[Rezound]

Are there cheaper computers than the Gateway F6860-UR20P that are just as good, if not better? I am mainly looking at the speed of the computer, not the gaming aspect. Since I'm mainly going to be surfing the internet, and media playback. And I'm not very educated in computers, I don't know what the graphics card exactly does. I like that it has HD audio support, as stated in the description on Amazon. Also, if there is a laptop equivalent for a cheaper price, that would be even nicer. (But I would want the laptop to have good battery life.)

[LiveBrianD]

I'm assuming you mean the FX6860-UR20P. If you aren't playing games, that machine is overkill. For your purposes, a machine with an Intel i3 or AMD A6/A8 is probably enough. HD audio is on just about every board nowadays (older machines used AC'97). The graphics card renders things onscreen. For games, you need a fairly good one, but for media playback and internet surfing, you don't need anything more than the low-end integrated graphics found on many machines.

[Rezound]

Rezound, on 26 February 2012 - 02:41 PM, said:

Are there cheaper computers than the Gateway F6860-UR20P that are just as good, if not better? I am mainly looking at the speed of the computer, not the gaming aspect. Since I'm mainly going to be surfing the internet, and media playback. And I'm not very educated in computers, I don't know what the graphics card exactly does. I like that it has HD audio support, as stated in the description on Amazon. Also, if there is a laptop equivalent for a cheaper price, that would be even nicer. (But I would want the laptop to have good battery life.)

Then in that case, what would be the best for under $1000?

[LiveBrianD]

Would you prefer a laptop or a desktop? If a laptop, what screen size, and how much battery life do you need? (4 hrs? 6 hrs?) If a desktop, does size matter, and do you think you'll ever decide to add a discrete video card (which will allow you to play games better)?

By the way, for a internet browsing/basic media machine, a budget of about $500-600 will suffice.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 26 February 2012 - 03:24 PM

[Rezound]

LiveBrianD, on 26 February 2012 - 03:19 PM, said:

Would you prefer a laptop or a desktop? If a laptop, what screen size, and how much battery life do you need? (4 hrs? 6 hrs?) If a desktop, does size matter, and do you think you'll ever decide to add a discrete video card (which will allow you to play games better)?

By the way, for a internet browsing/basic media machine, a budget of about $500 will suffice.

I would like a laptop, but desktop works too. For laptop: 13"+ screen, and 6hrs+. Desktop: size does not matter, and I don't play pc games, actually.

[LiveBrianD]

But, for instance, do you prefer a 14" or 15" screen? By the way, I do NOT recommend Dell from friends' past experiences. I don't recommend HP laptops (due to overheating issues friends and forum members have had), but their desktops are probably ok. Lenovo is pretty good. So is ASUS. I don't have much experience with Acer (though my acer monitor is a piece of crap).

Something like the Ideapad Z575 might be good: http://www.amazon.co...30298976&sr=1-2
Or the Thinkpad Edge E425 (with A4), 14", or E525, 15". By the way, the Thinkpads, including Edge ones, have matte screens - no glare, and great keyboards.

For desktops, maybe something like this: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16883113188

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 26 February 2012 - 03:51 PM

[Rezound]

LiveBrianD, on 26 February 2012 - 03:24 PM, said:

But, for instance, do you prefer a 14" or 15" screen? By the way, I do NOT recommend Dell from friends' past experiences. I don't recommend HP laptops (due to overheating issues friends and forum members have had), but their desktops are probably ok. Lenovo is pretty good. So is ASUS. I don't have much experience with Acer (though my acer monitor is a piece of crap).

I don't care about specific screen size, just over 13" is fine. It doesn't matter to me.

[LiveBrianD]

Oh btw, you saw my edits to the above post, right? (I was updating that post as I was doing research on this.)

[Rezound]

LiveBrianD, on 26 February 2012 - 04:07 PM, said:

Oh btw, you saw my edits to the above post, right? (I was updating that post as I was doing research on this.)

Oh! I haven't even noticed. Haha. That Lenovo seems good. But the battery life is short. And I'm looking for something dual core, maybe even quad core.

[LiveBrianD]

The A4 is dual-core I believe. Also, the thinkpad edge E520 lasts about 6.5 hours in benchmarks, so maybe you'll want to look at that?

[coastie65]

You can come down bit on price and this one would suit your needs just fine: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16883113197

[LiveBrianD]

Coastie, he said he'd prefer a desktop and is only surfing the internet and playing videos. He doesn't need an i7 for that. (and for most things, what's the point of an i7 without a discrete video card anyway?)

[coastie65]

LiveBrianD, on 26 February 2012 - 05:22 PM, said:

Coastie, he said he'd prefer a desktop and is only surfing the internet and playing videos. He doesn't need an i7 for that. (and for most things, what's the point of an i7 without a discrete video card anyway?)

No, he doesn't Brian, but it is under his $1000 ceiling, so he might as well get the most for his buck that he can. At $800, that is a good deal and he should enjoy it for quite some time. Also, that is a Desktop and he would be better off with that oone rather than a SX which is a slimline. If something should fail on the DX down ther road, it will easy to replace. It also has a modest upgrade path should he decide to do so later on.

[LiveBrianD]

Just because he can spend that much doesn't mean he has to. You'd get better performance in general from an i5 2500 and radeon 6770 than with an i7 2600 and onboard graphics anyway.

I see your point about not getting an SFF machine though.

[waldojim]

I have been reading the various replies and decided it is about time to weigh in.

First, you may want to take a few minutes to decide what you really want. That will greatly change what we recommend and how we recommend. Laptops vary greatly. Size, quality, display type, battery life, video capabilities, etc. Same with desktops. They are all over the map.

For a relatively basic machines (meaning great for anything but games ) I would suggest looking into the Lenovo u400. This isn't anything high end, but certainly more than enough for the job you are asking for. The video card will easily handle any video acceleration, and the CPU will easily keep up with everyday tasks. They also have about a 7 hour battery life.

I don't think you will notice a perceptible difference between an i7 and i5 in your usage scenario. I also don't think a discreet video card will make a difference. Watch for faster hard drives, or SSDs. 4GB or more ram is also a plus.

If you are looking more for a desktop, then I would consider something from a local BestBuy. They run weekly specials in store, and you should be able to find something fairly cheap that way. Look for a large, fast hard drive, matched ram (meaning quantities of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB etc.), an i5 or i7. Try to find machines that have little or no included junkware - though this may be harder at Best Buy. They like to set up contracts with vendors to completely load them up with junkware, then charge you a fee to remove it all. Brand is of relatively little relevance here though. If Best Buy will do it, take off the side panel, and look for key failure points. Check the power supply to see if it is a decent make, check for solid capacitors on the motherboard, and check the cooling solution used. Some cheap OEMs use substandard CPU cooling, and others go above and beyond.

[coastie65]

waldojim, on 26 February 2012 - 07:41 PM, said:

I have been reading the various replies and decided it is about time to weigh in.

First, you may want to take a few minutes to decide what you really want. That will greatly change what we recommend and how we recommend. Laptops vary greatly. Size, quality, display type, battery life, video capabilities, etc. Same with desktops. They are all over the map.

For a relatively basic machines (meaning great for anything but games ) I would suggest looking into the Lenovo u400. This isn't anything high end, but certainly more than enough for the job you are asking for. The video card will easily handle any video acceleration, and the CPU will easily keep up with everyday tasks. They also have about a 7 hour battery life.

I don't think you will notice a perceptible difference between an i7 and i5 in your usage scenario. I also don't think a discreet video card will make a difference. Watch for faster hard drives, or SSDs. 4GB or more ram is also a plus.

If you are looking more for a desktop, then I would consider something from a local BestBuy. They run weekly specials in store, and you should be able to find something fairly cheap that way. Look for a large, fast hard drive, matched ram (meaning quantities of 4GB, 8GB, 16GB etc.), an i5 or i7. Try to find machines that have little or no included junkware - though this may be harder at Best Buy. They like to set up contracts with vendors to completely load them up with junkware, then charge you a fee to remove it all. Brand is of relatively little relevance here though. If Best Buy will do it, take off the side panel, and look for key failure points. Check the power supply to see if it is a decent make, check for solid capacitors on the motherboard, and check the cooling solution used. Some cheap OEMs use substandard CPU cooling, and others go above and beyond.

Hey wj, I think Brian was the one who shifted the focus to a Laptop. In the Original post, it was linked to a Gateway FX series computer, which is their top of the line desktop. Seeing as how he had linked to a Gateway, I stayed with that and dropped it back to a DX series, which is a good choice for the day to day stuff and does have a modest upgrade path. I recommended a DX for a lady friend of mine when she got fed up with her Dell E520. She gives that thing a workout and it has done well for her, except when she accidentally screws up something. She just had to do a full recovery as she had things so messed up in there, there was little else to do. She doesn't ask me anything until after the fact as a rule, then that is when the emails start pouring in. I forgot what this last incident was about, but she was the one who initiated the full recovery. Probably wasn't necessary though.

[waldojim]

coastie65, on 27 February 2012 - 05:55 AM, said:

Hey wj, I think Brian was the one who shifted the focus to a Laptop. In the Original post, it was linked to a Gateway FX series computer, which is their top of the line desktop. Seeing as how he had linked to a Gateway, I stayed with that and dropped it back to a DX series, which is a good choice for the day to day stuff and does have a modest upgrade path. I recommended a DX for a lady friend of mine when she got fed up with her Dell E520. She gives that thing a workout and it has done well for her, except when she accidentally screws up something. She just had to do a full recovery as she had things so messed up in there, there was little else to do. She doesn't ask me anything until after the fact as a rule, then that is when the emails start pouring in. I forgot what this last incident was about, but she was the one who initiated the full recovery. Probably wasn't necessary though.

The last sentence from the ops first post:

Quote

Also, if there is a laptop equivalent for a cheaper price, that would be even nicer. (But I would want the laptop to have good battery life.)

[coastie65]

waldojim, on 27 February 2012 - 10:40 AM, said:

coastie65, on 27 February 2012 - 05:55 AM, said:

Hey wj, I think Brian was the one who shifted the focus to a Laptop. In the Original post, it was linked to a Gateway FX series computer, which is their top of the line desktop. Seeing as how he had linked to a Gateway, I stayed with that and dropped it back to a DX series, which is a good choice for the day to day stuff and does have a modest upgrade path. I recommended a DX for a lady friend of mine when she got fed up with her Dell E520. She gives that thing a workout and it has done well for her, except when she accidentally screws up something. She just had to do a full recovery as she had things so messed up in there, there was little else to do. She doesn't ask me anything until after the fact as a rule, then that is when the emails start pouring in. I forgot what this last incident was about, but she was the one who initiated the full recovery. Probably wasn't necessary though.

The last sentence from the ops first post:

Quote

Also, if there is a laptop equivalent for a cheaper price, that would be even nicer. (But I would want the laptop to have good battery life.)

Yep, I missed it. For what he wants, to get it in a laptop, the battery life is going to somewhat problematic. This Gateway I have, does alright, but you need to keep and eye on it. A good Windows update may use a 1/3 of the battery. Course, I haven't really done any tweaking as yet either. Just did a memory upgrade dumped the 6 Gb of 1066 Mhz cheap stuff ( Nanja ) for 8 Gb of 1333 of GSkill. If you want to go into the BiOS, you have to be fast, as that thing will POST than zip right by the Gateway splash screen to the loading screen.

[waldojim]

How so? No games, only music, movies, and internet usage means no need for advanced graphics cards. Even then, with Optimus, there is almost no drain when not using an added card.

As I mentioned above, the u400 is a great example of a long life machine with plenty of power on tap. If that doesn't work for the op, there are dozens more.