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[JoshuaFH]

Hey guys! I have a plethora of good news since my last visit here! I found myself employed, but it was a temporary position, but then one day my boss comes up to me and asks "I would like to extend your temporary employment for another ten weeks, except full time hours this time around." and so I'm happy that I'll be making more money.

Also, I'll be getting a really cheap apartment, maybe 300$ but the price hasn't been finalized yet, and so this'll be my first place! I'm so ecstatically happy, that I'll have my own place and my own privacy. All while having free reign to look for employment elsewhere as I am employed.

Also, since as I believe my other expenses will be so low due to some helpful circumstances, I'll have quite a hunk of disposable income on my hands. So I want to ask: I was thinking of purchasing my own PC or laptop, and I want the opinion of my online friends on what would be the best deal given 500-600 dollars.

I have tech savvy friends to help me, so I could consider building my own machine if the price is right, or just buying some pre-built thing if it serves my needs.

I suppose my needs being: I'd just like something that is fairly stable and I suppose has good capabilities. I suppose I don't need a really strong system, since I don't have anything that demands a powerful system. Watching high quality videos is probably my most demanding need. As well as having a decent amount of harddrive space I suppose.

Gaming has secondary importance, since I don't have, really, any computer games, but I know that there are some technically demanding free games that can be downloaded online, and I might want to get a hold of those if the whimsy takes me.

So I ask for help, since I know next to nothing about purchasing computers. If everything goes well though, then everyone here can find me being on quite a bit more frequently. That makes me very happy.

EDIT: Also, to add to my needs, something with components that won't easily wear out from wear and tear, and will last a significant amount of time before needing to upgrade, repair, or replace.

[JoshuaFH]

I just hope that I can receive some sensible help before my internet access to Bay12 is swept out from under my feet again. I do have a question though, is my price range of $500-600 too naive? I can throw down some more money, but it would require a larger time investment on my part to accrue a more significant sum.

[Grimshot]

 I would have your friends build you a computer. Assuming proper research is done you will end up with much more for your money.

 Off topic somewhat: You should probably set up an emergency fund before you go buying things outside of necessities if you haven't already. You'll want to cover 3-6 months of expenses, though $1,000 would be a good start.

[JoshuaFH]

I will take that into serious consideration, though I do have an awful lack of personal entertainment at the moment, and I find that quite damaging to my personal well-being.

Though I can find other entertainment in the meantime, if it comes down to saving emergency moneys or splurging on technological decadence.

[JoshuaFH]

Ok, I did some budgeting, and I'm more than positive that I'll be well off for quite a while now with the money I have. I'm much more seriously considering buying my own laptop.

I combed around Newegg for a little bit, and these are two prospects that caught my eye.

Acer Aspire

Toshiba Satellite

Though, I don't have a discerning eye, and so I ask what I assume to be my more tech savvy online friends to help me out on this one. I'm leaning more towards the Acer, since some lauded it's high quality screen and mid-range gaming capabilities.

[ToonyMan]

Yeah go with the Acer.  It looks like the better deal.

[Grimshot]

 After looking at both of those I would have to agree with ToonyMan. Go for the Acer.

[JoshuaFH]

Alright, I guess I'm pretty hyped then, unless someone has a suggestion for something else that I haven't considered.

I do have a question, and I do have a bad reputation for asking obvious questions, but I get paranoid:

Laptops can be connected to internet through a normal, wired cable modem, connected to the wall, correct? I just realized I have very little experience with laptops, and this is kind of an important detail.

Of course, I think that the answer is 'yes, of course' but then the other part of my brain goes 'What if the obvious answer is wrong?' and then I feel deathly afraid until I know for sure. This happens quite a lot, so please excuse me.

[Yodamaster]

Yes, they can (unless the computer you're getting specifically mentions it does not have an ethernet port). Wireless routers are fairly cheap anyway.

[ToonyMan]

Every laptop I've had has an Ethernet port so you shouldn't have any problem.

[sgt0pimienta]

DON'T spend that much!

you can buy a cool computer and use that money in components that will actually help,or at least check it already has up to date components,when you buy a pc and ARE going to use it and update it while regarding gaming,you must foresee that you will send more than the pc itself,as you will have to chage components,mantain it basiclly,so you shouldn't use all the money you wish to spend in it just when you buy it

[JoshuaFH]

Yes, I understand that PC's have the advantage of having interchangeable components, and thus building your own computer can be cheaper, and produce a better machine, but please understand that I have a weight and size problem that must be accounted for. The allure of a laptop at my present point in time is that I can easily bring it halfway across the state with me to my job, and while it doesn't allow for customization or upgrading as easily, I think that's a trade-off I can consciously make.

I do have a question, can a laptop be used on a bus that is very frequently hitting bumps, rumbling, and jostling in every which direction? I've been informed by a friend that certain types of harddrives can be damaged and be given 'bad sectors' from sudden movement while it's operating.

[Flying Dice]

I recently got a Dell Inspiron 14R, which usually sells for around $650, which is a bit above your range, but it has been pretty solid so far.

Specs for my model:

Processor  2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor 2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
Operating System Genuine Windows® Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
Display 14.0" High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™
Memory3 4GB3 Single Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
Hard Drive  500GB4 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
Optical Drive  8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
Warranty 1 Year In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis
Weight 5.24 lbs


Not much personal experience with videos, but as far as games go, it will run most older/indie stuff; I only have trouble with games that require a high-spec graphics card. (Ex: runs Mount&Blade, Source games, DF, Minecraft, Cortex Command, Deus Ex, Torchlight, vars. Touhou games, etc.)

[rutsber]

Yes, I understand that PC's have the advantage of having interchangeable components, and thus building your own computer can be cheaper, and produce a better machine, but please understand that I have a weight and size problem that must be accounted for. The allure of a laptop at my present point in time is that I can easily bring it halfway across the state with me to my job, and while it doesn't allow for customization or upgrading as easily, I think that's a trade-off I can consciously make.

I do have a question, can a laptop be used on a bus that is very frequently hitting bumps, rumbling, and jostling in every which direction? I've been informed by a friend that certain types of harddrives can be damaged and be given 'bad sectors' from sudden movement while it's operating.

I use my laptop in vehicles every so often for around 3 hours a time when I do. I haven't had problems with it but I don't know how long your battery will last. I have mine plugged in because I play games and have it on performance power setting so it lasts about an hour but if you're not gaming in the vehicle and are just, say, editing a word document, it should last you quite a while.

[dragonshardz]

Yes, I understand that PC's have the advantage of having interchangeable components, and thus building your own computer can be cheaper, and produce a better machine, but please understand that I have a weight and size problem that must be accounted for. The allure of a laptop at my present point in time is that I can easily bring it halfway across the state with me to my job, and while it doesn't allow for customization or upgrading as easily, I think that's a trade-off I can consciously make.

I do have a question, can a laptop be used on a bus that is very frequently hitting bumps, rumbling, and jostling in every which direction? I've been informed by a friend that certain types of harddrives can be damaged and be given 'bad sectors' from sudden movement while it's operating.

Most new laptops are made in such a way that using it on something like a bus isn't going to screw it up. Impact-resistant hard drives are becoming the norm for traditional disk-based hard drives, but if you have a laptop with a solid-state drive, then there aren't any moving parts to worry about.

Anyway, the Acer is a nice, solid mid-range laptop, though I'd personally prefer an ASUS laptop.