I'm in need of a new computer. Mine has finally become so slow and old its unusable. Since i haven't researched them since I got that one, and they change rather fast, I'm pretty much out of the loop.

I'm looking for a basic everyday computer that will be used mainly for word and excel work and internet browsing. Nothing fancy, Just a cheap computer that isn't junk.

 

dont go dell whatever you do. HP and Toshiba are where its at but toshiba has some down sides. hp seems to be pretty good right now. I prefer the higher end hard drives. Get something that has a writing speed of 5400 rpms because it is much faster. Processor size is your call. if its just a daily computer you dont need anything crazy but the higher the processor you get the worse your battery life is. I have a toshiba satellite a505 with an i7 and my battery lasts a whole 2 hours -.- thats the gists that i can think of. most of it is your own prefrence really since you dont need anything crazy

 

If you are talking desk-top, look at the i3 processors.
It is a very good and in-expensive. Quite sufficent for an
office environment. DO get some kind of graphics card.
All the current versions of Excel, photo-shop, Office, etc
take advantage of GPU processing to speed things up.

Get at least 4 gig of RAM, 8 gig if you work with REALLY large
spreed-sheets or photo/video editting.

Win7 is kick-***, they got it right with this one.

If you shop around, you can get a quality 22" LCD for $125-150.

Acer AM3910-U4012 Desktop PC - Intel Core i3-550 3.2GHz, 6GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, Supermulti 16x DVDRW, Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, Multi-in-1 Meadia Reader, Intel HD Graphics Tech, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

Lenovo H420 7752-1SU Desktop PC - Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz, 4GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, DVDRW, Intel HD 2000 Graphics, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

Here's a couple of base starters that will get you in the game.
Or you can look at their specs to compare others you are looking at as a benchmark.

I wouldn't go below the i3 processor. It has enough legs to keep you happy for
quite a while, based on your stated needs. It will give you a bit of future-proofing.

Hope this helps, Ern

 

How much are you looking to spend? Just Built my Future mother-in-law a computer for her office and kept it under $300 and all she uses is Office,Excel, Powerpoint and Surfing the Web.

 

Just for browsing , word and excel ....... then $300 ish is where I'd draw the line

Acer Aspire AX1920 with 4 gigs ram and a dual core at 3.20 GHZ should suffice

Erns recommendations above a re good too for 100 more


looks like Bewley is on the same track !

 

Building Computers is the inner geek Hobby of mine! haha!


I'll Sell you mine but it will cost you a pretty penny haha!

Lets ramp the puppy up to 8 GB's This set-up right here will Work Wonderfull.
MSI GF615M-P31 Quad Core Barebones Kit - MSI GF615M-P31 Board, AMD Phenom II X4 840 CPU, Patriot 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 RAM, Seagate 1TB HDD, Lite-On 24x DVDRW, DiabloTek Mid Tower Case, 450W Power Supply at TigerDirect.com
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64BIT Operating System Software - OEM DVD, English at TigerDirect.com

 

The great thing about this thread... Is everyone uses TigerDirect! haha

 

Overclock baby .........ftw

Nice Bewley ...... bet she hauls azz

Maybe I could use that chip cooler on my bike ..........lol

aha ..........lol ......... something just clicked !

 

HAHA OVERCLOCKED TO THE MAX! HAHA!

Im looking To add another Graphics Card.. But that will have to wait haha!

 

some replies here seem to interpret your request as a laptop, while others a desktop pc. i'll offer my experiences with both, just for information.

first, there's nothing wrong with dell. i spec and procure pc's and servers all the time that require 24-7-365 uptime in less than ideal environments, and i'll take a dell any day of the week. granted, they are not the inexpensive option in your feature zone.

everyone is a bit hesitant to go in on an hp computer atm, as their stock price has plummeted this year and they are currently exploring the possibility of selling off their computer division. consider yourself warned.

when it comes to my personal home pc's, i always roll my own, which is probably no particular help to you in this case. i don't have any 'budget' systems, i tend to get each part for it's own performance characteristics, so my shopping tendencies don't quite fall in what you're asking for. but tigerdirect would be one of my first recommendations to start looking.

i've had several hp laptops over the years, each of which has not lasted well physically. mechanically sound, but the shells just don't seem to hold up well. the dell laptop i've used at work for 4 years has taken a beating and still works like a champ. i'm gonna be a little sad when it's time to upgrade. half the office uses ibm/lenovo thinkpads, and they are absolute crap. i don't think we've had one without an issue.

for the uses you've described, i might even recommend looking at an all-in-one.