AboutKarl Zick Expertise I am very familiar with all brands of computers and computer components and the best places to purchase them. Can also provide a lot of help to the 'build your own PC' folks.
Experience over 20 years experience as a computer systems consultant and PC builder/user/trouble shooter.
Education/Credentials BSEE from VMI and CIS degree from El Camino.
Question QUESTION: What is the best brand of computer to buy. I have an Acer
now that I bought at Wal-Mart and have had a lot of trouble
with it. I even upgraded it to Vista Home Premium and still
have problems with windows poppin Ig off the screen,
explorer issues and the typing blinder jumping all over the
place. My sister says it's an Acer thing since she has one.
I've been trying to decide between Hewlet-Packard and Dell.
I would appreciate your opinion. I'm very tempted to go
back to the Mac but I do like the different things I can
have on a PC. Also, I'm fed up the the virus, malware and
other problems on the pc that I don't have to worry about on
a Mac. I would very much appreciate hearing what you think.
Thanks
ANSWER: Hi Marie,
First, is your computer a desktop or a laptop (I have a whole different set of answers for each). Come back and we will go from there.
Karl
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: My computer is a laptop. No more desktops for me.
Answer Hi again Marie,
First, an ACER isn't typically a bad computer - but all brands have their lemons. Also, if you don't maintain them properly, all computers will start to act up eventually.
Next, the first thing to check on ANY computer is the type of processor it has in it. If it is an Intel Celeron or AMD Sempron, DO NOT buy it.
Brands to avoid are eMachine, Compaq, HP, and Gateway. I have a lot of stories about each but take my word for it.
All of that being said, what should you shop for? Dell isn't bad and the service is good, but they are pricey compared to equivalent computers. My favorite notebooks at the moment are Lenovo (a division of IBM) and Toshiba Satellites - and I have seen specials on both recently for $370 (new, no sales tax, and free shipping). Toshiba's, locally, are a hot item at Office Depot, and Lenovo's can be picked up cheap at Newegg.com, Geeks.com, and Lenovo.com. Just track the specials.
While shopping, you might also want to check out the latest fad, the 9" or 10" netbook. They do everything a large notebook does, are cheap (around $300), and are very compact and convenient. The most popular brands are Lenovo (I have one), MSI, and ACER (yep, ACER). Worst review I read was on a Dell.
