I need a new computer. Please help me choose!?

Question

Thanks for looking. The computer I have now is around 3 years old. I am looking to purchase a new laptop or desktop, but I'm not sure which to choose. At this time i'm looking for something that can run multiple things at once without slowing down. Right now my current computer slows down drastically if I have multiple tabs open while using firefox. If I try using my email program while having multiple tabs open, it just takes forever. I like to game once in a while as well. Any idea on what I should look for? Thanks a lot!!

Answer 1

Use a Mac, i dont have one, but i have had experience with them and they r good, no one has found a way to hack into them yet, or so i heard..

Answer 2

If you don't need the portability, then seriously consider the desktop. A desktop is more easily upgraded if needed down the road. Laptops have far more restrictions concerning their ability too be upgraded. Looking at the requirements you have listed, you will want 4 GB of RAM for good processing speed. Intel Dual Core Processors seem to be popular and reliable. You didn't say what operating system you have installed. If you computer is three years old then you could have either Windows XP or Windows Vista. Vista is a problem on any computer that was not built around the Vista os. Vista tales around a minimum of 1 1/2 GB of RAM just to satisfy it's hunger for memory. If a system has only 2 GB of RAM, there's not much memory left to run several programs, email and something else. Look at the specifications of your current computer and read some reviews of computers you're interested in to compare specs. Pay attention to "Processor speed", ( something around 2.5 / processor is good ), pay attention to the RAM ( memory ), at least 4 GB for what you want to have running, and a good graphics card for gaming and if you store many files, a 500 GB hard drive should be enough. You should be able to get a computer with these specs for about $1000 - $1400 depending on the brand and if you get a new monitor or keep yours.

Answer 3

apple computers are really nice, but they are also very expensive.



and even if you get a computer with the fastest multitasking abilities, it still might run slowly depending on your network connection or service provider.



I've found that Dell computers work pretty well and are fairly affordable. In my experience, Toshiba laptops aren't the best. My sister's is a year old and she is currently getting it fixed because it wont turn on.



You might want to go to a store such as BestBuy or CircutCity to look at all the options and brands at once and compare them. Also, dont make a decision right away. It helps to look at them at the store then compare them online too. Do a little research and see if you can get it for a better price on eBay or Amazon.



Good Luck!

Answer 4

I can recommend you stay away from dell. We have a custom made computer and i think thats the best way to go. Our computer has a 1 TB Hard drive, 1 GB Graphics card, 8 GB of ram. All these things make it absoloutly perfect for gaming and multi tasking. Otherwise just go have a look at your local computer shop. The better the ram, The more things the computer can do at once. The better the Hard drive, more things can be stored. The better the graphics card, the graphics are heaps smoother

Answer 5

I would recommend a Macbook(laptop) or imac(Desktop) they are both made by Apple. I used to own a Hp laptop and was having the same issue. Later i was introduced to Mac's and i own 2 laptops now and thinking of getting a imac now. They are kinda expensive but they are very easy to use and super fast... Right now as i type i have 10 google pages open searching for different things and my laptop is running supper fast. If you are a student Apple gives you a student discount when you purchase a laptop from them and also right now i think they are giving away a ipod touch.

Answer 6

Buy a 17" Macbook Pro. It'll do everything. You can't go wrong with that. I've played high-end games like Tombraider: Underworld on my Macbook Pro. I also run Windows XP and OS X. Never get any slow downs. It runs really smooth, and I love the stability of the operating system. You won't have to worry much about viruses either unless you're running Windows on it. Once you go Mac, you never go back. If not that, buy you a 24" iMac. They rock!

Answer 7

I have the Dell Inspiron 1720.It has Mozilla Firefox but it NEVER slows down and it is light weight.Good luck finding the right one!Hope I helped!

Answer 8

Choose between? do you have personal liking brands? try hp or toshiba, hp look great and work great or toshiba which look like crap but work really well

try to get these specs:

RAM 4+

AMD ATI 3850 or AMD quad core

64 bit OS dont get vista it will be outdated soon to windows 7 i guess the new computers still use vista....

Good Video Card NVIDIA is okay.. anything along those lines....

Answer 9

i have a macbook pro,

i LOVE it !

the best computer ever,

i run like 10 windows at once, while downloading things and it still runs super fast,



you should definitely get one ;)

Answer 10

Ok, I hope this helps :D

Some brands you shouldn't get because they're bad is: Emachines (THE WORST THING EVER LAGS ON EVERYTHING!), Acer, Compaq, or Gateway

Gateway and Compaq aren't THAT bad, but they're not that great.

Some good brands you should seek are Mac's (They're a little pricey, but they're good, I recommend a dell), Dell (One of the best computer brands, but don't think about getting a extended warranty, HORRIBLE help and support center, getting an extended warranty is just a waste of money.), HP (The support is good, and the computers are pretty reliable, but not as reliable as dell or Macs, but overall they're pretty good.)

Those are the 3 good brands you should seek :D

But overall the best for performance is Mac books, but they're kind of pricey, if you're on a budget, I wouldn't fully recommend it if you are on a budget. The costumer support is very good, trust me, you can chat with a professional, and they help you. Dells are very good computers, one of the best besides Macs, but the problem about Dell is that they're kinda expensive, and also the Costumer Support is horrible. But they're good computers, so they don't break that easily, so you don't really need good costumer support, you know what I mean :). Hp's are pretty reliable, not as good as Dell's, but still good, and at least their costumer support is good!

Here are some computers from the 3 recommended companies that are good:

Mac

* 13-inch. Starts at $1199.

* 15-inch. Starts at $1699.

* 17-inch. Starts at $2499.

That's for mac book pro, and mac book pros are FAST and RELIABLE :), a lot of college students have it, and they LOVE it, and if you get a mac book for the summer, you get a FREE and I'm talking free ipod touch! :) So, I recommend a mac book pro if you're not on a budget. Mac books are good, but not as good as Mac book pro.

If you want the price mac books are, Starting at $999.

and here's the apple website if you want to check it out:

http://www.apple.com/

and here's the mac website:

http://www.apple.com/mac/

Then lets move on to dell.!.

BAD COSTUMER SUPPORT!!! That's a BIG thing here, if you like good costumer support, then get a dell. But if you don't care, I recommend a dell. I have a dell my self that runs on Vista 32, Vostro 220.

The xps's are EXTREME gaming, and they're very good, but if you game extreme like I mean SUPER extreme, then get one of these:

http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/desktops/desktop-studioxps-435mt/pd.aspx?refid=desktop-studioxps-435mt&s=dhs&cs=19

The pros about xps's is that it has the FASTEST core that I know of, and yes, it's better than quad, it's I7!!!! But, the i7, is mostly for EXTREME gaming, and they're kinda expensive, so if you multitask, a 2 duo would work, not an i7, and the 2 duo core, which I have, it's good for some gaming, and i7 is for EXTREME gaming, so a 2 duo would work, but if you want to have fun and get an i7, get one :D

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dddota3&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=desktops_great_deals

This computer is rated 5 stars, and it's x4 phenomenon quad core, again, for extreme gaming, but if you want to have fun, its only 450$, a GOOD deal for just desktop. NOTE: THERE IS NO MEDIA CARD READER!!!

But that computer is for extreme gaming, and it's an AMAZING DEAL FOR THE PRICE!

You'll need to get a widescreen moniter, and they're about 150$+

seek for deals on moniters.

You should get your dell online, because ITS WAY BETTER IF YOU GET IT ONLINE!!! I got mine online.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dddoma4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=desktops_great_deals

This one is another good deal, even though its another quad, it's still a very good pc! And, it's a good deal too!

Here's the dell website if you want to check the things out:

http://www.dell.com/

Hp's

http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/welcome.html#Product

You can look through all of them

The core 2 duo is good enough for you :)

The hard drive 320gb-500gb

The windows Vista Home premium, or Ultimate, but home premium is good enough

32 or 64 bit is fine

The memory: at least 2 gb to run vista!

LOL

Yeah, and I hope this helped, and I'm not a computer expert, I just know all these things, lol

THIS TOOK ME A WHILE TO ANSWER, SO YEAH

Answer 11

DON'T.GET.A DELL D:



I'm only warning you this once, they're terrible!

Not to mention, the people that work for them are terrible too, PLEASE don't put yourself through the torture >.<'



I recommend a Mac.

*-* I love them... I wanna get one soon.

Answer 12

Gateway is the best way to go.

Answer 13

get a dell