Whats a Good Computer brand?

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Ok someone stated compaq sucks that they have spyware and offer no retail
windows cd with there systems, im looking at bestbuy cause thats where i got
giftcards from all they have is mainly gateway emachine compaqs and hp

sp what the heck is good?
 
nick said:
Ok someone stated compaq sucks that they have spyware and offer no
retail windows cd with there systems, im looking at bestbuy cause
thats where i got giftcards from all they have is mainly gateway
emachine compaqs and hp

sp what the heck is good?
Click to expand...

The best I've come across is one I've built myself.

--
Peace!
Kurt Kirsch
Self-anointed Moderator
http://microscum.com
"It'll soon shake your Windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'."
 
HP and Compaq PCs are very good and reliable.
You can obtain HP/Compaq Recovery CDs by
ordering them from HP.

HP and Compaq Desktop PCs - Obtaining a Recovery CD or DVD set
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...3&lang=en&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=bph07143

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| Ok someone stated compaq sucks that they have spyware and offer no retail
| windows cd with there systems, im looking at bestbuy cause thats where i got
| giftcards from all they have is mainly gateway emachine compaqs and hp
|
| sp what the heck is good?
 
nick said:
Ok someone stated compaq sucks that they have spyware and offer no
retail windows cd with there systems, im looking at bestbuy cause
thats where i got giftcards from all they have is mainly gateway
emachine compaqs and hp

sp what the heck is good?
Click to expand...

I really do not think you will be able to buy a big brand PC that supplies
retail versions of XP. If you want that you really need to go with a
company who will build you a PC to order and add windows xp retail to the
order. This will probably cost you about $300 more.
 
(sigh)
ok im looking to a amd athlon 64 computer i currently run a p3 1 gigahertz
with 512 ram and play online games wow guildwars and eq2 with no issues with
128 meg agp ati card im getting a new computer for dungeons and dragons
online which requires p4 or amd equal min 512 ram min 64 meg video card and
sle and found compact


Compaq Presario Desktop with AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 Processor 3400+
AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 processor 3400+* with 64-bit platform; 1600MHz system bus
with Enhanced Virus Protection for Windows XP SP2, and HyperTransportâ„¢
Technology 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM for multitasking power, expandable to 4GB
NVIDIA GeForce 6150LE Graphics with up to 256MB shared video memory;
high-definition audio with 8-speaker support

but was told compaq sucks that they put spyware on all there machines and
that they come with no recovery disks with my current system if i lost my
main hard drive i would drop in win xp cd and reinstall everything i heard
with compaq u dont have a cd that the cd is a seperate partition on the hd
but if hd fails or is removed u dont have that option...im stuck HELP
 
Compaq does not "put spyware on all their machines".
They may install some trial software, but it can be easily
uninstalled.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| (sigh)
| ok im looking to a amd athlon 64 computer i currently run a p3 1 gigahertz
| with 512 ram and play online games wow guildwars and eq2 with no issues with
| 128 meg agp ati card im getting a new computer for dungeons and dragons
| online which requires p4 or amd equal min 512 ram min 64 meg video card and
| sle and found compact
|
|
| Compaq Presario Desktop with AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 Processor 3400+
| AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 processor 3400+* with 64-bit platform; 1600MHz system bus
| with Enhanced Virus Protection for Windows XP SP2, and HyperTransportâ„¢
| Technology 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM for multitasking power, expandable to 4GB
| NVIDIA GeForce 6150LE Graphics with up to 256MB shared video memory;
| high-definition audio with 8-speaker support
|
| but was told compaq sucks that they put spyware on all there machines and
| that they come with no recovery disks with my current system if i lost my
| main hard drive i would drop in win xp cd and reinstall everything i heard
| with compaq u dont have a cd that the cd is a seperate partition on the hd
| but if hd fails or is removed u dont have that option...im stuck HELP
 
nick said:
(sigh)
ok im looking to a amd athlon 64 computer i currently run a p3 1
gigahertz with 512 ram and play online games wow guildwars and eq2
with no issues with 128 meg agp ati card im getting a new computer
for dungeons and dragons online which requires p4 or amd equal min
512 ram min 64 meg video card and sle and found compact


Compaq Presario Desktop with AMD AthlonT 64 Processor 3400+
AMD AthlonT 64 processor 3400+* with 64-bit platform; 1600MHz system
bus with Enhanced Virus Protection for Windows XP SP2, and
HyperTransportT Technology 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM for multitasking
power, expandable to 4GB NVIDIA GeForce 6150LE Graphics with up to
256MB shared video memory; high-definition audio with 8-speaker
support

but was told compaq sucks that they put spyware on all there machines
and that they come with no recovery disks with my current system if i
lost my main hard drive i would drop in win xp cd and reinstall
everything i heard with compaq u dont have a cd that the cd is a
seperate partition on the hd but if hd fails or is removed u dont
have that option...im stuck HELP
Click to expand...

I have not heard of Compaq putting spyware on their computers. As Carey
says they may put limited trial software on there but that is all. The XP
you get preinstalled will be the same as XP from other companies except each
company will add their own stuff to it.
As for the recovery discs, its likely they do what many other major
companies do and thats put the restore set on a hidden partition. You can
create your own restore disc out of this partition.
 
Carey said:
HP and Compaq PCs are very good and reliable.
Click to expand...


Carey, if that's your honest opinion, I'd have to doubt that you've
ever had to support any significant number of either. One of the oldest
sayings in the IT industry is "Friends don't let friends buy Compaqs."
While both HP and Compaq offer some reasonably decent business-class
machines, their consumer-class models are invariably comprised of the
lowest grade components available.





--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
 
Rick,

I'm not an expert in this area but I'd be shocked if an installation CD or a
recovery CD wasn't supplied with any reputable computer purchase. At the
very least you should receive a recovery CD, and not on a separate
partition, but what do I know?

Drew
 
so this system
Compaq Presario Desktop with AMD AthlonT 64 Processor 3400+will be good for games like wow eq2 guildwars and mainly ddo as its p4 equal
has the ram and video card unsure what audio is but i know it has 2 pci slots
open for additional video or audio card i liked compaq cause they used to
have the option of good tech support ie u were able to talk to a rep and let
them enter your computer to see issues unlike dell that tells u always format
the hd lol, normally if my hd failed i had a backup i could install or i just
reinstalled everything so im guessing thats the same with the compaq i dont
wanna get burned only got $400 to play with
 
nick said:
Ok someone stated compaq sucks that they have spyware and offer no retail
windows cd with there systems, im looking at bestbuy cause thats where i got
giftcards from all they have is mainly gateway emachine compaqs and hp

sp what the heck is good?
Click to expand...


Out of the choices listed, Gateway normally has better quality; avoid
eMachines as you would the plague. In fact, if at all possible, avoid
Best Buy, as well. However, as you've gift cards (can these not be used
for safer purchases, such as CDs, DVDs, or even a digital camera?) and
seem inclined to deal with Best Buy, make sure that you never, ever take
any "technical" advice from any of their sales staff, and never, ever
take a computer back to them for service or repairs.

Of the major OEM brands, MPC (formerly Micron), Dell, and Gateway are
usually OK, as long as you stay away from their less then $500 models.
Last time I checked, both MPC and Gateway still offered real
installation CDs with their computers. As someone else has already
pointed out, you should be able to get a better machine, for less money,
by going to a reputable local systems builder.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
 
nick said:
Ok someone stated compaq sucks...
Click to expand...


A bit strong, but not completely inaccurate, either.

that they have spyware
Click to expand...


Not as such, not really, but some of the games that HP/Compaq
preinstall do require you to download and run adware. Of course, these
games can be removed. All of the major OEMs bundle several
applications, usually trial versions, with their products; I think they
do this on a fee basis to help defray their costs for offering the cheap
computers that most consumers want.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
 
Bruce said:
Carey, if that's your honest opinion, I'd have to doubt that you've
ever had to support any significant number of either.
Click to expand...

Hardware issues have NEVER been one of Carey's strong suits.

Actually, I'm hard pressed to find ANYthing he posts about here to be
one of his strong suits.

He's a copy-and-paste artist who rarely has taken the time to
investigate issues that he's posting replies to as an "MVP" (he's a
JOKE).
 
Nick,

This is just my personal opinion. I think that Dell is a good choice. I say
this partly based on Consumer Reports repair history. They seem to show that
Dell's have a relatively low incidence of problems with new computers. I also
say it because, in my personal experience, yes-I have a Dell 8200, the
company is easy to deal with. Their customer sales people seemed to be
knowledgable and helpful. I don't think that their "tech support" is worth
much though. But nobodys seems to be any more.

At any rate, I think Dell did a decent job and was fairlly priced.

Milt
 
aye i have a dell i just cant stand there tech support from india whose
solution to everything is format the hd and oh yea the drivers to run the cd
to reinstall are on the drive you just formatted.... dell only offers p4 and
i dont know much but heard amd athlon 64 3400+ was realllly good, as i said
best buy had that compaq on sale for under $500 and was looking into it,
there isnt many computer shps near me and im severely limited to money lol,
with compaq they have recovery stuff on seperate partition but if the hd
fails you lose everything on it even the "secret" recovery partition and i
ignore best buy tech staff and dont ask tech questions they are idiots nor do
i bring machines in for repair i repair myself
 
nick said:
Ok someone stated compaq sucks that they have spyware and offer no retail
windows cd with there systems, im looking at bestbuy cause thats where i got
giftcards from all they have is mainly gateway emachine compaqs and hp

sp what the heck is good?
Click to expand...


Other than looking at major publications including Consumer Reports,
the best people to ask for this information are amongst friends who
have personal computers. Next best place would be at the workplace,
from the Information Tech staff. Finally, the best computer for any
single person might well be the unbranded, custom-built one from the
local OEM-builder who has an established clientele and come highly
recommended because it has a reputation to maintain.
 
Bruce said:
Out of the choices listed, Gateway normally has better quality; avoid
eMachines as you would the plague.
Click to expand...

Gateway has gone the way of CHEAP.

If you look into the matter, you'll find that Gateway and eMachines are
now one and the same.
 
Ok someone stated compaq sucks that they have spyware and offer no retail
windows cd with there systems, im looking at bestbuy cause thats where i got
giftcards from all they have is mainly gateway emachine compaqs and hp

sp what the heck is good?
Click to expand...

The best computer is one that you have specifically built for your
specific needs. Don't misunderstand, while you "might" be able to spec
and build a computer on your own, unless you really understand the
interactions and performance issues related to the different parts and
how they relate to your needs, you are not likely to get the best
machine for your needs.

What you need to do is find someone that you can work with to create a
detailed spec for a machine that does what YOU want.

In general, you can through really fast hardware/parts at anything and
it will work, but you can also save some money and buy what you really
need and get the same performance.

When it comes to purchasing Branded machines, I purchase the "OptiPlex"
line from Dell, even for home users, as I get more control in the
hardware.

I would never purchase a Compaq, HP, eMachines, Toshiba, Sony,
elienware, Gateway.... for a residential user. Most of them have custom
bezels now that don't allow you to easily install new exposed drives,
many use non-standard PSU's and some are just plain junk.
 
nick said:
aye i have a dell i just cant stand there tech support from india
whose solution to everything is format the hd and oh yea the
drivers to run the cd to reinstall are on the drive you just
formatted.... dell only offers p4 and i dont know much but heard
amd athlon 64 3400+ was realllly good, as i said best buy had that
compaq on sale for under $500 and was looking into it, there isnt
many computer shps near me and im severely limited to money lol,
with compaq they have recovery stuff on seperate partition but if
the hd fails you lose everything on it even the "secret" recovery
partition and i ignore best buy tech staff and dont ask tech
questions they are idiots nor do i bring machines in for repair i
repair myself
Click to expand...

I like Dell. Of course - I always get complete care and gold support - 4+
years. It helps immensely.
However - I also rarely have to call where I do not know what to say to get
the quickest response - to get the part I need shipped out or even a
technician sent out. So my experience will vary greatly from others who
would not be able to assembly a system from scratch on their own.

As a gamer - I would almost ALWAYS build my own PC from scratch - choosing
everything carefully including the case/power supply. The problem with
that? It is rarely as cheap as getting a package deal.

As someone who has to buy 100's of PCs in any given year for various uses
throughout various place - I will say that Compaq/HPs are horrible
performers and their service - while not the worst - is close. Dell has
been fairly responsive over the years - although yes - you can run into the
tech support with no clue. Gateway.. I just cannot recommend them. They
were okay for a while - then everything seemed to go downhill - IMHO.

Personally - I would likely (if trying to save money and get a system I
could expand on) try to find some decent combination packs on places like
"pricewatch" and "dealsites".. Motherboard/memory/CPU combinations. Then I
would get a good case with 500+watt power supply and plenty of space for my
needs. A good pair of (or three) hard drives (either to mirror each other
or one for boot and two to RAID together) and a great video card. More than
likely the majority of money (per component) would go to the video
card/monitor. For gaming and productivitry - let's face facts on which part
gets "seen" the most. heh


--
For Pricing/Opinions/Reviews on various products:
- http://www.pricewatch.com/
- http://www.dealsites.net/
- http://www.techbargains.com/
- http://www.resellerratings.com/
- http://www.epinions.com/
--

If you have never assembled your own computer before - you probably should.
It's not difficult at all and you come out of it with marketable and useful
skills you can apply later on when choosing another system - even a
pre-packaged deal. That and if you do get something like a Dell - you may
have even learned what to tell them to get things done faster.. like "I
press CTRL+ALT+D at post and the drive test came back with "Error Code: 7 --
I need a new drive sent out. Thanks!"

Good luck!
 
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