The Monitor is Dead

[ceebeegee]

My monitor was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that...My monitor was as dead as a door-nail.

I turned on my monitor yesterday when I got in from work. It flickered on and off and then started smoking. For those of you not in the know yet, Tatiana knocked water onto my computer, and now I have to get a new one. I'm looking at laptops--I was considering a Mac but I really want to spend under $1000, so I may have to go with a Compaq or and HP. Computer geeks in the house, please feel free to offer advice.

Comments

[jayspec.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think that the not-as-high-as-you-think premium you pay for a Mac, especially for a laptop is worth it. The hardware is beautiful and beautifully put together. Mac OS X is a joy to use, and comes with several applications out of the box that you'll never know how you lived without. Seriously, iTunes (which you don't need to use the Music Store for) and iPhoto are worth the price of admission. Most things "just work."

Also, if you get a Mac, you will receive, from a mysterious stranger who is breaking the law, Office v.X. This will practically eliminate any incompatibilities you might encounter with the files you use most often. This mysterious stranger works in a place with a lot of Macs, so you will likely also receive the coming-soon upgrade of Office. (Although, if you get a PC, I'm sure that there are other strangers, just as mysterious and law-breaking, who would be happy to get you Office XP.)

Developing in Cocoa (the development environment for OS X) is wonderfully easy and intuitive. This would not ordinarly affect you, as you don't write software, but there are people you know who do write software, and are aching for a practical project to work on to get their skills up to speed. :)

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Cocoa! What an adorable name for an application.

I'm so easily distracted by pretty shiny things.

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

Are you quite certain you need a whole new system? From the description, it sounds like you just need a new monitor.

That said, if you do intend to replace the whole system, and go with a PC, Dell usually has really good deals online, and they make a reliable machine.

And, as jayspec462 has pointed out, there are mysterious law-breaking strangers who use PCs, too.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Well, technically I just need a new monitor. But my system is over 5 years old, and I've been meaning to get a laptop sometime this year anyway, I was just hoping to squeeze a few more months out of it. I'd rather just get a laptop now than pay $300-400 for a new monitor and then get a laptop in a few months.

[minstrel70.livejournal.com]

I can relate. I need a new machine too, though mine's only 2 years old. Not sure I want another laptop, though; I can always keep the old one for mobility.

Dell does some pretty good laptops, but I would look into IBM or HP first. They make better laptops.

[wonderpanther.livejournal.com]

walltack is in love with the IBM Thinkpad.

[planga.livejournal.com]

My boss suggests looking for deal at www.lowendmac.com.

-Chris

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link, Chris. That could be really helpful.

[mysticblaze.livejournal.com]

My parents swear by Nutrend for PCs, however, their laptop is a Dell. I will at some point purchase a new laptop as my next computer, and will most likely look at both sites before making my selection. Nutrend does have competetive prices.

[mysticblaze.livejournal.com]

Sorry... I thought I gave you a link to their full line, not just to one of their products.