If you need your data recovered, make sure you put the HD in a ziplock that is sealed tight with all the air out, to keep out condensation. Also, if that doesn’t work for you, I own a computer company, Devisetek (www.devisetek.com) and can probably get it back for you. I don’t charge if I don’t get it back for you.
-Marc
(however, ninerMac, can you PLEASE make NNN more compatible with Safari?).
Get FireFox for the Mac and quit using Safari… Either that or buy me a Mac.
NA had it right when he said just buy a new hard drive for your laptop. You’ll want to do the work of installing it in the laptop and installing the laptop yourself or get a friend to do it for free or the expense of the fix will grow to what you could almost get a new laptop for. I’m typing this on a $400 laptop right now. It’s cheap but it gets the job done and it’s only meant to suppliment my dekstop.
Oh, and for the Mac fans, it came with wireless and bluetooth at that price. Macs are great, but there are lots of trade offs going that way.
If you go for a new system. Go AMD if you want a desktop, better price/performance than intel. For a laptop, go AMD if you want performance and intel if you want battery life. Honestly, I don’t understand why people go with laptops for performance/desktop replacement. Those are generally bigger and less portable because of size and battery life. Gaming is one of the few things that really taxes a system anyway and in that respect laptops are still behind anyway…
[QUOTE=jcl49er;180833]I’m not slamming Macs, Gill. Macs are VERY nice computers but they are geared towards a particular user. That user tends to be someone who will be using the PC for graphical programs, film/photo editing, graphical art, etc. For those applications, macs can’t be beat…
And sure you can get an iPod with a new mac purchase. It’s called a marketing gimmick by Apple…
I have nothing against Apple. I just think his comments were off-base but it’s to be expected from someone who sells that product… [/QUOTE]
Ok, I have to ask.
jcl, what brand of PC do you sell?
[QUOTE=Over40NINER;180947]Ok, I have to ask.
jcl, what brand of PC do you sell?
[/QUOTE]
Raise your hand if you’re about to get banned!
Ok, I have to ask.jcl, what brand of PC do you sell?
I just build custom systems on the side and really have no allegiances except with CPU’s (definitely favor AMD over Intel) and GPU’s (favor ATI over nVidia). And as I said, I’m not anti-Mac (would love for someone to give me one 
) but I just fell the other poster was stating false claims but he’s trained to do so. 
And I agree with NinerMac in regards to buying a laptop to replace your desktop. Unless you’re into (current) gaming, virtually any basic/entry laptop will suit your needs. And if you’re a hardcore gamer, you’re not gonna want to do so on a laptop anyway, regardless of the hardware you have in it. For the same budget, I can get a MUCH better desktop put together than I can a laptop. I use my laptop solely for email, internet, IM and basic word processing (and the occasional viewing of a DVD). When I want to do more hardware-intensive stuff, I head into the computer room for my desktop. Basically, if someone told me I had $1,000 for computer upgrades, 100% of that would go towards my desktop, despite my laptop being outdated. s939 prices are great right now btw.
And ditto about Firefox over Safari.
Ya I a co-worker built his own computer, and told me that its the best way for your money. I dont think I would trust myself to, and also I’ve heard horror stories of DIY computers that were very buggy for one reason or another. JCL, you make custom computers, knowing my budget, would I be better of making it myself (or hiring)?
One other downfall I think of a custom computer is having no warranty, am I correct on that?
JCL, how much would a solid gaming system with a dvd-burner, 1gb ram and a dual athlon 64 cost me? rough estimate. less than 1500?
Ya I a co-worker built his own computer, and told me that its the best way for your money. I dont think I would trust myself to, and also I've heard horror stories of DIY computers that were very buggy for one reason or another. JCL, you make custom computers, knowing my budget, would I be better of making it myself (or hiring)?One other downfall I think of a custom computer is having no warranty, am I correct on that?
For custom rigs, the pros and cons are:
Pros:
*Can customize your setup to your needs. Hence, you’re not paying for more CPU, hard drive space and peripherals. Most people who want custom systems are gamers. They simply can’t buy a setup from Dell that will have the specifics they need. And if they can, they’re gonna pay out the rear for it. Most gamers, who don’t build their own, buy from a source like Alienware who makes high-end gaming machines.
*Price. In terms of hardware, you are gonna pay significantly less for your parts if you build yourself. You can order them online at much cheaper prices than retail. And if buying from the same source, you can normally get free shipping (and no taxes a lot of the time).
*Options. Building a custom rig opens up the door for so many more options. You can be very picky with what motherboard you want, what chipset, what CPU, what memory, type of HDD, type of opticals, video card, sound card, PSU (power supply), case, cooling, etc. When you buy a prebuilt system, most of that stuff will come standard, leaving you with very little say so beyond CPU, RAM and HDD.
Cons:
*Software. The problem with people like me who build custom rigs is that it simply kills the deal by having to buy a registered copy of Windows. Yes, you can just install a ripped copy (not that I have ever done that 
) BUT, in doing so, the owner of the computer will not have that OS registered to them, thus losing support. For a lot of people, that’s not a big issue but it’s one reason Dell has a great deal with their setups. You’re getting a full system plus a legit OS. Not to mention their “bundles.” With a custom rig, unless the builder has a ton of software on hand, you’re likely only getting a bare system (just the OS). So another good thing about a company like Dell is that they tend to include a nice bundle for you, preinstalled.
*Tech support. For me, I really enjoy fixing computer problems so I don’t really have a need for some hotline tech support. And if I can’t fix it, there are plenty of sites/forums online and friends to get the help from. But a lot of people who aren’t very computer savvy, enjoy that they can pick up a phone, be put on hold for 2 hours but get free help.
*Warranty: Granted, most computer dealers aren’t gonna give you more than a year anyway (without paying more) but a lot of people just refuse to buy without a warranty. However, if the job is done right, then you shouldn’t have a need to use a warranty anyway. And most hardware you buy, if you’re custom building, comes with a warranty anyway. So while you may not be getting a warranty on the system as a whole, you’re getting a warranty on the parts that make it up.
Also keep in mind that a lot of people who want systems built are fine with a lot of what they currently have in their older system. Most people are mainly into upgrading their CPU, memory, hard drive and video card (if they’re gamers). So a lot of the stuff (case, PSU, opticals, peripherals, etc. can be used again, saving you some money.
Sideshow, I don’t know what you consider to be a “solid” gaming system but with today’s titles and those in the works, you’d be surprised at just how much firepower you need unless you want your games to look like slideshows. Even 1GB of RAM is just the “recommended” spec for most games with 2GB being preferred. For $1500 though, you could do a nice setup but again, that depends on how much you’re wanting to replace. If you’re starting from scratch and need everything, you can still do well for that budget without any bottlenecks. There are areas you can skimp on to save money as well. But if you’re into gaming, do not skimp on good RAM and your GPU or you’ll regret it. The new generation of GPU’s are just around the corner and as always, the previous ones will drop in price. Also, most gamers buy their hardware used on a couple well-known sites. I wouldn’t do that for someone unless they requested it but you can save a lot of money that way. There are some big-time gamers out there who always have to have the best and latest GPU to come out. So they end up selling the video card they have only used for a few months, at a really good price. I’ve bought 2nd hand gaming hardware many times for myself and I’ve never had any issues at all. The people I go through are very trustworthy and take care of their gear.
Sideshow, if you’re interested in a gaming rig, just let me know your definite budget and what, if any gear you’d be transferring/using from another system. If you do that, I’d be more than happy to PM you some setup options with specs/prices.
[QUOTE=Sideshow;180976]JCL, how much would a solid gaming system with a dvd-burner, 1gb ram and a dual athlon 64 cost me? rough estimate. less than 1500?[/QUOTE]
Peanuts. Seriously. You really dont even need that dual core athlon to be honest.
From scratch, with a nice LCD monitor, I betcha I could get you in under $1,000, with LOTS of bells & whistles.
Peanuts. Seriously. You really dont even need that dual core athlon to be honest.From scratch, with a nice LCD monitor, I betcha I could get you in under $1,000, with LOTS of bells & whistles.
However, if you’re a gaming snob, you’re gonna spend over 1/3 of that budget on your video card alone (X1900XT or 7800GTX). Personally, I think that’s absurd because I can spend under <$200 for a GPU that will handle 90% of what the software industry can throw at it. But there are plenty of people (thank goodness) that have no problem shelling out $2,000+ just so they can brag that their rig can play a certain game at max settings/resolution and still get 70+ FPS. :rolleyes:
And I agree the DC Athlon is a waste of money for gaming. Nice chip but unnecessary.