What Computer for Children?

[foothead]

My point is that Dell uses crappy parts, whatever they don't post thhe specs on, they tend to skimp on.

MSI U100 is a beast though.

 

[01001010]

My point is that Dell uses crappy parts, whatever they don't post thhe specs on, they tend to skimp on.

 

[foothead]

I guess I am just anti-Dell biased since they sold me a computer with maxxed RAM stock, and with some sort of BIOS lock that won't let me have any PCI-express cards, even though there is a slot.

 

[Russel1]

My point is that Dell uses crappy parts, whatever they don't post thhe specs on, they tend to skimp on.

MSI U100 is a beast though.

What Dell parts are "crappy"? I work providing IT support for a couple dozen Dell computers. I can tell you first hand that they hold up very well!

 

[foothead]

What Dell parts are "crappy"? I work providing IT support for a couple dozen Dell computers. I can tell you first hand that they hold up very well!

Well, they tend to put the cheapest OEM parts they can get their hands on into their computers. My dell desktop had an advertised 1gb of 533 RAM. It came with onboard video but had advertised that it had a PCI express x16 slot, so I figured I could upgrade it. It had an option to get higher speed RAM, so I picked the 667.

Long story short, it came with 4 sticks of 256 MB 667MHz RAM. The board only supported 533, and couldn't have anything bigger than 256 MB in each of its 4 slots. Therefore, I had paid for a useless upgrade. On top of that, I went to upgrade the graphics a while later, and there is a BIOS lock that makes it unable to support a PCI-express card. Plus the '100 GB HD' was actually a very low -RPM 76 GB drive that they had removed the sticker from.

Thay gave me a load of crap when I tried to contact them about it, such as 'formatted capacity will vary' and 'Oohh we gave you the upgrade, stop complaining'

 

[dude_56013]

God, the drama in this thread is ridiculous. Is there any way we can keep it on topic for the sake of the OP?

I found this on Newegg today. I apologize if it was posted before. With the e-mail promotion I got, it's only $350 with free shipping.

 

[Juan handed]

Thanks for all of the input and suggestions (I'm the OP,btw).Just to remind everyone,these are not my children...they are my friend's kids,but he has no computer knowledge whatsoever,I'm not so hot either.

I'm starting to feel the reality of the situation,in that I need to be mindful,that after I find these kids a computer,I will have some responsibility for troubleshooting and setup.Also,I'm going to have to consider how to keep his kids away from things on the internet they shouldn't be exposed to (I'll take that up in another thread soon).

I pretty much have decided to pick up a laptop/notebook as opposed to a desktop or netbook.I think it fits their situation the best.

I want to find something with a pretty good software package...I guess it will be a Vista/windows7 OS.I had a talk with him today and the budget is $500.I'm not opposed to used,refurbished,Ebay(I've had plenty of good dealings and know how to handle the problems),or brand new turn key ready,just want to get the most bang for the buck.I plan on test driving whatever he gets for 2 weeks before bringing it to the kids.

I found the Dell discussion helpful,especially since I am typing this on a Dell inspiron.pretty much trouble free for 5 years,other than a new keyboard and crashing a hard drive.I really can't complain. But this whole situation has me realizing how obsolete this machine is,but that's another story.

Anyway,all of the help is appreciated...anything you can add is greatly appreciated.

 

[dude_56013]

I'm going to have to consider how to keep his kids away from things on the internet they shouldn't be exposed to

Lot's of software out there for that. Some free, some not.

I pretty much have decided to pick up a laptop/notebook as opposed to a desktop or netbook.I think it fits their situation the best.

Good choice.

I want to find something with a pretty good software package...I guess it will be a Vista/windows7 OS.I had a talk with him today and the budget is $500.I'm not opposed to used,refurbished,Ebay(I've had plenty of good dealings and know how to handle the problems),or brand new turn key ready,just want to get the most bang for the buck.

Are you wanting something with Microsoft Office software? The student edition would be just fine. I wouldn't recommend OpenOffice in this situation since the kids will need to get used to Office since that's probably what'll they'll use all through middle school, high school, and college.

Anyway,all of the help is appreciated...anything you can add is greatly appreciated.

It's much easier to find something at the $500 price point. I'll try and dig some stuff up shortly.

 

[jmacavali]

I've had week long trials with both the HP Mini 1000, and the Dell Mini 10v.

Good enough for you?

Yes actually it is. I'm glad that your opinions are coming from experience rather than just guessing how they'd behave.






OP: I would also recommend Microsoft Office versus OpenOffice only because that is what they are going to be using in school (assuming the school is not Mac based). It might not be a bad idea to look into it and see what the school they will be attending runs. However, it is never a bad thing to have the kids exposed to more than one OS. Also, I know how you feel about setup/troubleshooting but I don't think policing the Internet falls on you. Just let the parent(s) know what is out there, and have them keep an eye on the kids. However, if you can find free parental blocking software I'd go ahead and put that on.

 

[dude_56013]

I don't think policing the Internet falls on you. Just let the parent(s) know what is out there, and have them keep an eye on the kids. However, if you can find free parental blocking software I'd go ahead and put that on.

You also have to remember (I'm talking to the OP here, and parents in general) that kids will almost always want to do what they are told not to do. So if you tell them straight off you are watching what they do on the net...well, then, you are probably in for a world of trouble. Parents need to trust and have a little more faith in their children. Maybe instead of just getting a bunch of software to "protect" them, you could also be a wonderful parent and sit down with them at the computer 30 minutes a day.