Thursday, February 28, 2008
Computer Help
Our computer recently crashed (which is a great reason to remind everyone to back up any pictures, music, or files that you couldn't bear to lose!) and so we are on the hunt for a new one. What brands of computers do you like best, and what features do you think are necessary and what could you do without? I feel like most of the big technology stores like Best Buy are a rip-off for computers, where have you found the best deals? Technology is not my thing and it is a little overwhelming to me when people start throwing out terms like "RAM" and "gigabytes," but we'd like to get a computer that will last us a awhile and doesn't cost us an arm and a leg. We pretty much just need the basics like Microsoft Office and the Internet. Any tips would be very helpful!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
We recently had our computer crap out, and we thought we were going to have to buy a new one. Luckily, a guy in our ward was able to fix our computer, and in the process, I learned more than I ever care to know about all the computer terms!!
RAM is a form of memory. There are different types available, but RAM is the most commonly talked about. The more RAM or memory that your computer has, generally, the faster it works. The guy who fixed our computer doubled my memory and it is amazing how much better it runs.
Gigabytes refers to how much space your computer hard drive has. I began to better understand this concept when I started downloading digital pictures and using an iPod. Basically, everything you put on your computer, whether it is a program or just a photograph takes up a certain amount of space. This space is measured in "bytes"... kilo, mega, then giga. Depending on what you plan to store on your new computer will determine how large a hard drive you want, thus how many gigabytes you want.
That all being said... generally the electronics stores are going to be just as good a place to purchase a computer as anywhere. Unless you know someone who can build you one, its just a matter of finding the right kind of computer for you, then price shopping. Walmart has some decent deals on HP computers... When I thought we were going to be replacing ours, I found an HP with a large hard drive, a fair amount of memory and it came with a nice size flat screen monitor. My brothers are way into computers, so if you find something you think is a decent deal and want to run it by someone to be sure it is, let me know and I'm sure they could help you out! Good luck!!
I am all about the MAC! I love Apple and I love how easy they are to use! I love that when my system crashes, I know how to fix it and am not paralyzed by it. I am totally biased in that i was raised on Apple computers but they seriously are the most user-friendly I've ever worked with.
I don't know much about computers really...but I know that Costco always has good deals. My husband is thrifty about EVERYTHING...but he has seriously considered buying a computer at Costco (which means its a way good deal). Of course...maybe we're biased because we love Costco. AND they have a great return policy if you don't like your computer...
I bought mine on craigslist. It was an amazing deal because it was a guy that builds them for fun on the side of his day-job. He also guaranteed the hardware for one year.
Craigslist has used and new computers for sale. Of course, buyer beware on craigslist, but I had a great experience.
I say go for a MAC. They don't get viruses like Windows does and they are pretty simple to use. Plus, a mac is better for video and picture editing....in my opinion. We've never tried that stuff on windows.
After having a laptop, we will never buy another desktop. We can put it away in a drawer or take it with us. We don't have to have a 'computer desk' taking up room in our small house, and you can sit on the couch and google to your heart's content.
We got our latest laptop at Circuit City for under $500. I think it is an Acer. Amazon.com, buy.com (and Microcenter if you are in Minneapolis) are great places to price shop. In 1 hour of price shopping online you can get a pretty good idea of prices and what is available. Then check out the sales at the big box stores - their computer prices are reasonable but they have a huge markup on the accessories.
Any new desktop or laptop should have more than enough processing power and memory. They try to talk you into getting an enormous amount of memory and hard drive space which you don't really need. But they are cheap, so what the heck - go crazy. One thing you do want to get is a dual core processor and make sure it is upgradable to at least 4 GB of memory (but it doesn't need that much to start with.)
I have a couple of friends who have gotten MAC's recently. I'm pretty much sold on the fact that they are higher quality, and I would love to own one someday. However, I don't think they are the way to go if you're in a "fix" and want something inexpensive and as soon as possible. You can get pretty good deals, like Megan said, just do a lot of comparing (which would of course be easier if you had a computer and could go online!)
I agree with Megan lap tops are awesome! We have two and love and use them every single day. We have an HP and a Toshiba. Both of them are awesome. We got one at Best buy and the other at Circuit city. You can get good deals at both stores. I highly recommend a warranty and a damage warranty. They are fairly inexpensive and way worth it! Especially with kids.
I second the Acer comment! My husband got one (a laptop) at Best Buy last year for $400. He uses it all the time for work and school, and he absolutely loves it.
FYI, I don't know much about Macs, but they are not at all compatible with the church's PAF program for family history (unless they've changed it in the past year, which is certainly possible with all the recent updates), so you can't prepare names to take to the temple on a Mac.
For those of you with a laptop, do you just have a small area set up with a printer? It is fairly easy to link your laptop to a printer?
Thanks in advance!
Our printer is in the guest room, and I just take the laptop in there when I need to print. All I have to do is plug the USB cord into the back of my computer and turn the printer on. Its very simple... Not quite as easy as having it all hooked up all the time, but definitely simple!
Post a Comment