Time for a new computer, I think

After spending 2.5 weeks with the laptop, I've come home to realize just how bloody slow my old desktop is. Time to put the old Dell down, I think (1.0 ram, 2.8 ghz, 70 GB hard drive 75% full).

I have a decent newer HP laptop, but it has VISTA and I really don't like that OS. Works well for my husband (who uses it for internet poker and email and watching YouTube) and works fine when we travel. We have high speed cable and wireless G 2.4 (current desktop is hardwired.)

In my last corporate position, I used two screens and loved it. VERY efficient and would speed up my work enormously, I'm sure. I have a decent 19" Dell screen now. I'd like to keep the price down for the whole new set up, but don't want to save pennies to end up unhappy.

Can I use my old screen or should I get a new one? Suggested HD and RAM minimums and any other advice? Idea's of cost?

Other alternative would be to get Jay a netbook, upgrade the RAM a bit, and I can steal the current laptop. However, that leaves me with VISTA and a smallish hardrive, 4.0 RAM and I really prefer working on larger screens. Also, I'm concerned that the small screen on the netbook will not be good for the old man's eyes.

Just a plug: Everyone I know (and there are many) who has switched to a Mac from PCs has been thrilled and wondered why she didn't do so years earlier. Macs are more expensive, but they're less prone to viruses (I've been on Macs for 20 years and never had one), are really amazing machines, and come with a host of really useful software to boost creativity and productivity. Plus, if you wish, you can get a program that allows you to run Windows and its programs right on the Mac.

You can buy an Apple-certified refurbished Mac and save some $$$ if cost is really a huge problem.

Leslie

Clay Franklin has a recent thread in which he extols the virtues of upgrading to Win 7. Depending on what you need to do you might try Ubuntu 9.10. If you went that route you couldn't participate in the live webinar's that Lynn gives weekly as the platform is only Windows friendly. But you could still listen to them(The recordings that is)

Thread is entitled "Just Upgraded to Win 7" and it's in the public Forum

Actually, Clay's thread was one of the final things that pushed me over the edge towards getting the new computer, and one of the things that's making me hesitate about taking over the current laptop instead of just getting a new desktop. Sounds like Windows 7.0 is a big improvement.

As valuable as a MAC might be, I just can't get it through my brain that the time spent relearning everything is going to be efficient. Plus, I use other software packages like Quickbooks that would need replacing. I love my iTouch, but love attending Lynn's webinars more.

I also recommend a Mac any chance I get, but I'll try to restrain my rabid fanboy tendencies :)

First, a big reminder with regard to having to replace any Windows apps you already use: Macs run Windows. This has been true for years, but lots of people don't realize it. You can either boot straight into Windows if you want, or there are a couple of great programs that allow you to run Windows as a separate application while running OS X. I use VMWare Fusion for that purpose, and it runs the few things I need Windows for just fine.

Second, when you buy your Mac at an Apple Store, the nice people there will move everything off your older Windows machine onto your new Mac for you. For free.

Third, although I've only ever used Macs at home, I've pretty much only ever used Windows at my j.o.b. (except back in my mainframe days), so I have a great deal of experience with both. The Mac OS is not so radically different that I think you'd suffer a great deal of re-learning. Within a week, you'd probably feel right at home. And Mac applications are built to a consistent human interface standard, whereas with Windows apps, they can vary radically depending on the whim of individual developers.

What you would be able to say goodbye to are things like blue screens of death, viruses (I have never run anti-virus software on my Mac), fiddling with the registry, and struggling to configure device drivers.

OK, I'll stop raving. Actually, what I tell people is, if possible, stop by an Apple Store and play with a Mac for while and form their own impressions.

Good luck,
Doug

I've been lucky - never had a virus that wasn't found an destroyed or a blue screen of death. I have, however, had to replace computers because Mr. Gates came up with a new OS that rendered my old computer nearly extinct. That pisses me off. And wanting to charge me $149 for Window 7.0 instead of giving me a discount for the laptop I bought with VISTA just 6 months ago really pisses me off. And I love my itouch.

So since everybody here keeps talking about Mac's, I called and had a nice discussion with somebody. Who tells me the entry level desktop with just a few minor upgrades will end up costing me about $1400-1500, with only one monitor but includes the cost of some cord to make my current 19" old monitor work alongside their nice shiny new 21.5" monitor. And no, my quickbooks program will not work on the mac - it will have to be replaced with another version for another $149.

I'm having trouble justifying that kind of cost for 4 gb RAM and a 500 gig hardrive that I'll never fill up. Especially considering that it seems that I replace my desktops every 4 years or so as technology gets better.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Anybody vote for a new HP with dual monitors for maybe $800-$1000 (and I already own MS office, so no need to repurchase that).?

It seems your mind is already made up, so sure you could do a lot worse than HP and who wouldn't want dual monitors ( just make sure the video card will handle two monitors). :)