What's a good brand of computer?

[TheForce]

I'm not one to base my computer purchases on price. Thjis is why I only buy Dell XPS series when I buy Dell.
I used to build my own when building cheap too but today, I'd rather buy a top end Cheap HP and then beef up the parts that are below my standards. This is what I did with my most recent computer. The add-ons doubled the cost of the original HP base price and the hP was near the top of their line.
Now you may have figured, MY concern is not the cost of the machine, It is the performance for the buck.
I don't mean to sound pretentious, but rather that I do consider the work I do with the computer and with these machines, the time spend rendering or rather time wasted on a slower machine over the lifetime of 3-4 years must be figured into my evaluation of machine cost/performance. In most cases a $4000 desktop will pay for itself in 4-5 months over a $1500 machine just in work time saved. If your time is not worth much, then stick to the computers built for kids.

 

[JAG72]

Sorry Don but I do not fully agree with you on your points. I do agree that the computer you purchase depends on what you plan on doing with it. I would purchase a different PC based on video editing or just web browsing. I don't agree with you time savings argument unless you are doing these things for a living.

 

[TheForce]

I don't agree with you time savings argument unless you are doing these things for a living.

Well, that would depend on each person's own value of their time. For me it is business so it is easy to relate the efficiency of a piece of equipment in $ cost because I have a direct way to scale it in $. However, even as a hobby, I would become impatient with a slow computer, knowing I could afford a faster machine. Then again, when the machine makes money to pay for itself, the decision is easier to measure.
When it comes to time intensive computer tasks, the slower machines can be quite different. eg. many consumers wantr to edit the new HD camcorders with AVCHD today and then try to run the edit software on a typical $500 desktop. Next they grow frustrated that a 1 hour video in HD Blu Ray takes several days to render when a $3000 box takes 4-5 hours. How do I know this?, experience!
Surfing the web and reading e-mail can and should be done on the slower machine. If that is all you do, then the <$500 desktop should do fine. Heck, at home, my web surfinbg computer IS a <$500 and it works fine but I would never waste my time editing video on that snail.

 

[JAG72]

Don, in your case I do agree since it is being used for business.