Thread: Your Opinion Please

We have a Dell and yes, they have outsourced their tech support to India. We didn't get a couple of things which were suppose to come with it (floppy drive and Quicken computer program.) After attempting to deal with their tech support, hubby and I got so frustrated that we said we will just buy these items separately and add them.

Contrary to what Jazzmama says...their tech support is NOT in the USA. (Although I have heard that you can ask them to transfer you to someone in the United States.)

We have a compaq desktop thats ok. Its not the best but it does what the kids need it to do. Hubby has a HP laptop and really likes it. I have a Toshiba laptop and wouldn't trade it for anything. My BIL has a sony laptop and seems to like it. Out of all of them I would take my Toshiba any day. lol I couldn't tell you anything about tech support though because I've never had to use it. I've had this one for a little over a year and have had no problems what so ever. Good luck!

I don't recommend an 'emachine'. I burned up 2 of them and I just do e-mailing family and friends and doing freebie stuff, mostly here. I have HP Pavillion now and it was pretty reliable til I got fried during an electrical storm. At the time I had unplugged the computer but didn't know about unplugging the phone. I do now

Now that I own a Mac I would never go back!

I own an iBook and a Powerbook-love them!

The first PC we got was a NEC, totally SUCKED....

Second was a HP, in the first 8 months they had to replace the CPU 4 times, after that time I called HP Corporate office talked to some big shot, he checked my history and upgraded my PC to 1 gig Prosessor, CD/RW DVD player,and 40 gig HD.

About one month later they had to replace that CPU, that was the middle of 2001. September of 2003 they replaced the HD, and then the CD/RW. My first year with HP was a bad year, after that it was ok..

Gave that PC to my oldest boy last week because my better half bought me a Dell 2.5 gig prosessor, 512 RAM, 80 Gig HD, CD/RW.

Its only been a week with this one but no problems with the PC.

Customer service is another story, last Friday I was on the phone with them from 9:00 AM til 1:00 PM just to purchase another two year extended warrenty, and couldn't get that done till Monday morning.

If this is what I have to look forward to if and when I need tech support, then I'm going to be one unhappy camper...

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed...Sorry for rambling on...

Robert

All I know is I have had an HP my mom had a compac and we have the Dells They all have their down falls her Compacq was a freaking nightmare I swear i wanted to throw it out the window after replacing the cd drive on it 3 times . We use our computer 24\7 at work it is never shut off I guess do your research Good Luck

Originally posted by schsa
How computer literate are you and what do you want to do with your computer? That should help you make your decision. If you are going to use it for games and surfing the net you won't need the same sort of configuration as someone who uses it for work. If you plan to store loads of data on it, you don't need the same sort of computer as someone who does graphics.

I disagree on both counts. If you play pogo.com type games then this info is accurate... but if you play highly graphic intense games that require lots of space for the install (my husband just got me one that is going to take more than 2 gigs to install alone... and it has very specific requirements for game play that most 'average' computers don't cover) then you need a 'better than average' computer. Also, I do graphics. I am self taught in Photoshop, Flash and 3d Studio Max and I can assure you that I can fill every bit of my 40 gigs in no time between my games and graphics. Sometimes I have to network projects over to one of my husbands computers so that I have enough room to finish.

If all you intend to do is surf the web and play internet games... then any computer off the shelf will fit your bill. If you download mp3s you need one that has a burner. If you watch movies on it then you need one w/ a DVDrom. If you play graphic intensive games that require large installs you need one w/ a really good video card and a bigger hard drive as well as alot of ram.

I do agree that you need to figure out exactly what you want to be able to do... write it all down and take it to best buy. You don't have to buy from them but you can take advantage of the ppl on the sales floor. They'll tell you everything you need then you can find a computer online that does all that and get it ALOT cheaper.


www.pricewatch.com and www.*********.com are two very good sites that run great deals ALL the time.

edited to add... I didn't know it would star that out... it's not even a freebie site... interesting... I guess pm me if you want the addy.

I have a Compaq Presario and I have sent it back too many times to count. It is a laptop. I also had a desk model and it crashed completely. It wasn't even used much, just for a back up for when the laptop was down. Compaq tech support is good if you have the hours to spend on the phone but they do sometimes give very bad advice. I solved my problem about getting techs I couldn't understand. I say, and it is true, that I am hard of hearing and that I am having trouble understanding and they often will change me to a tech who speaks better English.
I have my new computer picked out. I am saving money for it now. I researched a lot and this thread has been interesting. It confirmed my thoughts about Toshiba. That is what I will try next. I have had a Mac and loved it but most of my software now is for a PC. I've enjoyed reading everyone's experience with their computers.