Buying computer (first time)

this month i get to buy new computer on my own for the first time. Up until now my dad has just built them and i got the one that happened to be available... but.. its really really aging and i have to get XP for school (which i dont think this puter could handle). So... im going to use my stuend loan for a new computer.. i really dont want to go over $1400...

the computer ive been lookin at (at best buy - i get a discount there) is a compaq AMD athlon XPm2400 note book. ... quantispeed (?), 512mb, 60g....... for well, $1149 in the ad, not sure ho much less it would be after discount...

but i would like any helpul hints anyone may have before i buy something i dont like. lol. im new to buying computers and im not really sure what to watch out for.

 

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Stay away from compaq.

Now normally I'd recommend just building your own. But since this is laptop, and since you have really no experience with comps you might just want to buy a Dell or something. Pay by the month and keep it simple without having to take out too many loans.

Also, you could probably get a very similar comp for $150, or $200 less (I think.) Don't buy the first thing that catches your eye.

 

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From what I've seen, Dell is really the best in any form. Most popular among my friends.
I have Compaq Presario...

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with Windows 98... *whimpers*... Pissbox is the nickname I gave it!

 

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Get Alienware....or if you can and want to get a Apple notebook.

 

*by the way I do computer repair as a part-time job*

Are you taking about this on:
http://www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/...&tab=overview&browse_link=true&#defaultAnchor

Its a excellent machine for it prices. AMD is Intel underdog and gives you the most power for you buck (as in Intel give you the best, as long as your willing to fork out the cash). The problem is that it is a compaq: compaq are most unreliable PCs you can come upon, and I know this from personal experience! Though I have yet to repair a compaq laptop.

 

how come your tits come out of your neck?

*i wanna take you out shopping so bad (i'll even push the cart around)

 

spookz,

:bugeye: what stuff are you @#$%ed up on? :m:

 

Do-It-Yourself boob job gone awry.

really? you can come shopping with me anytime. as long as you bring your credit, debit, cash, check with proper ID.. etc..

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that one i slightly better i think. as far as being the underdog... Speed and stability are both very big issues for me. i have little to no patients with computers as for as waiting goes. so i will pay top dollar for those things if i know im really getting what i want.

im a chickie. not a he.

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. Price isn't so much a problem.. i just dont want to go out and spend the extras i dont have to. i know that i can get a decent laptop atleast under $1800, and i dont want to buy more than i need... However Mac still isn't an option. XP is required since this computer is for school. (Im going for comp. network eng/admin). Gateway was an auto-out aswell as emachines and most other bulk rate computers. Although it seems i find alot of comments back and forth about dell and compaq.... But if you all feel that dell is the better way to go, i would trust my money better in your hands than i would most others... As my boss, who claims to be a computer junkie said last week, "My computer doesn't have windows, it has xp." and she was serious.
point of all this:
Thank you.. dudes!.. im gettin a dell. :m:
wow.. never thought id use that icon. lol.

 

Well I guess then AMD is out

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, try a “Centrino” built in 802.11a will connect you to any LAN wireless network, my college has one install for example to so you won't have to mess with Ethernet terminal. Of course you can always buy a 802.11 card

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if so buy one that can be pushed in internal because the problem with wireless card is that they stick out and you can hit and break them easy. Also Try a Pentium M is not exactly as powerful as a P4m but it does save a lot on battery power.

 

hei WCF,

what kind of components would you recommend at the moment for a desktop...you know...CPU, graphics card and such...I'm lokking for best ration of price/performance. and not so much best performance.

spuriousmonkey

 

CPU: As long as your still considering price I would recommended AMD, even after Intel open up their 300mm wafer chip factory which threaten to reduce Intels prices , AMD still provides you with more performance for a cheaper price, That not to say the latest Intel Pentium 4 are superior, but there price tag is scary! I personally am looking at buying a Athlon “Barton” core 2500+ particularly because testing showed that it can be over-clocked to 2500Mhz and remain stable with standard cooling (AMD is also very good at o/c unlike Intel) making it way worth it for only $90!

Motherboard: From personal experience I find Biostar to be very reliable and provide lots of extra bios feature (for the over-clockers like voltage control for the AGP) MSI and Asus are also good chooses, I am looking at buying at Kt 400 series with because it can support running the CPU-FSB at 166MHZ (Barton cores are 166mhz fsb) as well as running the RAM-FSB in synchronization, thus reducing latency.

Ram: DDR 2700 or 3200

Video card: ATi has some very good value packages but I don’t hold sides on this (personally own a Nvidia GeForce 4 ti 4400 o/c 320/700, and love it) the Radeon 9600 pro is a very good deal under $200

Hard Drives:
If you do a little downloading and a little game play a 40Gb drive should suffice, if your like me and have a major Anime and game collection you going to need a lot more, I have a 60Gb hard drive full of movies and am looking desperately at up grading to 120-160Gb.

 

just how much can you stuff into a laptop (even if its DIY?).. i saw a 120 desktop the other day that really made me drool...

 

I don't know I think I have seen a 80Gb in a laptop... Why not get a Ethernet, Firewire, or USB2.0 external drive if your really need the extra space and still want a laptop.

 

do you happen to know how the 9600 pro compares to the 8500? (which I happen to have at the moment). I could just put an old graphics card back into my old computer and use the 8500 if it is not that much slower.

I was actually thinking of getting an pentium. I never had a pentium in my life and was thinking it might be time. The main reason is actually because they somehow seem quieter. At least the ones I heard. What do you think?

 

The 8500 is a fine card comparable to a Gf4ti42. The advantage of the Pentium 4 is only achieved with Rambus or Dual channel DDR motherboards. I Benchmarked on matlab my Athlon 1.33Ghz vs the Pentium 4 1.6Ghz I use at work: the P4 had SDRAM and the Athlon had DDR PC2100 the Athlon won. So remember that the processor is not everything, get a motherboard with a very fast FSB. If you have the money for a Pentium 4 and Rambus or a dual channeling DDR motherboard go right ahead.

 

arent you tards supposed to be helping night instead of spouting crappy nerdgook?

 

i thought she was getting a dell (which would solve her query), and then felt bold enough to ask something for myself.

 

And did we not? Ya I guess this can be closed down now.

 

oops perhaps i better stop spouting crap in that case

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I agree with the recommendations that Well Cooked made, but I prefer Abit or Epox motherboards.
Since computers are constantly evolving, getting parts a couple of steps removed from the state of the art can really save you some cash. My current setup consists of an Epox 8K3A+ (a refurb from Newegg.com $60.00) an XP1700+ T-bred, default speed 1.47 GHz, run at 2.146 GHz ($45.00 from Newegg) some Kingston Hyper X PC2700 ($75.00) and it is running comfortably at the fastest settings at 195 FSB. And a GF4 Ti4200 with 128 megs of memory, $130.00 from Newegg.

If I were going to buy a new motherboard right now, I would get an Nforce chipset motherboard, such as the Epox 8RDA+.