Boyd Anderson asks:
I am looking to buy my wife a new desktop. All she does is eMails and surf the web, store pictures and videos. Nothing heavy duty. What should I look for? Any brands you recommend? Sites to go to buy it?
Tagged: buying tips, desktop computer
6 Answers -
Tina
March 27, 2010Boyd,
frankly, I would not recommend you to buy a desktop computer. A laptop is much more practical. A laptop takes up less space, it can easily be packed away, and you’re not tied to a desk as the device can be carried around. Your wife could sit on the couch or on the balcony while editing pictures, you can take the laptop with you on a vacation to instantly download and save pictures, or you can take it to friends to show your holiday pictures. Besides, laptops have become very cheap.
That said, for the tasks you listed, your wife won’t need a powerful machine. Make sure the hard drive is large (500GB) and eventually invest in an external hard drive for backups. Also, for viewing pictures and videos it makes sense to get a laptop with a good screen (15.4″ or bigger with WSXGA+ or better) or a nice widescreen TFT for a desktop computer. Last but not least, if your wife edits pictures and videos, you should avoid on-board graphics cards or graphics cards with shared memory. Be sure to get a graphics card that has its own dedicated memory and doesn’t eat up RAM.
From personal experience I recommend HP laptops, but I hear that Toshiba is very good, too. If you still want to get a desktop computer, I would recommend you to put together a machine that suits your needs with Dell.
You should also have a look at our Laptop Buying Guide 2009 or our Shopping Guide.
ænon1mus
March 27, 2010I’m going to sound like an evangelist but I think you should go with a MacBook. It sounds perfect for her, plus it’s low maintenance.
that’s a dumb idea.
March 29, 2010I don’t think so. I think it’s a pretty good idea. If you were to take into account the amount of time spent on reinstalling anti-virus applications, anti-malware. Like Boyd said, she doesn’t want anything heavy duty. Macs are pricey but they’re also low maintenance. So, that’s just my opinion.
March 29, 2010Taty
March 28, 2010Actually, I don’t think a laptop is always the best choice. I agree it is very convenient, but only if she is planning on using it somewhere else and if you have wifi set up at home, otherwise, you get much more for a desktop than you get for a laptop of the same price. I also don’t really see a reason to buy more expensive hardware unless they are offering something for that price.
I’d suggest an Asus Desktop or laptop. One of the best hardware in the market and incredibly cheap for what you get. Sony Vaios are a bit more expensive, but if good looking machines are of great importance to her, they are some of the most beautiful machines in the market. Vaio Laptops are also very solid machine.
The following are some suggest at different price ranges from:
http://www.bestbuy.com
You can find them all just by searching for the model numbers.
Asus model CM5571-BR003
$509 – Great basic machine. Enough features to last a while.
Asus Model CG5290-BP007
$799 – Top of the line machine. Amazing features for this price
Asus Laptop basic model K60I-RBBBR05
$499
Asus laptop model G72GX-RBBX05
$999 – Top of the line laptop
Sony Vaio laptops vary from $699 to $999 and come in all colors.
ænon1mus
March 28, 2010This feels like premise to start flame wars
Well it all depends on your budgets and expectations, Boyd.
Aibek
March 29, 2010Boyd,
If your wife wants a desktop and the look and feel are really important to her, go with iMac. It costs more BUT women love them.
Oh yeah, my tovarish! Seriously, Boyd. I got my girlfriend a MacBook and she has no trouble using it.
March 29, 2010I bet that gesture made you the best boyfriend ever!
March 30, 2010Brent
April 8, 2010All you really need is a little NetTop computer such as the eepc from asus