New Computer?

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Monkey12

Monkey12
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I was thinking about replacing my 7 year old Dell computer which gets bogged down by opening a couple of windows but otherwise works great. Anyone else in the market to get a computer? Worth getting now or waiting until VISTA the new operating system comes out?

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Intel's also releasing its Core 2 Duo chips later this year, which might be a good reason to wait (I wish technology was future proof :laugh: )
 
Monkey12 said:
I was thinking about replacing my 7 year old Dell computer which gets bogged down by opening a couple of windows but otherwise works great. Anyone else in the market to get a computer? Worth getting now or waiting until VISTA the new operating system comes out?

Depends whether or not you have the money to pay for new technology...
 
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ambidigital11 said:
Intel's also releasing its Core 2 Duo chips later this year, which might be a good reason to wait (I wish technology was future proof :laugh: )


They're releasing them later this week!
 
if you've got a bit of extra cash and don't mind macs, those new macs with the intels are great and will be even better when the new intels come out. if you hate os x you can always run windows on it, too. of course, they are a good deal more expensive than a generic laptop that you can get for good quality at half the price or less.
 
Anyone know anything about this new VISTA operating system?
 
Monkey12 said:
Anyone know anything about this new VISTA operating system?

You can download a recent pre-release for free (legally) if you want... Google something like vista beta trial. There are some major caveats (ex- undefined behavior once the trial period runs out... you may be unable to reinstall XP and you may be unable to install a paid-for version of VISTA over it).

I've seen it, and while the verisons I've used aren't the "final product," they're close enough as far as major workings go.

It's just Win07 imo. Doesn't include any major improvements that haven't already been done by free thrid party software.
 
Monkey12 said:
I was thinking about replacing my 7 year old Dell computer which gets bogged down by opening a couple of windows but otherwise works great. Anyone else in the market to get a computer? Worth getting now or waiting until VISTA the new operating system comes out?

If you're expecting to matriculate at a med schol next year, I vote that you should wait if you can possibly stand it. Many schools have "recommended" pre-configured computers, which you might be wise to purchase because the school's tech people will be familiar with your machine and can more easily fix it if something goes wrong.

I bought my laptop from the company recommended by my college, and I'm so glad I did. I've had a few technical problems, but since my college has such an intimate relationship with the company, everything got sorted out quite quickly.
 
Screw Vista. Go get a mac now! I made the switch and I love it. BTW, you can run windows on it too using parallel workstations. It only takes like 5 seconds to load up windows. I know its a bit more expensive but definitely worth the cash spent.
 
FroggieBet said:
If you're expecting to matriculate at a med schol next year, I vote that you should wait if you can possibly stand it. Many schools have "recommended" pre-configured computers, which you might be wise to purchase because the school's tech people will be familiar with your machine and can more easily fix it if something goes wrong.

I bought my laptop from the company recommended by my college, and I'm so glad I did. I've had a few technical problems, but since my college has such an intimate relationship with the company, everything got sorted out quite quickly.

Sounds like a nice way for your school to make a couple of bucks on those who don't know much about computers....

I just built myself a computer last year about this time. I'd highly recommend this if you know what you want out of your machine. If not, maybe something like FroggieBet suggested would be good. I don't know, I have a problem with comptures built by Dell and the like unless you're getting a laptop. But then again, I don't like laptops, so... :)

Maybe this would be sufficient for you. Surely it's Vista ready :p :D
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/05/10/dual_41_ghz_cores/
 
I am waiting for my new macbook to arrive in the mail! I am so excited. Plus college students get a free ipod nano with their macbook, not that this off sets the relative cost of a macbook versus other laptops but regardless of that I am still excited!

It will be both my first lap top and my first mac, so I am looking forward to the experience.
 
FroggieBet said:
If you're expecting to matriculate at a med schol next year, I vote that you should wait if you can possibly stand it. Many schools have "recommended" pre-configured computers, which you might be wise to purchase because the school's tech people will be familiar with your machine and can more easily fix it if something goes wrong.

I bought my laptop from the company recommended by my college, and I'm so glad I did. I've had a few technical problems, but since my college has such an intimate relationship with the company, everything got sorted out quite quickly.

Absolutely! Let me echo what this response says. Definitely get it at the last second. Right now we know that the Intel “Core” line of processors (which are about to come out) will be another leap forward in terms of performance, but two leaps forward in terms of power efficiency (at least for Intel…AMD has always been pretty good with power). If you’re going to buy a laptop then the power consumption differences between a current Intel mobile chip and the Core line will be very drastic. Plus, I vote you should definitely(!) wait for Vista. Vista is the future of PC computing (like it or not), and if you jump the gun you’ll end up having to buy it on your own. I’ve been working on the beta version for a few weeks now, and despite many things being similar, it is a much “sexier” operating system. It feels much more like Mac OS, especially with the 3D acceleration powering its effects.

On a side note, I’m probably going to do the same thing you are. I originally saved up for a PS3; now that I know it’s $600 I’ve decided instead to get a laptop right before I start medical school…I think that’s a much wiser decision given that I probably won’t have all that much time to play it in the coming years. Oh, one more reason to wait. The Intel Core processor looks very cool, however, waiting until the last minute also gives AMD (the largest competitor to Intel) the opportunity to come out with something better; thus you may end up even better off than the Intel Core line…you never know. Best of luck!
 
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