[LearningAsIGo]

I'd appreciate some feedback on lower-priced computers.

Our current computer is a Sony Vaio (nearly 8 years old!) and we've had a very good experience with it, but its simply too old for what we need now.

About Us/Needs:
We prefer PC's
DH is in school and will need Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Internet, possibly Acrobat, etc. (therefore memory to match)
Printer/scanner combo
Flat screen - size isn't important
Movie/music programs are not important
Photos (memory) is important
Budget this time around is $500-ish
Open to laptop OR desktop depending on budget
Usage will be limited to school work, Internet, and photo sharing

Thanks for any tips/advice. Its been so long since we've purchased the vaio, I feel a bit out of touch.

[twinkiedooter]

I have a Gateway PC that is going on 7+ years now and works just fine. The only thing I did was upgrade to a DVD-CD combo burner a few years ago and just have the one slot used instead of using the CD slot and the DVD slot.

I am not aware of any cheapie PC's out there that have much in the memory department. You usually have to upgrade the memory.

You might want to also consider a stand alone hard drive. I use that (100G) to store all of my documents that I don't need lost in a crash or a virus attack. And also movies that I have downloaded I burn to DVD's with a DVD burner program so I keep those separately off my computer to free up room.

The LCD screens are a good investment. You can get a good 15" or a 17" LCD screen now for around $200 or less. Great investment and easy on the eyes.

As far as the scanner/printer combo, I don't recommend getting a combo. I would get a separate printer and a separate scanner. The reason being the "all in ones" that have scanner/printer/copying modes use the ink in a very uneconomical manner. I like the inkjet series of HP and have used them exclusively at home for years. You can buy refill kits for the ink cartridges and when the ink cartridges end their life, the replacements are not that expensive. Plus I refill them myself. I have both color and B&W HP printers.

You might just want to get an inexpensive PC and upgrade on the memory. I don't like Dell PC's or Compaq PC's as anytime I would have a Dell PC or a Compaq at work, they would always wear out and fail. At least that's been my experience with those 2 makers.

I did go with Gateway because I could customize my PC to fit my needs. Although the system I got ended up costing me 2K, that was 7 years ago and I am sure they have come down in price a lot since like everything else computer wise has done.

You can always get a basic Plain Jane model and have more memory added. Same with the DVD-CD burner. My LG combo cost me about $80 a few years ago and works great.

I bought a WD external disc drive for about $100 that holds 100G. They are not that expensive anymore.

[slapshot_oi]

Budget this time around is $500-ish

That's the Netbook and Nettop range. Being as music and movies aren't important, buy one of these. You can save even more money by opting to by one with Linux instead of Windows. Linux is free, there are hardly any viruses that exist for it, and it's supported 24/7 by free-lance programmers around the world, I highly recommend it.

CNET

Just Google Netbook or Nettop. I've heard good things about the HP Mini and the ones who started it all, ASUS and their Eee. Other than the price, the main advantage is low power consumption, so a Netbook battery can last up to 8 hours.

[LearningAsIGo]

That's the Netbook and Nettop range. Being as music and movies aren't important, buy one of these. You can save even more money by opting to by one with Linux instead of Windows. Linux is free, there are hardly any viruses that exist for it, and it's supported 24/7 by free-lance programmers around the world, I highly recommend it.

CNET

Just Google Netbook or Nettop. I've heard good things about the HP Mini and the ones who started it all, ASUS and their Eee. Other than the price, the main advantage is low power consumption, so a Netbook battery can last up to 8 hours.

I thought Netbooks were just for Internet - I didn't realize they could print and work with Excel, Word, etc.

[NeedKarma]

I thought Netbooks were just for Internet - I didn't realize they could print and work with Excel, Word, etc.!

Many have small hard drives, the idea being that you do most of your work on web applications. Also some have some flavour Linux installed which may not be compatible with any programs you currently have, though the Linux community is full of free equivalents.