Advice for New Computer

I have had an expensive Sony Viao and the best HP made. Both were pieces of junk by the way. I had a terrible time with service at Best Buy. The place I like the best now is Tiger Direct. Great service, great prices and great selection. They may not be the newest models but they stand behind their product. By the way, Circuit City is still ONLINE (circuit city.com). They gave me by far the best service I have ever had- No calls to the other side of the world to fix problems here in the USA.

Hi A. Best Buy has a good selection of computers, That where I got mine and it works just fine. Office Max and Staples also sale them.

If you plan on keeping your computer for another 10-years, I would consider a laptop. Your 6-year old will be surfing the net in a few years and you want to monitor it closely. With a laptop they can be on the computer in the kitchen while you are cooking or in the family room while you are watching TV, etc. Then you can also lock it up when you are not around.

I had my teenage niece stay with me for two weeks and although I had all of the security software on my PC, she knew her way around it all. The kids are very saavy when it comes to being on computers. What they don't know, they can find out online. It's best to keep it physically inaccessible if you are unable to monitor its use. It's alot harder to do with a desktop then laptop.

Good luck!

Check out Frys in Downer's Grove. It's definitely worth the ride! www.frys.com

We bought a toshiba satellite from Best Buy for about $400 and it's fine. We bought it about 3 years ago and haven't had any problems. It sounds like I use my computer for the same purposes as you, also. I like having a laptop because I can take it up to bed with me or work downstairs when the kids are around. We also have a desktop downstairs in the basement but it just wasn't convenient and it was too big to be on the main floor (we have a small house), so I wasn't using it. Hope this helps!

I know you don't care about brand but absolutely DO NOT buy an eMachine. I purchased one (desktop) from Best Buy a few years ago and it crashed 3wks after I bougt it. I still had problems with it and they had to keep sending a tech out. The last tech that came out explained all eMachines has this flaw but once the motherboard is replaced it should be fine. Everyone I know who has an eMachine had the same problems I had. I also purchased a Compaq laptop from Best Buy and I have had no problems with it.

Love, love love, my Mac. Check them out at an Apple store, in your area. Go play. The employees are usually very knowledgeable.

I'm not sure if they sell re-built computers but you might try calling The Martins! If not they could probably give you some good advice as to where to shop. Their phone is ###-###-#### or e-mail: ____@____.com. I have had them work on my computer and they are very good...the nice thing is they charge $159 if they can fix it, nothing if they can't fix it!...Tell them K. in Glen Ellyn recommended them. PS...a laptop is the way to go, definitely.

I would check www.Newegg.com we always get great deals there.

We have bought laptops from Best Buy, but we just checked out MicoCenter http://www.microcenter.com/ and they have quite a few good deals and they have good prices on last years models on both laptops and towers. We love our Gateways and never have had any problems with them. If you have more questions, let me know my husband is pretty good at computers.

check out www.tigerdirect.com

They have good deals and they have a store in Naperville. The store is connected to their warehouse, so as long as the warehouse has the item in stock, you can pick it up instead of paying for shipping.

If you live anywhere near Mererrville IN I have a reliable friend who builds computers for people just like yourself. He has made at lest 3 for our home and family over the years and it cost much less than buying from a retailer. If you live too far, check some of the small computer repair places in the area. These people can build a computer for you within your budget because they get the parts so cheap, especially if you are willing to use some used parts like the keyboard, monitor, and mouse. Most parts that actually run the computer are under factory warrenty so if it stops working all you would have to pay is labor to swap out the parts.
if you are interested in using my frined e-mail me back. Otherwise best of luck to you.
Peggy

Our laptop hinge is breaking. Too much wear/tear. It takes up less space but not going to last as long as our desktop. I like the flatscreen desktops. They look nice. Costco has good prices if you are a member, if not they charge a small fee for ordering online. My husband ordered something before we were members and they charged 3.00. Hope that helps.

Tiger Direct is on line, but if you live in the area, they are just off Jefferson 1/4 mile east of Rte 59 in Naperville Good prices and the people who work there are very knowledgable.

Best buy have pretty good deals. A DESK TOP IS MORE DURABLE.

I just bought a new laptop on Sunday, for $599 at Best Buy. I shopped around in stores and online and really liked the helpful staff at Best Buy. Because it's "back to school" time, we waited until the ads came out on Sunday and compared what was available. Then, we had Best Buy price match to a similar computer for us, so I got exactly what I wanted for a good price when it wasn't even on sale. It was really great. They also were willing to price match Microsoft Office from Amazon, so I was able to get everything together.

My family has also had great experiences from Tiger Direct, I just found their online selection to be a little limited.

I would not go to walmart I've worked at walmart and i know and the Quaity is bad.

We always buy from Dell. Just give them a call and tell them what you just told us. They will recommend an affordable computer that fits your needs. Really nice to work with.