'm sick and tired of my 5 year old Dell Inspiron 5150 PMSing all the time.
I've had it with the crashes, random errors, and general sluggishness.


I am looking to get a new PC, but don't know much about what I need nor what I should I get.

When I bought an HDTV, I knew the specs and brand to go for.
I knew the things which were important were:
1) Size (40 or better screen)
2) Resolution (1080p)
3) HzRate (120)
4) Brand (Sony, Samsung, or LG)


I'd like it if I could know what specs are important and what they should be for a PC.
Also, which brands are best.

My basic use of a PC is for internet browsing and doing work on MS Office.
I hate Dell and will not give them money.
Mac not only is too expensive, it had a different OS which I do not feel like getting accustomed to and it does not run well with GIS, a software I might (hopefully I won't) use.


If you can tell me which specs to get for these uses and which brands/models work best....I would most appreciate it.
Thanks! Hi Bluecountry. Do you have any idea what kind of budget you have for this? It'd help in making the best recommendations for you.

As for monitors, I'd stay away from Sony. Heard too much negative about them and that they're all name and little quality compared to some other brands. I've had an LG for about a year now and it's been great. I had an Acer monitor for 5 years before this one. I don't know much about Samsung ones though.things youl ook for in a computer are:

processor: often shown as Ghz, these can be single, double, triple or quad core processors;
generally the more cores you have to a processor the better a computer will multi task(using more then one programme). the two main MANUFACTURES of processors are Intel and AMD

RAM(Random access memory): this also contributes to how well a computer can multi task but plays more of a role in it. will often be shown in Gbs (4 gigabytes of ram)

Graphics card: these are needed to play most computer games, better cards provide better performance in game, it would be advised that you get a computer with a graphics card if you are going to use a 40 inch screen. the specs for a graphics card will often be shown as MBs eg. 512mbs. the two main manufacturers of graphics cards are nvidia or ATI.

OS: usually windows or Mac, but there are also other OS platforms(Linux)

Hard drive: how much data a computer can store, the average hard drive space for a desktop computer TODAY is anywhere between 500gbs and 1000gb(1tb)

optical drives: dvd player, cd player, blu-ray player etc

expandability: this depends on your motherboard, if you want a computer to use and upgrade over a longer period of time; then a good motherboard is essential. a better motherboard could mean anything from more slots for RAM or another graphics card slot(sli crossfire)

post back if you want to know anything moreThanks guys.
To answer and ask a few more questions


1) Budget is 500-750....though I can higher if needed but prefer this range.

2) For my uses, what do I need in each of the specs.
Example: For an HDTV I knew I need a resolution of 1080p. For my uses on a computer as described, what specs do I need:

a. Processor
b. RAM
c. Hard Drive
d. Graphics Card
e. Expendability
f. Brand?
g. OS I already know will be windows 7
h. optical drives will have CD/DVD and might have Blu-Ray

I do like to have many web browsers open and often have microsoft office open too.
I might start playing PC games again, don't know.
The big thing is web browsing and MS office, multitasking those.


3) How can I find out what my current PC's specs are, and possibly if they are the problem?look on the dell website but off hand, as i used to have a dell 5000 i could tell you they are likely to be:
3.0ghz single core processor
1gb of RAM
128mb video ati card
320gbs hard drive

wat i have is:

2.4ghz quad core processor
4gbs of RAM
512mb nvidia geforce 9800GTX+
160gbs hard drive
1000gbs hard drive
antec 900 gaming case

my system can be brought piece by piece or factory made if you go to the right place.
i get excelent performance from the newest games, i average around 60fps on highest settings

for your budget im not sure if you can get this as i payed £600 for this and a few spare parts and if your talking dollars then this will be out your price range

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883108233
here is a verygood computer however it doesnt come with windows 7 and doesnt have a graphics card, but is a very capable computer if you dont need modern gaming power and at a price well withing your range

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229124
this computer is fairly similar to the other one it has a graphics card but has less RAM, this computer also only has vista so an upgrade to windows 7 would be needed

Hmmm....I am a little confused.
First....I want a laptop.


I notice when I use my PC....when it is updating viruses it is SO SLOW.
It also is VERY slow with Youtube...and since day one it has been noisey with the fan running.


I think these are my specs...I went to my computer...right clicked...then properties.
These seem, particularly the GHZ...WAY too high given the dreadful performance.


Mobile (R) Intel (R) Pentium
4 CPU

3.06 GHz

512 MB RAM

I don't know if I have a video card.


I am looking for a very easy guideline I can use.
For my purposes...to have easy web browsing, youtube watching, and no interruptions with virus updates, what do I need?
What specific specs?


How about this?
Does this fit my needs...is it too much...or just enough?
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644570896&parentCategoryId=16154#specificationsI suggest this one: http://www.staples.com/Asus-U80A-RSTML05-Laptop/product_831633?cmArea=FEATURED:SC3:CG71:DP4118ah sorry you DIDNT say you wanted a laptop, so i got abit confused.
that sony laptop you showed is a very good laptop, it has blu-ray, 3.06ghz dual core processor, 500gb hard drive, 8gbs of ram, a good graphics card, a decent battery life, webcam and microphone, big 16" screen with high resolution settings and 1 year warrenty.

its an outstanding laptop for what you to do. but for $809 + service charges its a very hefty price

the other laptop is lower in price but its a pretty standard laptop without a decent graphics card, blu-ray player, microphone etc. the specs are worse and you dont get as much free software with it.

if you REALLY wanted a good laptop that will more then satisfy your needs then the sony Vaio is an unpassable option, it looks like a very good laptop.

but if your looking to save abit of money in the process and get a decent enough upgrade, go for the other one.ah, after looking at those specs on the sony website in awe, i just found out that the price at the top is the lowest price for a FW series laptop that you can get, and that laptop that is shown there is the best, and most expensive, FW series laptop you can get. so if you were to buy that specific laptop then it would cost you $1999.99.

the specs for the $809 laptop are as follows:

t6600 processor working at 2.2ghz
250gbs hard drive working at 7200RPM
windows 7 home
3gbs RAM
512mb graphics card
no additional software (except microsoft works)

and all for $809

seeing this i would definatly reccomend the other laptop from staplesTo be honest, I'd steer away from a Sony. Everyone I've known that's owned a Sony laptop has had nothing but complaints about it. Seems you're paying for a name and not quality when it comes to their laptops.

In my opinion, steer away from anything Sony, Acer, SVOA, or Samsung. I've seen more of these go through my shop than anything.

MSI is still kind of new to the laptop market, and I don't know much about them. Most of the reviews I've read about them (both professional and user reviews) have been good. However, I still have mixed feelings about them since I know a lot of people who have had issues with their computer components like motherboards.

ASUS is quite good. I've had two of them, both still in use. One I use personally and the other I gave to a friend and he's still using it (4 years old now).

Toshiba, while sometimes pricey, is also quite good. My first laptop years ago was a Toshiba. Dropped many times (oops) and had 4 drinks spilled on it (oops again). Lasted me for 6 years before the screen finally gave out. My girlfriend also has a Toshiba U100 which she loves. A tough little machine that is. She's had it for almost 4 years with no issues caused from it being a Toshiba.

HP isn't bad for the price. Not top of the line, but not bottom rung either. Currently, the laptop I use the most is an HP and I'm quite happy with it. It's about a year old now and I've had no issues with it. HP also acquired Compaq years ago, but I don't know if they've actually improved Compaq's line.

I would agree with quaxo. I've had really godd luck with Toshibas. I have had four of them since 1991 and had zero problems. I can't say that for the others I have had ( Dell, HP, Sony) except for an Acer that I used for about a year. It was basic, but worked pretty well.