Time for a new computer

[frisbbzepp]

My problems with my computer that I got a few months ago are documented here. Got another two blue screens of death today, so I'm about fed up. I went on Dell's website and they suggested I try to update my BIOS, but frankly I don't think I should have these problems so soon. I'm willing to consider this thing a sunk cost and move on. I'm going to go for a laptop this time (should have done that the first time around) and I have a few questions:

1. How much luck might I have selling this thing on eBay? Any suggestions for how to pitch it (I've never sold something before)?

2. Any suggestion on laptop brands that aren't Dell? My dad got an HP from work a few weeks ago and really likes it. I'm using the computer mostly for simple tasks: checking email, reading newspaper/FAP articles, listening to music, that sort of thing. Probably the most demanding thing I would do would be to watch a DVD, and that'd be infrequent. Oh, and what about buying from Circuit City or something, rather than direct? Advantages/disadvantages? I'd like to keep the price not much higher than $1,000.

3. What size screen might I want? Portability is important but not crucial. I was between a 15.4" and a 17". My brother in college has a 17" and likes it but he said plenty of people he knows have a smaller screen and it's fine for them. It's just that I have glasses already and don't need any more eye strain than necessary (I have a 17" flat panel with my desktop now).

Anything else I'm not considering? Thanks so much in advance.

[GuineaPig]

do you want suggestions? or are you just letting us know your getting a new one?

[frisbbzepp]

I think you must have read my original post, when I hit the post button too quickly and didn't actually ask any questions.

[GuineaPig]

Originally Posted by frisbbzepp

I think you must have read my original post, when I hit the post button too quickly and didn't actually ask any questions.

gotcha

[GuineaPig]

I have an hp desktop. It was great deal for the price, but hp has its problems and I dont think I will ever buy hp again.

1) bundled software. It all sucks and you dont want it but its there so I went through and unistalled alot of junk

2) recovery disks. There are reposrts on the internet about issues with hp and their recovery disks. Basically, you dont get a disk but rather a program that burns recovery disks for you. If you lose the disks you cant burn new ones and it cots $100+ to order a replacement.

Both of these Im sure are reasons why the computer was as good of deal as it was. If your looking for a new laptop I would be tempted to buy ASUS or some other off brand http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCateg...ebooks-Laptops

[asdfasdf]

I have an HP, bought about a year and a half ago now. :knockwood: no problems, I've been using it more than planned and am pretty happy with it. I would go with a 17 inch monitor, that way you're no worse off than if you had a full screen. BUT it may be hard to buy anything these days without Vista preloaded, no matter how nice your computer is IMHO it will be about 2 years before Vista is really necessary, and stable. If you go to a local computer making type shop they're probably more likely to be able to swing it than the big box stores (where all the computers will be preloaded with Vista).

ETA agreed with Guineapig, the preloaded software is mostly crap, I didn't even make the recovery disk, once this thing crashes I'll buy a new one (probably). (The harddrive died on my last computer completely about six months after I started to have to re-install everything bi-monthly, so this time I'll just buy the new one six months early and hopefully won't lose much not backed up when that happens

[frisbbzepp]

The cr@pware I understand is annoying, but my Dell was the same way, although I was able to unselect a fair amount of it when I bought it. I don't much mind buying a new computer every couple of years, I've decided that's way better than spending a lot of money on a top-of-the-line machine and hope it lasts--in my experience, they don't.

Never heard of ASUS before. Thanks for the tip.

[atomic]

Seriously, if you want to get something that will easily last you for the next 3 years and probably more, get a Macbook. I know you're going to dismiss this idea because you believe it's too expensive or...gee, I dunno what other possible reason you might have for not thinking about it.

Let's put it this way: Suppose you buy an HP or Dell laptop for under $1000. How long do you think it will realistically last you? Two years tops, before you decide it's underpowered, full of crapware, or Windows is just running too slow for you to check your email any more? Now consider this fact--I have had my Mac laptop for 4 years. It has gone through one major OS revision, but it is no slower than it was the day I got it. Yes, the battery was replaced, but all laptops require this. If you think about the total cost of ownership over time, you will find that those bargain laptops are a totally different story. And Macbooks aren't really as expensive as you think they are.

Finally, you can run Windows on it. (I don't know about Vista support, but why on earth would you want Vista? It's unstable, full of bugs, and even die-hard Windows fans hate it.) You could run Linux if you were so inclined. And you get the benefit of OS X. Even if you want to cling to Windows, you still can.

At work, I have a new Dell desktop that is admittedly much more powerful than my 4 year old PowerBook. For running Excel and doing rate indications, it's great. But does that mean it browses the web any faster than my personal machine? Does it play DVDs any better? Does it let me check my email more easily and quickly? The answer is no. In fact, email is slower on my work machine because the software we use is bloated and crappy.

The reason why top-of-the-line machines fail quickly in your experience is not due to hardware, but due to software. Microsoft and the hardware retailers have consumers believing that it's somehow okay to buy entire new computers every few years. That is not only outrageous, it's obviously the bread-and-butter of their entire business model. I could easily use my laptop for another two years if I wanted to--but I will probably get a Macbook Pro sometime this year, because I'd like a larger screen, and a faster processor for my personal math projects, Photoshop work, and HD video editing. And I'll still keep this machine until the hardware dies, because I like how small and portable it is. But I won't be upgrading because I am forced to do so by some monopolistic corporate entity that makes software defective by design.

Seriously, just visit your nearest Apple Retail Store. Play with the Macbooks they have there. Ask as many questions as you want. The point here is to get you to look beyond the upfront cost, and look into the lifetime cost of ownership. I switched 4 years ago and I haven't looked back.

[Commander Keen]

Sure, buy a Mac, it'll probably last longer if you plan to make no effort with virus protection/spyware detection.

If you buy any computer, do a wipe of the hard drive, throw on a clean OS, and keep up with any updates to your software, and it'll last you as long as you need it.

Take care of it, and it'll be fine. My sister bought a macbook a week before i bought my dell (a few years ago). She paid 650 dollars more than I did. Hers was in the crapper in a year and a half, mine is still cruising along.

Or buy a mac. They're nice, and you have to make slightly less effort to protect it. But, you still need to. That doesn't change.

[frisbbzepp]

Well let's say for argument's sake that I want to stick with a PC.