Hello ALL.

They are about to pull the plug on my computer and I still have not gotten one of my own so Good Bye for the near future, will get a computer when I get a chance.

Thank You & Tight Wraps.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Try looking at Dell
I have one that is 12 years old Yea I know need to upgrade But still working - Not bad

Bill - willierods.com

If you are not a "game player" who need super speed graphics etc.there are many good computers at the Salvation Army or Goodwill that you can get for next to nothing.

Robert,
When you get the computer of your own, get a decent one that will be "good" for years to come.

Be safe
Roger

You want speed cause if you load all those thread wrapping software your going to need it

You can also find - Reviews - on what you plan to buy to see what people thing of them

Do not know if These People Are Paid for there reviews ???

Probable better just to ask here A lot of nerds here No Offense guys

Bill - willierods.com

Just an idea for you. When my last computer went "toes up" due to virus infection the local repair shop used the good bits / pieces (case, media drive bay; light scribe / cd burner and replaced the "guts" (hard drive etc) and installed basic software packages for less money (hundreds less) than I could buy one from any of the 'box stores' or larger computer outlets. Also since they're a local small business I felt better about supporting them

Ken,
In today's market place; this is an increasingly difficult thing to do.
The manufacturers have very very thin margins when it comes to producing and selling PCs.

I have built many pcs myself, but for the last couple of pcs that I purchased, I purchased them built up. I could not buy the individual pieces, assemble them and compete with the purchase price of the assembled unit.

In years past - yes; certainly that was true.

Roger

Dell has an outlet site that sells refurbished electronics. Companies do upgrades and turn in their older machines, which Dell refurbishes and sells.

A couple of years ago my Dell Precision 390 failed. Rather than going through a lot of effort and expense, I called Dell and purchased a refurbished replacement. My total down time was about three days. I switched mt hard drive and cards to the replacement and was very satified with Dell's attitude and supporting me until I was up and running.

Try a google search on: dell business refurbished computers

Don

Don Becker

So Bob, as you can see with a little research, and probably getting a neighborhood high school kid to help you out, you don't have to go dark in retirement. The world and our communication is becoming more digital so we would all encourage you to use one of the solutions suggested here to keep the nerd fest going!

Good luck!

Terry

Ken I started with Win 3.01 through win 7 do yourself a favor get a Mac far less hassles, definitley my last PC
John

John -
Exactly what I did

Computers are parity products. Operating systems aren't. For 98% of casual users Windows 95 is the best platform so far. That's why Windows 8 is a 95 clone.

try a Google search There are computer nerds that will come to your house and check it out
maybe cheaper ??

Bill - willierods.com

My son the computer genius told me over ten years ago to stop wasting my time and money on Dell and windows and just get an Apple computer.
So I listened to him and there is no turning back, they are simply the best computer on the market...period.

My newest, a Mac Book Pro will be unwrapped on Christmas, a gift from my wife. Blistering fast and retina display on the screen ! Come on Tuesday!

Tom

TCR

Robert, if you are not running a wrapping program and only need internet access get an iPad. One of the lower end models can be had cheap and they are simple to use. There are no better computers out there than Apple. I have 4 of the. The oldest is 6 years old and performs as the day i got it. And none of mine run virus protection. Also the ability to go the the store with it and see a live person to help you with it is priceless..

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

My $0.02...

Computers are not built to last . It's normal. A few do, but the features are added so fast and the processors upgrade so fast, there is no sense building one that lasts 10 years (or even 5). If you are looking for longevity and build quality, get a Toughbook. You will get a very well built dropable laptop for 5X the price of a normal laptop, and the features and processor will still be out of date in two years!.

I buy my family's Laptops from Amazon. Their return policy is excellent. All the PC clones are roughly the same, but I have been happiest with Toshiba and Asus, least happy with Mac and Dell. Look for the best rating in a PC clone for $400 or so. That is PLENTY of computer power for essentially anyone but a dedicated "gamer' or graphic artist. Between me, my wife and my two college age kids, I bet I've bought 10+ laptops in the last 4 years. Anything over 2 years of service I consider a win. The absolute least reliable laptops I have purchased were Macbooks. Love the interface, hate the price(3X normal) and longevity. I made my daughter give them up until she is buying her own.

Brand name in PC laptops means basically nothing. Buy based on price and features that you want. The value intersection of price and features is $400-$500. We can wring our hands about the disposable society all we want, but computers are constantly changing, improving speed and power so don't look at it as an investment.

Typing this on a 9 month old Asus.

Drew

Drew,
Microsoft finally required much in the way of processor and memory for windows 8.

My son picked up a new computer and wanted windows 8 on his old machine for his children.
After putting windows 8 on the old machine, the old machine came alive. Much much faster. Much quicker boot up as well as shut down. 14 seconds to boot up from cold start and 3 seconds to shut down.
Applications in general simply run much faster.

Of course, this is because windows 8 is designed to be run on cell phones and tablets which do not have a huge processor or a huge amount of memory. It just goes to show that the company could have likely done this years ago, and made the old machines much faster.

Be safe
Roger

Most 8-year old hardware will satisfy the great majority of users. Eight year old operating systems will not. Before you purchase any used ( and probably older) computer hardware you should determine the cost of upgrading your software to an acceptable level. PC's have a distinct advantage over Apple products here.