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[KaelGotDwarves]

...that's a really terrible integrated graphics chip there, bro.

My advice? Watch slickdeals.net for a deal on laptops. Sometimes you can find something that would normally be $1000 for almost half that price - within your range.

[MaximumZero]

Given your needs specified in the OP (watching videos, et al,) I'd say that this would be fine for your needs for now. The thing about the all in ones is that, yes, they're difficult to upgrade, just like a laptop. It probably won't fit into any luggage. I mean, that'd be the equivalent of stuffing a tower and 20" monitor into a box and hauling that box around. It's not a light machine.

The video chipset in question will run something like The Sims 3 on medium/lowish graphics. Something like WoW would be fine if you turned shadows off. The Omni series is not meant to be a gaming powerhouse, but it will get the job done in a pinch. Also, save your money on the speakers, there are two integrated in the all-in-one. RAM and an upgraded processor are almost always worth the money (up until you get into e-peen benchmarking stuff.)

If upgrading is an issue, you should go with a more traditional tower format. If you're not worried about it (or hate cable spaghetti, or don't have a lot of room where you're eventually going to be setting it down,) then the Omni is a solid choice for an entry level desktop.

[JoshuaFH]

Thank you Max, I think that will be good enough for me for a long time, and I do hate cable spaghetti.

I'm still anxious though, since this would actually be the largest purchase I've ever made with my own money. How does a warranty work? I mean, I've had warranty'd things before, but I've never taken the companies up on their offer. I'm so afraid of accidentally damaging something that expensive and then be down five hundred dollars.

And about my luggage, I mean I have one of those large, rolling pieces of luggage. I'm sure it might fit snuggly in there if I'm understanding the dimensions correctly. I'll just need to be sure to pack it with towels and other things to make sure that it doesn't jostle itself to death getting tossed underneath the bus, and subsequent thousands of shakes and bumps it'd undergo.

Please tell me if I'm being paranoid.

[dragonshardz]

Warranty: If it breaks through no fault of your own, they send you a new one.

As long as the computer is going to be off, it'll be fine as long as its got sufficient padding. You only really need to worry about bumps and shakes and jostles and shit damaging the hard drive if the computer is on and actively writing/reading to/from the disk(s).

[MaximumZero]

Warranty: If it breaks through no fault of your own, they send you a new one.

As long as the computer is going to be off, it'll be fine as long as its got sufficient padding. You only really need to worry about bumps and shakes and jostles and shit damaging the hard drive if the computer is on and actively writing/reading to/from the disk(s).

Seconded.

HP's standard warranty covers manufacturer's defects (let's say the motherboard tries to melt in the first month or so because of a faulty processor. Or the dvd drive just dies. They'd cover that.)  and pre-installed software.

[JoshuaFH]

Ah, thanks. I really appreciate it.

Actually, I decided against that purchase after thinking things over for a day or so. I decided that mobility really is very important, and that I shouldn't bog myself down unnecessarily if I can get a similar machine in laptop form.

I went back to that website and found a nice laptop, and then customized it to make it look similar spec-wise.

    * charcoal grey (Would you believe that it's 25 dollars more just to change the color?!)
    * Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

    * Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-380M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)
    * Intel(R) HD Graphics 3000 [HDMI, VGA]
    * 6GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
    * FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM Hard Drive

    * No Additional Office Software
    * No additional security software
    * 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 4.25 hours of battery life +++
    * 15.6" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366x768)
    * SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
    * HP Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone
    * 802.11b/g/n WLAN
    * Standard Keyboard
    * HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Not featured: a USB mouse and laptop carrying case. Total ~$560

I have no idea though, if I should just put down another 20 dollars for the Windows 7 disk in case I need to reinstall.

I'm sorry if I'm being irritatingly, overly pensive.

[MaximumZero]

No, it's cool, man. The first computer, especially if it's going to be a tool instead of a toy, is a big investment. I'm not sure how much you put into the case+mouse, but if you go up to the dv6 series, you can get a lot more features for a fairly similar price point.

[JoshuaFH]

The one I listed off was the G6t Series.

The price is increased to +500 dollars due to having some of the more expensive customization stuff, like processor and memory, checked off.

[MaximumZero]

Ah, okay, cool.

[JoshuaFH]

I'm guessing that those things I picked out are ok? I went with the base graphics cards, and I literally can't tell heads or tails if it's decent or not.

[MaximumZero]

It's good enough to run most games on medium-ish settings, but you're not going to be doing tessellation or having huge draw distances. Also, don't expect to run Crysis 2 on anything but the lowest of the low settings.

[JoshuaFH]

That's good enough for me, especially since I don't indulge in modern games at all. Thanks Max.

I can't seem to get accepted for Bill Me Later, and I don't have a credit card before I leave home, so I guess I'll need to finally get myself a Paypal account.

[JoshuaFH]

Turns out Paypal is having all sorts of intermediary difficulties, concerning me confirming some things.

First I had to confirm that the bank account I specified was actually mine, and so had to verify the existence and quantity of two small deposits, which I did. Then I find that I'm not allowed to 'withdraw', or spend, more than $500 at a time. Concerning since the purchase I want to make is $550~..

To lift this restriction, I need to do another verification process where I need some bass ackwards password that's given in my monthly statement.

This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen, and I've wasted too much time already. I'll need to have it delivered to my new residence, after I move there, cause I can't wait for it to be delivered here.

[MaximumZero]

*head asplode* Whaaaaaa?

[JoshuaFH]

That is exactly what it said on the website. That I was not allowed to withdraw more than 500 dollars for a single transaction, and to lift that restriction, I made a one dollar and fifty cents transfer to Paypal, which they said would allow that payment to show up on my monthy statement which would include a password, and upon giving the password that I'm sent, I'm promised the restriction would be lifted and the dollar fifty would be added to my account.

I have no idea why this is necessary, since I've already confirmed my bank. I'm pretty peeved myself.