Computers and Tax Rebate Checks/Stimulus Checks

[karone]

Hey ya'll... this is Jason here... just using my fiancee's account to post one warning message for those of you considering buying computers with your tax rebate and/or stimulus checks.

I am a Computer Repair Technician at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base... computers are my job, hobby, skill, and life. It's what I do... it's who I am.

Now... I've seen many people all over the internet talking about using their rebate/stimulus checks to buy new computers. THIS CAN BE A VERY BAD IDEA!!!!

I will explain:

Microsoft (Bill Gates and Co.) have recently released "Windows Vista"... which... putting it mildly... is a piece of sh!t. If you buy a new computer, you will be getting this nightmare of an OS (Operating System).

Most people these days, buy a P.O.S. from Wally-world (Wallmart). VERY, VERY BAD IDEA. Those computers, while cheap in price, will not last longer than 2 years... I will stake any amount of money on that one.

Those who don't buy a computer from wally-world... are getting ripped off by BestBuy, CompUSA, and/or Staples or any other computer company. The computers they are selling for $700 to $1500, are computers I can throw together from parts for less than $400... INCLUDING LABOR!

Now that I've torn the computer industry down to the ground... let me throw a few recommendations out there to help get the best bang for the buck.

1.) Shop around at e-tailers such as http://www.tigerdirect.com and http://www.newegg.com (there are others... but these two I've dealt with personally and can highly recommend)

2.) Buy parts, not fully assembled systems, and put it together yourself, or get a kid (neighbor-kid, your own kid, grandkid, etc), or even find a cheap computer repair shop nearby and pay them to build it. Kid will do it for around 20 to 30 bucks... and computer shops range from $121 (our price) to $300 (high end shops).

3.) Buy Windows XP NOW! Microsoft stops selling it June 30th. After which you will be stuck with Vista... the most awful OS to hit store shelves in 20 years. (Yes... it's even worse than Windows ME... and ya'll know how big of a disaster that was!)

I can build any computer... from any specs... for a lot less than any other company will sell them for... and they will last a lot longer than those from Wally-World or CompUSA/Staples/BestBuy/etc.

You can go with a $299 - $399 Wally-World computer... but I hope you are able/willing to spend that same $299 - $399 every 2 to 3 years.

Cheap computers may seem to be the "frugal" way to go in the short term... but the computers I've built from parts will outlast 10 to 15 Wally-World piece of sh!t computers.

Jason

[brenda67]

Thanks for the info Jason..I will pass this info on to my Dh(he is in Alanta right now) who btw builds our computers also.

[Dixie]

Thanks for the info, Jason. I'm glad to see you have the job at Wright-Patterson AFB. Last month, your fiancee posted that you had lost your job as a trucker. I'm glad to see that something much better has come along. I'm so happy for you!!

[karone]

Thanks for the info, Jason. I'm glad to see you have the job at Wright-Patterson AFB. Last month, your fiancee posted that you had lost your job as a trucker. I'm glad to see that something much better has come along. I'm so happy for you!!

Not really Dixie...
I never had a job as a trucker... but I was applying... that fell through. The job I lost was a job at a printing plant (inserts for newspapers, flyers, etc).
The computer shop "job" is simply something I'm good at that can help... though not very well. I simply went back to something that was never very good to begin with.
Jason

[G'MaDebbie]

I bought an EMachine from Walmart over 5 years ago and it still works just fine!

[JustMegan79]

I'm lost. That's all.

[guest002]

My dh, also USAF, just ordered me a new Dell. The only reason why he did was so he could get the XP format and avoid Vista. He also agrees that Vista is flawed. He's a computer geek for the USAF so I trust him.

[mmy2grls]

I'm glad every computer i've bought has been very good to me. I have XP pro on both and absolutely love it. I have heard bad things about Vista that makes me want to stay away from it.

[Pianolady]

I have yet to have any computer completely fail me. A few parts have, like a graphics card, and one power supply. I've never owned a Compaq or Dell though, so can't speak on those.

My emachines from the mid 90's are still kicking, although they've all been upgraded over the years and now sit in my computer graveyard in the basement, saved for parts (never know when you'll need something). My main complaint about the cheap computers are the inability to upgrade, graphics built into the motherboard, and the weak power supplies. The power supply issue is easy to upgrade, usually. Compaq cases used to be horrible to work in by design, don't know if it's ever improved.

The computers I build tend to be in the $800 range if using new parts (including the OS). I haven't had too many issues with Vista, except my scanner was incompatible. That's an issue with Visioneer as far as I'm concerned.

[staciah]

I haven't had too many issues with Vista, except my scanner was incompatible. That's an issue with Visioneer as far as I'm concerned.

Same here. We purchased a Dell back in Sept that has Vista on it. I maybe computer illiterate but I think Vista is fine. What is the Big problem with it anyway?

[tbs727]

I can second the suggestion of using tigerdirect for computer supplies. I've been happy with everything I have purchased from there.

I have window's vista at work, and while I haven't had huge problems with it, there are a lot of annoying problems. Every time I open a windows program (word, outlook, excel, etc.) I have to accept the terms of usage. EVERY SINGLE TIME. I have also always had issues with my additional hardware. If you aren't familiar enough with computers to trouble shoot, Vista will just pi$$ you off.

[vigilant20]

Fun rant about Vista. I don't like it either, but it's not the devil like this makes it sound. The rest is not terribly true either, in my opinion.

I'm a programmer. My current computer is a cheap one and I feel it was a good deal. It got a much harder than usual workout as a web server for me for 4 years. I was using it for a home pc at the same time, so it was ALWAYS on and busy. The only upgrade I made that whole time was buying some more RAM during a really good christmas sale. I got rid of my cable 2 weeks ago and it's still a perfectly functional home pc and it's fine for all but the most demanding gaming. A simple video card upgrade would fix that if I were so inclined.

[tammy88]

my dad has been warning me about visita because i have been looking for another computer..and i just saw on the news that people are BEGGING for vista's to be ripped from the shevles and leave XP but microsoft refuses...
just another way to make money from people..give them something that works halfa$$ed and they can continue to make money off of it...i had a hard time find a computer without vista and my dad just rebuilt one and installed XP for me..good luck ya'll

[Dixie]

I forgot to mention, that I've done a lot of business with www.newegg.com and I would recommend them, too, as a previous poster did.
My two youngest dsons are both computer geeks and they feel the same way about Vista and they too, told me they would build my next computer, no need to go retail.

[Katybird]

I have bought several computers from WalMart and never had a problem with any of them. I have a Dell, a Gateway, both laptops from WalMart and a Compaq desktop that is about 4 years old from WalMart and they are all working great. I have Vista on both laptops and I have not had any trouble with it. It actually did not seem that much different than XP to me.