Elderly neophyte needs help

[bobatplay]

Hello, Where can I go to find a recommendation as to what new desktop PC I should buy to replace my recently deceased 8 year old desktop.
I looked at the 2012 Consumer Reports catalog and ordered a recommended by Consumers Report HP, and I was told by HP that they don't manufacture that model anymore. This was 2 weeks ago. Go figure.

 

[inzone]

Well , you could build one. If you don't want to do that then you could try DELL , where you could do the online system builder and put together your own and they will build it and ship it to you with a warrenty. You could also go back to HP and choose another model, just because they don't have the one you want doesn't mean they don't have others.

 

[davcon]

If your up to the challenge you could build a new pc for $600 or even $400 or so.
Otherwise i agree with a Dell or HP if that's more convenient.
I prefer Dell as far as pre-builts go.

 

[jataka]

Bobatplay:
Before deciding, and as you describe yourself as a neophyte, I would take greater consideration in a manufacturer's reputation in tech support and customer service. The following link might help you:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/244481/desktop_pc_reliability_and_satisfaction_dell_and_hp_home_pcs_get_poor_grades.html

Unless you have a better than average knowledge on setting up and configuring a computer [or at least have a friend to help you] you ought to consider the computer maker who will have your back when needed. Not suggesting that you go with Apple - especially if you don't know your way around a Mac.
Whatever you decide, scrutinize warranties!
Good Luck,
Jataka

 

[inzone]

I would not go with a Mac unless you want to relearn how to use a computer , if you did wanr to relearn then the Apple computers are very good and people who do use them are very loyal to thier Macs and wouldn't part with them for anything. But the learning curve is a big one and you have to relearn everything.
If you are not up to that then the options are to build one yourself which can be a lot of fun for those who like hands on type of stuff or you can order a prebuilt. there are more companies besides Dell and HP those two came to mind when I posted earlier. Ordering a new Pc is like anything else you can get a great trouble free product or you can get a defective one , there's no way to tell or predict. Before I started building my own I always bought a Dell computer.(but that was before they moved thier tech support to India.)

 

[jataka]

Inzone:
Smart of you to move away from Dell. While I don't want to publicly criticize them, the present system I got from them never lived up to the specs I gave their sales rep [on placing the order.] My prior Dell, a Dimension, was fairly solid; this Ispiron though, I've had to replace or upgrade all but the motherboard - and I've only had this system for about 18 months.
If someone needs Dell tech support, it is like a 50/50 chance that you will receive the right support.

 

[inzone]

Like I said the tech support waas moved to India a few years back but before that , when the tech support was here in the states you could not find better tech support anywhere. What got me really into building my own was the last time I talked to thier tech support and it was in India and all I wanted was to format the drive on my wife's Dell and they insisted on trying to repair the problem which I told them was not possible and aftyer 2hrs on the phone they finaly agreed with me and the drive was reformated. The reason I had to call was that Dell has a way of setting up their hdd's so as to make it really hard to reformat. Just the other day I reformatted my mother-in-laws Dell and this time I used Linux instead of trying their tech support.