Help a Reader (Me): Buying a New Computer

You all are so good at helping readers who send in their questions that I thought I'd give you a situation of my own and let you give me some advice to consider. Here goes:

• At home, we currently have an older (2002) desktop in our finished basement. It was our main computer for years and I still use it every couple of weeks or so to update Quicken. It's a bit slow but suitable for what I need and ok when there's no need to be social (it's tucked downstairs away from most of the family.)

• A couple years ago, we got a desktop computer for my wife and kids that sits at a desk in our "play room" (is meant to be a formal dining room) just off our kitchen.

• I set up wireless internet access in our home a couple months ago and I bring my work laptop home on the weekends and use it. It's nice to sit at the kitchen table, on the couch, or anywhere else and call up the web if needed. In addition, I have some computing-related tasks I'd like to work on but the basement computer is a bit out of the way and the other computer is in use quite a bit.

• As such, I'd like to get a laptop for our home use. The only questions -- what type and where should I buy it?

• The type question is probably related most to what I plan to do with it. Here's a short list: run basic programs like Word, Excel, and Quicken, watch shows/sporting events on Hulu or ESPN360, play some decent video games (kids), potentially store/edit video and or pics, monitor/work on this blog, and maybe a few miscellaneous tasks along the way.

• It will need to be mobile, but really only throughout the house and maybe on a few car trips. I don't plan to carry it on a plane or any other sort of trip. As such, I've been thinking about getting a "desktop equivalent" laptop -- heavier than most laptops but performance is better too.

• Cost is not an issue (within reason.) I have the money set aside for the purchase.

Ok, so that sets the scene, here are a few questions:

• Is a desktop equivalent the right way to go or should I go more middle of the road?

• No matter which laptop I get, what are the minimum requirements regarding processor, memory (GB), hard drive, video memory (MB), etc. that I should consider?

• Any brands in particular I should think about? (Every other computer I've ever purchased has been a Dell and I've had zero problems.)

• Where should I buy the computer?

• Anything else to consider?

Finally, please do not suggest an Apple product. I know how great they are, hoe they work better, etc., but I live in a PC world with my other computers and at work and don't want to bring an Apple into the mix.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Comments

[Darin H]

HP Pavilion laptop from Costco.com (free shipping). I bought ours there in January, runs online video very well, I use Quicken/Excel/Word and some small video editing software (my son was born at the end of Jan). I basically replaced my desktop with it, I think mines a Core Duo 2.1 Mhz processor with 320 GB hard drive, Nvidia graphics card (better for running the video than Intel video). That would probably work well for what you're looking for, we paid $750 for it back then, think they have dropped the price since.

[Jim]

PCMag does an annual survey on service & reliability. See article: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2326607,00.asp

Top Windows models are Lenovo, Sony, Dell, HP, Acer.

I have experience with Lenovo (they bought IBM notebook business) at work and they are generally good.

Almost ANY laptop sold from a major vendor will handle Word/Excel, Internet, basic office stuff just fine. So if thats all you were doing then I'd recommend going with a cheapest model. But you mention playing some games and maybe video editing too. Games are one area where going for a better video option, CPU & memory will matter more. But if you're not running the bleeding edge games then a basis mid range system will do fine. Video editing can be more demanding on the system. You can still basic video editing on cheaper systems but it will just be a bit slower at times.

I'd look for 2-4GB of RAM minimum and Intel Core 2 Duo running 2GHz or more minimum. Drive sizes start at 200GB range. That is a lot of space and should be plenty for most people. If you have a lot of large programs installed then you might want more space. Video memory is either going to be tied to integrated video or probably something in the 256MB level.

The weight of the laptop, screen size and battery life are 3 key components for laptops. You'll have to decide for yourself if those things are worth spending more for.

Something in the $600-900 range would probably suit your needs and be the best overall deal. That will give you some power to do what you want and last a while but you won't be paying a 50% price premium to get 10% more performance.

[Dan]

If you're not considering a Mac, what's left to consider? Its all commodity hardware. Decide if you want to "upgrade" to Vista or not, then go with Dell's recommendation and reward their spotless record.

[Michael Harr @ Wealth...Uncomplicated]

I'm really happy with my Toshiba after coming from a ThinkPad world. It was considerably less expensive and has held up nicely. We purchased an HP for my son last Black Friday and got a great deal even though it was my second choice (Best Buy line was way too long for the Toshiba I wanted). I haven't had very good experiences with HP overall, and the most recent addition is no different. The touchpad is horrific and we've spent hours on the phone with HP's tech support.

A few things on whatever computer you decide on, Jim's right on the info provided, as this will help with the longevity of your machine. I would add:

-Wireless N adapter (you'll probably upgrade your wireless sooner or later)
-Purchase a long life battery (this will run $150-$200 for a 6+ hour battery)
-Power inverter for the car (if you go on a super long family car trip, these are indispensible if you don't have outlets installed in your car)

If you've had no problems with Dell, just get another Dell. The old if it ain't broke don't fix it still applies.

As for when to shop, wait until the back to school sales or Black Friday (if you can holdout that long). You'll see better pricing and for the type of machine that you need (mid to upper-mid range), there will be a good selection from a variety of manufacturers.

[Eugene Krabs]

Does that mean Linux is also out of the question?

Your requirements does not appear to be all that steep. Assuming YouTube and Hulu are your steepest requirement, just about any modern laptop can handle what you are asking for. So, much of that comes down to what screen size you want and what price you can find one for.

Netbooks, by the way, are the new hotness. They're basically a low price, low demand, low weight laptop, but packs enough of a punch to do what you are asking for. The Eee PC leads the charges in this field, although there are plenty more examples. Here's the newegg link to the Eee PC, which sells for $280.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220354

Only thing about them is that the screen and keyboard is rather small. If you wanted something small, then this isn't a problem, and in fact, could be a great advantage. If not, you'll want to shop for something bigger.

There are several other nice netbooks as well (such as HP and Lenovo being two notable examples), but again, it comes down to you are specifically looking for....

[John @ Hard Work Blogging]

*Desktop equivalent or middle of the road?
Get the absolute best laptop you can. Middle of the road is often the biggest hit on the budget. Low end is low cost. The middle of the road usually does not last much longer than bare bones. A top of the line system you will make last as long as possible.

*Minimum requirements regarding processor, memory (GB), hard drive, video memory (MB)?
Processor : Dual core 64 bit(if you can go quad core)
Memory : 4 GB
Hard Drive : 80 GB
Video Memory : 128MB

*Brands
Alienware or Falcon Northwest will be the absolute best you can get. Remember you get what you pay for. And they are likely at the top of your price range. Dell has good systems (they own Alienware) and with your past experience that might work well going forward.

*Where should I buy the computer?
Direct from the manufacturer. Go to dell for a Dell; HP for a HP or Compaq; etc.

Don't worry about the kids gaming. Most kids games don't need more system than you will for video editing.

[Benjamin Bryan]

You should really assign numbers to your questions, I've assigned them for you in my response...

2. Processor: get the Intel Core 2 Duo, there are many options within those but I'd at least get that over AMD.
Memory: At least 4GB.
HD: Get at least a 7200RPM drive, also use the ReadyBoost feature in Windows to cache onto a flash drive.
Video: For games you want to get ATI or NVIDIA, not the Intel Integrated, I don't know much about ATI right now, but the NVIDIA 9600M and 9800M GT are decent cards. You don't want a video card that uses shared RAM from the system (like the 9400M). Those are much slower. Look at the ATI and NVIDIA websites to see what they recommend for performance. I would get at least 512MB dedicated video RAM for intensive games (like Supreme Commander). If you're just playing games like World of Warcraft 256MB should be fine. If you plan on gaming with dual monitors try to get 512MB-1GB.

3. If you buy Dell sometimes you can get the exact same computer for cheaper through the Small Business section vs. Home section (make sure the specs are the same).

4. Anything else to consider?
If you can wait until Windows 7 comes out later this year it might be worth the wait. Or if you're brave you can download the release candidate now for free which will work until March 2010 (by then you can buy it). If you get a Mac and want to dual boot get lots of extra drive space.

I never buy the extended warranties, computers depreciate so fast even if you had to replace a computer earlier than usual a couple times in your life it's better in the long term to not pay extra for it (unless it's mission critical for work or something).

[Margo]

I am extremely happy with the Sony Vaio laptop I purchased last year. It's in the FW series, with a 16.4" ultra-wide screen that is perfect for movies and Hulu. The built-in speakers are pretty decent, too. The big sell for me, though, was the separated keys - the keyboard is similar to a Mac in that the keys are distinct from one another. I type 75wpm and get slowed down a lot by the crappy keyboard on the Dell I have at work.

This model is built for media usage, and has optional Blu-Ray:

https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&categoryId=8198552921644570896&langId=-1

[Wise Money Matters]

I know you said no Mac, but I would honestly give them a try. There is a reason why so many people suggest Mac. Many places like Best Buy have a 30 return policy as well in case you hate it.

If that's absolutely out of the question: I'd recommend going with Lenovo. They build rock solid laptops (at a slight premium). Second would be HP. I currently own an HP laptop.

Personally, I would stay away from Dell. Their consumer level laptops are pretty cheap and are prone to break with lots of moving around. Their business class stuff is quite a bit better though if you go that route. It is more expensive. I've had nothing but good experience with Dell desktops, servers and business class laptops (I'm an IT guy) but their consumer level laptops are horrible IMO.

Regarding speed:
Go with the maximum memory possible. This is where you will see the largest increase in speed. Programs are memory hogs these days. And memory is cheap too.
Everything else, you could go with the lowest option available. You aren't doing very intensive stuff so I wouldn't worry about the fastest computer possible. Word, Excel, Quicken, Online video... they all take relatively low resources. At least by today's minimums.
While some people suggested netbooks (these are the $300ish laptops with 1.6GHz Atom Processors), you may want to steer clear of those if you have the money. Hulu might choke a little on them. Also, they usually come in very tiny screens for portability and cost.

In reality I would just buy the computer that fits you best. Look for the right screen size (I like big screens) and the right weight (big screens = heavier) then just max out the memory option. Everything else should be just fine for what you are doing.

[Brandon]

As Benjamin said above, if you can wait until Windows 7 is released, it would be worth it. There are rumors floating around that Microsoft is thinking about offering free upgrades to windows 7 when it comes out if you purchase a computer after July 1st, so I would at least wait until then. As for specs:

Most worthwhile upgrades:
- Core 2 Duo processor (stay away from celeron)
- At least 3GB of RAM for Vista/7. 4GB would be preferable.
- Upgrade to an ATI/NVIDIA video card - at least 128mb (if you are worried about gaming).
- Upgrade to Wireless N - it's only around $25-40 to upgrade, but if you keep your computer long enough you'll end up upgrading to N. It's worth it to get out of the same band as wireless phones and other electronics that operate on the 2.4Ghz band. Fewer dropped connections and faster/longer range. Plus N cards are backwards compatible with G routers, so you'll still be able to use it anywhere...

my $0.02

[NCN]

I have a Lenovo and I love it. Get 4gb ram / 160 gb hd.
That being said, you really need to give Apple a look.
Seriously, I have a new MacBook, and after less than 2 months,
I'm kicking myself for not buying one 5 years ago.
Lenovo has good tech support.

[tom]

Check out Consumer Reports. I believe they recently posted new laptop reviews.

[Ruth]

Agree with John above - get the best you can afford. After seeing several newer laptops recently, I would recommend a ThinkPad T400 series by Lenovo. My son recently bought one, and it is rock solid; he is a graphic artist as well as an independent musician, and this laptop has easily handled everything he can throw at it. But I would not buy an Alienware machine any more; since Dell bought them, they have gone downhill considerably and their support is less than ideal too.

Processor - Intel's Core 2 Duo is a good performer for the price. Any speed should be acceptable for what you plan to do.

Memory - Depends on the OS you want. I don't recommend Vista to even my worst enemies, but if you want it John is right - at least 4 GB. If you are going to go with XP, 2 GB and up (Lenovo does offer XP downgrades on their laptops).

Hard drive - Personally, I think you are better off with 100 GB or more. You never know... and hard drive costs are pretty low.

Video memory - typically, onboard video will use part of your system RAM so keep that in mind. I recommend 256 MB and up if you are going to go with discrete graphics.

Another buy from the manufacturer recommendation here. They take great care to make sure the machines they sell directly are quality machines.

Other stuff - before you decide on an OS, you need to be sure your current software will run on it. If you have an older Quicken version, it probably won't run on Vista very well or at all. Ditto for your video/graphics processing programs. And don't depend on Microsoft's tool for Vista compatibility; it may tell you that your software is compatible when in fact you will have nothing but grief with it (I am speaking from personal experience here). Do a search on your current program versions to see what other people are reporting as far as compatibility is concerned.

Also, do yourself a favor and get an upgrade on the battery. Most laptops come with a basic 4 cell battery that won't last any time at all if you are actually using the machine - an upgrade to a 6 cell battery will provide a lot better experience.

That is all I can think of for the moment. If you have any more questions I would be happy to try to answer them for you.

[BobL]

If I had "fun money" in the $2000 range, I'd buy an Alienware laptop (www.alienware.com) - now owned by Dell. They used to have US based support which would be worth some added cost if that's still correct. Nothing wrong with most of the suggestions above, but given your good track record with Dell then go with their best. I'd wait until July as well fr the Windows 7 upgrade coupon (rumored). Specs - 64 bit OS, 4 GB RAM, 7200 RPM hard drive, and then core 2 duo to max out your price.

[George]

stick with Dell or HP - watch the typical sales tracking websites - fatwallet, slickdeals, etc., and track pricing for a month or so. Get a feel for pricing and then dive in when you have done enough research to know you have a good deal. If you are patient, $800 will buy you a very nice laptop that will last awhile. $400-500 will get you a cheap laptop that will work now, but a little more will get you one that will last awhile longer. concentrate on cpu (core 2 duo or quad core - or AMD equivalent) the rest you can upgrade on your own. internal wireless is nice, 2-4 gb ram(compare the pricing vs. buying it on your own and installing after purchase) and >100 gb hard drive are nice, not required. Long life battery not required - you can plug in anywhere. You only need an extra video card and memory if you are doing serious video editing type work.

[David]

During the summer, back to schools sales for laptops can produce
some tremendous buys. Your patience and timing will be rewarded.

My suggestion is:

- 17" laptop running Windows Vista Home Premium
- 3GB RAM
- 100GB (or larger) drive
- get fastest CPU you feel comfortable paying for
- if XP is important look for XP downgrade rights
- Dell or HP should be fine, Lenovo is good, too

Everything else is pretty much standard issue, such as
wireless networking, DVD burner, etc.

Another suggestion is to setup RDC or VNC so that you
can login remotely to all your machines. That is, have
the basement desktop turned on but use your work laptop
upstairs to sign into the basement computer. The idea
is that any machine in the house can be used to sign-in
to any other machine in the house, so that you don't
have to physically be in the basement to enter data
into the basement computer.

RealVNC is free and works quite well. I've gone a step
further and setup the routers for my entire family (total
of 4 different locations spread throughout California) so
that I can use RealVNC to remotely login to any family
member's computer at any location; I'm the administrator
for everyone in my family, and I can do it all remotely,
even from work. I can sign-in to my Mom's PC and help
her with all her problems, because I can see her exact
screen, even though I live 4 hours away.

One other idea, make sure the hard drive is user replaceable.
I have a Sony VAIO laptop where the hard drive inaccessible.
Yep, if the blasted hard drive ever crashes I have no choice
but to get Sony to replace it, I can't do it myself, there
is simply no user access. (I would have to take the entire
laptop apart to replace the hard drive, and I'd probably
void the 3yr warranty doing it.)

Btw, Open Office is free and is quite suitable as a replacement
for Microsoft Office.

I think the previous comments have covered the specs so I won't repeat them. However, one way you can save a little money is to buy RAM from a third party (Newegg can rarely be beat). Some of the manufacturers charge ridiculous prices for upgraded memory.

[David]

You said:

"In addition, I have some computing-related tasks I'd like
to work on but the basement computer is a bit out of the way
and the other computer is in use quite a bit."

Is this the primary problem you're trying to solve?
Are you allowed to install software onto your work laptop?

If so, you can install RealVNC on both your work laptop and
the basement computer and use your laptop anywhere in the
house to "login" to the basement computer. Your laptop becomes
a wireless "terminal" to access the downstairs computer. Also,
upgrading the RAM in your basement PC is very inexpensive and
would give you the biggest bang for the smallest buck.

When you need to get to Quicken, use RealVNC to login to the
downstairs computer from your laptop.

My point is: you have 2 PCs at home plus a work laptop and
you still need *another* computer? Maybe the problem is more
one of accessibility of the current downstairs machine?

[Eric]

Just two things:
Consumer Reports! ;)
Can you wait for Windows 7 at the end of the year? (I guarantee you'd be a lot happier..)

[Andy]

I'm sure any laptop will do what you want. I would look at the smaller physical features... keyboard layout, screen size, pointing device, types and number of ports and where they're located. I would also recommend a docking station or port replicator. The first thing to go on my laptops is always the place where you plug in the power cord. A docking station will decrease the chances of breaking that part and you won't have to worry about plugging and unplugging all your peripherals every time you want to move your laptop.

[Ryan]

So the only thing that I would add is that I find that laptops "age" must faster than desktop computers. I normally only get about 3 years out of my laptops and double that with desktops. So I would suggest buying a middle of the road laptop (i.e. less money) and upgrading sooner than later.

[Foobarista]

If you're willing to consider a desktop, keep an eye on Dell Online Store in their "Outlet Store". You can't build a PC to spec, but you can often get glorious deals on returns, etc. Also, they have frequent specials and coupons - just google 'em up.

A couple of months ago, I bought a 6GB RAM, Core 2 Quad CPU, 750GB HD system (no monitor - I have a bunch already) for less than $450, including shipping. It rocks...

They also sell laptops in the Store, but I'd be a bit more suspicious of these because laptops are generally more fragile than desktops.

Another option would be a netbook. You won't do video editing or games on it, but they're awful cheap and can be used as poor-man's desktops by just plugging in a monitor, kb, and mouse.

[Paula]

The posts on the requirements are good so I won't go into more detail on that. I have an Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 laptop and I love it after three years. I am a programmer so I have a tendency to need processor speed and memory for my programs. It is a larger gaming computer that suits my needs. You need to decide what works for you, for example the games that the kids play, are they online and how much memory do they need. Otherwise most laptop should work.

I love the big screen and roomier keyboard of my big laptop. I have an Eee for long trips and just remote into my home systems. I got the laptop for when I was in school and then later so I could work in the living room in front of the tv/fire during the winter. When buying computers I decide what I need and spend just a little more on the ram and cpu. I have found that my computers last longer with satisfactory quality so there is less need to buy a new one sooner.

I would also second waiting until windows 7 and checking out the dell small business sections. Also Dell has regular sales, just make sure that you are not getting a dog that they are trying to make a buck off of. I got a better deal on a desktop from the small business section a few months ago ( I wanted the xp downgrade).

Bottom line get whatever will make you happy and fits you as this should last you awhile.

[Joel]

Why are you wasting money on Word and Excel when you can get the equivalent (and compatible) for free? For example, see http://www.openoffice.org/

If you have more flexibility in your software (such as OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office, Gnu Cash instead of Quicken), then Dell will sell you a laptop running Ubuntu instead of Windows and you can save hundreds and hundreds of dollars on software by using free and top-notch software. See http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/810features/ for more about Ubuntu (the information can be hard to find on the Dell website).

You probably don't need the fastest processor money can buy. A dirty little secret of the modern PC is that what people interpret as "slow processing" is usually due to problems elsewhere. Too slow a disk, too little memory,.. If you are doing lots of image or video editing then a fast graphics processor is vital. I'm partial to NVidia products and software that uses their Cuda system to speed things up.

Besides disk capacity, its important to think about the speed of it. If you are in the market for a highend, consider some of the better flash based machines.

Going beyond 4GB of RAM you realistically need a 64-bit operating system. Double check you can get drivers for your devices before taking the plunge.

[Alex]

If price is not a concern, you won't find a computer company with better customer service than www.pugetsystems.com. Just look them up on resellerratings.com. I think their 15.4 inch offering would be perfect for you.

[yipeng]

Sounds like you can get rid of the older desktop.

[FMF]

THANK YOU for all your suggestions. You have given me a lot to think about and some good direction for going forward!

[WB]

I would stick with a Dell as well. As others have said, middle of the road may or may not last you as long as you would like, but that does not mean you have to go for broke. My suggestion is to use a site like www.slickdeals.net and wait for when Dell does coupons on their inspiron notebooks. My main suggestion is to wait and get a coupon for Dell's outlet site and then get the laptop through their outlet.

I currently own 4 Dells (2 laptops and 2 desktops) all bought through the outlet and all are great. Dell will frequently do 15% and 20% off coupons for the outlet computers so you can save huge compared to retail price for something that has probably been tested more rigorously than the new computers. As an example, my last purchase was a desktop that retailed for about $600. I got it through the outlet with a coupon for $349 after shipping and tax. You may have to be patient, but the deals do come!

[theCase]

I vote "middle of the road". Some people metion buying a high-end right away as it will last a long time. I disagree, here's my logic.

Assume a high end is $1500, Middle of the road (MOTR) is $750.
Buy the MOTR, in 2 years replace it with another MOTR. This gets you a nice new shiny PC in two years that probably will be faster/better than the current High-end. In the mean time you pocket the savings. ka-ching!

[brett]

NOOO! Desktop replacements! Out of college I bought a dell inspiron 9100, probably one of if not the biggest laptops of the day (2004) because I thought I needed the power. I still have it and it works great but I HATE the bulk. The AC adapter is literally as big as a brick, and the laptop weighs a ton. You said you're going to travel with this, so I'd try to go with something as small as you can get that will fit your needs with the video/gaming. Everything else a netbook can handle just fine.

[Rod Ferguson]

I won't chime in on "what", but I will on "where": www.gotapex.com

I've used that site for years to get the best price I can on PCs. Several years ago, Dell was running a 24 hour special where the M600 laptop was half price, giving me two laptops for the price of one. Two years ago, I picked up a pair of high-end desktops for about 2/3 the price each and a couple of free upgrades (little things like a dual-head NVidia instead of a single connection, an extra gig of RAM, etc.) Once you figure out what you want, keep an eye on gotapex to see what specials are running with the vendor and wait for one that you like.

[Greg]

Buy as much processing power and memory as you will need for the next year. In 18 months you will get twice the computer fro the same price.

Check out http://www.couponmountain.com/ for special deals. It changes daily, so know what you want when you get on

Check out TigerDirect for overstocks.

[Tim]

I'd go with a Dell business laptop that supports at least a 1920x1200 resolution on the screen. I'd also get a 24" lcd monitor and docking station from them, too.

VISIT Fatwallet
www.fatwallet.com

Get the EPP discount (look up on fatwallet)

Look up coupons as listed before

Look on Evreward for cashback offers

http://www.evreward.com/store/go/640

Stack the discounts

Also look at the dell outlet to see if any refurbished/returns fit what you want.

[Tim]

I'd go with a Dell Latitude (business class).

[AdamCO]

As a mac user, I am very sensitive to the quality of products. Sony is the only company putting out a decent quality PC. They are just about the only company not cutting every corner. I wouldn't consider anything but one of the VAIO laptops if I were you.

[LyndaS]

The most important thing to remember about laptops is they are REALLY difficult if not impossible to upgrade. My recommendation is to spend your money wisely. Spend your money on the video card and memory. These are two compents that are soddered to the mother board. Avoid integrated video cards they are horribly slow. Since weight is not an issue for good video watching look for a 17-19" screen. They have great resolution but greatly add to weight.

I would use the Dell website and order directly from them allowing you to get exactly what you want without paying stuff you don;t need.

[Nick]

I stumbled across a website a few years ago that I now buy all of my computers from. The website is www.ibuypower.com. Great custom built computers. You will get much more bang for your buck than anywhere I have found. I have never had a single problem with one of my computers. Another plus for me (some people will consider it a disadvantage) is that these computers don't come with a million other applications pre-installed.

[Jeremy]

A note on memory...

Don't bother to look for more than 4GB of RAM unless you have a 64-bit CPU and have, or plan to upgrade to, a 64-bit operating system. (This would include XP 64-bit, Vista 64-bit, or Windows 7 64-bit.) 32-bit OSes cannot utilize more than 4GB of RAM, which includes RAM on sound cards, video cards, and so on.

The explanation for that tends to be a little technical, so I'm not certain if you want to go into it here. Anything more than 4GB without a 64-bit system is a waste of money.

[Maurice Moss]

Most post are really good so I'll just add my 0.02$.
Any new notebook will do basic office and browsing tasks just fine.
If you travel more than once a week, get a ThinkPad.
Otherwise a Dell is just fine. You already have a laptop, so get a feel for screen size. It's basically screen real estate vs. weight. Up to 14" is great for travel 15"-16" is "middle-of-the-road", 17" and above desktop replacement. Are you ok with the weight of a large notebook (and the added weight of a big power brick)?
The hardest to upgrade in a note book is the screen. Get LED backlight. You get better contrast, which is great for watching movies and everything else.
A large resolution in a small screen results in tiny pixels, so it gets hard to read text. Don't go over 1440x900 up to 14", or 1680x1050 for 15". 1920x1200 on a 17" screen is ok.
Second hardest to upgrade is the processor, so get 2.5GHz or higher.
Get a dedicated video card if you or your kids want to play games. For hardcore games you need top of the line hardware, Dell XPS 1730 or Alienware which are bulky and expensive. If you don't play the most demanding games on the highest setting, a laptop with dedicated graphics will do fine. I recommend an ATI graphics card, Nvidia has had recalls with all major OEMs.
RAM and Harddrive are quite easy to upgrade. A 32-Bit Operating System will use ~3.25 GB of RAM so get 3 or 4 GB, whichever is cheaper or preconfigured.
Investing a few bucks in a faster harddrive with 7200 RPM can give you a little speed boost. Harddrives are cheap, so get the biggest one you can get at a reasonable price. And you can always get an external drive to expand storage and share data between between computers.
You didn't mention battery life. Basically the bigger the --- worse, sorry. You can get bigger batteries from the bigger brands, but a large screen eats up the battery.
One option would be a Studio 17 from Dell with the LED backlight option and dedicated ATI graphics, this one is on the heavy side, though.
My overall favourite is the Lenovo T400 with LED backlight and dedicated graphics, it's more portable and gets great battery life, you should get the 6 cell or even the 9 cell battery.

[Plex]

Strange, I don't see anything about the cheapest place to get a laptop, and also the very BEST component you need to have in your laptop.

First, the biggest bottleneck in laptops/desktops, is the hard drive. As such, SSD's blow away moving parts drives. A laptop is not the "best" without one, no matter what the rest of its specs are, because the hard drive will be a huge bottleneck. As such, regardless of what you end up going with, I recommend putting in an 80GB Intel SSD and making it your operating system drive. You can use a normal 500GB-1TB drive as a storage drive. Currently, Intel is the only one I am certain is making the SSD properly. It has come down a lot in price in the last 6 months (it was $600 at the start of the year) and is now in the upper $200 range.

Second, I think Dell's online outlet store is by far the cheapest place to buy a desktop/laptop. You get the same warranty, and they are pretty much new. There are very regularly 15% discount codes as well for the store. If you cannot find one on a forum, they are regularly sold on e-bay (and are real). A year ago, I got a decent desktop for $260, and then only needed to install $100 worth of components (power supply/video card) off of newegg, to make it into a higher end gaming desktop. If I was buying it now, I definitely would have bought an SSD as an OS drive as well, since they are now in the buyable range.

[F]

If value for money is what matters most (more than looks), consider the Dell Vostro line (in 'small business'). I bought a $400 model exactly a year ago (great decision), but you'll need more RAM for Vista (bloatware) and your kids' video games.
Also, google for 'fatwallet' (forum with deals). It has a section with Dell deals (as well as other brands).

[F]

Edit: by "more RAM" I meant 2-4 GB.

Other comments:
- Dell has a few standard configurations with nice price tags. You're allowed to tweak the config, but this may make the price unattractive. I say 'may' because they're changing their policies all the time.
- my rule of thumb for computers: don't over-buy in terms of 'power', as everyone else does. The only demanding application you'll use is probably the kids' video games.

[Michael]

I also like and recomend Lenovos, but Dells are usually pretty good too as long as you don't get the entry level ones.

Get a Core 2 Duo and at least 2 Gigs of RAM and a screen that's big enough for you to work comfortably.

Also, I have a netbook (am using it now, in fact!) but I strongly recommend against them if you're going to do anything serious (eg. Quicken, typing more than a blog post response, etc.)!

[Sam]

All I'll say is once you buy a Mac, you'll never want a PC again.

[jbhk]

Pretty much any computer today can do what you want already. My desktop was bought in 2003 and it is still running good for everything I do as well as programming, video editing and YouTube.

I would suggest you to think about the long-term needs. Desktop will give you more flexibility for upgrade in the future. I upgraded my monitor from 14" to 19"...nice!! More RAM is always better. 200-250 GB hard disk should be enough unless you have many multimedia files. I don't know exactly what the "kid's video games" you were referring to, but get a good video card just in case they may want to play high-performance games in the future.

For a desktop, I highly recommend to get a wireless mouse. My wrist was pain when my hand had to stick in the same area to do the mouse. With wireless, now I can bend my hand over to anywhere I feel comfortable and no more pain of my wrist.

If you get a laptop, get one with a webcam, wireless card and bluetooth built-in, so that you don't need to carry all these accessories when you need them.

Would you consider to get a desktop and a laptop? I like to do more serious tasks with my desktop on a big table, and I like to do morning web browsing or quick email checking with my smaller laptop (12") using wireless. If I really need to use computer on the road, 12" is good to go.

We have all Dell computers and very happy with their service. Go to their website and keep an eye on their discounts. Don't forget you can buy a computer as a student parent.

http://www.delluniversity.com/specialoffers.aspx

[Zian]

Virtually any business line laptop will work (Dell Latitudes, Lenovo ThinkPads, etc.).

[LotharBot]

I second an earlier comment: check Tiger Direct. They regularly have overstock or otherwise very-discounted items. I've been happy with everything I've ever bought from them, and my dad has had good experience with them going back over a decade.

[Harry]

I agree with Sam. "All I'll say is once you buy a Mac, you'll never want a PC again." Correct dude!