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Posted: November 4, 2008 4:48 pm
by popcornjack
Dutch Harbor PH wrote:It depends on several things;
- What Do YOU want? I need something simple, just good enough to do my writing, check emails, surf the net, listen to music, watch dvd's. I guess I would want, or at least accept, something with more bells and whistles, just because I'm a creative person, and if I could get something more powerful in that direction, movie making, music making, image creating, it is something I would be interested in.
- How do you use it? Pretty much just very basically. I don't need it to video conference or create spread sheets or anything like that. Very much a play thing instead of a work thing, EXCEPT for the writing part.
- What can you afford? I'm not going to say money's not an object, but I figure this one will last me a few more months and with my expenses pretty minimal, I could see me having a couple thousand to spend on it by the end of the year. Not that I necessarily want to spend that much, though, if I don't need to.
- How comp literate are you/do you want to become? I am not very literate at this point, and there is part of me that is basically afraid to try to become more, simply because nothing frustrates me more than something that is smarter than me and knows it, but I would like to learn more, going back to the creative issue and being able to utilize whatever system I do end up with to that end.
Posted: November 4, 2008 5:53 pm
by Dutch Harbor PH
OK..... Others please step in if I have not represented properly here.....
I will give each of the points a "PC" or "MAC" based on your honest answers....
popcornjack wrote:Dutch Harbor PH wrote:It depends on several things;
- What Do YOU want? I need something simple, just good enough to do my writing, check emails, surf the net, listen to music, watch dvd's. I guess I would want, or at least accept, something with more bells and whistles, just because I'm a creative person, and if I could get something more powerful in that direction, movie making, music making, image creating, it is something I would be interested in. PC or MAC Though With your not wanting to become intimate with the workings of your computer, a MAC may be more your speed..
- How do you use it? Pretty much just very basically. I don't need it to video conference or create spread sheets or anything like that. Very much a play thing instead of a work thing, EXCEPT for the writing part.PC or MAC you don't need a lot of high end stuff...BUT if you want to do Video editing or gaming or memory/speed intensive stuf you will need faster/better processors.....one suggestion in this regard would be to see if there is a particular video program that you would like to work with and see what IT's requiremnts are to help base your decision.....ALSO in this regard MAC is Dirt simple....again if you don't want to get terriblely intimate the MAC may have the advantage.....As far as word processors go, either platform can offer you a word processor with more bells and whistles than you need.....
- What can you afford? I'm not going to say money's not an object, but I figure this one will last me a few more months and with my expenses pretty minimal, I could see me having a couple thousand to spend on it by the end of the year. Not that I necessarily want to spend that much, though, if I don't need to.PC Though if you are looking at a particularly high end PC you are in the MAC range.....
- How comp literate are you/do you want to become? I am not very literate at this point, and there is part of me that is basically afraid to try to become more, simply because nothing frustrates me more than something that is smarter than me and knows it, but I would like to learn more, going back to the creative issue and being able to utilize whatever system I do end up with to that end.MAC...though PC's are not that difficult to use, you just need a little confidence in "playing" with them....MAC's are dirt simple though.....
Posted: November 4, 2008 6:01 pm
by parrothead216
popcornjack wrote:Dutch Harbor PH wrote:It depends on several things;
- What Do YOU want? I need something simple, just good enough to do my writing, check emails, surf the net, listen to music, watch dvd's. I guess I would want, or at least accept, something with more bells and whistles, just because I'm a creative person, and if I could get something more powerful in that direction, movie making, music making, image creating, it is something I would be interested in.
- How do you use it? Pretty much just very basically. I don't need it to video conference or create spread sheets or anything like that. Very much a play thing instead of a work thing, EXCEPT for the writing part.
- What can you afford? I'm not going to say money's not an object, but I figure this one will last me a few more months and with my expenses pretty minimal, I could see me having a couple thousand to spend on it by the end of the year. Not that I necessarily want to spend that much, though, if I don't need to.
- How comp literate are you/do you want to become? I am not very literate at this point, and there is part of me that is basically afraid to try to become more, simply because nothing frustrates me more than something that is smarter than me and knows it, but I would like to learn more, going back to the creative issue and being able to utilize whatever system I do end up with to that end.
Sony Vaio PC here, 6 years old and up until Windows uploaded Service Pack 3, absolutely NO PROBLEMS!! After it uploaded SP3, we have had all kind of problems. Thank You Microsoft!!
Jack, if you are looking for a Laptop, try BJ's Wholesale Club. There up in your area. They had a Sony Vaio Laptop on special back when the kids went back to school, for around $600.00. Nicely configured!
You shouldn't have to spend anywhere near 2K for anything but the latest technology. I had a Computer person to never buy the lastest technoly until it is about a year old! Let the people paying the top dollar work out the bugs!!
You said you,you use the computer for your entertainment, Sony 's are great for Multi-media use!
Good Luck!
PS, Sony has some of the Sexiest Looking Computer going.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... 1644513278
This model is all in one, NO TOWER! It is all contained in the Monitor, and a wireless keyboard and mouse. Monitor is wall mountable!
Posted: November 4, 2008 6:12 pm
by Dutch Harbor PH
Dutch Harbor PH wrote:OK..... Others please step in if I have not represented properly here.....
I will give each of the points a "PC" or "MAC" based on your honest answers....
popcornjack wrote:Dutch Harbor PH wrote:It depends on several things;
- What Do YOU want? I need something simple, just good enough to do my writing, check emails, surf the net, listen to music, watch dvd's. I guess I would want, or at least accept, something with more bells and whistles, just because I'm a creative person, and if I could get something more powerful in that direction, movie making, music making, image creating, it is something I would be interested in. PC or MAC Though With your not wanting to become intimate with the workings of your computer, a MAC may be more your speed..
- How do you use it? Pretty much just very basically. I don't need it to video conference or create spread sheets or anything like that. Very much a play thing instead of a work thing, EXCEPT for the writing part.PC or MAC you don't need a lot of high end stuff...BUT if you want to do Video editing or gaming or memory/speed intensive stuf you will need faster/better processors.....one suggestion in this regard would be to see if there is a particular video program that you would like to work with and see what IT's requiremnts are to help base your decision.....ALSO in this regard MAC is Dirt simple....again if you don't want to get terriblely intimate the MAC may have the advantage.....As far as word processors go, either platform can offer you a word processor with more bells and whistles than you need.....
- What can you afford? I'm not going to say money's not an object, but I figure this one will last me a few more months and with my expenses pretty minimal, I could see me having a couple thousand to spend on it by the end of the year. Not that I necessarily want to spend that much, though, if I don't need to.PC Though if you are looking at a particularly high end PC you are in the MAC range.....
- How comp literate are you/do you want to become? I am not very literate at this point, and there is part of me that is basically afraid to try to become more, simply because nothing frustrates me more than something that is smarter than me and knows it, but I would like to learn more, going back to the creative issue and being able to utilize whatever system I do end up with to that end.MAC...though PC's are not that difficult to use, you just need a little confidence in "playing" with them....MAC's are dirt simple though.....
Just thought of some more fodder to add to the list ....I'll say "Sorry" in advance....
While Billy G IS trying to push Vista, if you order a PC through Dell or Gateway, You can INSIST on XP as the operating system if you prefer (My new laptop came with XP professional as the OP and has Vista Pre loaded if I want it....)
AND... I have been struggling with a good analogy of the PC vs MAC debate.... So being a guy, I have disembled it into something I think I understand....SEX....so here goes...
A MAC is ...well....errrr...Just plain old easy....
..Sure, the first few weeks are just plain fun...none of that messy trying to get from first base to second to third and HOME!!!! Its for the most part a HOME run every time....Eventually though...there is just no adventure or challange....
A PC on the other had is the most fickle woman you have ever been with..... No easy skipping from first base to Home with this one....No No No.... Keep yo hands to yo self...mista... But every advance to the next base is both intellectually satisfying as well as physically gratifying. Every twist and turn is a new adventure.........and while that first new experience is a little kinky and terrifying.....the 2nd time round it's like an old friend....
OH..and when you are experiencing troubles, you can call a really hot councilor with a sexy Indian accent.... Named Nancy ....
Posted: November 5, 2008 2:04 am
by Dutch Harbor PH
Just came from a parts quest to Fry's electronics.....they had a number of PC based laptops under $1000 that would be more than adequate for your needs........
Posted: November 5, 2008 10:15 am
by Hockey Mon
Dutch Harbor PH wrote:
- How comp literate are you/do you want to become? I am not very literate at this point, and there is part of me that is basically afraid to try to become more, simply because nothing frustrates me more than something that is smarter than me and knows it, but I would like to learn more, going back to the creative issue and being able to utilize whatever system I do end up with to that end.MAC...though PC's are not that difficult to use, you just need a little confidence in "playing" with them....MAC's are dirt simple though.....
Personally, I disagree. I use an XP machine for work and I had the pleasure of testing out a Mac for work and there was a learning curve. Steep? That's hard to say, everyone's apptitude for learning new things is different. The Mac is a cool machine no doubt about it and easy for somethings but I disagree that they are "dirt simple" for everything.
Nonetheless, one of the issues you have with buying computers is that in 6 months, there will be something faster for less money. You will need to get over that. Things to concentrate on, in my opinion, are monitor size and processor speed. Those two things can't easily be replaced. You can always buy more memory and/or an external hd. I'm not saying it would be cheap but say you buy a machine with 1GB and it's too slow, you can always go and buy a 2GB chip. Odds are you will have to completely replace the memory but it is doable. As for a HD, same sort of thing. Oh, buy an external HD. Both Vista and OS X (and probably XP) have the capability to do a system backup to an external drive so in case you laptop dies, you have all your data.
Posted: November 5, 2008 11:43 am
by SharkOnLand
Your friendly neighborhood Walmart has a sale this Saturday..
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=1026142
$298 for a budget laptop, that will do decently as an internet/word processing computer.
Posted: November 5, 2008 11:47 am
by blackjack
I'm a MAC at home and a PC at work.
MAC would be my choice for what you are looking to do.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s ... co=MTE3MDM
Posted: November 5, 2008 6:13 pm
by Dutch Harbor PH
Hockey Mon wrote:Dutch Harbor PH wrote:
- How comp literate are you/do you want to become? I am not very literate at this point, and there is part of me that is basically afraid to try to become more, simply because nothing frustrates me more than something that is smarter than me and knows it, but I would like to learn more, going back to the creative issue and being able to utilize whatever system I do end up with to that end.MAC...though PC's are not that difficult to use, you just need a little confidence in "playing" with them....MAC's are dirt simple though.....
Personally, I disagree. I use an XP machine for work and I had the pleasure of testing out a Mac for work and there was a learning curve. Steep? That's hard to say, everyone's apptitude for learning new things is different. The Mac is a cool machine no doubt about it and easy for somethings but I disagree that they are "dirt simple" for everything.
Nonetheless, one of the issues you have with buying computers is that in 6 months, there will be something faster for less money. You will need to get over that. Things to concentrate on, in my opinion, are monitor size and processor speed. Those two things can't easily be replaced. You can always buy more memory and/or an external hd. I'm not saying it would be cheap but say you buy a machine with 1GB and it's too slow, you can always go and buy a 2GB chip. Odds are you will have to completely replace the memory but it is doable. As for a HD, same sort of thing. Oh, buy an external HD. Both Vista and OS X (and probably XP) have the capability to do a system backup to an external drive so in case you laptop dies, you have all your data.
I don't disagree with you, MAC is different than PC (A lot of it is not so much as learning something new, but learning a different way to do the same thing....I think that can be much more difficult than learning something the first time around). Not that I haven't used MAC in quite a while, BUT for novices, MAC Tends to be simpler (not always, more just a general statement)...... When I look back on my computer use.... I believe that if I had stayed with MAC I wouldn't know/understand 1/10th of what I do about computers and systems........ When a PC has a problem, it invites you to try to figure it out.....MACs don't.....they say call the tech shop you dummy!....
Anyway....as before I am a PC.....But it sounds like Jack may be intimidated (a little) and in general MAC's are less intimidating.....
Posted: November 6, 2008 4:21 pm
by TheSecretsInTheCrust
Still Window's XP runs on my Mac faster than most PC's run it. You DO NOT need to have a IT degree to switch platforms. All my printers/ipod/camera works equally fast in either platform. No need to have to buy special software or different printers. Mac software runs on the mac side and PC software runs on the PC side. The program that allows you to use both is Boot Camp. go to apple.com and watch the video that explains it and other aspects of OS X Leopard. It comes loaded on new Macs from laptops to iMacs to more powerful desktops machines.
Posted: November 6, 2008 4:28 pm
by Hockey Mon
Dutch Harbor PH wrote:Hockey Mon wrote:Dutch Harbor PH wrote:
- How comp literate are you/do you want to become? I am not very literate at this point, and there is part of me that is basically afraid to try to become more, simply because nothing frustrates me more than something that is smarter than me and knows it, but I would like to learn more, going back to the creative issue and being able to utilize whatever system I do end up with to that end.MAC...though PC's are not that difficult to use, you just need a little confidence in "playing" with them....MAC's are dirt simple though.....
Personally, I disagree. I use an XP machine for work and I had the pleasure of testing out a Mac for work and there was a learning curve. Steep? That's hard to say, everyone's apptitude for learning new things is different. The Mac is a cool machine no doubt about it and easy for somethings but I disagree that they are "dirt simple" for everything.
Nonetheless, one of the issues you have with buying computers is that in 6 months, there will be something faster for less money. You will need to get over that. Things to concentrate on, in my opinion, are monitor size and processor speed. Those two things can't easily be replaced. You can always buy more memory and/or an external hd. I'm not saying it would be cheap but say you buy a machine with 1GB and it's too slow, you can always go and buy a 2GB chip. Odds are you will have to completely replace the memory but it is doable. As for a HD, same sort of thing. Oh, buy an external HD. Both Vista and OS X (and probably XP) have the capability to do a system backup to an external drive so in case you laptop dies, you have all your data.
I don't disagree with you, MAC is different than PC (A lot of it is not so much as learning something new, but learning a different way to do the same thing....I think that can be much more difficult than learning something the first time around). Not that I haven't used MAC in quite a while, BUT for novices, MAC Tends to be simpler (not always, more just a general statement)...... When I look back on my computer use.... I believe that if I had stayed with MAC I wouldn't know/understand 1/10th of what I do about computers and systems........ When a PC has a problem, it invites you to try to figure it out.....MACs don't.....they say call the tech shop you dummy!....
Anyway....as before I am a PC.....But it sounds like Jack may be intimidated (a little) and in general MAC's are less intimidating.....
I see your point about learning things the first time around. You know, as I think about it, that is why people can have such a hard time with upgrades. They are use to doing something one way and when they can't do it that way, it can cause problems. Then they say "oh this is crap or this sucks, etc, etc". Points to ponder.
And, as for Jack being intimidated, have you seen his avatar from the Cinci show a few years ago? Anyone who looks like that can't be intimidated about anything. Scary I tell you, scary...
Posted: November 6, 2008 4:30 pm
by popcornjack
Posted: November 6, 2008 4:46 pm
by LIPH
Dutch Harbor PH wrote:... But every advance to the next base is both intellectually satisfying as well as physically gratifying.
So, do you have one of those heavy duty plastic shields on your keyboard like they have on the cash registers at McDonalds?
Posted: November 6, 2008 5:43 pm
by SchoolGirlHeart
1 word: APPLE.
After my PC crashed for the umteenth time 2 years ago I stormed off to the Apple store and bought the same low-end MacBook laptop that my son had just bought for college. It has never crashed or given me any trouble.
Actually, I did a *little* research before I bought a Mac. I built a Dell online with what I wanted on it, then compared it to the MacBook, adding a few dollars to the Mac for the purchase of Office for the Mac because I use Word and Powerpoint. The Mac was $300 more, software included, and that also includes a built in camera for video use (you think you won't use it, but you will, if you have another Mac user to talk to
). A bargain, to shed the PC problems.
Apple's customer service is almost unheard of in this day and age. Buy the extended warranty; you won't regret it. My son's hard drive crashed on his 2 1/2 year old Mac that's been beat to hell carried around by a college student. Apple sent him a shipping box, he shipped the computer and had it back in two days, brand new hard drive. No charge.
As someone said, go to an Apple store and test drive the systems. Just be prepared to stay for about two hours, drooling....
I have a Mac at home and a PC at work. No problem. Yes, there's a learning curve, but it's not that steep. And if you really need to run a PC program, you can.
Jack, visit the Apple store in Providence Place Mall. We'll do dinner.
Posted: November 6, 2008 10:35 pm
by popcornjack
thank you everyone for your advice. now if anyone can tell me how to save word files to a cd r while running in safe mode that would be great because my computer will not run normally (I'm in safe mode as we speak) and everytime I try to move a file to the cd r like I normally would I keep getting a message saying there is no cd r in the drive. Trust me there is. I feel as if my computer may be dying in a matter of hours or days and no longer weeks or months and if I can't save my writing, then nothing's worth saving.
Posted: November 6, 2008 10:45 pm
by SchoolGirlHeart
popcornjack wrote:thank you everyone for your advice. now if anyone can tell me how to save word files to a cd r while running in safe mode that would be great because my computer will not run normally (I'm in safe mode as we speak) and everytime I try to move a file to the cd r like I normally would I keep getting a message saying there is no cd r in the drive. Trust me there is. I feel as if my computer may be dying in a matter of hours or days and no longer weeks or months and if I can't save my writing, then nothing's worth saving.
Do you have a separate hard drive? If not, consider buying one tomorrow to move your files onto. You can get a decent sized one at Staples, Circuit City, etc for under $100. You might want to consider not turning off your computer until you can off load your data files.
Or do you have a thumb drive you can save your writing to?
Posted: November 6, 2008 10:48 pm
by nutmeg
popcornjack wrote:thank you everyone for your advice. now if anyone can tell me how to save word files to a cd r while running in safe mode that would be great because my computer will not run normally (I'm in safe mode as we speak) and everytime I try to move a file to the cd r like I normally would I keep getting a message saying there is no cd r in the drive. Trust me there is. I feel as if my computer may be dying in a matter of hours or days and no longer weeks or months and if I can't save my writing, then nothing's worth saving.
Can you save it onto a flash drive? Oh and I agree with Jen. Go top the Apple store. We did and got a Mac for hubby. I'm still using my Dell laptop....
Posted: November 6, 2008 11:17 pm
by Elrod
Lots of good information here but I think you should give strong consideration to Bits' suggestion.
I have nothing technical to add to the discussion. I have 6-year-old Dell Inspiron laptop running Windows XP and Office XP. I've been pretty happy with it.
Posted: November 6, 2008 11:27 pm
by ph4ever
Dutch Harbor PH wrote:Just came from a parts quest to Fry's electronics.....they had a number of PC based laptops under $1000 that would be more than adequate for your needs........
I've never been to Fry's here - down in Dallas I get a bad attitude every time I go in there. One thing they did is when they had one of their really good "sales" they would only have maybe 25 of each item per store. So you have to get there really early to get the really good bargains. They also sell a LOT of refurbished items.
Posted: November 6, 2008 11:30 pm
by ph4ever
SchoolGirlHeart wrote:popcornjack wrote:thank you everyone for your advice. now if anyone can tell me how to save word files to a cd r while running in safe mode that would be great because my computer will not run normally (I'm in safe mode as we speak) and everytime I try to move a file to the cd r like I normally would I keep getting a message saying there is no cd r in the drive. Trust me there is. I feel as if my computer may be dying in a matter of hours or days and no longer weeks or months and if I can't save my writing, then nothing's worth saving.
Do you have a separate hard drive? If not, consider buying one tomorrow to move your files onto. You can get a decent sized one at Staples, Circuit City, etc for under $100. You might want to consider not turning off your computer until you can off load your data files.
Or do you have a thumb drive you can save your writing to?
When you are in safe mode a lot of your applications simply will not work. I think the best thing is to do what Jen says. If it does crap out on you take it to a repair person that can do disk recovery. Sometimes files can be obtained by a pro.
