The Dying Computer of the Internet Addict

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Youngfox

Guest
Here I stand at an electronic crossroad.
With limited (read near non-existent budget) and a continuing (often unrequited) love affair with the Interent I face the immanent death of my wheezing desktop Frankenstein monster.
There are no temp patch quick fixes left - I gaze into the digital abyss.
Any quick recommendations (for possible purchase advice) before I pull the plug later today?
 
Whats wrong with your PC?

For cheap PCs look at Dell or go to ebay for a second hand one.
 
MacMini, low cost, though higher than cheapest PC, no hassels with spy/mal etc ware, much easier
interface, easier to do multimedia and the hardware will last longer.
 
Thanks for all the input people!

Al - Honestly I just do not have enough time in this day to list all of the things going wrong with my PC but suffice it to say that my Techno-savvy is not sufficient to repair the many emerging flaws and it is just too old to consider bringing in a knowledgeable pay-per-fix person to look it over. (that was last year).
I will keep it, scavenge what I can and eventually donate the remains to a local refurbish/redistribute program in my area. I have just milked it for its worth and I figure it has exceeded its lifespan anyway.

Joshua/Russ
I have had bad experiences with used and refurbished goods in the past.
Despite all of the emails I receive stating that my PayPal and EBay accounts are suspended, I have never shopped on EBay.
I like to try before I buy. I like the tactile experience of planting my grubby paws onto a product before I marry it.
I would try EBay for collectibles or uncomplicated things.
For a computer I want to be able to go back to the purchase source (all fustigating and evil-eyed) if things go wrong.
I just do not perceive accountability in the EBay universe.
Having priced and considered applicable factors, I'm afraid that I must go the PC route again. (I have begun to look into Linux OS as a serious consideration for my new unit.)

I am well aware of the superior aspects of Macs (my first two machines were Mac and I loved them) but in order to get all the peripherals I require, like a new monitor, (mine is fading fast) the precious price of Macs places them well out of my snack bracket.

I would also like to be able to use some of my amassed software on my new unit.
A Mac would also mean the unfeasible repurchase/thievery of some programs that I use fairly regularly. If I were a fatter cat I would get a G5 in a heartbeat
Since Mac has gone with Intel the chances are you will find parts in your machine that are made/developed in Israel.
I am trying to stick to my boycott of all things made and developed in that racist and violent terrorist apartheid state.

I try to stay with AMD (or others) for my processor.
I am looking online right now and am about to hop into my dino-wagon and head off to an electronics store in a bit to molest some floor models.

Again thanks for the ideas folks!
 
I feel your pain. fwiw, I've been a fan of Dell for the last 6 or 8 years. They often cost a small amount over the big box store computers but their service has been far superior to what I've seen with other companies.
I've found that you can occasionally find killer deals on Dell (and other computers) at gotapex.com - this last week I think I saw a listing for Dell computers with an AMD chip for about $250. - I'm not promoting the site, others work well also like techbargains.com and such, but gotapex works well for dell deals. they update daily

You can find older computers on ebay or the dell outlet store, but I haven't been too impressed with the values I've found in either place.

My best suggestion would be to network with co-workers and friends to see if anyone is getting rid of an old computer - they often get turned over every 2 years among the power users. If someone's upgrading a monitor, someone else upgrading a hard drive, someone else a cpu - pertty soon you have a whole system. I have a very very old dell notebook (386 chip if you remember what those are) I could donate to the cause for shipping costs - but even the price of shipping would make it over-priced. It is truly slow.

good luck
dj
 
There is a retailer here that sells the individual components needed to build your own PC. I checked them out three years ago (when I purchased this machine) but wasn't confident enough to try it out, not to mention their customer service was somewhat less than lousy. I likely will use them for my next PC since I feel that I know what to look for now and their pricing was much better than any others I have seen.
Anyhow, if you feel competent enough to build your own machine (and there is a shop like this in your area) you could save a lot of pennies over Dell etc...

As an aside, I have been using a PC for three years and never had a serious problem, so (from my POV) the stuff about MAC better than PC seems like an advertising gimmik (or maybe I am just lucky).
 
Oh my holy Gawd
My better half just purchased a PC that could launch a space shuttle.
Thanks for all your tips. I'm off to set up this monster...
 
Youngfox said:
Oh my holy Gawd
My better half just purchased a PC that could launch a space shuttle.
Thanks for all your tips. I'm off to set up this monster...
Click to expand...
In late 60's and 70's, space shuttles were launched with computers equivalent in speed to current pocket calculators. :P
 
I thought I'd add something here as far as learning to build a computer and repair it. My brother took some class's at his job in Texas, "Class A Certification". They cover several areas of computer tech. He sent me three books after he finished a couple of the class's. I am studing the books so that I can fix my computer myself after having been burned by people who fixed my computer (but found out later they did it the dirty way. )

I am also going to learn how to build one. (Hopefully :) )

Anyway, if you can find someone who has taken the class, and they will give you the books, you can learn alot that way.

Tarri
 
ScioAgapeOmnis you are such a smart***. I think I love you.
 
Youngfox said:
ScioAgapeOmnis you are such a smart***. I think I love you.
Click to expand...
lol I love you too! (I think). But personally I think we should cut it out before someone tells us to get a room. Honestly, it just ain't right :D

On the subject though, you really don't need much of a computer for internet. But if it's powerful enough you might be tempted to play tons of games, which may serve as a distraction away from Work (recovering gameaholic). But if I may ask, because I'm just a geek, do you mind saying what sort of comp you bought? Like company, make/model of various parts, etc? More specifically, the company that you bought it from, the processor, the videocard, the RAM, the hard drive, the operating system. I think that's all the important stuff..
 
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