Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/31
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I don't think I'll ever buy a Gateway again. Mine is about 4 years old, and I tried to upgrade my memory to 1gb. Only Gateway sells the memory, and they wanted a preposterous sum of money for it (like more money than it would cost to buy a brand new faster HP with 2gb of memory). To me, that is customer support at its very worst. Jeffery Smith New Orleans, LA http://www.400tx.com http://400tx.blogspot.com/ -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+jsmith342=cox.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+jsmith342=cox.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Adam Bridge Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 7:08 PM To: Leica Users Group Subject: Re: [Leica] What Desktop Computer to Buy These Days? Robert, I don't play on the Windows side in any way but I sure am impressed with what HP has been doing in terms of their user-experience for delivered products. I've unpacked a few of them and found the instructions to be without peer, even better than Apple's. Maybe the best instructions I have ever used. I used to really trust HP as a company. No longer, what with all their idiocy at the board level, but they still know how to engineer and create good products and now their designs are truly done world-wide. As a Mac guy I'm always there to boost it - but if you have lots of software and experience using Windows, and you aren't having the down-side of Windows because you're sophisticated enough to set up and maintain your system to be virus/spyware free, why change and lose the productivity while you relearn another way to do things? I find that Photoshop on the PC feels alien to me and imagine that you'd find the same experience on the Mac coming over from Windows. I won't get into all the arguing and brick-bat throwing that goes with whether one system is better built than another. I know that my G5 desktop system is like a rock - fast and stable. My laptops have been very good. More expensive? I don't know. But if you buy a system of equal capability from HP or Dell I have to think the Mac would come in about the same price: much of the chip set is the same. There will be fewer driver issues on the Mac because the hardware is owned by Apple which makes things a lot easier and most Windows people who complain seem to have driver issues at some point (as I hear them). Hope this helps. Keep your life simple. Adam On 1/31/07, Robert D. Baron <rbaron@concentric.net> wrote: > My trusty Dell P4 1.7 ghz with 1 gb of ram turned 5 years old this > month, and like me, it is starting to have trouble keeping up with the > younger generation....so I would like to ask for the wisdom of the LUG > regarding a replacement. > > Aside from surfing the internet and a little word processing and Quicken > financial and such, my main need is for a machine that will quickly > operate the very latest versions of photoshop and lightroom and their > various third-party plugins and maybe an image cataloging program if I > can settle on one I like. > > I am not a gamer and although I might watch a movie on it I don't see > myself doing much video editing. > > I see three routes: > > 1. A new Dell; > > 2. A new local shop built; or > > 3. A new Mac Pro. > > It would be easier for me to stick with Windows XP Pro because I know > it, but I bought a G4 Powerbook to learn on last year and in light of > the new intel chip Macs that allow the running of some windows programs > I am not totally Mac averse. > > A little while back people were speaking poorly of Dell quality. Has > that changed? > > Obviously the key elements I need to consider are which processor and > which video card; I know to load up on ram. > > With those questions, and with a projected budget as far below $3,000 > US as I can stay, what is the current wisdom? What specifications do I > need? > > Many thanks for your help. > > --Bob Baron / Oklahoma City > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information