Buying a new PC--any recommendations?

[angarahad]

ok--if i am posting this in the wrong forum--many apologies!

the specifics:
My mom has a really old Compaq Presario and she wants to upgrade. She is--to put it nicely--among the "computer illiterati"--she is one of those who prefers to remain ignorant of her PC's functions--and really can't be bothered with worrying about security and whatnot. she just wants to be able to turn it on, surf the net (she does so without a firewall!--despite my many admonitions), and use it to store pictures. And she is a devout worshipper at the altar of Bill Gates/ Microsoft--thus, sadly--Mac/Linux/etc. will be out of the running.

So--do any of you kind readers have any particular PC recommendations i could forward on to help her in making a decision?
I am trying to help her avoid just going into Costco and buying whatever All-in-One PC setup they have on sale that weekend!!

Thanks very much for any feedback!

T.

[Detox]

IMO the best buy is going to be a custom built no matter what - if she isn't looking for high-performance you can have a mid-spec machine built for a decent price.

Other than the custom route, I have also had real good luck with IBM. Admittedly, my sister is an IBM accountant so I get the family price but even then they have very good machines for excellent prices, including a certified used selection.

My main machine is a custom, but I run two IBM Thinkcentres here (for wife and daughter) and they came with less junk pre-installed than the HP I had before them. They've also run very nicely so far.

Anway, I'd at least look at these two options for comparison, hope it helps a little!

[Acadia]

Are you aware that Costco, at least in our region of the country, is now selling Dell's, IN THE ACTUAL STORE, you do not have to go online? (That is, of course, if you don't mind her using a Dell).

Acadia

[iceni60]

i think you only have one option and that's a mac. by default they are very secure - as far as i know all you have to do to secure a mac is turn off third party cookies.

if you can wait until January the new intel based macs will be on sale so you could either get one of those, there might be problems though with the first builds, or get one of the G4/G5/ or whatever they're called versions which should come down in price by then.

just tell her how easy macs are, that should do it. i think.

[Detox]

Originally Posted by angarahad

And she is a devout worshipper at the altar of Bill Gates/ Microsoft--thus, sadly--Mac/Linux/etc. will be out of the running.

Hey Ice *poke poke*

[thebigdintx]

I think the dell from costco would be perfect for her for what she wants to use it for. I'm sure it comes with Windows XP with service pack 2 which had the windows firewall on by default, so she will at least have that firewall. Just make sure she uses the free antivirus trial that comes with it, and have her pay for the continued up-to-date subscription (or uninstall it and use a free one or something). An internet security suite with everything included in one neat package sounds like it may work out better for her.

[ErikAlbert]

If my mother was only interested in the basic functions of a computer, I wouldn't spend much money on it.
You don't need an expensive computer to store pictures and to surf on the internet. Any computer can do that nowadays, even the cheapest.
She has an old and probably slow computer, so any new computer would make her happier.
In that case I would go for a brand computer with Windows XP Home on it,
512MB RAM and a decent AMD processor and give her the same application softwares, she used to have.

[JerryM]

I currently have a Dell that I bought in Jan 05. I am very pleased with it. I do not see much about Dell on the forum, however. I also do not see a Dell laptop mentioned.

Before I bought mine, I asked a couple of shops that have an excellent reputation what it would cost to get a machine with specs that I bought from Dell. Their costs were in fact more than I bought the Dell from. Maybe they would be better and maybe not, but I have been satisfied.

If you can get a Dell for a reasonable price then go for it is my own advice.

The $399 Dell laptop is tempting me right now. I would have to get the 256 Ram upgraded to 512, but that is not expensive.

Jerry

[Paranoid2000]

Wait a month - buy after Christmas...

[ErikAlbert]

Your mother doesn't seem to be a big fan of security (like me).
In that case I would give her a Security Suite (Firewall + Anti-Virus + Anti-Spyware) as a minimum protection.
If she complains, let her complain. She can't access the internet without any protection. Period. IE-SPYAD and MVPS HOSTS file is also a decent protection for less-knowledgeable users, like your mother.
I would recommend a hardware firewall as well, because that won't bother her, that is just a piece of hardware.

[iceni60]

Originally Posted by Detox

Hey Ice *poke poke*

OK, how about this then?
http://www.xpde.com/

screenshot

[Blackspear]

My suggestions are here.

Hope this helps...

Cheers

[zapjb]

If she doesn't want to be bothered with security etc. And will only use an M$ OS.

Then the only solution is get a cheap bare bones computer: no OS, case, PSU, mb (integrated vid & audio), cpu w/hsf, RAM, DVD rom, HDD, floppy drive. Then load 98se. That's it. I wouldn't stick my mom with a newer OS than 98se. In fact she's been running win95 no problem. And she never been infected with anything!

Reformat the HD and install W2K and a firewall. Final step is to connect to the internet.

[angarahad]

Thanks for all the great helpful answers everybody!

i will be forwarding them on to my mom--fingers crossed!

Consider what she will use the computer for first. If she is just surfing an emailing, she won't need the lastest Ailenware gaming machine.