We need to get ourselves a new desktop computer, it needs to be cheap as it's primarily for daughters homework and in case this crappy laptop ups and dies.

Daughter is in grade 7 so nothing technical is required. We need a decent internet speed, we will not be using it for gaming but will want to run microsoft office.

There is one in the paper for $298 and this is what it's got:
Emachines
Celeron D 3.0 GHz
512 MB Ram
120 GB hard drive
DVD Burner
Windows Vista

Or there is a Gateway for $497.97
AMD X2 4600+2.4GHz
2 GB Ram, 320 GB Hard Drive
DVD Burner
Flash Media Reader
Windows Vista

(I have heard the Vista is rubbish?).

Now are these a load of rubbish? If so what should I look for? We didn't do too well when we spent over $1200 on the laptop, so would like to avoid another cock-up.

I have a feeling we should go for Mac's but I think their possibly too much money?

Any thoughts for this techno phobe would be appreciated!
Cheers!
Piff.

When I was researching end of last year, I found that it was recommended to have 2GB of RAM to run Vista properly.

I haven't had any problems with Vista but then I only surf, email and play poker!

Something to note is neither of those two computers likely include a monitor so you can add somewhere between $180 and $210 for a 17" or 19" LCD monitor.

Decent internet speed is going to be determined by your internet provider not the computer.

Windows Vista is just fine for the average user. Were you run into problems with Vista is older hardware printers, scanners and such some just wont work or you can get them to work but in a basic mode only.

Older software can be an issue too. Mrs_P just got a new laptop with Vista and we can no longer run Calendar Creator or Quick Books 2007 on it Microsoft Office XP seems to be fine.

I have a desktop with Vista and most of the software I use runs just fine but my printer no longer tells me how much ink is remaining and my flatbed scanner just refuses to install. I am more upset with HP regarding both the printer and the scanner as they refuse to write new drivers for Vista. They just tell me basically it sucks to be you go out a buy new ones. :curse::curse:

The first one (Emachine) is a lousy deal. Outdated processor, small hard drive, not nearly enough memory. Definitely avoid that one. That Gateway seems much more capable.

From those two - I would go for the Gateway with the 2GB of RAM which will allow you to run a few programs at the same time - I think that you could get frustrated quickly with only 512MB as the computer could become sluggish with more than one program running, especially with Vista.

Speaking of Vista, we have a fairly new laptop with it and have yet to experience any problems *touches wood* .

When we were looking for a new computer in August we drooled over Macs, but sadly couldn't afford one. One day maybe we will get one.

Just a personal point of view.

In my experience (with 4 children), you always end up needing more from your computer than you originally plan.

You buy it thinking that you only need it for a,b and c, then suddenly, your child wants to do x,y and z because they are into something new or the curriculum takes a new direction.

You could chase technology for ever and be constantly upgrading but you probably don't want to do this, but at the same time you don't want to get frustrated because it won't do what you want.

I am not a techi, but with my limited experience, go for more RAM. The hard drive is not such an issue as we have never got anywhere near to filling our hard drive, but we have had to upgrade our RAM on 2 or 3 occasions.

My friendly local computer guy says that Vista works fine if you have new everything - new software, new printer, new scanner etc. etc.

However, the general consensus seems to be that Vista is Microsoft's reincarnation of Windows ME - better soon forgotten.

Also he says that Macs are expensive, but you get what you pay for. Apparently its pretty unlikely to get a virus on a MAC.

His other comment was that a gig of RAM is fine unless you are into gaming.

My two cents worth.

Oh and one more of his tips and that is that a LCD monitor is like a glorified fluorescent light bulb. If you keep turning it off and on all the time, it will probably not last more than 18 months. He says turn it on and don't turn it off unless you are going out shopping or going to bed.

Hi

Have not much idea about computers but we have a MAC and it's great. Everything is easy to set up - Apple have an extremely user-friendly system and we never get viruses (touching wood..........obviously!)

Not sure how much more they are over there but I would suggest they are definitely worth the money - we are certainly converted!

Kathy

Thanks for the replies everyone, we already have a second computer with monitor etc so we just want to replace the gubbings as it has gone wrong, so we already know the sort of usage it will get - not much. Our printer is only 6 months old and I'm not fussed about an LCD screen as it won't get used too much.

But all the other info is great. We keep looking at second had ones - which is how we got the one we are now replacing, I just think maybe we should go for a new one.

Just buy the cheapest pc you can
Lob a copy of linux on it
I'd recomemend ubuntu its so simple to install, then if it not on already load open office

No more software to buy, no more worries about viruses

And open office does microsoft office better than microsoft!!!

When buying a PC my recommendation is to start by picking a budget, not a PC, and then seeing what you can get for that. Of those two I wouldn't touch the first one, even for basic home stuff, but the second one seems pretty capable and half decent for everything apart from games. Just be sure you're getting a monitor as well as I doubt the $300 machine comes with one.

If I may offer a suggestion. There is a lab section of the forum, where questions such as this are asked by folks. There are many IT experts who are members of the forum, but wouldnt necessarily check out the canada forum.

You will receive a wide variety of expert advice if you post your question there by these folks who are always more than willing to assist.

And dont be nervous, the lab section isnt as scary as it might seem.

Bit over budget (especially when you add the tax and delivery) but this is a very good deal at the moment:

http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/...OC=D530QV_F_1E

That's not a bad deal; I'm just getting a new PC built at the local computer store to run Linux on so I can work from home at times, and while it's somewhat cheaper and faster, it doesn't come with an operating system. So I don't think you'll find anything much better for much less money unless you want to put it together yourself (I've done that more than enough times to justify paying the store $50 to assemble it for me).

Personally I really dislike Vista for numerous reasons, but that machine should be more than fast enough for running Microsoft Office even if you do load it up with a slug of an operating system .

Edit: oh, and I agree with the other posts here, I regard 2GB as the minimum amount of RAM for a new PC, particularly if you're going to run Windows on it.

Don't MS have a program where you can get your OS 'downgraded' as it were, to XP?

I have 1GB of RAM running XP, I can photoedit, browse the web, and ofc run office etc simultaneously without noticeable performance issues. It's fast RAM but still a gig is fine. For some kind of futureproofing 2GB is grand, and def cheaper buying it with a new PC rather than an upgrade right now but if this PC is going to be rarely used, and even then only for Office/Web browsing we may be reaching to say that dual core processors and oodles of RAM are 'necessary', even if its running Vista.