What do you prefer?

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bioceptic

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#13982 8-Jun-2007 17:48

im wanting to know what does everyone prefer when looking at computers. often i get asked what i think is the best brand of computer etc so i thought id ask the same question back

. so what do you prefer mac or pc? and any brands?

freitasm

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#74032 8-Jun-2007 18:16

bioceptic: ... so what do you prefer mac or pc? and any brands?

Technically computers running Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS are both "PC" (Personal Computer). Which one? The most suitable for the task at hand.

It's a very personal question and preference, really. Mostly business will prefer Windows-based because of the current state of business systems.

bioceptic

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#74034 8-Jun-2007 19:07

okay, without analysing the question, what brands do you think are better than others, hardware wise etc.

Mattnzl

281 posts

Ultimate Geek

#74038 8-Jun-2007 19:40

The recent (last few years) HP business gear has been good for us. DC7xxx desktops & NC6xxx notebooks - 0% failures in the last 18 months on about 100 machines. Not even a dead hdd or psu to rma. (of course having said this, 10 machines will probably kark it over the weekend!!!).

Cheers...

inane

216 posts

Master Geek

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#74047 8-Jun-2007 21:42

hardware:

CPU:
Intel. (all the way, AMD just doesn't cut the mustard in my experience when it comes to performance or overclocking, reliability and life span., yes lots of people will flame me, and yes I know that the southbridge is more efficient)
Video:
Nvidia.
again all the way, have always had the best and fastest cards - at least post voodoo2 era. (yes some of the matrox cards looked better)
Especially if you are running linux!!

Ram:
Kingston (no bad experiences, overclocks well)

Motherboards:
MSI or Gigabyte.

Hard disks:
Seagate, WD a close second

Network:
up until recently 3Com, nowdays yukon

Oh and Freitasm, computers running Linux can be PC's as well, in fact if you look at the customisation options in someways a linux computer is MORE personal :P

freitasm

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#74054 8-Jun-2007 23:44

inane, I didn't mean to exclude Linux, but I just wanted to make the point. Most people tend to think PC = Windows, when PC = any personal computer.

As for preferences, I had HP, Toshiba and Acer - and none ever failed.

grant_k

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#74060 9-Jun-2007 00:37

As someone who has built many PCs over the years, I would like to endorse and add to Inane's recommendations:

inane: hardware:

CPU:
Intel. YES, definitely. Core2 Duo recommended (or Quad if you can afford it). Don't buy PentiumD or Core, they are older much less advanced generations.

Video:
Nvidia. ABSOLUTELY! Nvidia rocks.

Ram:
Kingston (no bad experiences) AGAIN, I agree totally. Out of many hundreds sold, never had a single bad stick of Kingston RAM (unlike Legend and many other brands we tried previously).

Motherboards:
MSI or Gigabyte.
ASUS is another very good brand I have had 100% success rate with.

Hard disks:
Seagate, WD a close second. YES, agreed. Haven't had any problems with either for many years.

Network:
up until recently 3Com, nowdays yukon. 3COM is the best. D-Link NICs seem to be OK as well, but don't touch their ADSL modems.

AllNightNerding

411 posts

Ultimate Geek

#74061 9-Jun-2007 00:49

I LOVE PC's a lot more than Macs i find PC far more logical t work. Though my friends this is because it is what i am used to which I guess is true.

Processor: call me crazy but I like AMD mainly because I have never had a PC long enought for anything to brake on it. *longest time i have had a laptop is 6 months* A main factor i find in this is because amd are so much cheaper.

Ram: Kensington I like a lot but once again they are expensive so sometimes I do so have to go for the cheaper options :'(

Screen: View Sonic and AOC

HDD: Seagate and maybe WD *aren't they made by the same company.

Laptop: I like Toshiba the most as I have had bad experiences with compaq pc's and because HP own them I hate the 2 of them.
I don't like IBM used to but now seeing as they have been taken over by lenovo who i dont like I dont like them any more.
Sony I find allright but i find them a bit flimsy in some cases.
Alienware very good brand would rate these ebven with toshiba.

Motherboard: Gigabyte all the waty.
DVD Drive: Asus lightscribe- Just got a pc with lightscribe and loving it.
VideoCard: either ATI or Nvidea I find them both ok.

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rwales

122 posts

Master Geek

#74082 9-Jun-2007 09:09

In terms of hardware quality, Apple regulate their components and the components are of very high quality (hence the expense). With other PCs e.g. Windows, Linux etc. the quality can vary dramatically. Some stores like Dell, HP etc. maintain a high standard but others may burn you with cheap components. That's not to say all bargains are of poor quality - just make sure you find out what's under the lid if you're not building your own.

In my opinion, NVidia is the only way to go for graphics cards & I prefer Intel chips (had a nasty experience with an Athlon).

As far as the MAC/Windows/Linux debate goes, it really depends on what you're using the machine for. If you're a gamer, you'll probably want Windows (there are more games available for Windows/DirectX based systems) XP/Vista - depending on what games you will play (some don't yet run on Vista i.e. Call of Duty 2). If you want to work with media, art, publishing etc. then take a close look at a MAC - it's the de facto standard in a lot of these industries. Everything else is largely a matter of personal preference.

Whichever way you decide to buy, if you're buying a complete system, head on down to a store & try it out (even if you plan on buying online).

freitasm

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#74094 9-Jun-2007 11:27

AllNightNerding: Ram: Kensington I like a lot but once again they are expensive so sometimes I do so have to go for the cheaper options :'(

I am sure you mean Kingston?

stromlancer

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#74250 11-Jun-2007 09:51

CPU:
Intel.
Heh, yeah, Intel all the way. Core 2 Duo is indeed recommended.

Video:
Nvidia.
Heh, sorry, gotta shake my head on this one. I prefer ATI.

Ram:
Kingston
Again, sorry, but nope, I prefer Corsair.

Hard disks:
Seagate, WD
Eh, yeah, I'll agree to that, Seagate makes good ones.

The others I don't have much experience with, so I won't bother.

inane

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Master Geek

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#74278 11-Jun-2007 13:25

stromlancer:

Ram:
Kingston

Again, sorry, but nope, I prefer Corsair.

yeah corsair is good too

lyonrouge

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#76442 1-Jul-2007 09:36

bioceptic: im wanting to know what does everyone prefer when looking at computers. often i get asked what i think is the best brand of computer etc so i thought id ask the same question back . so what do you prefer mac or pc? and any brands?

I suspect so far the answers you have recieved are similar to asking, what brand of car should I buy and being told "anything with an LS2".

My summary, Lenovo (IBM), Dell, HP/Compaq are all much the same. You pay more but you get some form of phone support and restore media, i.e. if you change settings, load software, etc. and the machine stops working, you can restore it back to the original state it was in when delivered to the store. Each of these brands will usually have a customised MS Windows operating system, the level of cusomisation varies. In short, if "Intel/AMD/sis/nVidea/ATI" mean nothing to you, buy a known brand, but not the cheapest in their lineup.

For laptops, the brand I like is Sony, they are lite, look nice but still run Windows, making business access easier. If you want to edit home movies, do a bit of email, surf the web and also want a machine that looks nice, buy a Mac.

If you want to play games, sorry, you need to go back to the other answers and have a non-branded machine built and start learning the lingo.