Mac, definitely.

The *only* downsides I've seen are:
1) When people here post .wmv files, I can't watch them.
2) No games.

Beyond that, the Mac has been fantastic.

I just had to format my parent's Dell and my brother's (used to be mine) Dell. Both were P4 1.7 GHz, and we all feel lucky that it took 4 years until they needed a formatting.

My old one had a gig of Rambus ($$$) RAM, 80 GB hard drive that was more than 50% free, and until recently it ran no faster than my Powerbook, which has a slower processor and half the RAM.

Mac is the way to go if you just want video, Net, and basic word processing.

I like Dell as well. I use www.gotapex.com to watch for good deals and coupon codes. They have new ones every week, and sometimes mid-week too.

Yeah, but when you buy a MAC don't you have to get a Beetle convertible and a rainbow sticker?? j/k :D

Hardly seems worth upgrading such an old PC. By the time you add new hard drive, more DRAM, new video card, Win XP, antivirus, you'll have spent $250 or more, plenty of hours (installing hardware, setting jumpers, installing Windows, downloading patches and service packs, etc) and it'll still be an old PC. It'll also be hard to move the HDD and video card to your next machine if they are for the getting-obsolete parallel ATA and PCI buses.

Considering how cheap a new no-frills PCs are, is it worth it?

If you are on a really tight budget, or just enjoy doing things as inexpensively as possible, drop by your local used computer store and see what they have.

Or get a Mac mini. Tiny, affordable, and it's a Mac.

BTW I can see WMV files fine using Windows Media Player for Mac OS.

I guess I just got really sick of futzing with PCs. Our last home PC finally choked its (3rd?) hard drive, I'm going to toss it in the trash. I have formatted c: and reinstalled Windows for the LAST TIME.

A few months ago I was in the same situation as you. I really wanted to upgrade what I had but it just cascaded into an almost completely new machine. I was able to keep my old DVD burner and player two old harddrives and keyboard, moniter etc but added all this below.

A Dell woul have surely been cheaper but I don't know if it would be compatible to what I put together.
I never built a computer before but it really wasn't too hard at all. Most dificult was setting up BIOS for the first time. Mechanically putting it together was quite easy and even fun. Theres so much help online for this stuff.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1130788188.jpg

Yellowline - you can download windows media player for OS X to watch WMVs. I sometimes have problems, but usually it works fine. I understand not wanting MS software on your computer though. :p

I don't like Dells. They are fine for people who are on a 2 year upgrade cycle, but it sounds like asphaltgambler keeps his computers longer. The motherboard and power supply in a Dell box are proprietary. When (not if) they break, it'll basically force another updgrade. For most people that means buying another Dell, so they have no incentive to use better stuff. For people like me who stick with a 3-4 year cycle, an Apple is the way to go. Or build your own PC from parts of your choosing - but that takes a little more patience, or a nerdy friend who will do it for you.

BTW, owning a Mac doesn't make you gay! I was really worried at first, but I think the sports car and the beer produces antibodies. I just gotta be careful not accidentally drink wine coolers.

Main reason is I want win XP with office. If you try to buy the software alone; retail you are @$600.

New replacement machine with the latest OS & Office suite + firewall looks like the best and easist way to go. Dell may be the way after looking at their site, but I will wait until the xmas season to shop.

I dunno about the Mac.........................everytime I walk into a computer store their stuff is always in the back, kinda like the porn section at the video store :D

Drive into Tysons Corner and go to the Apple Store there (in the mall). Third party retail has always been a sick joke in the Apple world.

For WMV files on the Mac you can use Microsoft Media Player for the Mac or this cool little app that I just discovered.

http://www.flip4mac.com/ the app is WMV Player. Let's you run wmv files right inside of Quicktime.

A ton of pricing options, if you just want to play the files it's $9.99 All the way up to full editing capabilities for $179.99.

Factor in that you can replace Microsoft Office with OpenOffice for FREE and your a happy camper. www.openoffice.org

Scott

Sorry to go way back up the thread - is this with or without XP and Office (even OEM they are about half that budget here in NZ).

$500-600 would include XP and maybe Office depending upon what you buy.

hmmm let's compare..
 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1130806663.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1130806695.gif

Mac Mini + NeoOffice or OpenOffice.org will solve your worries.

mini
 

and it's the size of two grilled cheese sandwiches stacked on top of each other!

Re: hmmm let's compare..
 

You are the king of disingenuous comparisons!

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5...24/omen24k.jpg[CODE]

http://voodoopc.blogspot.com/2005/10/its-24-karats-of-bling-bilng.html

The OMEN 24K is a 24 Karat Gold Plated Luxury PC, featuring only the best of breed components on the market. Starting with the liquid cooler, even the blocks are hand picked. We use the best motherboard from ASUS, AMD Athlon 64 FX or Dual Core processor, and limited edition memory. We're shipping the OMEN 24K in a metal travel box (which also has wheels to make it easy to move around).

And in 6 months you'll have the most expensive outdated PC in the world?

Don't hate the playa, hate the game...

Re: Re: hmmm let's compare..
 

i'm gonna have to look that word up.

Re: Re: hmmm let's compare..
 

dis·in·gen·u·ous
Pronunciation: "di-s&n-'jen-y&-w&s
Function: adjective
: lacking in candor; also : giving a false appearance of simple frankness : CALCULATING
- dis·in·gen·u·ous·ly adverb
- dis·in·gen·u·ous·ness noun

come here so i can slap you!