| Forum Home | ||||
| PC World Chat | ||||
| Thread ID: 70849 | 2006-07-18 09:46:00 | Should I go second hand or new? | Greven (91) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 471735 | 2006-07-18 09:46:00 | My grandfather has decided that he needs a computer so that he can email photos back & forth with his brother in Holland. He has never really used a computer before, but he isn't afraid of learning new technology. He will need something small and light so he doesn't do himself an injury if he decides to move it, and a largish (17 or 19 inch) LCD screen so everything on the screen is plenty big enough. If I manage to get the whole family to chip in, he might be able to pay up to $1500. Am I likely to find something that suits his needs second hand, or will he have to buy new? If he does have to buy new, where do you reccomend buying from? I will probably hook him up with one of the $15 per month unlimited dialup plans because I'm not going to risk him getting over cap charges on ADSL, and $30 per month is probably a bit too expensive. I would sell him my linux box for far less than it is worth, but a retail copy of windows is so expensive, and if I give him linux, I'll be the only person who can help him with it. |
Greven (91) | ||
| 471736 | 2006-07-18 10:14:00 | For that kind of money I'd just buy a new one, you will want a warranty with this. | george12 (7) | ||
| 471737 | 2006-07-18 11:06:00 | $1200 Dell with the 19in LCD I just saw advertised on TV. | Metla (12) | ||
| 471738 | 2006-07-18 12:25:00 | $1500 would get him a nice lappie; probably more than he needs. A 1000 buck used one could be ideal. The LCD screen would probably be better for his vision despite being smaller, than a CRT monitor. Especially if it's reading text etc then a large cumbersome monitor seems silly. Plus it meets your "small and light" requirements. | Greg (193) | ||
| 471739 | 2006-07-18 12:29:00 | My grandfather has decided that he needs a computer so that he can email photos back & forth with his brother in Holland. He has never really used a computer before, but he isn't afraid of learning new technology. He will need something small and light so he doesn't do himself an injury if he decides to move it, and a largish (17 or 19 inch) LCD screen so everything on the screen is plenty big enough. If I manage to get the whole family to chip in, he might be able to pay up to $1500. Am I likely to find something that suits his needs second hand, or will he have to buy new? If he does have to buy new, where do you reccomend buying from? I will probably hook him up with one of the $15 per month unlimited dialup plans because I'm not going to risk him getting over cap charges on ADSL, and $30 per month is probably a bit too expensive. I would sell him my linux box for far less than it is worth, but a retail copy of windows is so expensive, and if I give him linux, I'll be the only person who can help him with it. A 500MHz/128Mb machine running Linux will do email/photo/multimedia no problem. Less than $200 around. Get something on KDE/Gnome. Requires less/just as much help as a Windows desktop by the sounds of your Opa. |
vinref (6194) | ||
| 471740 | 2006-07-18 12:39:00 | $1500 would get him a nice lappie; probably more than he needs. A 1000 buck used one could be ideal. The LCD screen would probably be better for his vision despite being smaller, than a CRT monitor. Especially if it's reading text etc then a large cumbersome monitor seems silly. Plus it meets your "small and light" requirements. Agreed, that's probably a good idea. A 15" laptop LCD should do fine if it doesn't have too high a resolution. How about www.dse.co.nz (There are some things DSE are OK for, Laptops are one). |
george12 (7) | ||
| 471741 | 2006-07-18 19:48:00 | I would disagree, Laptops force your head down and you have to cram your hands into a more confined position in order to type, the keyboard layout is poor and the keys have no space between them. Comfort wise a laptop is a suck, especially for an older gent who has never used a comp before. And for the love of god, Do not give him a a ten year old pile of junk running Linux, the man has asked for help, not to be setup for a fall. Buy new, get whats going to suit him best. |
Metla (12) | ||
| 471742 | 2006-07-18 20:25:00 | $1200 Dell with the 19in LCD I just saw advertised on TV. I'm with Metla on this one, I know plenty of people who use Dells and they all seem to work fine, especially if this machine is only going to be used for email and photos, I'd probably go for a cheaper model but thats just me How computer savvy is your gramps, assuming he is down here in Invers you could send him along to Seniornet to learn a bit more about computers from people around his age, so he'll know where they are coming from with explanations |
Morgenmuffel (187) | ||
| 471743 | 2006-07-18 20:49:00 | A lappie might not be the best idea, I am older and found my 17" CRT screen eMac a darn sight easier to see than a than most flat screens. I now use a Mac lappie but spent time getting the height right, desk and adjustable height chair helps :-) Might just be older eyes to go with older neck muscles but he will need to be comfortable. Tray drives for CDs / DVDs are easier to use with unsteady hands than slot loaders too. I think it's great that you are trying to set him up with a computer though. Best. :2cents: |
Sue (33) | ||
| 471744 | 2006-07-18 20:58:00 | If he wants to look at and work with pictures, then a laptop might not be the best option. The sitting postion and screen clarity are often not great for graphics. However the new super shiny screens are very good now, so if he gets a more expensive one (Acer make a nice one) with a non matt screen it would be good. What about broadband connection? That and wifi, would get a machine he could move around the house at will. I have a friend who is elderly and partially disabled, and she loves being able to take her laptop to the bedroom and carry it around the house. |
netchicken (4843) | ||
| 1 2 3 | |||||