I'm sure this has probably been asked and answered several times, but I'm in the market for a new desktop system. I really don't have a clue as to what brands I should be looking at. I don't play games on the computer but I do want a blu-ray, DVD player/burner, I want it to be fast and have tons of memory. Sorry but that's about the limits of what I know about computers. Any input would be appreciated.

Honestly, I would steer clear of any "brand-name" computer like Compaq etc. Your best bet is to get a clone, definitely without Windows Vista because it sucks and requires quite a powerful machine to run it properly. I would suggest Windows XP, a CPU speed of around 2.4 GHz, and 2 GB of RAM will be ample. As far as a burner goes, I think LG has a decent one out now.

Hope that helps you some

I would recommend getting a Dell Vostro. Vostro is a semi-business line that doesn't have all the crap/bloatware installed on the computer when you first get it. I think Vista is fine, people are haters of it, but people were also haters of XP when it came out.

I'm not just a hater of the program, I'm also a player hater LOL

Do some research and build your own. This way you get exactly what you want and I think they work better.

Just did that with my dad this Christmas... have now built 2 systems in the past 3 years and both of them were great bargains for the money.

Here are some dell desktops that are on sale in the DEC catalogue:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/catalog_seasonal_1_dt?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

You can customize them to meet your needs as well.

I buy my computers from lease buy outs. They are normally 2 years old with no operating system. I build them up a little from there. They're cheap and do everything I need to do.

I would also suggest that to get the most bang for the buck, building your own machine is the way to go. But, if you aren't really that knowledgeable with how to build a PC, it might be a frustrating experience. It's not rocket science, but building your own isn't for everyone. If you're not that familiar with which brands are good or bad, you probably aren't really the sort that would want to build your own PC.

I've got Vista up and running on several PC's that I support. It's pretty good now that SP1 is out. SP1 fixed a lot of bugs, IMHO. I've really not had a lot of problems with it. I was originally not all that thrilled with it but I've grown to like it.

I commonly suggest Dell's to friends & family needing PC's. No, they're not the best PC's in the land but they're usually decent and you can get them for good prices. Just keep an eye on xpbargains.com for deals. Sometimes you can get some pretty serious discounts. Look for codes and play with the configuration options on Dell.com.

Of Dell's offerings, I like their Vostro 'small business' line of machines because they don't come with all the trial software that their 'consumer' desktops do. They arrive out of the box with a nearly perfectly clean install. Whatever you do, get at least a Core2Duo processor and 2GB of RAM for Vista. Not a Core Duo, and absolutely not a Celeron. Anything less than 2GB and Vista won't be happy.

I've had pretty good luck with Dell Outlet. They sell refurbs, returns, open box, etc. at a fairly sizeable discount over their brand new stuff.

I've also built a couple of my own computers. Besides the savings, you can configure it exactly the way you want. There are lots of great resources on the web to get you through it. It's really not that difficult, and it's a great help for troubleshooting when something does go wrong to know how it all goes together.

Thanks everyone, I'm not ready to build anything myself, I'm looking for a decent system already put together, sounds like Dell has some pretty decent machines, I've got an old Gateway now and I'm not all that happy with it. A friend was telling me HP isn't bad but I'm not that sure about his advise.

Michael, I have had good luck with several Dells before I started building my own machines a few years back.

HPs aren't bad, but even the business desktops are loaded with junk that just makes them harder to use. I've been more impressed with Dell's support, but that was also on servers. I've heard that their desktop (particularly home) support isn't all that and a sack of potatoes. Still better than no support at all, which is what you would get if you built it yourself.

I also would choose Vista at this point for OSes (unless you're going to buy a Mac...) It's a pretty decent os at this point, and I'm a sucker for eye candy.

That said, go with 2-4 GB of RAM (remember, it's probably cheaper from a third party vendor) and a Core 2 <anything>. DO NOT buy a Pentium anything, or a Celeron anything.

I'm looking at the Dell outlet, and the XPS models look pretty nice, would I be okay going refurbished or should I opt for a new system?

Refurb is probably fine. Mu brother picked up a refurb HP quadcore last year and has had no issues. Got a very good price on it.

I wouldn't be afraid of a refurbed unit, go for it.

You usually can't tell any difference between refurb and new. Refurbs typically carry a shorter warranty, but with computers (and electronics in general) that's not a big deal, since failures are rare and tend to occur pretty quickly if they're going to happen at all. If it's got the features you want, there's no good reason not to save some money over buying new.

Thanks again for the suggestions everyone, I'm pricing my options between the Vostro 420 and the Studio desktop, since I'm looking at getting a blu-ray player-burner, what is the difference between a dual drive vs a single drive burner and a blu-ray disc writer vs burner? Also would you recommend Bluetooth for the mouse and keyboard or just go wireless. Any other recommendations for customization.

Personally, I think BR-burners are still too overpriced for me to buy one. On top of the burners being expensive, the blank disks are too expensive for me to find any practical use for them. So I'd skip on the BR-burner option unless you know you'll use it heavily for some specific purpose.

To answer another question, as far as I know there is no difference between a burner and a writer (just 2 words for the same thing). re: layers, if you're talking just about Blu-Ray burners, the difference is the ability to burn single layer disks (max capacity of 4.7 GB) versus the ability to burn dual layer disks (~2x capacity). (I'm 90% certain of this, but others feel free to correct me).

Either way, I'd wait for a year or so and add a drive then, which is a very easy process and should cost you much less $ in a year as the technology matures.

On Bluetooth - I don't think it's a must have unless you plan on operating your PC from quite a distance away from the case. Otherwise I've found the standard wireless keyboard & mouse to work reliably.

I think all of the things you're talking about would be nice-to-haves if you don't mind spending the extra money, but I don't think any are necessities.

Jason

I think I'll take that advice and add a burner later, I think I may just add a BD player, and I really don't need bluetooth. Thanks

Cool, glad to help. To correct my note above... those single/dual size limitations are based on standard DVDs not Blu-Rays. Doesn't change your decision however.

Jason

For standart wireless, don't count on more than 3 feet and if your receiver sits on your sub and its on, 1.5 feet.

I view PC’s as disposable items. Every two years I buy a new one and keep my budget around a grand (with monitor). I either move the old one to my kid, sell it or give it to the local charity. I wander about the stores with a note book, taking notes, then buy whichever model that appears to be the best bargain. I’m on my third HP. I’ve bought the last two at either Sam’s Club or Costco. I usually dump all the BS HP software, but this last machine isn’t giving me enough trouble to motivate me to do that….yet.

That sounds about right. I try for a 3 year swapout, with a 1.5 yr refresh. I give my old one (or bits thereof) to my father in law. Unfortunately, that means he's stuck on AGP now, since he's not getting my current POS motherboard.

Hmm, I bought a use P3 and kept it for 4 years. I guess I'm on a re-cycle of 4 years.

I've had my Gateway for 6 years now and it was time to replace, I'll put it down in another room and use it for music and disc burning.
I ended up getting a Dell XPS 420 with a 24 inch ultra sharp monitor from the outlet. I was tempted to get the XPS Studio with the new Intel® CoreTM i7 processors but the reviews were mixed on the Studio model, I ended up getting the Intel® Core™2 Q9400 Quad-Core (6MB L2 cache,2.66GHz,1333FSB) processor, not that I have a clue what that means

Well, the Core i7s are substantially faster for certain tasks, but there ain't nothing wrong with a Q9400. Congrats.

Considering you're upgrading a 6-year old PC, you'll have no complaints at all about the speed.

Better strap in the first time you fire that puppy up.

Helped my dad pick out a new desktop from dell today.

He got an inspiron 530 with a 2.66 ghz core 2 duo processor (I decided he didn't need a core 2 quad since he was on a tight budget), 4 gigs of ram, 320 gb HD, and a 19" widescreen monitor for $520. It was one of the deals in the december catalogue- but I downgraded from a 640 gb HD to a 320gb HD and saved him $100.

Very good deal. Amazing what you can get for the money these days.