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| Thread ID: 51218 | 2004-11-14 20:35:00 | Advice on choosing a family computer, please. | MattG (6409) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 292064 | 2004-11-14 21:06:00 | > Since you are in Wanganui a good place to start is > http://www.computermedic.co.nz/ And also because you will get local expert followup support |
TonyF (246) | ||
| 292065 | 2004-11-14 21:06:00 | Far out,didnt even notice this guy was in Wanganui. $1200 bucks at the moment will get ya a nice comp with a 15" lcd. |
metla (154) | ||
| 292066 | 2004-11-14 21:07:00 | > Although his prices may not be the country's > greatest... Pretty sure i have the best prices in the Manawatu,Wanganui,Taranaki regions, Would be suprised if any others in the area were anywhere close.... |
metla (154) | ||
| 292067 | 2004-11-14 21:08:00 | > Since you are in Wanganui a good place to start is > http://www.computermedic.co.nz/ Snap! Suzie Bee! ;) I should have given his url too. But to add to my comment, Metla can tailor a PC for what you require... eg seeing as you won't be using it for gaming, a lot of cash can be saved on a low end video card, which are probably the highest priced components. Re broadband - I highly recommend it - with youngsters in the house the freed-up phoneline will be a thing you'll value a lot - also you don't have to choose an expensive broadband rate - even $50.00 per month will give you an enormous boost in online speed compared to dialup (256k) compared to <56K |
Greg S (201) | ||
| 292068 | 2004-11-14 21:12:00 | If you want broadband (I would) you'll have to consider the cost of an ADSL (asynchronys digital subscriber line) Router or Modem. My advice would be to get an external ethernet router rather than a USB or internal PCI ADSL modem. For a PC with windows XP consider 512MB of RAM rather than the 256MB that may of the standard packages ship with, especially if you have aor are going to get a digital camera, do anything with video or DVD's. If you can lay your hands on an AMD Semperon powered PC rather than a Celeron one, you at least have the chance to put a more powerful CPU in at a later date (note of caution, check what socket the Semperon is using, I'm not sure if they are only socket A at this stage or are coming out in 940 pin sockets). You might want to consider getting the personal experience of having a PC built or picking a package from a computer store. Apparently there's at least one good one in Wanganui, the guy who runs it will sometimes answer queries on PF1, particularly re hardware and buying a PC, I think his name is wingnut or maybe it's metalhead ;) Try clicking on a few member's names in the left margin. Murray P |
Murray P (44) | ||
| 292069 | 2004-11-14 21:24:00 | > (asynchronys digital subscriber line) Umm, asymmetric digital subscriber line. > My advice would be > to get an external ethernet router rather than a USB > or internal PCI ADSL modem. Why not an internal PCI Murray? The one I use is the simplest thing ever to configure and use - very much like a dial-up modem, and probably less expensive than external > I think his name is > wingnut or maybe it's metalhead ;) LOLOL :^O |
Greg S (201) | ||
| 292070 | 2004-11-14 21:33:00 | as far as big brands go... the company i work for has about 2000 dell system in the feild and abotu 3000 compaq systems. we fix about 25 dell systems a week, and only about 1 or 2 compaq systems...... i would never buy a dell, some people would say that dell is good and othe will say that comapq is good. if you want real value for your $$$ then go to a computer shop and get a custom built system, you get better support and you get that parts you need and not the crap you dont. a bond & bond deal might come with a pritner /scanner , if you want a 17" LCD insted of the printer/scanner then they will say "that the package take it or leave it" if you go to your local computer shop and get a custom built then you can decide to spend the $$ on more RAM and not get a printer or you could get a smaller screen and use the $$ to get a printer or............. you get the picture. |
robsonde (120) | ||
| 292071 | 2004-11-14 21:37:00 | External ethernet is more reliable than both USB and internal. It probably would not make much difference to a modern machine but, USB and PCI use the PC's resources to do their job whereas the ethernet routers are almost entirely independent. One less USB port taken up, once peripherals are considered or, one less PCI slot taken up (ethernet router can be used as LAN switch) on a board that will probably not have a surplus of either. The addition of NAT with, in some models, a hardware firewall in a router, provides more security which I would consider important in a mixed use, internet, environment. Asymmetric, your right, my bad :8} Murray P |
Murray P (44) | ||
| 292072 | 2004-11-14 21:40:00 | There are also other added bonus's of buying from a local supplier, namely the quality of the hardware. Often systems provided by the likes of HP/Compaq/Dell dont have AGP slots, this can be a major hassle in the future when you come to upgrade. The hardware also has far better support from both the manufactuer and supplier, e.g its a mission and a half to find a BIOS update for a mobo used in a Compaq system, but finding a new BIOS for a mobo in a PC Metla built should be relatively easy. The PC will also be setup properly without all the extra crap the like of Dell and HP like to add. You'll also receive a full copy of Windows XP unlike the recovery CD provided by most major brands. |
Pete O'Neil (250) | ||
| 292073 | 2004-11-14 21:44:00 | As has been mentioned before, $1200 would get you a very good PC which would meet all your needs. Generally speaking, smaller local firms provide much better service than larger chains. If I remember correctly, Telecom is running a promotion for "free installation" of Jetstream. This means that you buy the self-install kit which includes a jetstream modem, and once you sign up they refund you the cost of the kit and the cost of connecting your line up to jetstream. Jetstream is by far the most popular broadband internet in NZ at this stage. The real benefits are that it's much faster than dial-up, and also you free up the phone line. You can get Jetstream (at 256k - 4-5x faster than dial-up) for as little as $40/month if you are a telecom customer. This gives you 1GB of monthly usage, which should be plenty for internet/email/homework. As long as your kids don't go downloading lots of music/videos, you won't exceed the monthly limit. In saying that, if you do exceed the limit, you don't get charged extra - the speed is just reduced down to 64k for the rest of the month. |
somebody (208) | ||
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