Expert: Bobbert - 10/31/2009

Question
I'm having a lot of trouble with my Dell Dimension E510 computer system with it operating very slow & now no sound when trying to play a YouTube clip or other audio aspects.  I've had the unit for 4 years & figure it's just time to pony-up for a new computer.

I stopped by a Fry's location and the salesperson told me that 'Velocity' is by far the best computer for the money (even though I am not a 'gamer' and never play them) or the Gateway---said to stay away from Dell, HP, Compaq, Acer, etc.  I am willing to spend approx. $1000 on a new computer and do not need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. ---just the computer itself.  I just picked up a new 24" ViewSonic monitor 3 weeks ago & it has an HDMI port (my Dell does not) so a monitor, as I said, is not needed.  When sales guys push hard on a certain brand, I get the impression they have a sales spiff going and want to make extra money & maybe don't push the very best product.

Any input would really be appreciated----  

Answer
I'm not famliar with "Velocity" as a brand, perhaps he's referencing Velocity Micro, in which case I would consider the system complete overkill for your needs. Regarding other brands, Gateway isn't a bad choice, Acer is part of the same corporate group and makes comparable products, I would have no issues suggesting either. The same is true for HP/Compaq and Dell, none of them produce particularly bad products, of course lemons exist, but this is true across all manufacturers (I would think your system's age should be an indication of Dell's quality).

Before buying a new computer, the first thing I would suggest is to reformat and re-install Windows on your existing computer (as this shouldn't cost you a thing, unless you've misplaced the installation media), this will handily clean all the "junk" out, and should bring back the pep you remember the system having (be sure you back up your data to something off the computer before performing this task (for example CDs or a flash drive)). If you have to pay for this service, just forget this step, as it isn't worth the hundreds to thousands of dollars that Fry's or Best Buy will extort out of you.

On buying a new computer, I would probably suggest shopping online, and would honestly go with whichever vendor you like, or whichever vendor has the best sale going (be it Dell, Gateway/Acer, or HP/Compaq) at the moment.

For connection of your new monitor, HDMI would be acceptable, although DVI or VGA will work just as well (DVI passes the same video signals as HDMI carries, it just lacks the audio component (which isn't required for a computer monitor), VGA passes a somewhat different signal, none are going to result in poor visual quality with modern hardware).

If you have any further questions, feel free to post a follow-up.

-bob