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General discussion

Looking for a Good, Reasonably-Priced Computer

Apr 11, 2005 9:09PM PDT

In the last eight months, my Sony Vaio laptop of three years has had one thing after another go wrong, the latest being the LCD screen's backlight is dead (I currently type from my laptop, while hooked to a monitor). The cost of repairs, most of them done by myself, to fix this laptop now would be anywhere between $450-$600; that's not even touching on the fact that this only has the limited power that existed three years ago.

So, I believe I'm looking for a new computer. I've seen mixed reviews about eMachines, which was my first look (due to the pricing), so I'm coming here. Let me outline some of the things I'm looking for:

- Desktop computer; no more laptops for me
- Lots of hard drive space, at least over 100GB
- 512MB RAM
- AMD chip (I'm a fan...)
- 3+ USB ports
- Sound doesn't have to be great, but it has to be reasonable; I want a place to hook my headset
- At least reasonable graphic capabilities. Doesn't have to be the best, but doesn't need to be the worst.
- Monitor doesn't really matter to me, so long as it supports 1024x768 resolution at least
- Price under $900; in or around that, feel free to post it too

I really like the look of some eMachines' computers, but some of the prices make me wonder if what one pays for ISN'T what one gets (or at least in terms of quality)--(also DO they or DON'T they come with a monitor?). If anyone can offer some details into eMachines, such as which model is currently looking to be the best and most reliable, or knows of a computer that fits or closely fits my specifications, I would greatly appreciate the information. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Lelia Katherine Thomas
http://www.leliathomas.com

Discussion is locked

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Thanks Scott, looks like
Apr 17, 2005 4:02AM PDT

you have a very good setup.

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Re: HP SR1010Z
Apr 30, 2005 6:35PM PDT

The HP SR1010Z is a socket 754 mobo while the eMachines T6212 is socket 939. The HP has an 8 X AGP slot while the eMachine has PCI Express X 16. The 939 supports dual channel memory while the 754 does not. I think the eMachine T6212 is more advanced than the HP SR1010Z though I do not like the ATA HDD when it is designed for SATAHappy

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And what is Dual Channel Memory
Apr 30, 2005 10:21PM PDT

I have seen a lot of posts that mentioned Socket 939, but had no idea why that was an adavantage until you just posted the reason, so thanks. BUT then my question now is what is dual channel memeory? Is that the same as having more than 2 slots available for memory cards? Example I bought a Dell 3000 that only has 2 slots, so if I want to "upgrade" I have to toss my old and buy new biger memory cards(I assume). But the 4700 has 4 slots, so I could add 2 new cards in addition to what I have now. I will not need to upgrade (I have 512 and that is more than enough for the uses I have for the PC) so it is not a concern to me BUT in the future I may be buying a pc for me that I will want options.

Anyway, what is dual channel memory, and is that really the advantage of the socket 939?

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Build Your Own?
Apr 21, 2005 12:19AM PDT

Have you considered building your own? I've been in a similar position as yourself over the last couple of years. In the past i always ended up just buying a new machine. I think i was averaging about 3-5 years per machine. But in december of 2003 i didn't want to drop another thousand and purchase a whole new system. I just wanted to upgrade one part. Unfortunately on many entry priced systems the configuration is fairly limited in upgrade paths. So i sat about building my own system. It's really not that complicated and you can save a bundle of money not to mention having total control over what components go in your system. Many manufactures keep their price points low by offering cheaply priced components in their systems. For me, i will not be soon going back to buy another "system" when i can build one better and cheaper. While i understand that for the majority of computer users building their own sounds intimidating and maybe even a little ridiculous, in your post you mentioned that you've already worked on repairing your own laptop, so maybe this would be a good time to try something different.

A website that i found extremely encouraging and helpful was: http://www.mysuperpc.com/

Their are dozens of others but i refered to this website alot. Just to get an idea of the how much you can save compare the cost of just a hard drive from either newegg.com or mwave.com to compusa or worst yet Best Buy.

One last thing, have you noticed how when you buy a new computer they list the specifications (i.e 150 gig hard drive) but rarely the brand? And when you look at computer component reviews its always by brand.

Side note: my last mass produced computer system was a dell. Dell designed their system to accomodate one and only hard drive. When i wanted to upgrade the system with a larger hard drive their solution was that i would need to purchase from them a "special" bracket that cost about 40 bucks. Keep in mind such a bracket is unecessary as most cases come with drive brackets already and its just a matter of sliding the hard drive into another slot.

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I was VERY happy with Dell
Apr 23, 2005 1:47AM PDT

Based on my recent buying experience, I am very, very, very happy with Dell. Found the best price (although to be fair most compatable systems were within $20-$40, not like I save $150 or anything by going with them) BUT the biggest thing I liked was the ease of the web site to build my OWN configuration, the 100 possible options, the friendly (yes friendly) sales folks and ESPECIALLY the speed to get the system.

I actually placed the order Tuesday night 8:10pm. Now remember I did a custom job where I picked the HD, Ram, dirves etc. Anyway, it came to my door on Froday afternoon. They built it Wednesday and shipped it that evening.

Anyway, Dell gets high marks from me for now.

PS Hint - If there is one componant you need but not another (for example, you need a printer but laready have a good monitor and don't need one) watch the site carefully over a course of a few days or more. they are always moving around their sales, sometimes daily, and one day the printer may be $50 and the next day they are giving it away for free.

I have posted other notes as well about this purchase if you want to search - but basically got P4 530, 512 mb ram, 80 gb hd, monitor and printer $465 with shipping (free) and tax. Main thing I saved on was I did not need the DVD player or DVD Burner, so thaty helped keep it below $500, but still a great deal and you add those as well.

Anyway, Dell is a great choice IMO