I want to buy a new computer, would like to get a deal that has everything in one package deal. I saw some in best buys for about $700 but they all seem to get out of stock. Anyone know where I can buy one? The store doesn't matter and free shipping would be nice or if it has a store pick up. I was looking at gateways but as long as it is a name brand that fine. ( I want a new one not a rebuilt)
thanks for any help, Karen

Try Dell. Their online deals can be dirt cheap. Watch for free shipping.

A new operating system's on the way. If you dn't need it, the older systems will fall like rocks soon.

We had a Dell and had lots of problems with it, but that's been a few years ago. We have a Compaq Presario now and it's been great. We ordered ours from Best Buy and then picked it up in the store. Can't you do that if they are out of the one you want? I think it's better that way because you can customize it if you want to.

our last computer was a gateway ran great for years had it almost 10yrs no problems, if I had my choice we would have bought gateway again but dh bought this one & its a dell so far no problems with it either.

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mom of 3 greats girls

We've had a Dell refurb with no issues over 3 years.

Apple has the best reliability in Consumer reports but is expensive. Gateway is low in reliability.

I just found out how great Apple CS is. My friend had an e-mac that started freezing up on her. She called Apple, but that didn't help. It is also out of warranty. So she wrote a letter to Steve Jobs. They replaced her E-Mac with a Notebook at no charge.

So, Apple might be more expensive but they stand behind their product.

My DH is an IT and tells everyone in need of a computer to buy a Dell. Of course he bought a laptop overseas and it is an HP ( which I use daily now until he leaves again and it is really great). What you need to ask about when buying a computer is what on it is proprietary. Nothing on a Dell I know is proprietary, I know on some you cannot swap certain hardware when they break you have to buy directly from the company which makes a $50 part from best buy become a $200 part from the company, so make sure you ask about proprietary hardware before purchasing. :-)

I'm surprised that you didn't have any problems with your Gateway. Everyone I know, including my mom, has had major problems with Gateway computers, as well as their customer support. My mom had to replace the hard drive on her Gateway twice while it was still under waranty, and the third time it died, she just got another computer.

Well here is what I know as for gateway I believe they made great computers when they were made here about 7yrs ago give or take they moved everything to another country & alot of stuff started going wrong with them including CS!! And now they are now trying to move everything back to the US. I live about 2 miles from where gateway is at thats why I know this.

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mom of 3 greats girls

I have 3 GATEWAYS and the new convertable laptop and they have been excellent. I bought the first one 8 yrs ago and the others are more recently. The customer service reps speak clear English and I am just thrilled. We have Dell in work and all I can say is the customer service just stinks and you can't understand a word they say. Been working with dell for 5 terribel years.

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Without Health you have no Wealth!

You can get lucky with Gateway, but your chances are better with higher rated brands.

We once owned a Packard-Bell, rated zilch for reliability, DS used it for over 5 years w/o a glitch and even sold it working for about $50.

Never know, but the odds are against you with Gateway and for you with Apple.

If you buy Dell through their education department, you get great US based service.

If you buy Dell through their education department, you get great US based service.[/quote]\\

U.S. Based Service? I have a Dell. And I can't reach an English Speaking person whom I can understand when I call Tech.

Even doing the website thing by instant messenger is horrible. For something that should have taken about 10 minutes to resolve, it took 4 hours not too long ago. Even through I kept telling the techie all I needed to know was which CD to insert to take care of my problem, she had me doing all kinds of tests to make nothing was wrong with the hardware. I knew nothing was wrong with the hardware and kept telling her so.

I would highly recommend Dell. DH will only buy Dell laptops (he is in IT at work).
I would also recommend you consider a refurbished Dell. from www.delloutlet.com They come with the exact same warranty and service a new Dell. The only way you can tell they are refurbished is the sticker on the bottom -- otherwise, they look brand new. The Dell laptop I am using right now is a refurb and looked brand new out of the box (and I am picky about that type of thing). We also bought a 'scratch & dent' Dell desktop and when it arrived, there was no scratch or dent that we could find. Others I know have had the same experience -- no scratch or dent -- just a big savings on the price.

Just my two cents worth........
Sarah.....mom to Jason & Devin

Most of my famiy has dell computers, but we probably won't buy them again. But if you do, buy one under a business name and you will get US support. I am so tired of being sent to dell hell! We sent a laptop back to be fixed, and "oops" they sent it to the junk dept. and destroyed all the info my daughter had on it. Then they would only give us a fraction of the cost to buy a new one. Am fried on dell. Also I do have a daughter that bought an emachine, and she loves it. just go to http://www.emachine.com Good Luck!

My father is tareing apart my DELL laptop computer...I am trying to refund my way back into a new computer....my mother has a compaq and I am using my dad's back up laptop which is HP, my father is a computer nerd and says that an HP is the best you can get. My mom droped this one and it still works...I am going to either get a HP or an COMPAQ. I know if I listen to my father....I'll have one that works with hardly any problems!

HP and Compaq now belong to the same company, so I guess they'd be pretty well the same. We've got Dells at work, and hate them, but in this case overheating is a problem. I'm currently using a Compaq that's a few years old, and was cheap, though I've added a lot to it. A few things to consider:

The empty slots in a computer matter. If the computer's got onboard video, check that it's also got an AGP slot open. This just means that if you want to upgrade your video card, you can do so without having to search for a hard to find PCI one.

Empty PCI slots are good too, since these will take video cards, sounds cards, network cards, whatever. Most computers that come with 56K modems can have the modem removed so you can use the PCI slot.

Make sure there's also an empty RAM slot, so if you want to upgrade you can. Most computers have two or four slots for RAM (this is the memory used for what you're doing on your computer right now, not what's stored). If a computer has 512 MB of RAM, in the form of two 256 MB sticks, you'd need to remove these and buy two 512 sticks if you wanted to double your memory. If it has one 512 stick, you'd only need to buy one stick to double memory.

CD burners are essential. DVD burners . . . well, in almost four years we've never used ours. Not an essential feature. Floppy drives are obsolete.

Don't buy a compact case if you live somewhere with hot summers, or want to leave your computer on all the time. These will overheat, and even shut down. If you'll use your computer for a few hours at a time in a place with moderate temperatures, you'll be fine.

Don't pay much (if anything) for a CRT monitor. These use more energy than flat screens, take up more space, and don't look as nice. Don't pay too much for a flat screen, either. Someone posted a $99 dollar one on the LWIF online board. If adding a monitor to a package (or a printer, or whatever) costs more than it would to buy that item alone, just buy it alone. You might want to try newegg.com for pricing items.

If you want an Apple, talk to a friend who's got one (or a coworker, or someone who's not a sales person), and find out how they work. They're more expensive, and generally less supported than PC's, so make sure you have a general idea how they work before you even think of getting one. This isn't to say they're bad computers, but they're frustrating if you don't understand them.

Windows Vista is coming out soon, so I'd wait for it, and either get it if you want it, or get XP cheaper. I wouldn't buy a computer right now.

I can't think of any brands I'm really attached to, or ones I hate, so it's probably best to compare what's in the computer, rather than going on the name alone. The guts of the computer are all made by third parties anyway. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, any sales person you talk to should, or they don't know the product they're selling. I'm not sure you'll need to pay $700 for a computer.

Oui.

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Do not mess (concern yourself) with the new Windows operating system that is called Vista.

It is new, pricey, could be buggy, for early adoptors and needs heavy duty system requirements (beaucoup RAM and hard drive space).

Models that still offer the Windows XP operating system are the way to go.

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When considering a new computer purchase, ask (ascertain) which operation system it has installed on it.

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Terence in Brook Park, OH

Duh, I forgot. TerryTerrific's probably right. When the first computers shipped with XP, they had the minimum RAM requirements, and ran slowly. Later models were a lot better. Still, I'd wait for the new OS to come out, as it should help the price of XP machines. Just don't wait too long afterwards.

I bought mine in May 2004 & I LOVE it!!! I got it from Staples. I also bought their 3 year extended plan ($150) where as to if anything happens to it or if I need tech support, it's free plus they come out to your home if they can't fix the problem over the phone. Mine is a a compaq presario amd athlon 80 gigabite 512Mhz or whatever you call it lol It also has a dvd burner/cd burner but no floppy disk drive....Who uses the floppy discs anyways these days? lol I paid like $550 plus a $ 50 rebate. Plus, it was shipped to my house @ free shipping. I went into the store & paid for it because the guy asked me what kind of programs I wanted. You should consider going through staples.......No doubt about it Good luck!

I also have two gateways...no problems ever. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one again. This is the first place I've heard good about Dell though! Go figure!

Well the new OS is out and the prices aren't going down on the XP Systems. This may be because they are offering the FREE Vista upgrade with the XP systems.

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I have a Gateway and have no problems. It sure wasn't cheap, though! I spent about $1200 on it. It's two years old and works great. I also had a Gateway in the past that was great . . . I've never had to call tech support, thank goodness

Well now our dells harddrive has crashed & we have had it only 6 months & let me tell you ya cant talk to thier tech support team been on hold for a week now & NADA I am on the phone with them as we speak see ya DELL this is the last time I buy from them & dh feels the same way.

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mom of 3 greats girls

I am on my second Dell at home and have never had a problem with them. We use them at work and they are extremely reliable.

consider yourself lucky I was on hold for 3 hrs today or more trying to get threw to tech I also keep getting people I can barely understand I do agree with the fact that this could have happened to any computer or hd OK but their tech support stinks big time IMO and this is also a work computer so my job for LO is on hold so I will not get a paycheck for this week which also stinks!!!

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mom of 3 greats girls