't be something that you run multiple tasks at same time and expect lightenning fast speed.

Processors:
The choice is a Sempron 3400+, which has 256 kB L2 cache and runs at 1.8 GHz. For some reason, Semprons are more expensive in the United States than they are in Europe. The particular model is priced at $70. I chose it because we did not want to spend $55 on the 1.6 GHz, 128 kB Sempron 2800+.
There are several Celeron D processors that are still based on the 90-nm Prescott core. These can be recognized by their small L2 cache size of 256 kB. Since there are better models, I do not recommend buying the old version. The Celeron D processors with 512 kB L2 cache are not only slightly faster, they are also more energy-efficient, as they are based on the 65-nm Pentium 4 Cedar Mill core. The old one can be purchased for as little as $40, but it's worth spending $50 on a Celeron D352, which runs at 3.2 GHz. I would pay $56 for this.

RAM:
First and foremost it's important to equip your system with more than 512 MB RAM, because Windows needs a lot of memory for itself and your applications. The Celeron D system on the socket 775 platform requires DDR2-533 or DDR2-667 memory; the latter being the faster. It also a good idea not to purchase RAM that is too slow, but you can also invest in faster memory later since RAM is backwards compatible.. The motherboard manual will indicate what type of RAM you can use.

Motherboards:
For the AMD Sempron processor, the product of the choice is a WinFast K8M890M2MA by Foxconn. You can find it for as little as $55, and it comes with everything your PC will initially require.
At $90, the P5LD2-VM by Asus is certainly not cheap and there might have been more affordable options. However, it offers more flexible interface and upgrade options, and since you spent more money on the AMD processor than on the Intel Celeron, you would have some extra money left in your $300 budget.

Hard Drive:
You can pick Western Digital's WD1600AAJS because it is one of the fastest 3.5" 7,200 RPM desktop hard drives on the market, and it is available at a reasonably low price of $55. Tests showed quick access times and high data transfer rates, which are very much what you need in the first place. This product is based on a single platter design, which makes it run relatively cool and quiet as well. While 160 GB capacity certainly isn't too much, it's sufficient for the average user.

Case, Power Supply And DVD Drive:
You will get a chassis with sufficient ventilation options and drive bays for as little as $40 and I recommend spending some time on the manufacturer Websites after studying the price lists of your favorite e-tailer.
It's somewhat difficult to find the right PSU. You can get a 300-W power supply for as little as $20, and these might even work for our system. However, as you intended to build a machine that can last at least 18 months, you couldn't go for something that basic. I say, you better go for a Coolmax V500, which has a large-diameter fan.
And for the DVD drive you can go with the Samsung SH-S182D for as little as $30.

At the end of the day, you AMD system would have cost you $335, while the Intel one would have been $361. However if you wasn to get really low in price, you get systems as low as $265 and $275 for AMD and Intel. I clearly recommend making a reasonable minimum investment, which is also why I advise against going for an even cheaper power supply and memory. You can save some more money, but I doubt you'll be happy with the results if you decide to opt for the lowest of the low-cost components available.

I hope this help you, and Good luck with building it.

Answer 7

Go to goodwill or vets or Salvation Army. You may get lucky. Otherwise try ebay. Because you can't even get parts that cheap!

Answer 8

Without being too facetious, I would say that any computer in that range is already obsolete. That or missing something mission critical.

Answer 9

What color is the sky on your planet?