Desktop Recommendation?

Anyone have any recommendations for a desktop? I need to get a really cheap one (like $500 or less)...but I'd like it to be pretty functional. I was considering getting an HP Pavilion as it's cheap and I've heard that it's not a bad computer...

I probably use the computer more heavily than the avg. person, ie: photoshop, light coding, a bit of media-viewing, and running lots and lots of models/macros on MS Excel.

Any thoughts are much appreciated!

 

Personally...
I stay away from the big 3.
Dell... HP... Gateway.
Always end up having to decrap them.
Very proprietary and very hard or tedious to remove the on board software they install.
And they're usually "cheap" for a reason.
They consider 256MB of RAM a gift when it's actually the bare minimum I would run XP with.

I have 3 computers...
One hand built and 2 are used referbs.
And for "on the cheap" you really can't beat them.
With the hand builds... just be sure you know what your doing.
You can flush allot of money if you don't.
Its not really hard to build them. But there are basic rules you need to know before you attempt it.
With the referbs... I would stick with a processor no lower than 1Ghz.
And if it's in good working order for all practical purposes...
Then I discovered that all you really need to replace is the hard drive.
Even if it's still working. It's what I've always found to be the first thing to go.
Then reseat the processor heatsink with new thermal paste.
Install extra fans. At least one input one at the front.
Upgrade it from there.


But any you chose... you have to weigh your options carefully.
Although you didn't mention games... your usage is highly graphical.
I would suggest you make sure you get a computer with a graphics card or slot for one.
That way you can upgrade video easy if need be.
This will also make it compatible with the upcoming Windows Vista if you ever decide to upgrade.
Vista will not work with the on board video offered at this time.

Hope this was of some help.

 

Well i some what disagree,i have owned hp, and now a gateway, mine did not come with a ton of junk installed[ cant say that about the hp] mine is athlon 64 4000+ 1gig ram, dvd burner, mother board upgradable to dual core, nvidia on board graphics. for a little over what you want to spend, but as he said be sure it will be able to handle vista, if you are not interested in vista, im sure there will be support for xp for a long time. ed

 

Dells are alright but come with a load of crap pre-installed. HPs have great specs but i personally have no experience with them. Acer is good and so is Gateway, at least for laptops since i have one from each. I think an HP would be your best bet

 

The restoration system that Dell, Gateway and a few other companies use now is stupid, so I'd stay away from them.

I used Photoshop perfectly fine on my stock video card which was an 8MB ATI RAGE Card, so I wouldn't buy a good card unless you encounter problems.

I'd suggest, whatever you do, get a gig of RAM, it's the best thing you can do. Make sure your motherboard supports DDR2 RAM as well, for future upgrading, and make sure it supports sockets 939 (for AMD) or 775 (for Intel), and you should be fine.

 

http://www.dell.com/content/product...uG7QB2JXxsLJRUK2evC/Opu1MBFUF7iM3zZJqVvP42gI=

This is a pretty solid computer with a 19" flat panel. It has a Dual Core Pentium and 512 Mb of RAM, although you might want to upgrade that to 1Gb.

I've bought 4 Dell computers recently and all of them work great. Of course, I always uninstall all of the junk that comes on them as soon as I get it. (Stuff like Musicmatch jukebox, Norton AV, etc.)

IMO, for a budget computer, you can't beat a Dell. If you watch the deal websites (www.slickdeals.net and www.techbargains.com/dellcoupons.cfm) you can get a pretty good computer for very little.

 

Indeed. I use a Dell, and have been for 3 years now without any faults on Dell's behalf.

 

Thanks a lot guys!

I just recently have had a pretty bad experience with a Dell laptop that is acting screwy after a year, so I'm kind of wary...

Slickdeals.net is a nice site, I'll definitely check the other one out, in between trying to get my laptop functional again