This thread is dedicated to computers. Discuss software, hardware, and anything else computer related. Or, just list your specs.

Compaq Presario (tower):
Operating System: Windows XP Home SP2 (32 bit)
1.8 GHz processor
1,536 MB ram
160 GB hard drive
DVD-RW drive
CD-RW drive
8 USB 2.0 ports
PS2 keyboard / mouse jacks
Ethernet
Modem
Audio in / out

Acer monitor: 19 inch wide screen LCD (built in speakers)
Logitech wireless keyboard
Logitech wireless mouse
Logitech USB hub
Lexmark printer
D-Link router
D-Link Wireless Access Point
Linksys Wireless Adapter


HP Pavilion (lap top):
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (32 bit)
15.4 inch wide screen
1.7 GHz processor
1 GB ram
160 GB hard drive
DVD-RW drive
3 USB 2.0 ports
1 IEEE 1394 port
Audio in / out
Ethernet
Modem
Built in Wireless

Behringer: audio interface
Edirol speakers: 4 inch woofers with tweeters
Logitech lap top stand
Logitech wireless keyboard
Logitech wireless mouse

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MetalKid,

Hey I'm in the market for a new laptop. Do you happen to know how to buy a Windows PC with XP on it??

quote:

Originally posted by turtles run:
Hey I'm in the market for a new laptop. Do you happen to know how to buy a Windows PC with XP on it??

Dell and HP still support Windows XP on some laptops. I hope this helps.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MetalKid,

Laptop brands I would highly recommend are: Toshiba, Acer and Asus. Never had an issue with any of these brands, and they all seem to run really well.

Brands I would stay away from: Fujitsu and HP. My GF's HP shit itself every other week due to some internal hardware failure or another. A friend of mine has a Fujitsu and it's slow as hell, and the keyboard is shitty and unresponsive.

quote:

Originally posted by El J'Shed:
Laptop brands I would highly recommend are: Toshiba, Acer and Asus. Never had an issue with any of these brands, and they all seem to run really well.

I second Toshiba. I've owned a couple and they're both inexpensive and durable. I owned a Sony and an Acer too. The Sony wasn't terrible, although the HD puked out on me after a few years. I thought the Acer was cheaply made and I had a lot of problems with it (screen, power).

I also have a Gateway Laptop at work, which isn't bad, but it weighs a ton. It's the least portable laptop known to man. I've had desktops that weighed less.

quote:

Brands I would stay away from: Fujitsu and HP. My GF's HP shit itself every other week due to some internal hardware failure or another. A friend of mine has a Fujitsu and it's slow as hell, and the keyboard is shitty and unresponsive.

That's also probably true for HP desktops... The HP desktop I have right now has given me problems since day 1, I had to exchange it on the first day due to hardware failures, and since then it's flaked out on me several times. It's only a year old and I've gone back to the Future Shop Tech Help Center at least 10 times.. The desktop itself has amazing specs

m8150 (model)
Windows Vista Ultimate
2.4 GHz processor
3.0 GB ram (Intel Core 2 Quad)
32 bit OS
600 GB hard drive
DVD RW
HD DVD
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT

but it's flaky as hell. Glitches galore, and lately it has a hard time rebooting, it would try to restart itself and end up shutting itself down after 3 attempts. Horrible. If anyone can give me a recommendation other than HP, I would appreciate it

quote:

Originally posted by Blue Recluse:
The HP desktop I have right now has given me problems since day 1

I've had no problems with my HP laptop or my HP / Compaq desktop. Both have been completely reliable since day one. I would highly recommend HP.

We just bought a new Dell Inspiron laptop, and it's pretty awesome. I have always bought Dell and they are always good quality and last a very long time. I carried my last one all around the world using it constantly, and it still ran fine several years later.

This is just a personal preference of course, but I'm happy with mine. There are some good deals on Dells too, and if you order one, do it over the phone because they will cut you some discounts for working with a salesman rather than ordering it electronically over the internet.

I listed earlier in the thread that i use "Edirol" stereo speakers. In case anyone is interested, they are model "MA-15D". These have 4 inch woofers with tweeters, powered by a 15 watt built in amp. They have a built in mixer, so you can run two computers at the same time. All the cords are detachable for portability. These are professional monitor speakers used in the recording industry. The sound quality is wonderful. If your in the market for computer speakers, check'em out.

quote:

Originally posted by MetalKid:

quote:

Originally posted by Blue Recluse:
The HP desktop I have right now has given me problems since day 1

I've had no problems with my HP laptop or my HP / Compaq desktop. Both have been completely reliable since day one. I would highly recommend HP.

Oh no! Please don't buy HP/Compaq desktops and laptops. I used to work for HP's computer department and they pretty much told us on day one that their desktop/laptop products were utter crap! They only make desktops/laptops so they can push their printers, scanners, and etc. I'm not so sure that is a good business model.

The desktops had about a 45% "failure rate to point of return to manufacturer" Trust me, steer clear of HP/Compaq computers.

My first laptop was a Compaq which I owned for five years with virtually zero problems. When I graduated from college, I upgraded to a new HP laptop which I've now had for three years. A month or two after I bought it, the power supply failed and I had to send it back for replacement (covered by warranty of course). Since then, once again zero problems.

So personally, I've had very little difficulty with HP/Compaq computers. And my dad has owned two Compaq laptops in a row as well, which to my knowledge haven't caused him any trouble.

This thread is telling you the right stuff mostly, HP is more or less shit and Toshiba is pretty much the best. Carry on.

quote:

Originally posted by mymindsblank:

quote:

Originally posted by MetalKid:

quote:

Originally posted by Blue Recluse:
The HP desktop I have right now has given me problems since day 1

I've had no problems with my HP laptop or my HP / Compaq desktop. Both have been completely reliable since day one. I would highly recommend HP.

Oh no! Please don't buy HP/Compaq desktops and laptops. I used to work for HP's computer department and they pretty much told us on day one that their desktop/laptop products were utter crap! They only make desktops/laptops so they can push their printers, scanners, and etc. I'm not so sure that is a good business model.

The desktops had about a 45% "failure rate to point of return to manufacturer" Trust me, steer clear of HP/Compaq computers.

Heh, I'm using an hp ze5375us laptop right now. I've had it for about 5 years and it is about as close to a permanent death as a laptop can come. All and all it's worked for what I've needed it to do, though for what I paid for it at the time it didn't meet my expectations. However, I really do believe the failure rate. Apparently the hp OS I bought it with had some security corruption with windows or something. I didn't understand the explanation but suffice it to say I've had to reformat my hard drive three times in about the last two years. Right now I can't for the life of me get my wireless to work as some "hp wireless manager" startup failure occurs every time I try to access it or update/revert the drivers. Also, achiles heel for hp laptops, the battery life is shit (1 hour max just operating the bare minimum) and the ceaseless fan noise (supposedly fixed with a driver) adds about 30 decibels to any room.

Like I said, I've been able to use it (as a stationary laptop, err desktop) for the better part of 5 years, albeit with some very disrupting flaws. Not a horror story, but I won't be considering another hp for my next computer.

quote:

Heh, I'm using an hp ze5375us laptop right now. I've had it for about 5 years and it is about as close to a permanent death as a laptop can come. All and all it's worked for what I've needed it to do, though for what I paid for it at the time it didn't meet my expectations. However, I really do believe the failure rate. Apparently the hp OS I bought it with had some security corruption with windows or something. I didn't understand the explanation but suffice it to say I've had to reformat my hard drive three times in about the last two years. Right now I can't for the life of me get my wireless to work as some "hp wireless manager" startup failure occurs every time I try to access it or update/revert the drivers. Also, achiles heel for hp laptops, the battery life is shit (1 hour max just operating the bare minimum) and the ceaseless fan noise (supposedly fixed with a driver) adds about 30 decibels to any room.

Like I said, I've been able to use it (as a stationary laptop, err desktop) for the better part of 5 years, albeit with some very disrupting flaws. Not a horror story, but I won't be considering another hp for my next computer.

that sounds exactly like my HP laptop!
for the "hp wireless manager" startup failure, i was able to deactivate it in the list of startup programs (msconfig). haven't been bothered by it since.

the fan noise is the biggest problem for me. it's literally driving me nuts. sometimes it's too loud to watch movies on. basically, i think it comes from my harddrive overheating which sometimes causes my laptop to completely shutdown, without warning.

for sure, i won't ever be buying an HP computer again

quote:

Originally posted by WinnebagoWarrior:
This thread is telling you the right stuff mostly, HP is more or less shit and Toshiba is pretty much the best. Carry on.

From personal experience, i've found HP's to be reliable and Toshiba's to be poor quality machines.

HPs are crap... I have an HP laptop its crap.. My model's wireless card fails after awhile, there's a thread on HP's forums where around 500 people have posted about their wireless card failing on them..

And yes the batteries are indeed incredibly shitty mine.. can last maybe an hour. My friend paul his dell laptop's battery lasts oh say 3 hours...

At any rate HP is crap..

Okay...well it seems like the consensus is that HP's crap. Any recommendations for a desktop brand?

quote:

Originally posted by Blue Recluse:
Okay...well it seems like the consensus is that HP's crap. Any recommendations for a desktop brand?

Build your own?

I don't know what IBM’s are like for gaming, but I haven’t had any issues with them for general office and internet use.

I use two HP towers with XP Media Center Edition (albeit with various system files patched), a Power Mac G5 with Panther, and an iMac with Tiger regularly. I have had zero trouble with the Macs, and the only problem I can find with the HPs is that they make a fair amount of noise. They also came with loads of bloatware and a god-awful GUI, but that was easily fixed.
In terms of reliability, performance (even on old machines- my iMac G4 from January 2002 with an ancient 700 MHz processor is almost as snappy and responsive as my Power Mac dual 2 GHz G5, and handles up to about 9 applications perfectly), and versatility, I think Mac is the way to go. How I'd love to get my hands on one of the full-spec 8-core Mac Pro...
Oh, and before you accuse me of Apple fanboyism, think again. I love Windows XP's customizability and openness, and I think Mac OS X is far from a perfect operating system.