PC - Quick advice...

[fldash]

Sigh, my dad just called and wants to get a PC for Christmas for my mom and him. The problem is that I always custom build my PCs and I've never just purchased one outright (well, since my first one). Does anyone have any recommendations on PCs that can be bought at Best Buy / Circuit City / OD / etc... or should I start making a list of NewEgg and get the parts here by late next week (hopefully).

Thanks!

[Grunt 70]

Build it with your Dad I say. But I'd recommend not rushing to fast forward get it done. How about ordering the parts and putting them under the tree. With the case and other assorted pieces you'd have a pile of stuff. Might make a nice project for you and your dad on a quiet Christmas day. After you build it you mom will impressed and proud.

Some dynamite deals out there on skt 939 AMD chips at the moment.

[fldash]

My dad and electronics don't go well together. He builds things, but they require grinders, welders, torches, etc... He'd probably bring the torch inside to get inside the case. He's very hands-off when it comes to electronics, as is my mom. This will also be their first PC.

[freekyE]

I would highly suggest getting a cheap dell/gateway (whatever) then.....it sounds very much like they arent gamers, so you wont need a super-rig.

Dell has a decent tower for under 300$...saves you time and effort and if it breaks for whatever reason you can just send it back.

[Grunt 70]

Originally Posted by fldash

My dad and electronics don't go well together. He builds things, but they require grinders, welders, torches, etc... He'd probably bring the torch inside to get inside the case. He's very hands-off when it comes to electronics, as is my mom. This will also be their first PC.

Given what you've said I think Freeky's on to a good idea. If they only need it for internet, pictures and whatnot than I'd suggest *cough cough* the Dell route.

[fldash]

Thanks guys...

[Wimpinator]

Dell is a solid choice. My mother bought one and just her being able to call tech support instead of me was worth it.

I think they offer spyware/adware removal as a seperate service from their normal customer support. Ask about it. We all know that the #1 problem with computers is the user's inability to stay away from sites that install bad stuff.

You also may want to start them on Firefox from the get go. If they are completely ignorant about computers then they will never know the difference and the added security is worth it.

Just my$.00002 worth (verizon money)

[CingularDuality]

Originally Posted by Wimpinator

Dell is a solid choice. My mother bought one and just her being able to call tech support instead of me was worth it.

I think they offer spyware/adware removal as a seperate service from their normal customer support. Ask about it. We all know that the #1 problem with computers is the user's inability to stay away from sites that install bad stuff.

You also may want to start them on Firefox from the get go. If they are completely ignorant about computers then they will never know the difference and the added security is worth it.

Just my$.00002 worth (verizon money)

Agreed.

Dude, get a Dell!

[Grunt 70]

Dell is a good choice I agree too. Never really had a bad experience with them. My first two computers were Dells. This is going back 8 years or so. Their service used to be stellar but they've migrated much of it overseas and at the end I had my share of frustrating calls with support staff that spun in circles. Not like the old days as now you pay for any support from Dell. Despite my late experiences with Dell service it's still a good idea to buy a single or multi year support plan...Anything goes wrong they come and fix it not you...


The other thing about Dell is they come loaded with lots of programs you don't really need. Nowadays there are a wide range of free anti virus and anti spyware programs available...I use Avast & AVG and both are free. I learned alot about all this from a site called www.sysopt.com. click this link to see one of their stickies highlighting free and useful applications for pc security. Don't pay for any of that norton or mcAfee crap. It's expensive and frankly doesn't work as well as the free ones...How does that work??

http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=161595

They'll have a blast. My mom bought a laptop a year ago and we've had a lot of fun with it. She lives in NC and we've done quite a bit of web chats using webcams...never thought I'd see the day I'd see her do something like that I tell you...It's a good thing.

[freekyE]

I have played Bf2 since its release on a dell 8400 (with some upgrades )

Ive never had a hardware problem yet (knock on wood)

[Coridon]

Dell.

In addition to all the reasons given here, if you build your parents a rig, you become the de facto customer support.

[CingularDuality]

Originally Posted by Grunt 70

The other thing about Dell is they come loaded with lots of programs you don't really need.

Yes, don't get any of the software options.

Do spend the $5 to get the copy of Windows on a disc.

Do spend the money to get the good service plan, ESPECIALLY if you're getting a laptop. The top of the line plan is essentially tech support and insurance rolled into one. If you drop your computer or spill coffee all over it or it otherwise catches on fire, they fix or replace it no matter what. I don't know if I'd get it for a desktop PC, but I would highly recommend it for a laptop.

Don't buy any of their other accessories. You can get them much cheaper at a local store 90% of the time, and you'll be able to see them personally before purchasing, too!

And, normally, don't be in a hurry. Dell usually cycles through sales of their various computers. If you can wait a few weeks for the PC that you want to go on sale, you could save hundreds of dollars.

[perry]

Helped Grandma order a Dell with 19" LCD this time last year. After initially setting it up, I haven't heard a peep from her. She gets on AOL (tried a "real" ISP once on her last computer.. that lasted about a week before she wanted AOL back) and does her thing. If the computer did have a problem, I'd be the one fixing it instead of Dell tech support -- I'm de facto customer support no matter where it came from originally

Mom is using an AMD XP 1700+ that I built new for her about 4 years ago. No hardware problems with it; she just calls for help doing little things in Excel for a club she's in and with pictures from her digital camera. I'm getting her a 19" LCD for Christmas this year to replace her 17" CRT.

If your parents use the computer the way my mom and grandma do, they most likely won't venture too far from webmail and the bigger websites (mom has figured out Expedia and Travelocity for booking vacations, and goes to websites for stores / catalogs she shops at). I keep AVG going on mom's computer, and do some Adware scans every now and then, but nothing has ever come up.

If you live away from your parents, more than 20 - 30 minutes, look in to some sort of remote desktop capabilities. Got mom signed up for that $15/month DSL, which is the same she was paying for AT&T dialup, and installed VNC. Setup a PPTP connection to my home router, strong password on VNC with a firewall hole only on that PPTP connection, and I'm pretty much the only one that can get in. She knows to go in to a "perry" folder and click on both icons (one connects via PPTP, one starts vnc), and then I can see her desktop. Helps immensely with her little Excel problems and such.

[fldash]

Great advice perry. Will definitely do the VNC option. And I'm pretty sure I'll be support no matter where the PC comes from...

I get an employee discount thru Dell so I'm going to see what I can build on the cheap.

[DigitalAssassin]

I helped Mom and Dad pick up a Media Center Dell a few months ago and the great thing about MC is it comes with Terminal Services. So if they run into anything major I'll just RDP in.