[Traveler]

Need advice on purchasing new computer. My Gateway is 10 years old, running Windows 98. I use for e-mail, letters and some gaming. Not being computer literate, what do you recommend as minimum speed, memory, ports, etc.? Best Buy suggests Gateway desktop with Pentium Dual-Core processor E5200 for $509. Understand that Gateway has been sold to some other manufacturer. Should I look at HP "deals" from Office Depot? Any suggestions sincerely appreciated.

[Russ_Boston]

I see no need for a desktop solution for your needs.

You can get a very good laptop with a 15 or 17 inch screen that will have everything you need to get on the Internet (wirelessly would be best), play normal games, doing any word processing you need and not run you more than $500 for the 15 or $700 for the 17. I have two Toshiba laptops that have never failed and a Levenno (IBM) thinkpad at work.

If you are computer non-savvy you might consider the 3 year service that people like Best Buy offer.

I'm sure that Ted Fry will have his suggestion as well but I would go with a laptop in your case.

[Traveler]

Thanks for the info. Hope Ted Fry has a response also!

[Bernie]

My guess is you are going to have a little adjustment to make going to a new computer after 10 years. Vista, transfer of data etc will take some time. However I agree with Russ a laptop is the only way to go. Look at all mfg's since a lot of the componets come from a very limited number of suppliers.

I have a friend that just bought a 17" Acer for less than $700. We have Compaq and Toshiba. The Toshiba has some extra USB ports and a few extra controls that I like. The Compag was on sale for $429 last fall.

Might want to consider the smaller 15" if you are mobile and add a LCD display for home.

Good Luck

[KayakerNC]

I just bought a laptop from BestBuy, $399 for a Compaq (made by HP) with 15.4 screen, 120G hard drive. Mainly to use while wife is playing "Bejeweled 2" on the desk top puter. Convinced her that it would be great for travel, since everyplace seems to have WiFi.
Keep in mind that if a component, such as the monitor or the keyboard, goes bad, you will probably end up replacing the whole laptop.

[Canabarrybarb]

My bias on computers is the Mac which is generally easier to use and less vulnerable to viruses. But they are more expensive so that is a consideration.

As to whether you need a desktop or laptop that would depend on how you use it. If you plan to take it to the coffee shop or on vacations, then definitely the laptop is better. Otherwise, the desktop will probably give you more bang for the buck and be more reliable.

That's my view anyway after many years of using both PC and Mac technology as well as both laptops and desktops. By the way, I run a Mac laptop and a PC desktop at home.

[midstatepc]

WOAH, looks like i'm a little late on the trigger!

Picking a new computer can be quite overwhelming, and having a support forum like this one is a great resource to help guide you in the right direction. Hearing other peoples experiences and thoughts can help tremendously.
If you are traveling or spending time in 2 different homes, then a laptop is the best choice. it's easy to transport and compact enough to be used in a vehicle. There are some laptops out there that are classified as "desktop replacements" with huge screens, full keyboards with a number pad in the right spot, and enough performance to play some of the latest games. That's probably not what you are looking for, but it bears mention.

The biggest thing to look at for you right now is going to be the shock of switching operating systems. Windows Vista is such a big leap from Windows 98 that you might have some difficulty and frustration. That's why we're here to help. There are still options available to purchase Windows XP, but they are limited primarily to business class systems. I'm not saying that business class means better or worse, just different, and maybe more to your liking. There's not a lot of extra software installed and comparable on price.

Mac VS PC. A battle for the ages. Put simply, there's more software availabe for the pc. pricing is less for the pc in most aspects versus the mac, and replacement parts are readily available. WAL-MART even has replacement parts! I go there when i need something quick.

I am authorized to sell both Dell and Acer products. Both of them have great laptops and desktops available for really good prices. All the big manufactureres have computers still availabe with Windows XP, you'll just need to order it and have it shipped to your home.

I'm not going to try get you to buy from me, I just want to help you make the best choice.

Now with all that said, I'm guessing that your not what they call a "hard core gamer". So the high end stuff is out. It seems like you want decent performance, and a relatively large screen for editing letters and playing games. You didn't mention about traveling so I'm again guessing that a laptop probably wouldn't be your first choice. Since your current computer is 10 years old, I'm guessing that your printer is about the same age or maybe a little younger. More than likely, you'll have to replace that as well. New computers typically don't come with Parallel ports. There are a few that do, but the majority of printers don't even have parallel ports anymore! Do you have files or software still on floppy disk? if so, you need to specify that a floppy drive be included in the computer, as all but a very few still include a floppy drive by default.
I have gone through Dell's website and picked a system as a starting point. It's on the upper end of the spectrum, but, I'm sure that you will be quite satisfied with the performance and features. Some of the specs are:
24" flat panel Full HD screen
Core 2 Duo processor at 2.66GHz
4GB RAM
500GB Hard Drive
Windows XP with the option to upgrade to Vista when you are ready
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007

click here for the cart, and then click on "forget something" under the Inspiron 530 entry to view the details.

sorry for the long post. I just try to think of everything when it comes to something like this.