Computer-buying advice

[major_clanger]

My computer is full and I need a new one.

Well, it's not quite that simple. But my PC is about eight years old, and although only the case, PSU and floppy are still original it is getting a bit past it and on the basis of experience (mainly other people's, fortunately) I feel it better to replace it before it goes terminally wrong.

Under other circumstances I would be tempted to build my own machine, but we have a vast amount on at the moment and I really would just like to get a ready-to-go box before we move house in a month or so's time.

So, does anyone have any particular recommendations? I've always thought of Dell as suppliers to mass-market business buyers, but I've heard surprisingly good comments on them for home use from more than one direction. Mesh also seem to get a lot of good press. I've soured a bit on Evesham as both showrooms I've visited have been staffed by Dixon's rejects, and they do some very selective review quotations on their website.

Also, a few suppliers are starting to offer Athlon 64 machines - any feelings on whether it's worth going down this route?

[Incidentally, my apologies in advance to the Mac and/or Linux crowd. I was tempted, but for the reasons above I don't fancy a new learning curve right now. It's a pity, as I drool over Macs every time I look at one, but then if I want pretty I could always go for the new Cubit P4.]

MC

Comments

[blufive.livejournal.com]

I'll just chip in that the two machines I've had from Mesh haven't given me any grief.

What will you be using it for?

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

I bought a Mesh machine in 1990, and it worked well, indeed it was a better spec than promised. Athlon 64 has only just been released, so you'd be paying a price premium that would only be justified if you were planning to keep the new machine for ages.

My only experience of Dell is of work machines. Good kit, but their web site confuses me every time.

Look out for quiet components and consider how it might used to as a multimedia jukebox to drive the TV and stereo in the living remotely.

[waistcoatmark.livejournal.com]

Treat evesham with the contempt that the spamming scum deserve.

Athlon64 I'd advise leaving alone for a good 6 months. 64-bit Windows isn't going to be out until '04, the good 64's need a memory type that's rare (and thus expensive), and it's all a little expensive and v1.0 ATM.

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

If I were you, I'd wait until I'd moved house, and then give the Macs and the Linux boxes the consideration which they deserve. Remember ... Microsoft products are WMDs (Windows of Mass Despair...)!

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

If you go back to the very first days of my weblog (Macadamia), it started as a 'how can I get to grips with a Mac' log. The short answer is that if I hadn't been so troubled to network, I'd have cleared the entire 'learning curve' in a week. (It's all about unlearning the bad habits you picked up with Windows, really). And once you're up and running, the Macs give you much less grief. But anyway, it's probably worth reading if you're thinking of switching.

I also wrote a post to the_gardener when he was looking at PCs; to the effect that I bought a Mesh at a time that they were growing very fast. The CD-burner arrived broken, and the hard disk failed after about a month, and I had exactly no luck with their customer services. Having said that, the machine has been a very good performer since then, the components were all from reputable companies, and the case is a marvel. If I were buying a PC, I'd think seriously about getting another Mesh, but I'd check out reports of their customer service provision first.

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

I was using a much-upgraded computer until summer. Yes, with the AT-format motherboards pretty well gone, you might as well change the whole lot. Well, except maybe the monitor.

That might be a useful test question. Can they sell you a system without a monitor, because you have an impressively huge and high-quality box on the desk already?

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

The learning curve on Macs is really not much of a problem. I switched a couple of years ago and didn't really skip a beat. You have a nice friendly user interface which is easy to set up and run, but you also have full scale Unix under the hood if you want to get your hands dirty. But you don't need to get your hands dirty since the GUI protects you from all of that. It may sound trite, but Macs really do 'just work'. Also, their customer service seems to be pretty good when something does go wrong.

I would also ask about issues broader than just familiarity with Windows. Do you really want to support convicted monopolists who are becoming more and more intrusive in the ways they control your use of your computer? Do you support things like Palladium, the treatment of the user as a likely felon with the DRM infrastuctures, the mandatory automatic upgrades that install things on your machine and uninstall others without your permission? Do you like the idea of product activation, so that your mahcine may stop working when you install a hardware upgrade? Do you want an operating system with so many security holes and weaknesses to viruses and worms, and a company that strives to keep flaws secret rather than fis them openly and quickly? More than anything else, it was these considerations that really got me looking at Macs and Linux, and I have to say, having tried both, the Mac is really much more trouble free and easy to use, even for someone who uses Unix at work.

As to PC suppliers, I'd definitely avoid Evesham. They are building machines to a price point and so do not use the best components. Its highly unlikely that an Evesham will survive 8 years like your current machine. My advice would be to find a good quality small, local supplier, with whom you can develop a personal relationship. There must be companies like this in Cambridge.

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

The name I always hear mentioned among Cambridge techie friends is World of Computers in the Science Park. They're local, and they've a fine reputation for service; they'll build things for you to arbitrary specifications you provide; their prices look pretty reasonable.

comments

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

Never ever buy Dell. Their customer service is fiction.

Mesh have been fine for my Dad for about 6 or seven years. He has bought four computers from them over the years.

Best of luck, and we ought to talk about web servers sometime. I just bought a new one and its looking for interesting sf projects to help finance its net connection.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Some very good points here, so I've made another post on my thoughts on PC vs Mac.

MC