Computer crash #$%@&!!! New computer suggestions welcomed

[Scud]

HPs are cheap now, but the downside is they're getting out of the market. Quality is questionable and future support might not be the greatest.

I'd go for a laptop, then plug it into a larger monitor for home. That's what I do. You don't need anything high end, like for graphics, video editing, etc., so you can do pretty well for under $500. I like Toshibas and I presently am using a Sony Vaio. It's incredible, but a high end model, so should be. Acer and Asus, believe it or not, are pretty well respected for lower end. Certainly worth a look, but I'd check out reviews of the model in your price range before I bought.

I've never bought a refurbished computer, but know some programmers who swear by it.

Cheapest place I know is tigerdirect.com. Really good service. I've bought a lot from them, both for personal use and for my company. Never had a problem. They usually come up anyway when doing a price search, like through pricegrabber.com or dealtime.com, so if you buy on the internet, you've probably come across them.

The good news is is the bang for the buck these days. Equivalent computers ten years ago ran in the thousands, now they're alomost giving them away. Certainly makes you think twice when it comes to paying for a repair.

What happened to the old one anyway? If the hard drive wasn't the problem you can remove it and put it in a USB case and use it as an external when you get a new computer. At least that way you can salvage files.

Lastly, buy as much RAM for the new one as it will accept. The cheapest single performance booster for any PC.

Dave