shall1585 Loc: Prichard, WV

Hey everyone! I'm looking to buy a new desktop in the next few weeks, but it's been so long since I've bought one that I just don't know what brand to get. The last desktop I had was a Compaq and it was about 10 years ago or so. My 4.5 yr old laptop is still running (mostly) great, so I have no need to get a new one right now. The biggest issues with it are the fact that it's maxed out on RAM and my hard drive is full. I know I could get an external hard drive for fairly cheap, but that still wouldn't solve my RAM issues. I have PSE12 and LR5 but my laptop just doesn't want to handle them well at all. I only "play" with them mind you, I don't have the time to be really serious about any PP. Heck, I barely have time to take many pictures any more, let alone edit them. I have about 600 from our trip to Disney World 12/7-12/15 and haven't edited a single one. I know the amount of RAM and HD I need, I just don't know which brand will give me the best "bang for my buck" so to speak, as far as reliability and such. A Mac is out of the question. Looking to spend no more than $1200-$1500, including an IPS monitor. I'm not wanting a serious photography machine, just a good all purpose PC, although being good for photography is definitely a plus ;) Thanks for any suggestions you can give!

catusflower Loc: California

What about a Dell, I see lots of Dells in offices,

Catusflower

shall1585 Loc: Prichard, WV

I thought about a Dell, and then stopped looking for a while and completely forgot about them :) I know that's what they use where I went to (and am currently going BACK to) college, I just never used them much since I carried my laptop with me all the time. Thanks for reminding me about them!

catusflower Loc: California

Good luck with your computer search,

Catusflower

shall1585 Loc: Prichard, WV

Thank you :) I looked again at Dell, and they have both, a PC and a monitor that I think I want, for well within my price range. Thanks again!

GARGLEBLASTER Loc: Spain

From my personal experience and also that of a friend, Dell is CRAP! If you can still get one, go for Compaq again. If not Compaq then many experts would recommend that you get one made up for you to your own specifications.

You could also ask an IT shop if they could increase the RAM on your present desktop. I doubled the RAM on my netbook and the difference was noticeable.

ohallboyz Loc: Boston, MA

I had a similar issue where my laptop actually started smoking, lol. RAM was maxed out and I asked about putting in more memory. My PC guy gave me a quote I didn't like. If you're comfortable with doing it yourself I would look into it. The memory isn't too expensive. I have put memory in a desktop, which is not too hard. Laptops I'm a bit afraid of, don't know why.

Anyway, I ended up with a refurbished iMac and I couldn't be happier. The laptop is still usable but I gave it to my kids. PC guy said stop trying to edit on it. :) BTW, my laptop was a Dell. I have had nothing but Dell computers for work reasons and never had a problem up until now.

SpeedyWilson Loc: Upstate South Carolina

Two years ago I got a Dell all-in-one desktop, and I've been very happy with it. There is no tower sitting on the floor or the desk, as everything is contained in the monitor console.

There are many options, and various price ranges. Here are the latest models:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/desktops#!all-in-one-desktops

shall1585 Loc: Prichard, WV

I'm fairly computer savvy, so adding more RAM is no biggie for me, I had to with my last laptop. The problem is the fact that the manual says the most it can use is 4GB, which is what's in it already. On the plus side, it's nice that Toshiba maxed it out at the factory :)

And as too my present desktop, I don't have one. The last I had was about 10-11 years ago and it was my Mom's. She did offer it to me, but I'd have to get a new motherboard, processor, and lots more RAM for it to even run PSE.... :/

I've heard both good and bad on Dell, I think it's like that with anything you buy. Somebody is BOUND to get a lemon.. I happen to have gotten FOUR lemons wih Compaq, 2 laptops and 2 desktops. Although it was before HP bought them, so I have no idea if they're any better now or not.

My laptop only has a 250GB hard drive. Needless to say when I've got all five seasons of my favorite show on there because it got canceled, plus all my pics... I DID clear out my recycle bin and temporary internet files the other night to free up about 17GB of space :-D LOL

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

I had the same problem a few years ago. I'd switched to HD video and my then old Dell wouldn't even play the video.

I bought a Gateway. I've been hearing about this brand for years and now own my first one. It runs at 3.3 with 8gb of ram and two external hard drives. I runs and edits my HD video like a hot knife through butter and I love it.

Happy New Year

GAClowers Loc: Tacoma, Washington

Don't buy one off the shelf. Go to your local Computer Service shop and have them build you a custom job. You can put in all class A parts which will work better and last longer than any off the shelf unit which are made of at least class D components. You can even custom design the case with all kinds of ports and connections. The class A components will have a much longer warranty than anything you get off the shelf. And, you will be surprised at how competitive the price will be. And, you will be supporting a local tradesman instead of a Chinese slave.

paulevy Loc: Lawrenceville, NJ USA

Don't buy a Dell if you ever intend to call their customer service/tech help--you can never understand what they say! If you have to buy a Windows machine, HP is very reliable. But be sure to check out WIN 8 vs. WIN 7. WIN 8 is horrible unless you have a touch screen--it works with just a mouse but its designed for touch.
Don't count out Mac--an iMac for $1300 has all you need with 8GB RAM and a 1T HDD.

Wellhiem Loc: Sunny England.

If your Compaq has lasted 10 years, that has to be a pretty good recomendation.

Black Bart Loc: Indiana

HP owns Compaq same machine just different name on it.
I recently bought a new computer I went to HP web site and built one like I wanted. But I have a Dell 24 inch IPS panel.
My reason for going HP was more machine for the money.
I hate calling HP tech you can not understand anything they are saying but that is pretty much true of all computer company's.

paulevy Loc: Lawrenceville, NJ USA

You can call Applecare every day and they speak American english--for me that is the best reason to own Apple stuff. Now my extended family has switched and we are 100% Apple!