Confused about New PC Specs - Dell E310

**crestwood** · 12-28-2005, 09:20 AM

Hi everyone:

I am a newbie who gets very confused about NEw PC Desktop SPECS. I presently have an Emachines 633id purchased in 1999 which is forever locking up and freezing on me. I am interested in a New PC and I went to a mall near my home and a Dell E310 Desktop was recommended to me. Can anyone help and tell me if this is a good system. I basically use a PC for Internet Surfing (news pages) and email and perhaps some music downloading. I used to download songs from Winmx but I understand that site is no longer free. I want a new system with a separate system restore disk and I would also like a floppy drive as this is what I am used to. But I would like the new combo drive too! Any thoughts/suggestions/help greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Crestwood

**PrntRhd** · 12-28-2005, 09:41 AM

Welcome to the PC Guide forums!

You aren't usually going to find PCs these days with the old style seperate restore CDs. You will find restore partitions on the HDD instead, and if lucky you can make your own restore disks on initial setup.

Dell computers, particularly the cheap ones don't have much of a following here, the systems may use proprietary parts and cannot be repaired with normal parts, as well as having a bad habit of dying a week or so out of warranty or earlier.

Same class of "throwaway" PCs as Emachines.

Just my opinion, we try to help users fix them the same as any other.

**saphalline** · 12-28-2005, 09:57 AM

Welcome to the PC Guide Forums!!

Hmmm... well, um... The first thing you gotta realize is that most of us around here are not Dell fans. Proprietary pieces of junk that can't be upgraded much beyond some more RAM. I personally don't like them because of the "proprietary" part, which means if you want to replace a dead/dying component, it will probably cost a fortune to get a Dell-specific part. It also means that some standard components won't work in a Dell - things like vid cards and hard drives have been known to be rejected by Dell systems. Of course, this isn't limited to Dell - the evils of proprietariness extend to HP, Gateway, and the slew of other major PC assemblers out there. But Dell is the OEM poster kid because they've been the perpetrator of some of the worst OEM/proprietary acts in computer history.

That being said, your needs are very modest. You could literally pick any new system off the shelf of any store or online website and be perfectly happy with it. Doesn't take much power to surf the web, do email, and download stuff (legally of course

). No reason you can't have everything else you want, too, like that floppy drive and combo optical drive. As far as Dell's "deals" go, the E310 looks like normal Dell stuff. But I can't in good conscience recommend Dell because well... it's Dell. Too many bad experiences with Dell, HP, and Compaq for me to recommend any of them.

On another note, I'm sure there's a way to clean up that old EMachines 633id system and make it good as new again. That has a Socket 370 Celeron in it, if memory serves me right. Probably needs more RAM and a fresh install of Windows 98/SE, but it otherwise sounds salvagable. Not trying to talk you out of a new computer because I know very well that a new computer is probably overdue if only because age will eventually catch up with your old one, but just know that the old one can still be useful as a secondary system or to sell/give away to someone.

If you want to stick around, I'm sure there will be more comments. And probably some more Dell rants.

Don't take too much offense at Dell flaming around here - most of us have gotten burned by them for one reason or another. But seriously, for your needs, I doubt you'd run into any issues besides the short warranty and foreign-speaking tech support people over the phone.

And you'd get that from Gateway just as well.

**hockey man** · 12-28-2005, 02:30 PM

Here are some things that the E310 has that basically serverly limit its upgradeability:

Only two slots for RAM

Only a 250 Watt PSU

No PCI Express or AGP 8x slot- only 2 PCI slots

Right there you basiclly shoot yourself in the foot if you ever want to do anything more than surf and e-mail read. Even the slightest graphics stuff will become a grind with onboard video.

Look around places like these for something that is a better all around product.
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv
http://www.ibuypower.com/mall/lobby.htm

Also, what type of budget do you have? Do you need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers?

**crestwood** · 12-29-2005, 12:03 PM

Hi: Thanks to all of you for your replies.
I was all set to order my new Dell E310 but not I am afraid to do so - Dell's reputation seems very bad. I was referred to this site by another AARP member. Can someone please recommend a good reliable system for me to purchase. My budget is from 1,000 to $1500.00. I use a computer for internet surfing, email and word processing, and perhaps downloading a few songs. I would like something that would be reliable, and something that would not need to be upgraded in a year or so. Again, I thank all of you and I appreciate all the help I can get (I am a senior who is tech challenged)!

**classicsoftware** · 12-29-2005, 01:22 PM

You are a canidate for a nice Acer desktop:

Look at these models:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883102810

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883102811

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883102816

Throw in this 19" monitor with speakers and you are under $1000.00.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009044

The products are well made. This is a low end system, but all you need is a low end system. Much better than DELL.

Make sure you get a system with one year on-site service.

Once you decide on which PC you have, post back we'll make sure you set it up with all the security you need to protect yourself.

**classicsoftware** · 12-29-2005, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by hockey man

Here are some things that the E310 has that basically serverly limit its upgrade ability:

Only two slots for RAM

Only a 250 Watt PSU

No PCI Express or AGP 8x slot- only 2 PCI slots

Right there you basically shoot yourself in the foot if you ever want to do anything more than surf and e-mail read. Even the slightest graphics stuff will become a grind with on board video.

Look around places like these for something that is a better all around product.
http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv
http://www.ibuypower.com/mall/lobby.htm

Also, what type of budget do you have? Do you need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers?

Hockeyman, you love the cutting edge stuff. That is not what this guy needs. He will never upgrade his system. He is the kind of guy who will use his system until it drops and then get a new one. On-board video is all he needs. What does he need to add PCI slots for? everything is on board? When making recommendations, you have to match the needs of the user you are trying to help. By the time he would consider upgrading, he would be in the same position he is in now, not worth putting money into an old machine.

**hockey man** · 12-29-2005, 05:28 PM

Good point Classic. Sorry about that Crestwood. Those links Classic gave are great bang-for-the-buck pcs. My favorite out of those would be the t650: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883102811
It has the largest HD. For under $400 though, the Sempron system still a great deal. . .if you really want to save the money definitly choose the Sempron based T135. There are some hardware advantages to the more expensive models, but as Classic pointed out, any of these will be great for what you are using them for.

**saphalline** · 12-30-2005, 12:45 AM

I would also recommend the Acer T650. Great value for the money. Although I will point out that depending on how crestwood accesses the internet, a modem might need to be added to any of those systems. If you are still using 56K dial-up, you'll need to add a modem into the total cost (or use your current one). Those suckers are dirt-cheap, but I just wanted to mention that in case it is an issue.

Also, you can save money by using the monitor you already have for your current computer. It may be old and need to be upgraded anyway, but it's a thought if you happen to be perfectly happy with your current monitor. In terms of LCD monitors, I will present a point of caution for the elderly. LCD monitors provide tons of pixels per inch, and their native resolution has a tendency to make things too small to see for those who have bad eyesight. I like LCD monitors, and for your purposes you could certainly turn down the resolution, but LCD monitors don't scale well for text outside of their native resolution. CRT monitors are bigger, bulkier, and use more energy, but I've found them to still be the preferred type of monitor for those with bad eyesight.

You'll definitely be much happier with Acer's on-site tech support vs what Dell offers. I've heard some true horror stories about Dell's tech support, and in general the word "Dell" tends to be a joke in the computer world. All too often, I've seen co-workers and friends struggle with Dell's phone reps to try and get an on-site visit from a tech to fix their problem, and they almost always get turned down and then told to try some things and call them back if they don't work. This is of course after I've already warned them that Dell wasn't a good buy.

They learned their lesson.

You did set a pretty high budget for yourself, though!

As you can see, you won't need half of that to get what you need. Don't let any snot-nosed "computer rep" tell you any differently!

**crestwood** · 12-30-2005, 07:00 AM

Thanks again to all for replies. The desktop pcs you folks have referred to, is there a store where I can go look at them? I haven't heard of new egg or acer. I would kind of like to go look before I make my purchase if possible. Does Comp usa or Best Buy carry good models? I do have the 56K dial up with Walmart's unlimited mthly. service for $9.99 per month. My eyesight is good. I want a good reliable fast system that will not have to be upgraded in a couple of years, and I am willing to pay up to $1500 or so. The system which I presently have is an Emachines 633id - I upgraded the memory once from Crucial and I have been told that my memory is now maxed. Also this system has Windows ME and I have been told too that this software cannot be upgraded. The system forever locks up and freezes on me and many many times I have found it necessary to get out the separate system restore disks and restore the system to the way it was at time of purchase. THIS IS THE REASON WHY I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A SEPARATE RESTORE DISK, as I would really be up a tree without it. My 633id has a floppy drive too and I have many word documents saved onto the floppies which I would like to keep - so is it possible to transfer from the floppies to a new desktop system. My Emachines 633id was purchased at Circuit City in 1999. Hope that all of the inquires do not sound lame or stupid but as I said I am a retired senior who needs all the help I can get. I have the free AVG Grisoft and spybot and adaware on my system which I run periodically to catch viruses, etc. Thanks again folks and God bless.

**hockey man** · 12-30-2005, 08:04 AM

AVG, Ad-Aware, and Spybot are a great mix of protection. Newegg. is a California based on-line store, so you won't be able to "visit" them. You could look around locally for ACER, but I'm not sure if the big retailrs sell ACERs.

**classicsoftware** · 12-30-2005, 08:06 AM

Comp-USA has them on-line. I don't know if they have them in stores. Where do you live? We might be able to direct you to some place local.

**crestwood** · 12-30-2005, 08:09 AM

I live in Crestwood, Illinois - Zip code: 60445.
Thanks again folks.

**classicsoftware** · 12-30-2005, 09:59 AM

Authorized Acer resellers in your area

On-line sites that sell Acer

**sassie05** · 12-30-2005, 10:16 AM

This is why I love this forum!
You guys are great!

**crestwood** · 12-31-2005, 08:41 AM

I would rather not get a system that is dirt cheap or a system that I would have to buy a separate modem for (please remember I am a senior who does not understand all of the computer specs and parts). I am willing to pay up to $1200.00 for a reliable and reputable system that would not have to be upgraded in the next 3 or 4 years. Also I do not understand all of the CD RW aspects so I guess I would need a "All in one or combo drive" since most of the newer systems do not have the floppy drive anymore. You guys are very helpful and it is much appreciated. What is Compaq Presario or HP like for reliability? [U] Thanks again!

**hockey man** · 12-31-2005, 10:31 AM

That $400 system rivals what I paid $700 for 1 1/2 years ago. It is not slow, cheap or anything like that. Modems are really easy to install. We could walk you though it here. It would take about 5-10 minutes to do. Floppies are the same way. The drive that comes with all of these pc linked to by Classic can watch DVDs and CDs; plus burn DVDs and CDs. I like HP better than Dell, but I still prefer the ACER. Way more bang for your buck. Let us know what you think and are willing to do.

**saphalline** · 01-01-2006, 01:11 AM

Compaq Presario 1630NX - $579 for just the PC. Sold out on the website, but you can probably find them in the actual stores. Just put it together with a monitor and printer to get the combo deal. Or the HP Pavilion a1230n for $719.99 for just the PC. Again, you can add it to a bundle in the store for a good deal. Or the Sony Vaio VGC-RB52 for $999.99 for just the PC. This one's got a dual-core processor, so it's very cool.

I can appreciate your concerns about technology and not wanting to get involved too much in the lingo and all the specs and everything. But like I said before, your needs are so lightweight that you can literally walk into any store that sells computers and walk out 20 minutes later with a system that you'll be happy with for years to come. Especially if you stay in the $800-1200 price range for a whole computer bundle (PC & monitor & printer).

This is kind of like going to a fast food place and ordering. It's faster, easier, and cheaper to get the numbered "combo meals" if you just want something to eat. Or you can invidually pick out specific burgers and drinks and salads to create a meal specifically for your hunger needs. It's all about choice, really, but most people just get a combo meal and go the easy route (or they order a bunch of stuff from the new "dollar menu" craze).

For your computer needs, all you want is a "computer combo" - right? So just get one. Don't make things more complicated than that. You want everything all in one package so you don't have to worry about something missing or needing upgrading. Walk into a Best Buy or CompUSA or Fry's or whatever and just get a combo. It's fast, easy, and requires the least amount of technical expertise on your end.

**classicsoftware** · 01-01-2006, 08:27 AM

The reaason you don't wan't the Compaq or HP is if they break, they are more difficult to fix becuase they use proprietary parts.

If you buy the Acer system from newegg, I'm sure they will add the modem for you. You should call them on the phone. They are one of the most reputable on-line dealers.

**Whyzman** · 01-01-2006, 10:59 AM

The old adage "you get what you pay for" is a good rule of thumb...

You appear to be fixed on the idea that by spending $1000-1500 that you will get more "bang for the buck," so to speak. The needs you have specified do not warrant spending your full budget to get a quality system.

The Acer system classic pointed out would do you well...

Newegg is one of the best on-line companies around.

**crestwood** · 01-01-2006, 11:01 AM

You folks are GREAT! Thanks so much. It is true that all I want is a good reliable combination system desktop (computer, printer & LCD Monitor) so I will watch the Sunday paper for sales. If you guys see anything that looks good, sure would appreciate a post.

PS
Happy New Year, and God bless!

**jlreich** · 01-01-2006, 11:15 AM

Since you don't want to worry about messing with the computer, I recommend you get the best extended warranty you can. That way if something dies in a couple years you wont have to worry about it. So figure on at least a $100 or more for that depending on the actual price of the machine and where you get it.

**crestwood** · 01-01-2006, 11:38 AM

You guys are great and understand desktop specs and technical aspects. I don't understand much of these things at all and I know that you would not steer me wrong. Going to take a closer look at the Acer T650 for $448.00. Presently have a Proview 17 in monitor and an HP Laser Jet Printer - imagine these would be compatible with the Acer T650. Does anyone know if the Acer T650 comes with a separate system restore disk? I would use my Walmart $9.95 unlimited ISP Service. Also does anyone know if Word or what type of word processing comes with the system, and would there be separate disks for this also? Also, have word documents now saved onto floppies - does the T650 come with a floppy drive? If not, could I transfer what I have from the floppies to some type of CDs (don't understand the CD drive either). THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU!!!!

**crestwood** · 01-01-2006, 12:02 PM

Hi: Checked CompUSA for the Acer T650. Shows price at Compusa of $580.99 however "not available in store - not available for delivery and SOLDOUT" Also checked another store called Microcenter that indicates they carry this system - they only have Acer Notebooks.

**Whyzman** · 01-01-2006, 12:55 PM

I noticed on newegg that there is a picture of what appears to be 4 software CDs that are included. However, it does not specify what is on them...

Windows XP Home is included and I'm sure the driver software for the motherboard that might not be included on the WinXP Home disk...

I don't know that Acer has a "recovery disk" per se... If they provide a WinXP Home stand alone disk you can can do recovery installs from that along with the motherboard software provided...

There's a bit of a learning curve involved in anything new

however, you will find that the folks here will be willing to walk you and answer any questions you might have. We were all in your shows with our computer knowledge at one point or another.

Thread: Confused about New PC Specs - Dell E310

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Confused about New PC Specs - Dell E310

Please recommend a good desktop

I am a tech challenged senior who really appreciates help.

Thanks.

Hi again fellows.

Thanks folks.

Acer T650

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