What machine to get my mom?

[Knightmare]

My mom has a 7 year old Dell laptop. Back then, it was top of the line. Now, it's just old and pathetic. My uncle and I have talked her into getting a new computer. We would like her to get a desktop; those are easier for us to work on.

Any thoughts as what manufacturer to get? Custom built is out for my parents. It's gonna hafta be a company with a major label (don't ask me why), like HP or Dell or Acer, etc..

I would love for her to get a Mac, but I haven't had any experience with those since 7th grade (eons ago).

Also, no Vista. XP home or Pro.

Please.... ideas!

[sld72382]

What's your price range? Personally, you're going to have a tough time finding a retail PC with XP on it.

Here's my take on things. Go with a vendor like Velocity Micro, if you go to their website you can order a PC with XP pro - and they give you an actual XP disc, not a stupid restore CD.

Keep in mind a lot for those retail PCs also have cheap components but Velocity puts brand name stuff in their PCs. Another one to consider is Maingear but they're pricier. Also, their tech support is based in the US.

[lordlundar]

Well, what does she do with it? If it's basic stuff, (email, internet, word processing, simple games, etc) then pretty much anything on the market will do fine. As for brand name, avoid anything made by eMachines. Most other manufacturers are alright though. You also might want to consider a laptop as well.

If she's a pretty solid gamer or graphic artist, well then there's a more narrow field, as upgrading becomes a large factor. Gateway would be a best choice in that case, as they are the easiest to upgrade and modify. Compaq/HP are really tough to do so, and Dell is the worst for that.

A Mac.. Hmm, once again, if she's doing basic stuff, a Mac is probably a better choice, apart from the initial learning. Make a note that the game selection is hindered by it though, unless you set it up to dual boot XP as well.

[Broomjockey]

For quality, unless they've changed recently, probably stay away from Acer. My parents had two of those, and they both were the most problematic machines we've ever had.

Also, if you're going to be wanting to do the work yourself, and upgrade it and such, stay away from Dell. Stupid amounts of pre-loaded useless junk, and proprietary up the wazoo on some parts.

Not had much experience with Gateway, but they're supposed to be decent for this.

[sld72382]

Gateway is good if you order direct. The ones retail are rebadged Emachines and are junk.

[Mr. Rude]

IMHO...

2 words. Custom build.

That way you know what is in your machine & you get warranty by part.

[technical.angel]

Custom built is out for my parents.

I would suggest Dell. Here's the models that you can get with XP. http://www.dell.com/content/topics/s...=19&l=en&s=dhs

I'm not sure if they do desktops, but stay away from Vaio from Sony. They don't have drivers for XP. Which sucks, majorly.

[Shabo]

Asking which brand of computer to get is like asking what car company you should buy from. Everyone will have their own opinions.

My recommendation is to spend a bit of money on this. Don't buy the cheapest thing out there because it will probably fail on you pretty quickly. Also, figure out what they want to do with the machine, and that will tell you what specs to look for. If you find a few models and want opinions, we're here for you.