NEC color flat screen 13" monitor
dell keyboard
dell pc (refurbished) 150GB hard drive, 512 MB memory
CD/DVD burner
HP 3 in 1

craigslist

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/

hey im a student in marketing and have already gone through 2 PCs in 4 years. Im on a budget but I have enough to either get a refurbished mac from apple or another PC…
the refurbished mac when ordering from apple comes with a one year warranty

PC (Asus or http://www.powernotebooks for quality laptops).. Also, your other PCs might work with Linux.

PC=Variety of specs, options, quality, prices, vendors, support
Mac=One vendor, limited options, still more expensive. Look below for more information..

Today, Macs use a subset of PC hardware. Why spend extra to get the same CPU chips, graphics cards and OS X isn’t as secure as you think..

Don’t believe the lies that Macs are better than PCs at graphics/animation.. Dreamworks Animation http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/ under studio click on Technology of Animation, an independent film maker I know uses PCs, a graphic artist I used to know uses PCs also.

A number of PCs can also run OS X (Mac OS) http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=os+x+on+pc&btnG=Google+Search&aq=0&oq=os+x+on+ as well just that Apple makes it illegal in order to get Market share.. The reason why Mac can run native Windows is because it is using a subset of PC hardware,

If you decide to buy a Mac for running Windows, you will still have to get the same virus/spyware protection, and run into the same issues as a regular PC.

Now is a Mac worth buying for OS X?

I say: NO… for the following reasons…

ADVANTAGES WINDOWS :
Aprox 90% of the market is Windows and most PCs have windows already pre-installed.
1) Some websites require Internet Explorer, to run IE on Mac you really get ies4osx which is the Windows version of IE running really buggy and illegal if you don’t have a legitimate copy of Windows.
2) Supports more devices (printers and other things you hook into the computer).
3) More business software/games
4) Want the dock on OS X (Mac)? google/yahoo rocketdock, objectdoc.
5) Used by businesses.

ADVANTAGES LINUX :
1) FREE (most versions are)
2) Install software by either 1) Synaptic Package Manager, 2) Add/Remove 3) Opening a .deb or .rpm file (depending on distribution)
2) Like the Mac OS X effects? go yahoo/google COMPIZ FUSION which can do any cool effect a Mac can do and many ore….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Fbk52Mk1w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3gkX9HDfEE (there is no flickering when you use it like on the video, not sure why the person has the flicker)
3) Mac OS X Doc? google/yahoo Avant Window Navigator.Cairo Dock, http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3rf5q_cairo-dock-mac-os-x-leopard-dock-on_tech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0hzi22g2DE
4) It is FASTER/MORE SECURE to surf on the internet
5) Some Windows programs work with Wnehq/Crossover (also avail on Mac, but why pay $$$)

Instructions how to download, burn and boot http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/use-ubuntu-live-cd-to-backup-files-from-your-dead-windows-computer/
Dual Boot Instructions http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm

SECURITY
Mac OS X was hacked in 2006 less than 30 minutes, and within 2 minutes in a contest in 2008, and within 10 seconds in 2009. In 2008, Linux and Vista were not hacked until another day when restrictions were lowered. Vista was next, and then Linux. In 2009 Windows 7 fell shortly after the Mac but Linux was unscathed.
Macs are standardized with Cameras, if your Mac gets hacked, the hacker can turn on your camera with more ease.
Please Note: All OS’s have vulnerabilities.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Mac-OS-X-hacked-under-30-minutes/0,130061744,139241748,00.htm
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/03/27/Gone-in-2-minutes-Mac-gets-hacked-first-in-contest_1.html
http://www.infoworld.com/article/09/03/19/Researcher_cracks_Mac_in_10_seconds_1.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Finds-Irony-in-Mac-OS-X-Getting-Hacked-Before-Vista-SP1-82135.shtml

VIRUSES
Mac OS X has viruses (and significantly on the rise), a friend of mine has a virused Mac. As more users use Macs, more viruses will come out for it. Especially when users think "they are safe".
http://infosecurity.us/?p=4005
http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2008/07/malware_authors_take_aim_at_growing_number_of_1.html
http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/poll_have_you_noticed_an_increase_in_malware_viruses_etc_on_your_mac/

QUALITY/PROBLEMS
Contrary to belief, Macs are not better quality. Apple also has been changing suppliers to try to "lower the price" and thus lowering quality. Even with the lower prices, Macs still cost more, they spend a higher percent of budget trying to make it look pretty, and marketing.

Sample of problems: Deleting your Data (Snow Leopard), Overheating Macbooks, OS X- not responding to keyboard, some units with 16bit screens, etc. Apple statistics are misleading since Mac users with problem machines are more likely to go out and buy a new computer than PC users. Apple is lowering prices which means you can expect lower quality than in the past. Apple had switched the manufacturers producing parts. OS X also has problems slowing down.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=5006
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10020263-17.html
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/08/01/apples-quality-dwindling-my-macbook-pro-sob-story/
http://www.appledefects.com/
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/107748-mac-os-leopard-running-slow.html
http://cybernetnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/reliable-laptops.jpg

Repairs are more expensive than PCs since the IMac, Mac Mini are compact units, and Apple charges a premium for their services. Some repairs can be done by another repair service but the compact design of the computer causes problems.
With an IMac, if the problem is with the monitor, the whole computer would have to be brought in.
IMac and Mac mini lack expansion.

PRICE
A similar equipped PC is much cheaper to purchase than Mac. Lets use Dell (but you can compare with another PC Brand if you like)

**(LAPTOP)
Dell Inspiron Laptop Starting Price: $500
Ending Price: $500
15" Screen
CPU: 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo [5% slower]
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD [Not as good/fine for general use[
Memory: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM [75% of ram)
Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (same)
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dndozm4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=laptop-inspiron-1545

Cybperpower Notebook Xplorer X5-2900 Starting Price: $755
Ending Price After upgrades (not including 5% rebate): $860
15" Screen
CPU: (upgrade to) 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (+$100) [FASTER]
Graphics: Nvidia GFORCE 9600-GT 512MB [MUCH FASTER/BETTER CARD]
Memory: 4GB DDR2 SDRAM [MORE MEMORY]
Hard Drive: (upgrade to) 320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (+$5) [LARGER HARD DRIVE]
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Xplorer_X5-2900_Notebook/detail

Macbook Starting laptop Price: $1000
Ending Price After Upgrades: $1200
13" Screen (SMALLER)
CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (SLOWER)
Graphics: Nvidia GFORCE 9400 256MB
Memory: (upgrade to) 4GB DDR2 SDRAM (SAME)
Hard Drive (upgrade to) 320B Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm (SAME)
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC240LL/A?mco=NjcxMTQ3Ng

**(DESKTOP)

PLEASE NOTE: I compare Apple Mac’s vs Dells best deal. If you really want an all-in one the Dell all-in-one has more ram, wireless keyboard and mouse and equivalent to $400 for free making the Imac still more expensive when you matching specs. Personally I don’t think the All-in-Ones are a good choice, and consider them overpriced, lack expandability and repairs both more expensive and require the entire computer.

PS: Apple knows that they need to make Macintosh look different than PC so all Macs except the Mac Pro will not have a tower option. Apple’s low end lacks expandability but it makes the Mac "look different", if Mac had a tower for low-end, more people would realize the similarities between the two.

Dell: ($700)
CPU: 2.33 GHZ Dell Inspiron QUAD (4 Processor) CORE
SCREEN: 20inch Screen
MEMORY: 4GB Ram
HARD DRIVE: 500 GB hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE: 16x DVD/CD Read/Writer
GRAPHICS: ATI Radeon HD 512MB
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dddwra4&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=desktop-inspiron-537s

The Mac Mini since it has no monitor, keyboard, mouse, very skimpy on options and setup and is not the best deal… The IMac is better price than the Mac Mini.

IMac ($1300)
CPU: 2.4 GHZ DUAL (2 Processor) CORE (SLOWER CPU)
SCREEN: 20inch Screen
MEMORY: (upgrade to) 4GB Ram (SAME)
HARD DRIVE: (upgrade to ) 320 GB hard Drive (LESS HARD DRIVE)
OPTICAL DRIVE: 8x DVD Reader/Writer (1/2 speed)
GRAPHICS: Nvidia Geforce 9400M (APPROX SAME BUT LESS MEMORY GAPHICS)
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MB417LL/A?mco=NDE4Mzg3Ng

Equivalents to ILife
http://www.jakeludington.com/ask_jake/20070830_ilife_for_windows.html
http://www.xsellize.com/showthread.php?t=20518

FREE Windows Stuff
http://www.comodo.com/products/free_products.html
http://www.iobit.com/
http://www.ccleaner.com/
ANTI-VIRUS
Avira Antivir (FREE) for 2009 personal edition is free (there is a paid version) the free version was rated the best by onsumer reports 2009 and here http://www.freewaregenius.com/2009/04/07/the-best-free-antivirus-a-comparison/
http://www.free-av.com/

Avast (Free- Click under Free Software and download Avast Home Edition) http://www.avast.com/

ANTI-MALWARE
Windows Defender (FREE)
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx
Malware Bytes (FREE) Limitation - No Realtime protection on free version.
http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?tag=mncol
Super Anti-Spyware (FREE)
http://download.cnet.com/SuperAntiSpyware-Free-Edition/3000-8022_4-10523889.html?tag=mncol

LINUX INFO:
http://distrowatch.com/
http://polishlinux.org/
http://www.desktoplinux.com/
http://polishlinux.org/
http://www.ubuntu.com/

I purchased an IBM netvista PC from ebay about a year ago. It seems to be a refurbished PC from a company etc.

I want to reinstall windows, but cannot get the PC to boot from the windows installation DVD. I have messed about with the BIOS and tried to change the boot sequence to the DVD drive, but with no success.

I have not encountered this problem with previous PC’s and would really appreciate any advice which can be offered.

(P.S. - There appears to be some kind of boot agent installed on the PC, which shows on the screen every time the PC is turned on)

It might be a sata harddrive..goto to bios and look for integrated peripherals > ide config > sata mode make sure its set to ide…then it will boot the disk

Well I’m getting a new computer and i was hoping good graphics and for gaming and also multimedia and for assignment..Here are the choices.

1.HP a6512p Refurbished Desktop Featuring Intel PD E2200 Processor with 4GB memory and 500GB Hard drive
Detailed Description
Specifications:
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows Vista Premium Edition
CPU:
Pentium E2200 (C) 2.2 GHz (65W)
Memory:
4 GB PC2-6400 MB/sec
Hard Drive:
500 GB SATA 3G (3.0 Gb/sec), 7200 rpm
Optical Drive:
16X DVD(+/-)R/RW 12X RAM (+/-)R DL LightScribe SATA drive
Network:
56K modem, 10/100/1000 ethernet

2.HP a6407c Refurbished PC featuring AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Processor with 3GB memory and 360GB Harddrive
Model Number: HP a6407c Refurbished
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+, 2.3 GHz
Memory: 3GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM
Video: Integrated Video
Hard Drive: 360GB, SATA, 7200rpm
Optical Drive: DVDRW DL RAM Drive
Network: 10/100 ethernet connection
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit
______________________________________________________
HELP ME ASAP i will be getting really soon…
I want a good graphics for gaming let’s say i play sims 2 with expansion and stuff,Guild wars,WOW,and etc.
i also will be using it for like multimedia and assignments thingy.
HELP ME!TNX..

HP a6512p theres no graphics info on the first desktop, but im assuming by the specs and by the specs of the second desktop that its not great.

dont know your budget but you might want to checkout the hp website an the a6700z

the 4gb or ram wont affect gaming, gaming is 90% about the graphics card (usually), typically video card is the bottle neck. Check the specs for the games, then just make sure your machine matches them

the laptop i want has vista home premium but its refrubished can i still get an upgrade as there site (pc world) dosent say anything

No the unit has to be new

Ok, so soon i will have about £350 and im looking to get a gaming pc or upgrade a refurbished one of something like that.

At the moment im not sure if i should build it my self as i have never done this before and none of my friends really know how.

Or Buy a custom made one like off computer planet, Ginger6 and arbico.

Or i could upgrade a refurbished pc from pc world.

Advice anyone? if im building my own one the budget would have to include a operating system the only parts i would have really is the dvd-rw drive.

I would mainly be looking to play games on steam Css, Half-life 2, TFT and maybe COD: 5. I would also be willing to over-clock a bit but not over the top over-clocking.

If you have any ideas or recommendations on what parts i should buy, where to buy from etc. that would be great
Also i have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and stuff.

My pc does run C:SS at the moment but its old and outdated the motherboard is REALLY old and I don’t even have dual cores.

for your budget you will make a decent pc as below,

MB various makes = £35
Chip AMD 6600 = £45
Memory 2GB = £18
HD 250GB = £50
Video GF9800gt = £75
Nice case = £50

that will run things like GTA4 Crysis Farcry 2 etc!

I’m thinking of buying a new pc but I’m on a very tight budget. I have been following the prices of new and refurbished computers for about 6 months now and the current prices are the lowest I’ve seen so far. Just checked prices at Fry’s.com and Bestbuy.com. Fry’s has a lot of refurbished pc for a really good price. The question is, is it worth buying a refurbished pc? Obviously I don’t know the answer to that so I’m asking you smart pc consumers for advice.
Please tell me what are the pros and cons of buying a refurbished pc and at what price range would you recommend buying a refurbished pc? Also would you even recommend buying it over a new system?

Refurbished PC’s usually have less of a warranty. However, they usually cost less AND are usually (depending on who does the refurbishing) more thoroughly tested prior to your using them.

New PC’s generally have a better (longer) warranty and you can get support directly from the manufacturer. New PC’s (especially Dell and HP) also ship with complete Operating System restore disks so if you ever need or want to completely restore your computer to factory new software, it is a relatively easy process. Sometimes refurbished PC’s include these disks, sometimes not.

If the savings is only 10% or less, I would buy new. If the savings is 25% or more, I would buy refurbished. If the savings is somewhere inbetween those amounts, you need to weigh your options.

i would like a 500 GB harddrive(not mandatory) as well and again I know it will be very near impossible but id appreciate the help. I am not interested in bidding either.

thanks again

You will not get a ‘new’ PC with those requirements for that price. Look at your local for-sale/used ads for a used one that meets your standards.

My suggestion would be to buy a very cheap laptop (see eeePc) and add an external hard drive. I bought a 1TB external for just over $100

When i was searching for a gaming laptop this popped up, but i wasn’t sure if this meets the needs for high quality games, the pc i wwas looking at was an ‘Asus G1Sn-X1 Refurbished Gaming Notebook PC - Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 1.83GHz, 4GB DDR2, 320GB HDD, DVDRW Lightscribe, 15.4" WXGA, Vista Home Premium 64 bit’…and i dont understand what that means…so…heres the web page with al the details…http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4318118&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs…you can just copy/paste…and plz reply, anything helps

nVidia GeForce 9500M GS, hey that’s no gaming graphics
cpu too pretty lowly
+ refurbished & with 3 month warranty for $760
Rip-Off

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146584
way better specs for $750 & it’s brand new with full warranty

also, another refurbished asus at $690, with awesome specs http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9531722&type=product&id=1218120546654

I am looking to get a new computer, and I like the look off this
(http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0731236711.1254753568@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadeihjfejfecflgceggdhhmdgmj.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=624260&category_oid=)

But what exactly is a refurbished pc?

Help!

A "refurbished computer" is one that was taken back by the vendor, was taken apart and checked for all the working parts to be in good working order and then put back together. It’s still works and is in great working order, however, it has been used by the purchaser before it was returned back to the store. Besides that, the vendor gives you a great price on it and it can’t be sold as "brand new" because technically, it isn’t.