Technology I don't really know anything about computers...

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Heartful

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so sorry if this comes across as a really stupid question.

If I want a computer to be able to have a lot of programs installed without making it run slowly, what am I looking for? And similarly, if I want a computer to be able to run multiple programs/have multiple windows open at once without causing it to run slowly, what am I looking for?

The main issue that bothers me with computers I've owned is when they ran slowly, and now that it is time for me to buy a new computer, I am wondering what info I should pay attention to when I look around.

Thank you!!
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In order to install a lot of things and keep it running fast you need a large enough hard drive. This is what stores everything you add to it. You want to have at least 15% of the drive in free space.

In order to run a lot of programs at once you want a lot of RAM. This allows you to run multiple things without things slowing down.

Those two things were probably your issue unless of course you packed them full of spyware and malware which would make the computer orders of magnitude slower.

As Blue Dog said, a Mac may be able to solve your problems if you really need a new computer. If your computer is relatively new and just slow a complete system reinstall, more RAM, defragment, and a larger hard drive or clearing out things you don't use to save space. Just wait until June and get an iPod and printer with the deal for free if you do want a new computer.
 
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Thank you for your responses.

I was hoping this thread wouldn't turn into yet another "we love macs" thread. I've already read all of the mac love in other threads, and I was more hoping that I could learn what specific information I should pay attention to when I look at and compare different computers. The technical information provided about computers just goes over my head, so with this thread I wanted to better learn how to decipher it and determine what best fits my needs.
 
You really need to indicate whether you are looking at a Laptop or a Desktop. The recommendations for each are quite different at this time.

If would also be helpful if you could specify your estimated date of purchase as well as the latest date of purchase you are considering. There are a few new technologies that are coming out and when you plan to purchase your system will make a big impact on what to recommend.
 
Heartful,
Without telling us what your budget is like, it's hard for us to recommend a computer because what you probably want is a good-for-your-budget computer, not necessarily what I consider a good computer. Generally, these are the kinds of things you look for when talking about a computer's speed: RAM (higher the better, you will want at least 2gb ram), hard drive speed (7200 is better than 5400), processor speed & model (dual core better than single core, chip model & type, etc...), and graphics card. Other things like hard drive capacity, USB slots, smart cards, wireless adapter, LCD, etc... are nice things to have but it doesn't affect your computer's speed. Also keep in mind that you can always buy components to add on if you want to upgrade.
 
Heartful said:
so sorry if this comes across as a really stupid question.

If I want a computer to be able to have a lot of programs installed without making it run slowly, what am I looking for? And similarly, if I want a computer to be able to run multiple programs/have multiple windows open at once without causing it to run slowly, what am I looking for?

The main issue that bothers me with computers I've owned is when they ran slowly, and now that it is time for me to buy a new computer, I am wondering what info I should pay attention to when I look around.

Thank you!!
Click to expand...


Most desktops would be more than powerful enough. Get an intel SSD if you got the money from newegg and install it yourself or ask a friend. Go for a dual core processor and 4gigs of ram. Most modern desktops/laptops can handle multiple programs, but as your HDD start to fill up, your computer will get slower. SSD will somewhat prevent this but the good ones like Intel or OCZ vertex cost a lot. Otherwise just make sure the hard drive is 7200rpm.
 
Eponym said:
You really need to indicate whether you are looking at a Laptop or a Desktop. The recommendations for each are quite different at this time.

If would also be helpful if you could specify your estimated date of purchase as well as the latest date of purchase you are considering. There are a few new technologies that are coming out and when you plan to purchase your system will make a big impact on what to recommend.
Click to expand...


Whoops! Sorry!! I am looking for a laptop. And I hope to purchase it sometime this summer, by the end of July. Orientation/school starts the first week of August, so I would like to have it before that.

As far as budget goes, I think it's on the lower end. My parents are giving me $600 towards it as a graduation present, and anything more expensive than that I have to cover on my own. I probably wouldn't want to go more than $1000 (I'm just a poor student after all :) ).

Let me know if you need any more info and thanks for your help!
 
Heartful said:
Whoops! Sorry!! I am looking for a laptop. And I hope to purchase it sometime this summer, by the end of July. Orientation/school starts the first week of August, so I would like to have it before that.

As far as budget goes, I think it's on the lower end. My parents are giving me $600 towards it as a graduation present, and anything more expensive than that I have to cover on my own. I probably wouldn't want to go more than $1000 (I'm just a poor student after all :) ).

Let me know if you need any more info and thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
With all of that in mind I went through BestBuy.com and came up with a few that should meet your needs:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9149414&type=product&id=1218036213682

The one above would be a good base system, it doesn't have anything fancy but it should be enough to get the job done for at least 2-3 years. It has a reasonable amount of HD space (unless you have a lot of crap) and plenty of RAM. When Windows 7 comes out later this year you shouldn't have any trouble running it with this configuration.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9172879&type=product&id=1218044029788

This second system is a step up from the first one, the processor is slightly faster and is also of a newer design with a larger cache. It has faster RAM, a faster Hard Drive, and a faster front side bus. It also has a Wireless-N card which will provide superior speed and range for WiFi connections. One of the biggest benefits of this system is that is has a discrete graphics card. This will provide you with far superior performance in any applications that have demanding graphics compared to the integrated graphics solution in the first system. This system is also slightly more portable as it has a smaller form factor using a 14.1" screen versus a 15.6" screen on the first model.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
 
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1336785

brisar said:
Lenovo CPP has the ThinkPad SL500 with upgraded Processor for $423 with free shipping. Thanks thegreatfixer
  1. Click Here
  2. Enter familyandfriends as password
  3. Click on "Mothers Day Sale"
  4. Click on "Thinkpad SL500"
  5. Starting price will be $383
To achieve this configuration, select the following:
  • Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6570 [adds $40]
Specs:
  • Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6570 (2.1GHz 800MHz 2MBL2)
  • 15.4" WXGA LED AntiGlare
  • 160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
  • 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
  • ThinkPad 11b/g Wireless LAN Mini PCI Express Adapter III
  • DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer
  • UltraNav without fingerprint reader
  • Integrated AT&T Mobile Broadband Card (3G)
  • 6 cell Li-Ion Battery ( 2.4 Ah )
  • Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic
Click to expand...


it will be ending soon so hurry if you want it.


otherwise i'm sure dell/hp/lenovo will have more sales during the summer. they need to move inventory for new models and for windows 7
 
Do you have a Costco membership?

If so...
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11470015&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US
$599 right now (it was $20 cheaper a month earlier when we got it, so it could very easily go on sale again) and you can't beat Costco's return policy.

My parents recently bought this and I've been playing around with it a lot. I really like it. Its a rather hefty fella at 6.6 lbs and 15” x 10". But if you're like me and enjoy watching movies on your computer, you have a ton of real estate at 16" of viewscreen. Plus, you have a full-sized keyboard. :rolleyes::thumbup:

Solid processor (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6400 2.0GHz)
Decent hard drive space 250GB (unless you're a hard core gamer, this should be plenty of room)
4 GB of RAM to run several applications without a problem

It does use Vista (64 bit), which some people complain about with slower computers plus there is yet another version of windows coming out in the next year or so. But with this particular laptop, Vista has been running just fine. I've used Vista on my main desktop rig for almost 2 years now and have had no problems whatsoever.
 
Eponym said:
There are a few serious flaws in those specs that would bring the price up considerably to fix. I wouldn't bother with it.
Click to expand...

it looks like they upped the price on the SL500 by $70 or so since the original SD post 2 days ago.

this one is still a good config I think:

ThinkPad SL400 Series - 1Year Depot

Description Part number Unit price* Quantity Price*
ThinkPad SL400 Series - 1Year Depot
Edit 2743CTO $588.05 1 $588.05
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor P7370 (2.0GHz 1066MHz 3MBL2) 1
Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic 1
Operating system language: Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic US English 1
Display type: 14.1" WXGA LED VibrantView 1
System graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD 1
Total memory: 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM Memory (2 DIMM) 1
Keyboard: Keyboard US English 1
Pointing Device: UltraNav without fingerprint reader 1
Hard Drive: 160 GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm 1
Optical device: DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer 1
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth PAN 1
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: Intel WiFi Link 5100 (AGN) 1
Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion Battery ( 2.4 Ah ) 1
Power cord: Country Pack North America with Line cord & 65W AC adapter 1
Language Pack: Language Pack US English 1


buy hdd and ram separately from newegg ask the med school tech department to install for you, takes less than 3 minutes.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231156

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822116160


but honestly 160gb 5400rpm should be ok, the lower rpm hdd's tend to save battery life and has reduced heat/noise.

4 gb ram is useful for vista or windows 7
 
Last edited:
Terpskins99 said:
Yeah, you should assume that you won't get the rebate. When I built my computer, I received 1 out of 3 checks I was supposed to get.
Click to expand...

With 1 rebate it's usually not that bad. It's more of an issue with multiple rebates. But you still have to wait like 8 weeks, cut out UPC, and all that crap.
 
I'd guess I've had to submit 15 rebates in the past 4 years for various rebates. I've gotten them all. Only one didn't work the first time since they lost something or other and they requested a copy of the UPC. I've always made a copy of all the paperwork and UPC just in case.
 
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