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Need help picking a computer.
Noxy
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey everyone,
I need some advice. My mother-in-law is currently looking at buying a PC. She is currently using a Dell Inspiron 1300 laptop that is plugged into a monitor, keyboard and mouse because the screen no longer works. This computer is terrible and slow. I've done what I can and cleaned it up but there is no real helping it at this point.
She mostly uses it for office programs and browsing but it takes forever to do just about anything. I have worked this thing over and can't really get it to perform beyond its means.
Does anyone here have any suggestions for a good PC? She is not an Apple user, wants something snappy and is looking at spending around $500. She is willing to spend up to $700 but only if there is a good reason too. The biggest concern here is getting the most bang for the buck; something that can bring things up quickly and last as long as possible within the price range.
In addition, she was personally wondering what people thought about all-in-ones vs. towers. She has the monitor, keyboard and mouse so the savings on that stuff is not really an issue. I am personally not as fond of all-in-ones but I honestly have not been in the market for a long time.
Any advice provided would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I need some advice. My mother-in-law is currently looking at buying a PC. She is currently using a Dell Inspiron 1300 laptop that is plugged into a monitor, keyboard and mouse because the screen no longer works. This computer is terrible and slow. I've done what I can and cleaned it up but there is no real helping it at this point.
She mostly uses it for office programs and browsing but it takes forever to do just about anything. I have worked this thing over and can't really get it to perform beyond its means.
Does anyone here have any suggestions for a good PC? She is not an Apple user, wants something snappy and is looking at spending around $500. She is willing to spend up to $700 but only if there is a good reason too. The biggest concern here is getting the most bang for the buck; something that can bring things up quickly and last as long as possible within the price range.
In addition, she was personally wondering what people thought about all-in-ones vs. towers. She has the monitor, keyboard and mouse so the savings on that stuff is not really an issue. I am personally not as fond of all-in-ones but I honestly have not been in the market for a long time.
Any advice provided would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Posts
Can you build it for her? There is money to be saved DIYing as opposed to buying a Dell.
Compare:
Dell: Inspiron 3000 Small Desktop w/2 year warranty.
Pentium G3220
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
Wireless included.
Total: $408.99
Build a PC:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.98 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.66 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($27.98 @ Best Buy)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ Best Buy)
Total: $458.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-04 21:32 EST-0500)
The Dell is not only cheaper, but you also get a warranty with it. If you build it yourself, you are the warranty.
"something that can bring things up quickly"
Well, that just screams SSD boot drive to me...
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2NziM ?
Drive: http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-120GB-mSATA-Internal-CT120M500SSD3/dp/B00BQ8RFAI/
RAM: http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-PC3-10600-204-Pin-Notebook-CT2KIT51264BF1339/dp/B0067G1N34/
Windows: Could use the laptop copy if it's Windows 7, otherwise ~$100.
Tiny PC.
If you decide against going with a prebuilt than this is a good suggestion. The only thing I would have to add is that if
you could look into One of the Ubuntu Linux variants (which are all free) and LibreOffice (which is free, and supports a myriad of formats, including ones used by Microsoft Office). This would save you the cost of a Windows License.
edit: Although if you're using a monitor that is old enough to have VGA in for the Inspiron 1300, it would either need HDMI in or DVi in with an adapter to work with the NUC linked above.
Honestly though, $130 online will get you a decent 23" 1080p LED monitor, so it's something to consider as well. If your current monitor is old, a brand new one is an excellent upgrade considering it's the thing you're looking at the entire time you're using a PC.
I'd probably go with some budget Dell as well, since a NY warranty can be better than none; but avoid all-in-ones.
Does anyone have any experience with pre-built in-house machines from Microcenter? We have one close by and I've heard that they do some pre-built packages.