Right now I have two computers, a "work" computer I keep off the Internet and a "play" computer. I got hit with a bad virus a while back so now I keep them separate. Both of these computers are $200 "specials." Low end stuff but do the job for what I do.

I want a new "work" computer. The workhorse operations of that computer is Photoshop and similar image processing, mostly for photography. The problem is I am now starting to shoot images in RAW format. These files are 10M is size compared to 3M in the previous mode. Also, I have Photoshop CS2 and have yet to load it because I know the computer won't handle it. I loaded it onto the play computer and it runs pretty good. That tells me I don't need a screamin' demon machine. The work computer is about 3 years old now, the play is about 1 year old which is probably why Photoshop CS2 runs fine on it.

So, I want to replace the work computer and don't want to spend a lot of money.

Best Buy seemed to have the best overall package, good processor and hard drive, 2M RAM, 17" monitor, for $700. The drawback is it's pre-bundled meaning I would have to take it as is and I don't want Windows Vista, I want to stick with XP for now.

Gateway and Dell appear to have competitve systems for that price but don't have monitors. Milwaukee PC, a local outfit, can come close to beating everyone with an overall package. Office Depot has the best bargain, desktop and 17" flat screen for $550 but it's a lesser processor and 1G of RAM. Get what you pay for.

It's a little hard comparing because everyone beefs up one way at the expense of something else so each system is good/bad in its own way.

I'm leaning toward Office Depot or Milwaukee PC because the low end stuff is going to beat what I have now and what I have now works pretty good (meaning the "play" computer when testing for Photoshop CS2).

Anyone know where I can get a good deal? Heck, I'd take another $200 special if the current technology is twice the power of what I have now. $700 seems to be a lot for "low end" systems.

I've had really good luck with cheap old eMachines. I've had six, I think. Two I replaced because I just wanted to upgrade. The other four are still going strong.

Go see what's on sale at WalMart. Really. They have more than just eMachines and they're probably the cheapest everyday prices you'll find this side of mail-order.

Update: I had to buy my stepson a computer to take to his dorm this fall. Staples has a Compaq SR5030NX for $259 (after $100 in rebates). I upgraded for $100 more and got more memory (1GB) and a bigger hard drive (160GB). 17" CRT monitor is included in the price.

Comes with Windows Vista, which he can't use at college. So I installed XP instead, and it's running like a champ.

Very hard deal to beat right now...

This one is on sale until 5:59am tomorrow at Dell....$399


amd athlon 64x2 dual core processor

windows vista home basic

17 inch lcd monitor

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us...=en&oc=DDDEGD2&s=dhs
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

similaar to the one I bought back in Jan. with windows xp and no monitor for the same price

dell

you'll have a hard time doing much better than this.

The Compaq I wrote about has twice the memory, twice the hard drive and double the processor speed. For $40 less...

LCD >>>>> CRT plus it still came with XP instead of having to reload. Also this is dual core. Not core duo2 but still dual core.

quote:

Originally posted by TheFavreRules:
LCD >>>>> CRT plus it still came with XP instead of having to reload. Also this is dual core. Not core duo2 but still dual core.

Missed the part about the LCD, but I'd rather have the extra memory and storage...