Tower or all-in-one PC?

[bluedotsmom]

I have to finally admit that my 10 yr old HP Pavillion desktop that has served us valiantly, is about to go to computer heaven. :cry

So, what say you? all-in-one touch screen, all-in-one with NO touch screen or standard tower set up????

I want a real keyboard, am looking to save some space (but just getting rid of the 12 ton monitor we have now will save space! :lol )

Oh, I'm in the Central US (for price comparison) and really don't want to spend anymore than $800.

Have I lost my mind? Is this possible?

[Six Little Feet]

I was told that an all in one is not as good of a choice. They are much more complicated and expensive to fix. They have more things that can go wrong on them.

Do you have a Costco card. You could get a computer there for under 800

[bluedotsmom]

THanks! we don't have a costco here, but do have Sam's.

I have been leary of the all-in-ones, but dh falls in love with the "looks" of tech stuff! :giggle

I have to say, it seems to me that towers themselves have gotten bulkier the last two years..hmmmm...conspiracy to make us buy all-in-ones? :shifty

I still think we can really de-bulk our desk by just having a flat screen monitor and putting the tower behind it.

I think we need to hit some brick & mortar stores to get a feel for what is out there.

[OliveJuice]

Do NOT get an all in one. Having lived with my IT professional dh for 18 years, I will tell you that all in ones can be impossible to fix, have a lower ability to be upgraded and generally are not money well spent.

If you're looking for lower cost, do not go with a touch screen and do not get Window 8. See if you can get a good PC with Windows 7 (which has proven to be a stable operating system and is not outdated) Instead of touch screen get a flat screen monitor (saves space) and there are towers that you can purchase that are smaller than the traditional towers.

[Saphirah]

Do NOT get an all in one. Having lived with my IT professional dh for 18 years, I will tell you that all in ones can be impossible to fix, have a lower ability to be upgraded and generally are not money well spent.

If you're looking for lower cost, do not go with a touch screen and do not get Window 8. See if you can get a good PC with Windows 7 (which has proven to be a stable operating system and is not outdated) Instead of touch screen get a flat screen monitor (saves space) and there are towers that you can purchase that are smaller than the traditional towers.

What she said! ^ My DH would say the same thing. We have a cute little Lenova computer sitting in our entertainment center right now and it's not any bigger then half the blue ray player. (TV can be a monitor)

[OliveJuice]

What she said! ^ My DH would say the same thing. We have a cute little Lenova computer sitting in our entertainment center right now and it's not any bigger then half the blue ray player. (TV can be a monitor)


What SHE said!!! I forgot about using the tv! It's a great idea. Keep the tower in your entertainment center, use a HDMI cable to attach computer to tv, buy wireless mouse and wireless keyboard. Depending on the size of your tv GCM could be HUGE! LOL!

[mountainash]

The only all-in-one I'd recommend is the iMac.

[SewingGreenMama]

Tower hands down, my brother has had over heating problems non stop with his Mac AIO.

[Hermana Linda]

I agree about the tower. You can also put it under the desk (http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00WBotpOYlhzcK/Computer-Desk-CT-509-.jpg).

[Rabbit]

Standard sized towers are also far more upgradeable and fixable than slim designs. You will have an easy time finding parts that fit, instead of combing the market for decent prices on the smallest parts. You can always put slim width hardware in a full width tower, but you can't put a full width piece in a slim width tower. Even the fans and power supplies become difficult.

[Macky]

I had to upgrade my all-in-one iMac recently to run some new design software. My "old" Mac is only three years old and it's perfectly fine running everything but the newest CS suite. We went online yesterday to value it for bookkeeping purposes and found that it hasn't devalued much and people are still buying them for $600-800 CDN, depending on features, memory upgrades, etc. In all that time I've never had a problem with it (definitely NOT overheating, I've never even heard of that one before and being a designer, I know a lot of people with Macs). I did add some memory when I started working in Illustrator more, but that's it. If you're not running any software that is available only for PC, I'd highly recommend finding a Mac. Even used, they're still better than a PC. :shifty

[Leslie]

I'd highly recommend finding a Mac. Even used, they're still better than a PC. :shifty

For less than $800? I didn't know that was possible. Where's a reliable place to look for used Mac's with a few years still in them?

[Macky]

My three-year-old iMac is valued (for book purposes) at $600 Cdn., so I'm sure you could find a good used machine for $800 or less in the States. It's AIO and the wireless keyboard and mouse come with. I'm not sure where one would look. I have enough friends with Macs that I would just put the word out that I was looking for a used machine (facebook, etc.) and see what comes up. People are always upgrading for reasons similar to mine. Nothing is wrong with the computer at all, it's just that software is becoming increasingly complex and we need up-to-date machines to run the new stuff. If you're not running professional, high-needs software, you can keep a Mac for a good 10 years or more; my dad certainly has! Nothing has to be "refurbished" or anything. They just have to do a complete wipe and restore to factory before they sell you the machine. :) Hope you find one! If we didn't need to keep this one for the girls (their PC is dying), I'd make you a deal. ETA: In case you're wondering about that last sentence, we're a mixed household running both Macs and PCs. DH is a tech for a company that runs only PC, so not only does he have a PC for work, but they allow him to buy old machines when they're upgrading themselves. That would be a route you could go, though. Check the yellow pages and contact some local graphic designers (or companies that would have in-house designers like newspapers, etc.) and ask them to contact you if they're upgrading and getting rid of any new(er) machines.

[Leslie]

Hope you find one! If we didn't need to keep this one for the girls (their PC is dying), I'd make you a deal. ETA: In case you're wondering about that last sentence, we're a mixed household running both Macs and PCs. DH is a tech for a company that runs only PC, so not only does he have a PC for work, but they allow him to buy old machines when they're upgrading themselves. That would be a route you could go, though. Check the yellow pages and contact some local graphic designers (or companies that would have in-house designers like newspapers, etc.) and ask them to contact you if they're upgrading and getting rid of any new(er) machines.

Thank you! My son is wanting a Mac because he runs music software. I gave him $800 to replace his computer, and he wasn't able to find a mac in that price range, so he ended up settling for a used PC. Maybe it's because he's limiting himself to a laptop?

[ShangriLewis]

If you have a local college or university they often sell their old computers for a good price. You can often get a basic MAC "Tower" for $100.

[Macky]

... he ended up settling for a used PC. Maybe it's because he's limiting himself to a laptop?
Yup. Mac laptops are out of my price range, too.