What kind of computers do you use

gan naire, this is a fine example of the evils of demon brew!

I use a desktop Dell. I am considering getting a refurbished Dell laptop simply because my whole family has had great luck (and once, first-rate service) with Dell. We must have bought eight or ten over the years, and have had one, count 'em one, hardware failure.

If you're tough on computers, or sometimes careless, I'd go for a low-end or used laptop for writing and a mid-range desktop with lots of RAM and a large hard drive for everything else.

Maryn, also not a tech person

A Sony Viao laptop. I've had several laptops I've had, the best performer was Sony. The only reason my last top died was because of me spilling milk on the keyboard.

Dell XPS (circa 2006 desktop model) and Toshiba NB250 netbook. I use the netbook now almost exclusively for writing.

-cb

I'm using a Lenovo Thinkpad with Ubuntu 10.04 as my OS. The computer cost me about $1000. It hasn't given me any trouble, though at first my fingers would occasionally trip over the nipple mouse TrackPoint. I still don't use it, but I've gotten used to it being there.

It's my only computer, and it's great for pretty much everything. If you only use your computer for writing, music, and forums it might be cheaper for you than it was for me since I upgraded the battery and video card and a bunch of other stuff.

Maryn said:

I am considering getting a refurbished Dell laptop

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NO

...sorry. But seriously, don't! My roommate has had nothing but hassles with his refurbished Dell laptop. It stopped working after about a week, and then the repairman they said they would send never came so he wound up having to ship it back to them. When he got it back months later it worked for a week and then stopped booting again, so he sent it back again... It's still not working properly.

If you don't need much for a computer, a little netbook may be the ticket. They run a couple hundred bucks and do more than enough for a little emailing and writing.

Me, I run whatever my family isn't using at the time. I have a 7 year old Toshiba Satellite that's waiting to die. My 10 year old Dell Optiplex desktop finally died and I'm borrowing my mom's HP desktop box with Win7 on it until I save up enough coins to buy my own new desktop box.

Every computer I have owned has been WAY overpowered for the work I do on it. I'm considering a netbook or other small laptop sort of computer when my Satellite finishes dying.

Any computer you buy, someone will love it and talk about how it lasted forever. And someone will hate it because it was a piece of crap with problems right out of the box. (And someone will say get a Mac, and someone else will recommend Linux because it's free, and so on and so on.) In the end, you want a machine you can afford and that you are comfortable using.

I'm on a 4 year old Toshiba laptop that runs everything I want. So far. I had to modify my Windows Vista Basic through the ears though to get it to this point. If something happened and I had to reinstall, I think I'd just end up buying a new one rather than go through all that again, or switch to Ubuntu.

You'd probably be best off with a netbook. They're cheaper and now quite good little machines, though I'd go with the biggest "netbook" you could find for comfortable typing.

HP Compaq Presario laptop. 2 1/2 years old and I love it.

I used to use a second-hand Toshiba Satellite Pro, 1995 vintage, that I think I acquired in, I dunno, 1999 or 2000, and used up until the screen died in early 2006 (well after the fan and mouse pointer crapped out). That thing was heavy and fat, but it had a very good keyboard, a good-enough screen, a less-than 1GB hard drive, I-don't-know-how-little-memory, but it was perfectly adequate for what I wanted, which was simply this: a portable computer upon which to write stories. (And since it had no WiFi, and Internet connectivity came only via dial-up connection, the Internet wasn't a distraction.)

Nowadays, I use a 2006-vintage Compaq for totability (if you look closely, you'll notice a correlation in timing between the defangling of one and the acquisition of the other), and when I want more screen, an ergonomic keyboard (hey, those ergs really are nomical), or zippity-do-dah speed and the gee-whiz of Linux, I use the homemade desktop machine.

As to, "Why the Compaq?" since that's mostly what I use to write (it is, in fact, what I'm presently using as I type this note): At the time, the cost/features ratio seemed pretty good for the purpose in mind (primarily writing). No more complicated than that, really. Had something else looked like a better deal, I would have bought it. (Specs on the Compaq, in case you're curious, are something like this: AMD Turion 64 CPU, 1.8GHz, 512MB memory, 80GB HD, CD-RW drive, 1280x768 screen.)

Were I buying anew these days, though, I'd pay closer attention to sturdiness of build. The case on this thing isn't the most solid. I reckon I could pick it up in both hands, give it a good twist, and find myself shopping for another.

One vote for Ubuntu Unix, and I'll pitch in for Mac*! I've got the cheapest new Mac desktop, the Mini - two of them. The bottom one is older, and I use it just for recording music and my CDs (I'm a musician) though I fear I may have to upgrade to a studio quality laptop soon and will have a hard time cost justifying three Macs in the house.
Now if you don't do heavy audio editing or studio video or stuff like that, if your laptop is just a typewriter, then any new netbook will do. If you ever want to consider Mac and aren't quite ready to switch from Windows keep in mind newer Macs are Intel based, and with the free Boot Camp program you can run Windows on them. I have both Windows XP and Tiger on my primary computer. And yes, you can buy used (I've dealt with Powermax and Mac Warehouse - now macmall.com - and had a good shopping experience with both, and their prices are awesome).
My opinion, I don't know anything by it.

*Macs are essentially Unix machines with a pretty interface

I'm running a MacBook in its 41st month of life. 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo, upgraded to 3 GB RAM (have 4 GB installed, but this old hardware can only see 3 of 'em), and upgraded to a 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD.

All my computers from now on will be a Mac, and the same can be said for the rest of my family ever since I got mine.

I'll probably upgrade to a MacBook Pro whenever the 13" model gets upgraded to the i-core processors, which will probably be about how long it'll take until I can afford one.

I love my MacBook because it's light, portable, easy to use, stable, does most of what I want it to do, and runs the operating system I want it to. I use it for everything from the usual music/internet/writing, to running a virtual machine of Windows to run SAS, to running other statistical and mathematical software for grad school, to ripping/burning DVDs and managing my movies, to some casual gaming. And the fact that it runs a Unix-based OS makes SSH-ing into and working with my university's Linux cluster much easier. Also, it's very easier to upkeep and take care of.

The rest of my computers will be Macs until Steve Jobs dies or Apple does something really stupid. Then I'll probably go to Solaris on I-don't-know-what hardware.

Though with how little you used your computer for, a Mac would probably be overkill for you. I'd recommend a simple netbook. Keep in mind, though, as far as stability and longevity of the hardware goes, you tend to get what you pay for.

gan_naire said:

I had a Toshiba laptop that had 4GB, that's really I all knew about it since I am piss poor at best when it comes to computers in general. I was only using like 15% of the memory anyways, I put all my stories on thumb drives, so all I really lost were some pictures which I have elsewhere and the music which all came from my own cds anyways. So I don't know what kind of computer I should try to get when I get the money for a new one, since I was only using very little space, I'm thinking maybe all I need is a 2 or 3 GB.

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4 GB memory? Are you sure you don't mean storage space? Memory, when it comes to computing, refers to RAM, which is the memory the computer uses while you're using it to store what you're currently working on short-term. Storage space is where it stores your files long-term. And since most users never bother checking how much RAM they're using... it sounds like you were on a flash-based netbook already.

Were you happy with what you had? If so, I'd say get something similar.

A 4 GB SSD is already ridiculously small for a modern computer. Don't worry if you won't use much of it. Writing may not take up much disk space, but if you're also using it for music, 4 GB of music isn't much, so keep things like that in mind.

Just about any modern computer with any OS out there will meet your needs. Don't look for features, just reviews for how well the hardware works and how well-supported it is. An ordinary netbook will probably serve you just fine. You may consider how large a keyboard you want, if you want a fill-size one, though, since many smaller, cheaper ones sacrifice keyboard size.


ETA: Re: the refurbished thing. I probably wouldn't trust most company's refurbished products, but I do know Apple's refurbished program rigorously tests all their refurbs, which is more than you can say for off-the-assembly-line stuff. Everyone I know that went for a refurb has been happy.

Gan, I've used laptops for as long as there have been laptops and computers for more than 40 years. I've used and owned almost every brand out there and currently use Dell laptops and a Mac desktop.

You've started in the right place: with what you use a computer for. Some people start with the OS they want but that's beginning to make less and less sense as more and more software moves to the Web. For example, AW works just and just the same way on a PC and Mac and almost the same way on a smart phone. This trend will continue and accelerate.

Since you don't have a need for tons of storage, I'd think about form factor. A netbook may be enough computer for you, but they tend to have small screens and some people don't them at all, especially if you're going to be sitting in front of them writing for hour after a hour.

Another possibility that might be enough computer for you (or for most of your needs) would be an iPad. If I were you, I'd least think about. What I'd really do, though, is head to Staples or a Best Buy or some place like that and try out a few different types of computer. Try typing on each one for more than 10 seconds: type for five or ten minutes and see how you feel about it. A small display may not work for you when you to editing and revising text.

Once you have some experience with different form factors, you'll have a better sense of what you might need. The one thing I'd normally recommend against is a refurbished model, unless that's all you can afford, because they're often unreliable and often come with pretty poor warranties.

On a different subject, please don't keep your novel and other works on just a single thumb drive. You are risking losing everything if that single drive dies. With important data, try not to ever have a single point of failure. Keep backups on separate devices or at the very least multiple thumb drives.

for writing you can use any old piece of junk because a word processor isnt exactly resource hungry. Just go the bottom of the range whatever with 1 gig ram. As for the operating system I moved from windows to ubuntu/openoffice and am loving it- at least viruses aren't a huge threat, so im not going to loose all my work that way.

Qbynewbie said:

On a different subject, please don't keep your novel and other works on just a single thumb drive. You are risking losing everything if that single drive dies. With important data, try not to ever have a single point of failure. Keep backups on separate devices or at the very least multiple thumb drives.

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+1 I password protect my manuscript then email it to an address that has been set up for that purpose, so that I at least have one copy online

gan_naire said:

I'd like to get a computer again simply because I heard there are some agents out there that take email inquiries and those tend to go a lot faster with the response from what I've heard.

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Important for picking out a computer is figuring out first what exactly you need it for. If you don't need performance (i.e. you only do office work and maybe browse the web) a netbook is a good choice, they're cheap and mobile. But try the keyboard before you buy one, not all netbooks have full-sized keyboards and if you're used to one you might not like to switch to a smaller keyboard.
If you need performance, get a desktop. Maybe even one with selected parts, there are plenty of shops that let you pick what components you want and assemble them for you (including full warranty). Depending on what exactly you need, a computer build specifically for the specs you need might be cheaper than one of the standard machines you can find for sale. (Do you need 1TB HDD space? A DVD or even a blu-ray writer? A videocard that's faster than necessary for writing but too slow to be used for gaming?)
If you absolutely need mobility and performance, buy a laptop. Keep in mind though that Laptops are significantly more expensive than desktops at the same performance level, and the only thing you get is mobility. If you don't really need to carry your computer around, i don't recommend a laptop.
If you want to spend twice as much money to look fashionable get an Apple.

So, what kind of computer do you use and why? Again, sorry if this is the wrong place for this thread, it needed please move it to where it needs to go. Thanks.

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I have a self-built machine at home i use for everything (while i'm at home). I got a decent gaming rig for about 500€, and i'll upgrade when necessary (probably in a year or so) to get some more runtime out of it.
I also use an old Dell Laptop when not at home. It's more than ten years old, but works for writing and browsing. I'll replace it with a netbook when it breaks down.

gan_naire said:

I've been hearing a lot about netbooks, like I said in the original post though, I am piss poor at best when it comes to electronics, so yeah I'm sure when I said that it was a 4GB, I'm sure I didn't write that up right. With the netbooks though, I know they're kind of small, guess they're meant to be really, and honestly my Toshiba was like a 17 inch screen and the only thing I did like about it was the full sized keyboard. But if that were simply the case, I'm sure I could get a wireless keyboard and use it while hooked up to the netbook.

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You can easily use a netbook like a desktop computer. You can hook up a full sized keyboard, and even a big monitor. Though you should figure out if you need the mobility. If you don't getting a desktop in the price range of a netbook is definitely possible and probably the better choice.
Given the need for mobility though, a netbook should definitely fit the uses you describe, they're intended to be used for browsing the internet (as the name suggests) so youtube and music are fine, and writing takes even less resources than a browser.
I absolutely recommend going to check them out in a store before buying though, not all keyboards are the same size, pick one you like. (Samsung for example has quite big keyboards on their netbooks)

Also about the thumb drive thing, what is a better route to go with that since the thumb drives can give way, pretty easily from what I've heard. Like maybe a seperate memory box or whatever they're called. I've seen them at walmart, pretty good priced, and they just hook up to the computer via usb port I think. I would like to keep my work seperate from whatever computer it is that I use. I have had bad luck in the past where the computer would give out and everything would be lost unless I took it to someone to find it all and put it on a disk for me. So what's a good way to go with that?

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I'd suggest simply getting two thumbdrives. Flash memory is actually extremely reliable. It is very unlikely that a thumbdrive will fail, short of it being physically damaged (which is not all that hard however). If you store one copy on the computer you write on, and after each session copy the saved file over to a thumbdrive you're pretty insured against failure of hard drive or thumbdrive. Get a second thumbdrive you put weekly backups on (or monthly even) and put it in a different place. Chances of two different flash memory chips and a hard drive failing at the same time would be pretty significantly less than you getting struck by lightning while sitting at the computer with both drives plugged in.

I'm on my third Sony Vaio laptop. More than happy to stay with them.

Desktops are cheaper than notebooks with equivalent functionality.

MacBook Pro & MacBook Air. Love 'em both. They're worth the extra money if you can swing it.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

quickWit said:

MacBook Pro & MacBook Air. Love 'em both. They're worth the extra money if you can swing it.

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Hardly. Performance wise, Macs absolutely suck (or are very overpriced, depends on where you start from). While i'd recommend a Mac to someone who hasn't used computers before and isn't interested much in learning (because they're easier to use for beginners) the slightly easier interface isn't worth relearning most of the handling if you're already used to Windows machines.

Lhun said:

Hardly. Performance wise, Macs absolutely suck (or are very overpriced, depends on where you start from). While i'd recommend a Mac to someone who hasn't used computers before and isn't interested much in learning (because they're easier to use for beginners) the slightly easier interface isn't worth relearning most of the handling if you're already used to Windows machines.

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K.

Lhun said:

Hardly. Performance wise, Macs absolutely suck (or are very overpriced, depends on where you start from). While i'd recommend a Mac to someone who hasn't used computers before and isn't interested much in learning (because they're easier to use for beginners) the slightly easier interface isn't worth relearning most of the handling if you're already used to Windows machines.

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Hardly. You may pay more in the short-run, but as for total cost of ownership, my MacBook is the cheapest computer I've had. Obviously, though, there's going to be a variation there. Performance-wise, they only suck for spec-whores, but are more than powerful enough for most all users, barring gamers who measure gameplay by the fps. Yes, I think they're easier to use for beginners, and they can be easier to use for people who aren't beginners, too. Less maintenance and a more intuitive OS (to me) is worth it to me. Saying they're better only for someone who isn't interested in learning more about computers is just silly when OS X is Unix-based. Who's really going to prefer a Windows command prompt to a *nix Terminal?

But I think everyone should just use whatever works best for them.