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New Computer

T

thejazzman10

Guest
Original poster
hello.

i have a friend that desperately needs a new computer, do you think that you could give them any advice?? they just need it to surf the net, nothing real CPU intensive....the max amount of money is $500 ....maybe one of the old imacs?? i really need help...thanks (by the way, it doesn't matter if it is a mac or not)

this is my chalenge. Do you accept
 
I think an entry level gateway or dell pc is the best way to go for your friends situation. Being a bit of a PC guru that is what I advise everyone to do if they have a budget of that much money. Anyone else I would recommend what best suits their needs. Personally I can't wait to get an apple laptop. Come on wife give me the okay!
 
yeah, i second getting a PC. if you just want dirt cheap stuff, can't beat PCs.

but make sure you tell them about anti-virus and firewall, etc., if they will be online. otherwise, guess who will be taking care of that machine for them? 😉

(one of the reasons i went a little overboard and got my mom an eMac, even though she will hardly use it except for web. i can just let her use it pretty much worry free.)
 
I would also have to agree that on that budget PC would be the best option.

Significant price increase percentage wise to go to an emac, I wouldn't reccomend an old iMac even though it might be fine for just browsing the web, but the graphics cards are to outdated, none of the iMac's support the quartz extreme where graphics processing of the GUI is offloaded from the CPU to the Graphics card.

If they really want a Mac to due to virus concerns or just personal preferrence, and can't afford $800 for the eMac, I have seen some new (as in not used, not new model) 12" G3 iBook they are still trying to clear out stock for $699. That a little closer to their budget, but still %40 over. Or look into refurbs, I use a iMac G3 450, and it does fine browsing the web, but when playing some videos off the web it just doesn't really cut it for me. Maybe the 600 MHz are better, or if you can find a 700 MHz iMac, but they only produced those for a short period. Even those only have the ATI rage 128 3D with 16 MB RAM.
 
Tell your friend to turn on the TV and catch one of the Dell $500 budget systems commercials, then go to their site and get one. Also google for dell.com coupons. For best bang for buck, you can't beat a fast budget dell. The eMac thing is just... eh.
 
you might be able to find a used eMac for $500 if not one of the entry level dell systems is okay, just be sure to upgrade the memory my roommate got one a few months ago and it only came with 128MB some of which went to graphics
also try the refurbished section on dell's website you'll save a bit

FuzzyBallz said:
Tell your friend to turn on the TV and catch one of the Dell $500 budget systems, then go to their site and get one.
Click to expand...
 
refurbished emacs can be found from $499 to $649 (g4 700 to 1ghz) at the apple store (various config.) Has enough power for most needs (esp. those listed), comes with 10.2 and 10.3 upgrade, iLife 04...and who wouldn't want the ease of a MAC...If I wasn't a power-user, I would stay away from x86 boxes, as although they have a better price/power ratio, they still run Windows...no small caveat...used G4 PM also a possibility....
 
The low-priced Dells are not as cheap as they look; those $600 prices are after rebates, and collecting on those rebates is not as easy as it sounds (or as quick).

At pcsurplusonline.com, you can get some older model Dell and IBM computers for under $500.

Or you might go to a Mac user group show or meeting and find a used G3 iBook for $500 or less. That'd be a lot better, IMHO.
 
Build him an Athlon system, and charge $50 for your survices, Install all the gear he'll need.

Everybody wins 😀
 
My grandma picked up a compaq ( i know its crap) for $350 with 17" moniter from walmart of all places. Athlon 2000+, 256 ram. Its hard to beat that. no rebates or anything. Its been going strong for 5 months now. It came with literally NO software so we slapped norton internet security on there. Plus we bought a wireless optical mouse. But todays cheap PC's offer a lot, they arent going to do 3D gaming or DVD burning, but for office and internet, they rock.
 
Refurbed eMac 1GHz/256MB/60GB/Combo/56K/AP Card for $699 in Apple's store. Free shipping, too. A little more than $500, but you should take your friend to CompUSA and let them try out a PC and a MAC for a little bit, just to see if they think the extra $200 is worth it or not. Else, you can get a Dell, like everyone says, with a 17" CRT for $499 after ($100) rebate. There's a promotion for a free printerand digicam with purchase, too.

Thing is that once you add some extra RAM (ships with 128MB, which I can tell you from experience is completely unusable in XP) and upgrade to a Combo drive (only has CD-ROM as standard, and a they are going to miss being able to play DVDs and burn CDs within 3 months of having a computer) you are up to $758 - $100 for 256MB (minimum RAM I'd run XP with) and $838 - $100 512MB.

Makes the eMac look like better deal, imo. There is also always the eMachines and such at Walmart, etc, that are sub-$300. Or, if you end up going PC, building it yourself is always a money saver.

In the end, take them to CompUSA, use both a Mac and a WinXP machine, then show then the price difference for similar machines being only about $100, even with rebates and such factored in, then let them choose. 🙂

Rob
 
i ain't no terrorist, but i just have to say this.

in this forum, i hear time and time again, how a lot of people (us) hate Dell. and see what you guys write... "buy Dell".

if your friend just needs a computer just for surfing, writing word docs, or creating powerpoint presentations, and if you are a really good friend, i'd try to get a used mac.

maybe in eBay? or check out your local newspaper.

a word of warning: if you do get a pc, your friend will always call on you, if there is something wrong with it. your friend will blame you, if something goes wrong with it.
 
redAPPLE said:
in this forum, i hear time and time again, how a lot of people (us) hate Dell. and see what you guys write... "buy Dell".

if your friend just needs a computer just for surfing, writing word docs, or creating powerpoint presentations, and if you are a really good friend, i'd try to get a used mac.
Click to expand...

i don't like dell, personally. (well, i hate windows, more like...) but if my friend wants something cheap, i'd have no problem recommending a dell. (or other PCs) if his/her uses don't necessitate a Mac then he/she will not see where the money went when he/she gets a Mac.

i don't believe in pushing my preferences onto others. i will tell my friends about Macs but if they decide for themselves that that's not what they want, i'd tell them to get a dell no problem.
 
buy a refurbished emac form apple.com...should run around 4500, has the very latest software, plenty of hard drive space, lots of extra software and a G4 processor which is the still used in all current Mac comptuers sold except for the high end Professional machines for very high cpu intensive work. You would get a warranty and apple support just like a new machine. Your friend can also come to us for support help in case of problems (which I don't think would happen) 😀

Good luck!
 
flyfish29 said:
buy a refurbished emac form apple.com...should run around 450
Click to expand...

those "cheap" eMacs often don't come with a modem. so make sure your friend doesn't use dialup.
 
mrgreen4242Thing is that once you add some extra RAM (ships with 128MB said:
128 MB RAM? Who buys a system with 128 MB running XP? I always thought it was a joke that you could still buy PCs with only 256 MB (when RAM is so cheap these days). But I can't remember the last time I saw a 128 MB configuration here in Switzerland (I'd say would it have been around two years ago) To run XP efficiently, you need 512 MB RAM!
Okay, I have to say that the cheapest system Dell Switzerland sells is $633 (including VAT), so the upgrade to 256 is already included...
Click to expand...
 
Zaty said:
128 MB RAM? Who buys a system with 128 MB running XP? I always thought it was a joke that you could still buy PCs with only 256 MB (when RAM is so cheap these days). But I can't remember the last time I saw a 128 MB configuration here in Switzerland (I'd say would it have been around two years ago) To run XP efficiently, you need 512 MB RAM!
Okay, I have to say that the cheapest system Dell Switzerland sells is $633 (including VAT), so the upgrade to 256 is already included...
Click to expand...
Apple ship eMacs with 128MB RAM. And OS X needs 512MB to run well. I mean my god, they ship Power Macs with just 256MB, it's crazy!
 
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