buying a computer?

Question

i'm trying to buy a new laptop and i'm not really sure what i'm looking for. do i want windows vista? i've heard it's not so great and not really compatible with some programs. all i'm really using this thing for is the internet, playing music, burning cds and watching movies. should i get vista or xp and what other aspects are important?

Thanks everyone very much. And to answer your questions, no, I'm not really on a budget, but since I'm only going to be using it for the aforementioned tasks, I don't think I'd spend an outrageous amount.

Answer 1

I'm writing this to you on a hateful new Vista notebook (I have a high quality IBM notebook with Vista Business). I strongly urge you not to get Vista. I can't get my printer to print, things bog down suddenly for no reason. You don't get blue screens of death; instead, you get applications that suddenly hang and force you to restart them, causing you to lose your data. Vista has so many odd, frequently annoying "security" features buried so deeply and repetitively throughout the OS that it is nearly impossible to make changes to the way things work (I dare you to try to remove unnecessary fonts, for example).

File transfers (say, from a USB drive or CD to the desktop) frequently, randomly go very slowly, at less than 300 kbps, meaning it can take over a half-hour to transfer the data from a CD to your notebook. Microsoft knows about this bug, but hasn't fixed it yet. It takes about 3 1/2-5 (5!--go have a snack) minutes to boot the computer. It randomly drops my network connection and refuses to reconnect. It's a memory hog--I have 2 GB of RAM, but sometimes the machine chokes and tells me I'm out, when all I'm doing is using the internet, chatting, and writing a Word document.

I've heard that many games don't play right in Vista, but I don't play games. All this hassle for some neat graphics--that's the only real "advantage" in performance with Vista. You will miss how intuitive XP's menus are, when you try to do something in Vista, and you encounter nine different drop down menus, each with at least 4 layers of submenus, and nothing is really clear or straightforward. My favorites are the blank help screens--you click help, and you get a help screen with nothing in it. Have I made myself clear? Get XP.

Now that my hate rant is over, my suggestions about what to look for are mostly mundane, but important. Virtually all new computers/notebooks will have the state of the art, in terms of equipment. In other words, if you are an average user, any computer on the shelf, unless the shop is trying deliberately to rip you off, will have more than you need. Check to see how many and what kinds of ports your computer has, especially USB ports, e.g., will you really be able to plug your USB devices in the ports where they're located? Look at the power cord. Where is it located on the computer and how does it hang? Will it get in your way, or do you think it will bend too much in use? Do you like the way the keyboard feels and the way the screen looks?

Check online ratings (Amazon, Nextag, Best Buy, etc.) for your exact model computer. Don't pay so much attention to the ratings themselves--unless they are very high or low--but pay attention whether people have any unusual complaints about the computer, like, you find three people who said the hinges on the lid broke after less than 6 months.

Regarding notebook speakers: They're mostly mediocre to poor. You will need external speakers if you really want good sound. Don't get USB-only speakers, like Kensingtons, because they aren't much better than your computer speakers. Computers with high-quality speakers usually charge a premium for them. Toshiba and Compaq usually have better speakers, but again, don't make your choice solely on speakers--plug a set in.

If you can get any free support, a warranty, that would be great. Free software comes in next (but nobody seems to have it anymore). I've owned 5 notebooks in the past 6 years. Toshiba has had problems with theirs for years, so much so that they are getting sued in court over it, and losing the cases (mostly the problems have to do with the computers overheating and failing). My Dell was a true POS that I actually mailed back to Michael Dell's office after a year. Dell's computers are probably better now, but their customer support is still really bad--they were selling and shipping Vista-compatible computers & printers, but they didn't have printer drivers for Vista until nearly a year later!

I have found a Compaq and a friend's HP computer to be pretty good overall. The case on my Compaq seems sorta cheap, but overall, the computer works well, the sound quality is better than many notebooks, and tech support has been competent when I needed it. I had a Micron when they were still being made in the U.S., but they're not anymore, so I have no idea if I'd want one today, but it was a good machine. IBM/Lenovo computers are good quality, sturdy, overpriced, and the tech support is in the U.S., but that doesn't mean it's any good (it's not). If you can afford a Lenovo, that would be a good idea too, I think.

If you're on a budget and buying off the shelf, I'd lean towards HP/Compaq or Lenovo. Be sure to do one thing, right away, when you get that computer home: Use the computer's utility to make back-up/recovery disks. Don't wait. You will be so sorry if you need them and don't have them, because the manufacturer will make you pay for the disks if you wait. Get a padded case for it, but you don't have to spend a lot of money. If there's a Fry's Electronics in your area, they have good deals, as does Bagsbuy.com online.

Answer 2

Good question.

What is your price range? Will you be doing graphics intensive programs such as gaming, CAD/CAM?

Vista will require a more powerful video card to run the aero-feature, so you will need to spend a little more.

If you go with Vista, try to get a LEAST 1 GB or ram, if not more. I use a dual core 1.6 HP with 17" widescreen and 256mb video card and 2gb ram. It runs video / music with no problem at all, and was about $1,000.

Working in the computer field, I would reccomend Vista just because it's the way things will go. Dell, one of the largest manufacturers, will stop selling XP at the end of the year.

While Vista does take some time to get used to, it's where the market is headed, like it or not.

Dell is a good source of laptops. Remember that a 17" widescreen looks great but eats battery power. My wife's 15" dell has 4 hour battery life, my 17" work laptop has a 1 hour battery life.

And yes, I still prefer my desktop running XP pro....

Answer 3

Buy a mac (an iMac or a macbook should suffice, doesn't sound like you are doing anything heavy-duty). It can now run Windows or Mac OS X.

OS X is a much better OS, since it's based off of Unix, which is probably the most well-built, stable OS around (but highly unusable to the average layman). The beauty of what Apple has achieved is integrating a GUI on top of a version of UNIX so that it *is* usable by anyone.

It might cost slightly more, but in the end, it saves alot of headaches. No need to worry about viruses. =)
Very simple to maintain too...no annoying windows registry. You want to remove an application? You drag and drop it straight into the garbage, that's it.

Message me if you have more questions.

The cool thing about Leopard (the latest version of OS X) is that there's an application called Boot Camp that comes along with it that allows one to setup a partition on your hard drive, and then, XP or Vista can be set up on it. I could be wrong about the Vista part, but XP, for sure you can install on the Mac.

If you're going to go with a windows box, don't use Vista. I've heard from plenty of people that it's a complete POS.

Answer 4

Personally I would not get Vista because it still has flaws. I think you should get Windows XP or hell even Linux is a good O/S. Since you really want to use it for the internet, playing music, burning cds, and watching movies; you can pretty much get any kind of computer. Just make sure you have a decent amount of specs (specifications). I have 2 laptops, one is an EMachine and the other is a Toshiba and hell in my eyes they are both the same; although Toshiba is supposed to be a better manufacturer. I think they all have the same components, its only the name you are paying for.

Answer 5

You really have no choice in the matter, Windows XP is no longer installed in computers since about 10 months ago. You might be able to find a new compute from old stock, or if you can still find the XP software, uninstall Vista, and Install XP.

Answer 6

Windows Xp pro , vista uses 1 gig for ram that ok if you have a lot of ram but if you dont it can be a pest. You can install any software unlike vista, if you want a pc with the best apperance choose linux. apple if you like edit movie or making them, but not music good game for it.

Answer 7

personally I don't think vista is that bad.... only a few differences from xp... if you just want a computer if internet music and burning cds... i'd go with just xp and get a computer with a good graphics chip

Answer 8

the problems with vista are more common when you upgrade to vista from xp. However if you clean install vista it is not too bad.

But Microsoft is notorious for releasing programs full of bugs and selling upgrades later (that's their track record for all the previous versions! It borders fraudulent practise...).

Answer 9

I would say that you would be safe with Vista. I believe Microsoft and other companies are handling the compatibility issues which before long will be a non-issue.

Answer 10

I like XP,
and up grade the graphic card.
This helps prevent some gaming
freeze ups.