New desktop advice

[Dr-J]

HP printers are actually quite terrible, really.

Bollocks. Some of this has been covered, but the Laserjets are outstanding. I still use a 4MPlus, which is about a dozen years old. Still works great.

I'd also suggest looking for a used computer. All of the low-end desktops cut corners wherever they can, and unless you are really careful you might find that you lack slots, or disk room, or something else only after it is too late. I put together an Intellistation Z like the one mentioned above for about $200, and use it as a server. It is great. A comparable HP xw8000 is now happily running Win7 in my granddaughter's room.

My most recent find was a 2.6GHz dual CPU, dual core Opteron (so four cores total) with 6GB ECC/Reg memory, a 73GB Raptor, DVD-RW and a fully acceptable ATI video card in a Lian Li case -- $200. These sorts of deals are around if you have the time to be patient.

[comptechexpert]

OK it is just that one of my pet hates is shiny computers and I would rather go for a business machine plus we have them at school and they are
AMAZING!!!!

[A31]

we have them at school and they are
AMAZING!!!!

Absoloutely no way is that computer worth £451.
The computers at my school are useless and worth about £0.02 of the student's computers and about £0.05 for the teacher's!!

Also I am short on space and it is a small form factor machine.

Whoa!! Remember what pianowizard said earlier, Small Form Factor PCs ususally use smaller parts (duh!!) which are hard to get and more expensive to buy if your computer goes wrong.

Bollocks. Some of this has been covered, but the Laserjets are outstanding. I still use a 4MPlus, which is about a dozen years old. Still works great.

OK, well, I haven't tried an LJ, but the HP OfficeJets are/were bad!! We did have 2 but one broke so we only have 1 and that's going soon, probably to be replaced with an LJ.

[comptechexpert]

Well does this one have any smaller parts?
And I think it is over priced but they are good.

[A31]

Well does this one have any smaller parts?

Well, as it is a SFF (small form factor) computer, I imagine that it has some smaller parts. But I imagine HDD is 3.5" like a normal desktop and that cool LightScribe DVD drive is a standard size.

Even thought it has a cool DVD drive, I'd still go for the Pavillion. Like we agreed, this computer is way overpriced and the HP is better value for money.

[comptechexpert]

They are both HP's!

[A31]

Oh yes!!
The small form factor one!!

[A31]

I wouldn't go for the HP Compaq machine (the small form factor one), I would still go for the s502 as it is cheaper, offers more expandability, has a bigger hard drive as standard, has Win 7 x64 as oppossed to x86 and has more RAM. Both of the machines have the same RAM type (DDR3), but the s502 has more as standard, it has 3GB rather than 2GB.
A31

[comptechexpert]

Ell it is not really small form factor it is just not a tower if you know what I mean. Plus I HATE SHINY COMPUTERS!!!!

[A31]

Plus I HATE SHINY COMPUTERS!!!!

I agree... but would you really spend £451 on the HP Compaq when it is worse than the s502 and it is way overpriced and the only reason you'd be buying that rather than s502 is becuase it doesn't have a glossy/shiny front??

In our big collection of various computers and laptops at home, one of them is a MESH and it is fantastic. I think you should have a look at these computers, by MESH http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.as ... paign=box1. Take the first one for example, 500GB HDD, 4GB DDR2 RAM, and a good graphics card. I know they are shiny computers but does the appearence of your computer really matter? But these MESH computers are better AND cheaper than the HPs!! Just take it into consideration.

The MESH RS2 Matrix Pro for instance is a tiny bit more expensive than the HP s502, but the HP only has 320GB HDD and 256MB graphics, well this is just £11 more and you get 1TB HDD and 1GB graphics!! And the HP only has 3GB DDR2 RAM, well the Matrix Pro has 4GB DDR3!! You can see this link for more http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.as ... PAIGN=box1

I'm saying that the MESH RS2 Matrix Pro is your best buy and it costs £399.01, just £11.01 more than the HP.

[comptechexpert]

I will look into that but I am also looking at this (the second one in from the left) one because we also have older versions of these at school and they are even amazing.

[A31]

The MESH is cheaper and has much better specifications... though those 780s do look nice, especially the one you are looking at.

[comptechexpert]

Well I think that the Dell is VERY good and I have been recommended an Dell by an IBM systems architect and another programmer.

[A31]

so the machine you are most likely to have is the Dell OptiPlex 780?

Well I think that the Dell is VERY good

We have a 4 year old MESH computer, it has been upgraded loads of times from XP Pro, to Vista Ultimate and now to 7 Pro, it has had it's RAM upgraded from 2GB DDR2 to 4GB DDR2, and it's original hard drive spec of 80GB SATA changed to 2x 80GB SATA and now to 2x 400GB SATA's, and it has hardly ever gone wrong. Very good, very reliable machines. Can recommend one. It ha salso had the processor upgraded from Pnetium 4 to Intel Core Quad.

[pianowizard]

Also I am short on space and it is a small form factor machine.

Just put the computer under your desk, on the floor. Even though these computers are called "desktops", you aren't required to put them on a desk!

To follow up on the discussion of "smaller parts" used by SFF computers: they do use regular 3.5" HDD, but the PCI expansion slots ae typically half-height, and very often the optical drive is a laptop-style drive, i.e. expensive to replace. There may be fewer RAM and PCI slots. Ventilation may not be as good as standard-sized desktops, so components are more likely to fail. There are usually no extra drive bays. And there are probably additional limitations that I am not aware of.

Once again, my recommendation is get a regular-sized desktop but put it on the floor, not only to save space but also to keep the fan noise farther away from your ears.

[A31]

I think I will actually go with a Mac!!!!

Go with a desktop PC. Your programs will not operate with OS X and why would you go and buy a retail copy of Windows when you could buy a new computer with Windows pre loaded? Oh, have you seen the prices of the iMac by the way? £949 Desktops are much cheaper than Macs are and they all come with Windows, which is probably a lot better for the programs you want to use. Even the "Mac Mini" is jaw droppingly expensive and there is hardly (from what I can see), no expandability at all!! As you are a programmer, a desktop PC is definitely more for your needs than a Mac.

Once again, my recommendation is get a regular-sized desktop but put it on the floor, not only to save space but also to keep the fan noise farther away from your ears.

I always put my desktops on the floor, I think if they are on the desk then it takes up room for working (obviously! ). And yes, the noise of the fan will be away from your ears if you put it on the floor.

[A31]

Are you still using your Compaq Presario laptop? (sorry if that sounds like you're using some obslete machine!! ) When do you plan to get the desktop PC? Do you have to pass on the Compaq or can you keep it?

[qviri]

This thread is awesome. Please, don't ever stop.

[A31]

This thread is awesome. Please, don't ever stop.

Like 90 replies to one simple question!!!

[comptechexpert]

Well I dont have to pass on my compaq machine.

[A31]

Well I dont have to pass on my compaq machine.

That's good news!

Has this thread been moved?

[comptechexpert]

The MESH is cheaper and has much better specifications... though those 780s do look nice, especially the one you are looking at.

Why is the one that I am looking at especially nice and also what programming languages do you know?

Thanks

[A31]

Why is the one that I am looking at especially nice

I was just saying that looked quite good. Have you decided which desktop yet?

what programming languages do you know?

I can write some VBScripts with the Notepad on the Windows OS's but that's about it! Like creating fake error messages and using the 'shutdown -s' script that can shut down the OS, you can also use 'shutdown -r' to restart a machine and include timers within these shutdown and restart messages that you can create on VBScript.

[jronald]

A31, you dont need extra desk top...you need a KVM!

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid ... Categories

Ron

[A31]

A31, you dont need extra desk top...you need a KVM!

I already have a PS/2 KVM switch. I used it on my A31 but I couldn't get it to go properly as my A31 has a 1400x1050 resolution and my BenQ has a 1280x1050, and both screens need the same resolution for a KVM to work properly. You can see what happened here http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=84445, scroll down to the later posts for the attempts with my KVM.

[A31]

comptechexpert, I was playing around with a HP Pro 3010 the other day and I quite liked it. It had 2GB RAM, 320GB HDD and Windows XP Pro. It has a license for Windows 7 Pro and it comes with HP system restore discs for either XP Pro or 7 Pro, and you have Windows 7 Pro x86 or Windows 7 Pro x64 (and of course XP Pro x86). You can see here for more http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm ... 47665.html and there is also a similar model called the HP Pro 3015 http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm ... 80578.html. Just my recommendation, it was a nice looking and a powerful machine.