I FINALLY bit the bullet!

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My last desktop is one I bought about 10 years ago, and it succumb to some weird problem several years later. I was always too concerned about OTHER things to worry about it. I recently got into a contract. I'm STILL not sure what they want me to do. Anyway, I want to see if I can setup a network like theirs, so I had to finally GET A DESKTOP!

It turned out to be an INCREDIBLY cheap ACER, $398! But it is faster and bigger than any other system I ever personally bought. And it has Aero turned ON, which reviews say cuts performance by a third. That is funny, since many reviews said Windows 7 has Aero turned off. They're WRONG, at least regarding ACER products.

OK, so far it seems faster with everything. As for networking, I DID have to plug it in, so it has an edge there. it is transferring data almost twice as fast(about 400K/s) as I think I ever saw in wireless, and has bandwidth to spare. I played a video on youtube and I might as well have been watching a live CC broadcast! No hiccups or pauses.

If only it were a laptop. 8-(

Steve
  • Profile picture of the author ThomM
    I bought my first new desktop since 2002 a few months ago.
    I was amazed at how much the prices had dropped.
    Mines an HP, which is what I've always had.
    It has more memory and a bigger hard drive then my last 3 computers combined and was half the price.

    Congratulations on your new toy
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Well, I figured it out. I only have about 7 laptops, but this has twice the diskspace of the last 4(1TB). Last I checked, today's standard for desktops is about 250GB. I DID fully upgrade the memory on my laptops, so this computer has 66% of the memory of my last 2(4GB). As for speed, I bet this one is rated at about 5 times the speed of the fastest laptop I had, though reality may be better or worse. And it has "nine" USB ports. I quoted 9, because 4 are used. 8-(

    But yeah, $398 is CHEAP! Just a 1TB drive, power supply, with USB, will now cost over $100, and I consider THAT cheap. The memory, last I checked, it may be different now, would cost about $80. The mouse maybe $5, the keyboard maybe $10, Speakers maybe over $5. That is $200 right there, and we haven't spoken about the case, motherboard, or CPU. HECK, a CHEAP motherboard has historically cost over $80! So it is almost like getting the CPU and extra interface stuff, and the os, thrown in for like $20!

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    Congrats Steve.
    I used to build myself a new desktop every year or so but haven't been able to afford it since I got sick. I am currently using the desktop I built in 2005. It still runs pretty good but I can't play some games that I would like. Two years ago I got a Call Of Duty game and for some reason I can't get it to run on this thing. Right now my goals ,in order of importance arekidney,car,and then new pc..lol.
    Congrats again!
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  • Profile picture of the author Lou Diamond
    Hello,
    when my last computer broke I went looking on Craigslist, I found a super desktop for just fifty bucks and it works great I have been using it for the past year.
    I keep laughing about all the money that I make on a fifty dollar computer.
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    Something new soon.

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  • Profile picture of the author joetann
    I love the feeling when you get a new computer and it feel insanely fast! I always find it daunting though making all my new paths, directories, folders and everything similar to my previous computer so I still know where everything is. Good job
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    I just tried to install the teradata utilities for developers, and they wouldn't install! 8-( It checked the system and said, since it is not on the list, it can't run 32 bit software, and wouldn't even try to install. :cry: My laptop finds a use.

    I WOULD have assembled my own. Out of about 20 computers I have had, this is only the fourth that was preassembled. The first was before IBM mad micros. The second was before IBM really had any viablke competition for their platform. The third was when I moved here, because I had a LOT I wanted to do, and then there is this. Anyway, I figure it could add a couple hours to setup, maybe an hour to get the OS up, and maybe a couple hours selecting parts, so I figured I would try walmart, interestingly, I got kind of a sibling to one I researched on amazon earlier today. This one is slower, and apparently has no wifi, but it has more disk space.

    joetann,

    Microsoft keeps changing directories, menus, etc...! Sometimes it makes sense, like on here where 32 bit and 64 bit programs are kept separate. Other times, they just seem to move icons around, etc... I'm an admin for a company I work for, as well as a consultant. I NOW assume everyone has AT LEAST XP. The instructions for XP on networks, and some software HAVE to be different from vista and 7. GO FIGURE! It is almost like the names of windows itself!!!!!

    Windows 3.0
    Windows 3.1
    Windows for workgroups 3.11 IIRC
    Windows NT 3.1? IIRC
    Windows NT 4.0? IIRC

    HEY, I thought it made sense, but THEN MS decided to do it based on the year of the NAMING(delayed releases and all)

    Windows 95(WINDOWS)
    Windows 98(WINDOWS) <<< HOPED TIME FOR the switch to NT!
    THEN THEY CHANGED AGAIN! Windows XP
    THEY CHANGE BACK
    Windows 2000 (WINDOWS NT) <<< DECLARED TIME OF SWITCH!

    2000 was, according to many, the millenium, BUT....
    WINDOWS ME (WINDOWS!!!!!!!) <<< UPDATE FOR PEOPLE THAT HADN'T
    THEN THEY CHANGED AGAIN
    WINDOWS XP
    THEN THEY CHANGED AGAIN
    Windows SERVER 2003(ANOTHER PRODUCT, LIKE NT!) <<< This seems like almost an NT version of NT, if you know what I mean. I don't know the official distinction.
    Windows Server 2008(upgrade to 2003)
    THEN THEY CHANGE AGAIN
    VISTA(NT)
    WINDOWS 7(NT)

    OK, it takes a table to get this right, no simple pattern would do it. What do they call the next one? WHIPPED CREAM?

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    "What do they call the next one? WHIPPED CREAM?"

    Or maybe Apple pie?
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  • Profile picture of the author Shaz07
    They say desktops are going to be obsolete soon, which I think is completely BS. Sure laptops and tablets are nice, portable, and might get some of the work done (tablet not so much).

    But I am so much more efficient with my beast of a desktop. I actually have 3 laptops and 2 desktops that have dual monitors set up on each. You would be amazed how much dual monitors increase efficiency, you should try that out with the extra cash you saved with the deal.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by Shaz07 View Post

      They say desktops are going to be obsolete soon, which I think is completely BS. Sure laptops and tablets are nice, portable, and might get some of the work done (tablet not so much).

      But I am so much more efficient with my beast of a desktop. I actually have 3 laptops and 2 desktops that have dual monitors set up on each. You would be amazed how much dual monitors increase efficiency, you should try that out with the extra cash you saved with the deal.
      WOW, I thought you were going to talk about the plan, that has been circulating for a couple decades, to get rid of ******ALL******* viable computers. Luckily, they haven't managed that. They haven't sold too well, and even NETBOOKS have things like disk drives, USB, etc... When I first heard about netbooks, they were described as if they were ONLY that, notebooks viable ONLY on the NET! I would never buy such a thing if it cost over say $50.

      Desktops are nice because they are BIGGER, or at least made as if they were. That means bigger/faster disks, more software, better internet connections, more expandability, fixed addresses, easier to fix, etc... If you just travel around, like I have for a LONG time, a laptop may cut it, but STILL, you are left wanting.

      Could a laptop do that? To some degree, YES! But it costs more, won't run as long, could overheat, etc... And as laptops get larger, desktops do also. And YEAH, I would LOVE multiple monitors. I am STILL using my decade old monitor bought JUST before the price of LCDs DROPPED! I could EASILY buy 2 new LCD monitors for the amount I paid.

      BTW they ARE selling fewer desktops, and even many corporations buy mostly laptops, but desktops DO have their place. And laptops are more likely to break or get stolen, so some people may yet come back to desktops.

      Steve
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