I currently have a Gateway 750Mhz AMD Athlon processor with 320MB of ram and Windows 98. I need at least:

800 MHz processor or better
256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space
CD/DVD burner/player

or

2.0 GHz processor or better
256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space
CD/DVD burner/player

Anybody have a particular brand they would recommend at a reasonable price?

I'd say go with a Mac mini. I've been working with computers for over 20 years, and the Mac mini is the absolute best system for the average user I've ever seen. There are very few people who actually *need* windows (and all the headaches it entails), any application you're likely to need is most likely available on the Mac, the OS is very clean, stable and responsive, and the software which comes with the system (iPhoto, GarageBand, to name two) is well worth the price of entry. Since you are already looking at getting a new system, I believe it'd be well worth the your time to investigate. I'd be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about making such a switch...
Prices start at $500 (comes w/CDr/DVD combo, add $100 for DVD burner) 256mb is standard, though I'd go with 512mb (even on a windows system i'd say 512mb is a good minimum). The performance of the 1.2ghz g4 is well in line w/a 1.5-2ghz intel based chip in many applications (which brings me to the question, what do you do w/your computer?)
http://www.apple.com/macmini
[Edited 2/18/05 5:42am]

i am first gonna say --- i am NO computer whiz ... i use them everyday for my job ... and i try to learn ... but i am NOT computer trained etc ...

having said that --- i have done the "everything " route ... --- i bought thru dell ... have family all who bought thru gateway ... have also bought thru small computer store (custom made , etc) .... and the last one i bought was at Best Buy ...

there are good and bad for all ... i think ... BUT i would certainly not discount any of em ... I helped my parents buy a DELL the other year ... and i have to admit - i wasnt too impressed with that whole thing ... of course - like American marketing at its best --- everything u do ... add on ... ===== more $$$$$ .... so ... before you know it ... the 499.00 computer is now $1199.00 ( )

not sure how much u wanna spend ... before i just bought my latest computer --- people were tellin me about the superiority of AMD chips ... so i researched alil ... and long story short ... i got a Compaq at Best Buy with the 2800 amd chip .. i forget all the other particulars ... but it came to around 500.00 ---- so it was NOT top of the line or anything ... i do know it had 500MB+ or RAM and it has a cd burner and dvd playa ... i also love all the little plug in thingys on the front that the new computers have (USB, compaflash or whatever) ...

i am constantly amazed how much they have come down in price ... even at the "hometown computer build it yourself shop" --- you can pick one up ... similarly .. the way u want ...for around 500-600..... the only reason i DID NOT do that this time was cause i saw the one i bought ... the price ... what it had ... and i COULD GET IT RIGHT THERE !!! lol

I'd stay away from those cheap Hewlett Packard systems you'll see at places like Sams Club or Staples, for like $400. We bought a few at our office and had nothing but trouble with them. The hard drives went bad, the power supply went bad, etc... And when you need to order a replacement part, noone carries them. We had someone come in to repair a few of them, and he referred to them as "throwaway computers" because they were manufacured cheaply.

I've been purchasing Dell systems for myself for nearly 8 years now, and they've generally been very reliable. If something breaks, they will have a replacement part out in like 2 days, shipping prepaid and everything, no hassle. Their basic $500 systems aren't bad, but you will need to add more memory because what they come with doesn't cut it. They will present you with a ton of optional add ons, many of which you don't need.

Janfriend said:

Depends on your defenition of reasonable.

They may cost a little more, but you can never go wrong with a MAC:

Mac sucks ; over 90 % of all software is designed for Windows !

My first computer was a Gateway. I hate Gateway
I recommend a Dell...

I own a Sony Vaio PCv V100G and I love it

I have an AMD Athlon , 1600 Mhz processor , 256 MB Ram , Window XP , 80 GB hard drive , DVD/CD double layer burner , 128 MB Video Card
It's alright , although it could be a little faster and i could double the memory , but it works fine so far

Dewrede said:

Dont u just hate it when u think u have have something really good then u see something 1000 times better and faster?

Well , so far i haven't felt that it was too slow
You can always buy a better and faster one
(because in a few monhts it'll be outdated again)

Dewrede said:

You're right,but It'll be a sad day when I find something better than my Vaio I love it. *hug hug

I fear change

Dewrede said:

Bite your tongue boy!

Go with the BEST not the rest.

Well, now that I think about it, any computer would suck...






If I didn't know how to use it.

amyhr said:

The last time I used a mac was 10 years ago. I have a lot of windows programs that I would want to transfer. I don't think that would work, will it? Where's the floppy disk drive?
[Edited 2/18/05 16:55pm]

TheBatman said:

I only need a new tower. I don't want to spend more than $500.00

get a Mac. it's only right.

trust us....you'll only thank us later

I have to agree. Get a Mac. The Mac Mini is $500.

Plenty of software is cross-platform, you'll be fine.

Whatever you do, don't buy a desktop. Go for a laptop, even if it might be a bit more expensive. Once you've experienced the freedom of being able to bring all your stuff wherever/whenever you'll never want to go back to desktop slavery again. Just imagine watching a movie on the beach while the sun is going down. Or typing away at a fiction story in a little cabin up in the snow clad mountains. I did that last summer and winter respectively.

Yes , but they tend to get broken sooner
and once the screen is broken they're useless

Dewrede said:

Most people I know have laptops and they all work fine. As long as you treat them with care (and buy a decent brand in the first place) you'll be okay.

Uh , OK

Myself, I would never buy a Mac. I'd rather use the software that everyone else has for compatibility reasons, and Windows XP is nowhere near as buggy as its predecessors. I'd take a PC with Win XP over a Mac anyday.

What I would do is salvage what parts you can and use them on your new system. Buy a new motherboard, processor, and RAM. You may need a new power supply as well depending on what you currently have. If you're able to wait, hard drives go on sale really cheap on Black Friday sales (if you want to wait in line for something like that).

catharsis said:

I'm not that addicted to technology

I'd buy a mac as a second computer, just for compatibility reasons with other people.
I'd go for a custom PC, where you get to choose your components to match your needs. no less, no more. In brand PCs, they tend to either add components that you don't really need, or add components that are very cheap and will not suit you.
Also, you can get your hard drive from your old computer, and CD-ROM and floppy drive. so that would save you a few bucks.
[Edited 2/19/05 17:18pm]

Heavenly said:

Janfriend said:

The Mac today is far more then the Mac of 10 years ago, yet you'll find it strangly familer...

As far as programs goes, one enlightened person mentioned they wouldn't buy a mac cuz '90% of software is for windows'. This is a very interesting observation, which is difficult to back up with hard numbers, and entirely pointless to the vast majority of users who only use a dozen or less applications on a regular basis. True, on the Mac you only have a couple dozen word processors to choose from instead of a couple hundred, but you're still only going to actually use one, and most people (mistakenly) use MS Word (which many a reviews have said is beter on the Mac then Windows, anyway). Think of the windows programs you actually use, and would want to keep using. But beyond that, think of the programs you only really want the data from, and could live with a new program to manipulate that data. List them here, and I'd be happy to let you know if there are viable alternatives in the mac world. People who have mentioned issues with 'compatibility' either haven't investigated the possibilities, or are not intersted in taking the time to define exactly what they mean by being 'compatible with everyone else.'

No, no floppy drive. The floppy drive is really an anachronism. The Mac's have been without them since the original iMac, and have gotten along quite well. On the PC side, I don't think I've used one since 1998 or so. The basic replacement (which the Mac Mini has) is a CD-RW, but USB flash drives work as well. I do believe higher quality PC's are finally starting to ship without a floppy. I'm willing to bet you'll be happier without them.

As far as building a custom PC, hope you have your own personal techy, cuz you'll need 'em to help you fist build, and then maintain the system. In this day and age, custom PC's are really best suited for the 'geeks' who build them, as you don't save much $$ overall. Selvaging internal parts from your current system is most likely not viable unless it's less then a couple years old (memory formats alone have changed many times). Your monitor, mouse, and keyboard can be used on a Mac mini (though if the mouse/kb are ps/2 types you'll need a cheap usb adapter).

As far as $500 Windows PC's go, you really get (less then) you pay for. mostly they're built from inferior componants which don't play well together.

As to buying a laptop instead, I'd generally recommend a laptop (such as an iBook) as an only system, but I respect that it's a) more than your looking to spand, and b) not something you are interested in. That being said, the Mac Mini is highly portable. So when you have thousands of pictures in iPhoto, you can easily take your computer with you to your parents house, plug in their monitor, mouse and keyboard, and show them all off (for example). I'm certainly not advocating it as a laptop replacement, but its small size and light weight give it that added benefit of (trans)portability...

Additionally, your statement that you are "not that addicted to technology" leads me to believe that the simplicity, value, and overall "it just works" of the Mac will make your computing time far more enjoyable then it's been before.

Anyway, my offer stands to help you (or anyone else) investigate the possiblity of switching to the Mac through offering advice and doing some research to answer questions, as opposed to just saying "do it cuz I say so"...

One additional benefit of owning a Mac (which doesn't get much, if any, press at all) is longevity and resale value. Mac hardware tends to age far more gracefully then comparable Wintel offerings. I'm running the latest OS X on a couple of old G3 systems from way back, and it runs great. I have a couple similarly specced PC systems from the same time period, and they barely run windows 2000 well. When it comes time to upgrade to a newer model a few years down the road, a Mac will be worth a lot more on the used market then any windows based PC. I could still get a decent stash of cash towrads my upgrade from my two G3 systems, I'd have to look high and low to find someone to give my PC systems to (I don't think there exists someone who'd buy 'em).

Just something to consider...

amyhr said:

Right on.

amyhr said:

Hmm. You kinda selling me on the mac

I primarily use it for internet access through dsl, playing computer games, and using MS Word and Excel

I have files in my hard drive I would want to transfer

I have files on disks that I would like to be able to access

I really want a new computer so I can get The Sims 2 and on the system specs,it doesn't say anything about Mac compatibility

Also, isn't real media player a windows app?

Janfriend said:

I have a Mac G4 Powerbook and a 2.5 Ghz Pentium 4 PC. The mac is a far superior platform, overall, but if you are serious about games (which I am not), you should stick with a PC. There are far more game titles for PCs.