Need a New computer..... Bought a MacMini !!

Our shop laptop died, it is a windoze machine, and I need to replace it, like now

Main reason why is that the tobacco ordering system uses Windoze, I know it is being said that I can use a Mac to run a virtual Windows set up, or Dual boot, but, and this is a big but, are the guys who say this will work sure that it will work for internet use too?

We order tobacco thrice a week, close to $10,000 a week, yes we sell a lot of smokes

The Monster-In-Law has told us go go buy a NEW computer, like YESTERDAY

Due to size restraints, it needs to be a laptop, or at the very least, a small thin computer. I use a KVM switch (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) that lets us use one keyboard, mouse, and monitor for two computers, we have a stand alone computer for the Liquor shop accounting etc as well, in the small space.

I'm also looking to buy a computer that will last a while, like 5 years, I know I can get a 5 year extended warranty for not much more. I'm just stinking tired of all the crap with all the old used, long in the tooth computers we have, it is frustrating, and a huge waste of time.

What I have to ask you is if you were in my boat, what computer would you buy?

I know, wide open question

I'd LOVE to buy a MacMini, but they are supposed to be updated in the new year, so I don't want to buy day old bread for full price

If we buy a (gasp!) new Windows machine, what should I get for a processor?

I know I'm grasping at straws here, but in about 10 hours, I'll be standing in a computer store trying to figure out what the heck to buy

Cheers!

My last half dozen have been Dell. Prices are highly competitive and they work. Customer service is OK if you don't mind the time on the phone speaking with someone with a thick accent.
Kim Komando has warned not to buy the current crop of Compaq laptops. She says they are low quality, bare bones units designed to sell cheap and heavily during the Christmas season.
If you go with Dell, order through the small business link on their web site. The home and small business division compete with each other and you can usually get a better deal if you mention this.

Stu
I have been in the tech sector for going on 30 years now. Been through various different views of policy over the years. Used to believe it was like buying anything else, you get what you pay for. But in the tech sector I have given up this belief. The pace of change is so huge that that I now buy the cheapest sensible product. Given most of the stuff is made by subcontractors and I have actually been inside these plants and worked with some of these subs, it is all pretty much the same. I still believe you need to look inside the box and past the brand. Stick to good name brand components and you cannot go wrong. But that does not mean it has to have a fancy badge name on the outside. Forget the idea of using it for 5 years. That is a lifetime in this sector. Rather get used to the idea that the payback needs to be in the 18 month category. If it is for business use lease it, dont buy it. Dell is excellent here. You get maintenance etc and then when lease is up you get a new one and just keep rolling it on. This is not a good jack plane which we can buy one of and keep for generations to come with at worst buying a new blade.
I dont spend more than 5 to 6 hundred Canadian on a computer anymore. I always have two and keep them in "hot standby mode" where they are both up to date and I still have external backup. I have seen friends and business associates buy better ones for much more money and in one month have all the trouble in the world. I even go as far as buying reconditioned units from Tiger Direct. They have done me very well. I gave up getting attached to this "junk" a long time ago. Over the years I have invested tens of thousands of dollars in this sector in the past in the belief that I was buying something that would last.
One thing I have realized if you do intend to buy brand and up there, then go out and get the latest technology. This usually comes at a very steep price. When people see this they then back off and then still buy old tech from that same brand having been sold on the brand. Big mistake IMHO.

Thats my 5cents worth and I am sticking to it.

Not in the US Frank

Dell and I have not had a good relationship, they once double charged my credit card for the full price of a computer I returned, as it did NOT work with the OS they said it would work with (English NT4.0) something about the chip set they used here in Japan, I could not get drivers for the printer etc. The computer cost something like $2800, and they charged me for it twice, and it took nearly 6 months and a LOT of leg work and finally myself and my wife going to the Dell office with all the paper work and complaining loudly for them to get it right, SIX MONTHS while we were out $5400

Then a week after we got all done they sent us a brandnew computer, that we did NOT order, and tired to charge us for it, we did not accept delivery.......

I won't be buying a computer from Dell anytime soon, their Japanese operation needs work

Thanks for the info Rob, we may very well do just that

Cheers!

Yep, I know yer not in the U.S. Just figured the Internet was everywhere. Oh, well.
And, with yer experience with Dell, cannot fault you for looking elsewhere.

I'm seeing the IBM ThinkPad SL500 2746-8QJ (Japanese model) one big thing for me is it comes with Win XP Pro (which is multi Lingual) standard, at $690 with a 10% off deal, will be worth looking at.

I've used Ibm, HP, Gateway, acer, and Dell. Avoid the Dell, it's the only one I've had problems with. I'd go with Rob's advice (outside of buying a Dell ), just buy as much as you can for $500 - $600 and get lots of memory.

Side note: I've actually been playing with some vmware (VirtualBox actually) running xp, linux, and even mac within my vista client. Internet, Network, and all ports (including usb) are available to the OS running in the virtual system. Might be an option for your need for windoze if you do go with mac since they have a download to run VirtualBox on mac. I've never had an actual mac so couldn't tell you what it does out of the box.

Not a techie - so take this for what it's worth. I've owned Dell, IBM, and my current Toshiba. I like the Toshiba the best.

I agree with Rennie on the Toshiba.

Stu,

A new iMac or MacBook/Pro, running VMware would be perfect....but don't buy it for the shop!!!!!

The least little glitch, hiccup, or problem, and the MIL will be shoving her finger in your face...Service guys for the system won't touch it!! Ain't worth the pain.

Save your Yen for your own....

As a software engineer, I find the biggest performance criteria is memory. If you don't have enough, even if you have a fast cpu, it will run slow. I don't particularly care about brand. I'd go for something with 2GB memory and a Dual Core processor.

FWIW I have run Windows 2000 for several years and had such good luck I hate to change. Recently picked up 4 Guvment surplus Dell machines cheap. Missing hard drives and no promise they work. Buddy of mine gave me a sealed XP pro software for Dell machines. (from an IT department that doesn't need it but gets it with every machine they buy) I have one of the four running and I am impressed with XP. Will be probably be upgrading to XP on my main machine.

Point is I have read about all your problems and hatred for Windows. Used to share that hatred when I ran W98. Hated it!!

Went to W2000 and past few years have been relatively trouble free. I probably end up reformatting my machine once every couple of years. That's not minor but as it slows down and starts to act a little strange I find it worth the effort.

So faced with you choice I would be looking for a machine with XP. Or buying a copy and reinstalling it on the new machine. As Rob said brand doesn't mean that much any more, except maybe for support but I prefer to do my own repairs. If I didn't need a laptop I would seriously considering just building my own. But I know that is not an option.

Well, we took the MacMini plunge

So far..... ah ten minutes worth, I'm happy, took all of five minutes to get the thing up and running, in a bilingual mode, English as the main language, but running a Japanese keyboard etc, painless, effortless, and no screaming or throwing large heavy objects

I know there is a learning curve, and I have to set up a few things, plus figure out how to do some stuff, but I'm pleased.

We ended up with the higher end MacMini, I know, I know, there might be a new one coming out soon, but, who knows, we needed a new computer TODAY, and the Monster-In-Law was willing to pay for it, so what the heck. The only other machine we were looking at was a small desktop type of machine, a slim, or mini desktop, it had an older chipset, max 2GB of memory, small 80GB HDD, and it was only a couple hundred bucks cheaper, it came with Vista Home, but could be downgraded to XP Pro, but we would have to do that ourselves, well, I did not want to do that, myself, I wanted something much less painful, thank you

Still have not figured out the mail yet

Cheers!

Congrats, Stu. You've been wanting a Mac for ages, and now you have one.

Congtats Stu, let me know if I can help.

Only thing so far I'm having trouble with is setting up the mail, but we have a weird mail service, one server for incoming, a different one for out-going etc, non-normal port settings, to stop mass mailings, etc etc.....

I'll have to do some reading I guess

If you have the server names/addys and the port numbers info, you should have not problem after plugging them in.

Stuart Ablett said:

Well, we took the MacMini plunge

So far..... ah ten minutes worth, I'm happy, took all of five minutes to get the thing up and running, in a bilingual mode, English as the main language, but running a Japanese keyboard etc, painless, effortless, and no screaming or throwing large heavy objects

I know there is a learning curve, and I have to set up a few things, plus figure out how to do some stuff, but I'm pleased.

We ended up with the higher end MacMini, I know, I know, there might be a new one coming out soon, but, who knows, we needed a new computer TODAY, and the Monster-In-Law was willing to pay for it, so what the heck. The only other machine we were looking at was a small desktop type of machine, a slim, or mini desktop, it had an older chipset, max 2GB of memory, small 80GB HDD, and it was only a couple hundred bucks cheaper, it came with Vista Home, but could be downgraded to XP Pro, but we would have to do that ourselves, well, I did not want to do that, myself, I wanted something much less painful, thank you

Still have not figured out the mail yet

Cheers!

Click to expand...

That's funny to hear. "small 80GB HDD" and to think my first computer didn't even have a HDD and my first PC had a whole 425MB!! and now, 80GB is small

Aloha,

Yeah, yeah, I know, but really, these days, an 80Gb HDD gets filled really quickly.

I dug out an old NEC laptop, and fired it up, put Win 2K on it, just as a stop gap, I looked, the HDD is only 4 GB I remember when it was a LARGE HDD, but now, it is mostly taken up by the OS

BTW, we got the apple care as well, and a 2 year extra extension for the 3 year apple care, not really apple care, but the retailer's own care, if the computer breaks in that 4th or 5th year, they will pay to have it fixed, but only one time. Still, it cost only 2% of the cost, and that way paid from the bonus points we have at that shop (Yodobashi Camera).

Cheers!

My First Hard drive I installed in a compaq portable (you know, the green screen machine the size of a suitcase with the keyboard that folded up into the bottom) was 20 MEGABYTES. And that was HUGE!

Of course, that was in the late 80's sometime...