Computers, what to buy?

C-man

Laptop vs destop?

PC vs Mac?

I am lost! I don't need it to do many things just basic stuff.

Lizzi

Wouldn't be without my laptop, still Windows, although kids are going over to Apple, so we may too in the future. For me clarity of display is important, and also how hot it gets underneath, as I am using it as lap-dog 85% of the time. Will say though that i am being seduced by the ease of use of iPad etc, but the programs I use are not transferable to a pad yet. 😉 L

Koffee_Kosmo

Daughter has a Sony Vio laptop that converts to a tablet These are becoming more popular because they are more versatile KK

C-man

If I go desk top then I can have a big wide flat screen These guys are where my tech recommended for the best prices. http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=6

Lizzi

big screen can be plugged into laptop as peripheral... best of both worlds 😉

C-man

Lizzi wrote:

big screen can be plugged into laptop as peripheral... best of both worlds 😉

true, but what about the sound? a big screen with speakers on the ends maybe?

UNM

If you don't need to do much, perhaps one of these? http://www.leapfrog.com/gaming/clickstart/ Seriously though, it is hard to make recommendations without more info. Laptops are easy to use with large screen and full keyboard/mouse at home. The main limitation is they are not generally easy to upgrade with whiz bang graphics or option cards. Tablets are great for some uses, crap at others. Chrome books are another option you might consider

C-man

basically All we do is surf the net, read a lot send and receive emails and watch movies. Does the computer need to be something different in order to power a nice sized big screen that we can swing around and watch from the lounge? We do not do any gaming, but we want a nice clear sharp picture.

C-man

I was thinking this box maybe http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=6 This monitor maybe http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=6 it has good sound too both all up about $700 and new

UNM

Check staticice.com.au for comparative pricing The operating system is relatively unimportant, Linux, windoze or ios. All will do what you need.

Lizzi

Daughter has Apple laptop, uses it to download movies, then stream to large flatscreen TV to watch them. So that is an option too, although I don't know enough about that...

C-man

I like laptops but my tech says he has heaps of broken ones that can not be repaired I think I would have to pay much more for a good laptop than a good desktop yes everyone swears my mac's But they are pricey and I would have to re-learn how to operate them, but that would not be hard. I think Apple has the best picture quality too but not really sure yet.

Lizzi

we have always bought ours on super specials from HN, with extended warranty for 3 years @ around extra $150 or so. Overall our laptops have been hassle free, but we have to claim on the warranty a few times,....if it is irreparable, they will replace it. 3 years, good run for laptop... time to upgrade 😉 Apple is not hard, intuitive actually.... it has just been the fact ours ( OM and mine) have always been Windows and we share a bit of stuff. Also, my book keeping program was not Apple friendly, think that is changing now though....

C-man

I may be offline soon as my pewter is dying, barely able to boot this morning, did some backing up today.

C-man

I may be offline soon as my pewter is dying, barely able to boot this morning, did some backing up today.

C-man

warranty is important.

eggbert

For general internetting etc all i use is a cheapy netbook (MSI Wind). I've upgraded it to a SSD hard disk drive for speed and it does almost everything I need of it. I can plug it in to either a monitor or the flat screen tv for watching movies etc, and just add a little speaker set if only using the monitor. If I played games, or tried to do some graphics intensive work then I would be looking at a desktop, but for an easy to use pc a small laptop is what I would use most of the time.

Brett_H

I've bought every computer part from Umart for the last 10+ years and my mate who is now too busy to build his own has bought a few of their machines in the last couple of years. Both of us can't recommend them highly enough. Getting our gear is a bit like the soup nazi experience but worth the effort. Go desktop with a nice big screen and then own the track you can get one of these to make it like a faux media centre to sit back and watch ya movies: http://umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=6

C-man

thanks Brett, I guess my tech was on the right path as you just confirmed it. you link is not specific what were you thinking? What screen would you recommend? inexpensive but still good Also does the computer need anything special for a good looking picture?

galumay

Seriously, just get yourself an iMac if you want a desktop, no need for anti-virus software, no cables other than the power cable, no ugly box, just the panel with everything inside. If you do want a laptop then the build quality in a Mac means they dont have the same problems that the other brands have, sure you will pay a little more but its good value in the end. Learning OSX is not an issue at all, ask anyone that has a Mac.