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Computer (for Parents)
11 years ago
I set a goal this summer to buy my parents a computer: something they cant afford but desperately need. All my commission profits and bits of my paycheck are going towards this.
I have somewhere around $400 so far saved from my paychecks and commissions to go toward this. The problem is I don't think Ill be able to get them exactly what they want. After all, I have things I want to save for too.
So, I need options. If anyone has some recommendations for an inexpensive yet reliable computer, let me know. Any links to devices on their official sites or best buy would be great.
Basically, here is what they want:
-touch screen
-keyboard and mouse
-does not need to be powerful. My bet: i3 or i5 core
-4 to 6 GB RAM
-500 GB hard drive
-Preferably below or near $600 (I don't mind going a little more, but $1000 is no go.)
-Leave room in my wallet for extras like a lap cooler, external backup drive, mouse and keyboard if separate, and possibly a case.
They want something portable, but I don't know if they want to lug around a full blown laptop. I thought about a 2 in 1 laptop or an all in one desktop. My bet is a 2 in 1 would be better.
They will only use it for internet, mail, news, and maybe a few light programs. They are not 3D animators, they don't need a monster.
Dad wants the old fashioned keyboard and mouse, and since my mom thinks anything with a screen is a touch screen now (she pokes my sister's laptop and my laptop screen, thinking that'll do something...) it needs a touch screen.
My one drawback/delay is the OS. I am strongly for Windows 8.1, my dad is not. He hates windows 8. Ive told him 8.1 is very different from 8, but he doesn't believe me. Keep in mind he isn't very computer savvy, so more complicated systems like Linux are a little out of reach. Mac's may be a little too 'backwards' or different for him too. He's most comfortable with Windows 7 (and maybe XP. I don't remember what the old computer was running. Windows something).
They want a Surface. I took a look, and a Surface Pro 3 with all the functionality they want is near $1500. If I can get somewhere close to a surface without the price tag, it would be great.
We like Dell, that's all we've ever had, but Dells don't like us. Every Dell computer has broken on us at some point (including mine). Judging by some experiences that my relatives had, We won't want a Toshiba. HP, Acer, and Lenovo are my top picks so far, but all brands are open options.
I have somewhere around $400 so far saved from my paychecks and commissions to go toward this. The problem is I don't think Ill be able to get them exactly what they want. After all, I have things I want to save for too.
So, I need options. If anyone has some recommendations for an inexpensive yet reliable computer, let me know. Any links to devices on their official sites or best buy would be great.
Basically, here is what they want:
-touch screen
-keyboard and mouse
-does not need to be powerful. My bet: i3 or i5 core
-4 to 6 GB RAM
-500 GB hard drive
-Preferably below or near $600 (I don't mind going a little more, but $1000 is no go.)
-Leave room in my wallet for extras like a lap cooler, external backup drive, mouse and keyboard if separate, and possibly a case.
They want something portable, but I don't know if they want to lug around a full blown laptop. I thought about a 2 in 1 laptop or an all in one desktop. My bet is a 2 in 1 would be better.
They will only use it for internet, mail, news, and maybe a few light programs. They are not 3D animators, they don't need a monster.
Dad wants the old fashioned keyboard and mouse, and since my mom thinks anything with a screen is a touch screen now (she pokes my sister's laptop and my laptop screen, thinking that'll do something...) it needs a touch screen.
My one drawback/delay is the OS. I am strongly for Windows 8.1, my dad is not. He hates windows 8. Ive told him 8.1 is very different from 8, but he doesn't believe me. Keep in mind he isn't very computer savvy, so more complicated systems like Linux are a little out of reach. Mac's may be a little too 'backwards' or different for him too. He's most comfortable with Windows 7 (and maybe XP. I don't remember what the old computer was running. Windows something).
They want a Surface. I took a look, and a Surface Pro 3 with all the functionality they want is near $1500. If I can get somewhere close to a surface without the price tag, it would be great.
We like Dell, that's all we've ever had, but Dells don't like us. Every Dell computer has broken on us at some point (including mine). Judging by some experiences that my relatives had, We won't want a Toshiba. HP, Acer, and Lenovo are my top picks so far, but all brands are open options.
Then buy a dock for it: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk.....&_from=R40
so they can connect a monitor and keyboard to it and 'dock' it when they are home. The US government loves these computers (as well as the dell precisions)
Lenovo's quality fell apart after the T60 series, avoid them
They want 4-6GB of RAM...? 4 is plenty for office and web surfing.
The surfaces are actually really nice, they are just expensive. Don't dismiss it.
You dont need a touch screen - especially since there are no decent PCs (ie running on x86_64 cpus, not ARM) aside from the surface that have one
Don't buy a lap cooler. Please.
<TL;DR>
Remember that the big manufacturers sell computers for 2 general populations: the "casual user" and the business user. The build quality between them are like night and day.
As examples, the dell inspiron and the HP Envoy would classify as consumer computers for the casual user that feature 'fancy' features, low price tags, but generally poor quality (I had 3 inspirons that had bad motherboards within a year)
The HP Elitebooks (now called ZBooks) or the Dell Latitudes or Precisions are geared toward business users; they are marketed and built differently because business users have completely different expectations then what manufacturers call the "casual user" (such as backwards compatibility with older hardware [modem, pc card], and overall better build quality because businesses hold on to computers much longer than the average user).
The prices keep these computers away from the average user, but you can sometimes find them floating around on eBay for a good price.
</TL;DR>