OT: What computers are you using?

My current computer is been a Pentium 4/2.66Mhz with 1 Gb of RAM (DDR PC2700) having two 80Gb Maxtor 6Y080L0 Hard drives (133 MBps Data Transfer Rate). I bought it almost 7 years ago.

Yesterday, I ordered a Dell Studio XPS. It's certainly not their top of the line gaming system, but it seemed to fall into the best "bang for the buck" class, at least of what they were offering at the moment. A couple times when I was on their Web site the deals seemed to change as I was trying to compare. At one point, I'd decided which one to go for only to see that its price had gone up by over $100 while I was looking at another model.

The one I ordered has an Intel i7-920 [quad core] Processor(8MB L3 Cache, 2.66GHz), 6GB Tri-Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz, a single 640GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache Hard Drive, and an nVidia GeForce GT 220, 1024MB video card (for an HDMI port). I'll also get a 23-inch Dell monitor, and an upgrade from Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit to Windows 7 when it's released. Other than that, it's pretty much standard -- CD/DVD burner, standard mouse and keyboard ...; bottom line was just over $1100, which is more than I planned on spending, but seemed like a pretty good deal for the specs. I got a 7% discount because my employer has a deal with Dell, with "free" delivery (as if it wasn't built into the price), then 7% went back onto the invoice for sales tax.

I could have gone with a lower-end system, and it still would have been a step up, but if I'm going to spend the time setting everything up on a new computer, I want it to be REALLY worth the effort. I had a slightly better computer that I could have used; it used to be my (off-line) "game" computer, which pushed this one into the role of my "Web browser" computer, but I don't play games anymore. However, it wasn't enough better to motivate me to swap cases and go through getting everything set up how I want it, only to still be working on an "obsolete" computer. Also, my employer has been making noises about wanting us to have the capability to work from home -- they say it's for flu pandemic planning, but I'm afraid it might be more like so they'll have a 24/7 slavery option without having to pay to keep the building open.

The new computer probably won't affect my connection speed, but it should reduce application startup times and run delays so that bandwidth will be my primary bottleneck.

I recently upgraded from a 4-year-old PowerMac G5 with liquid cooled processors, and got a new 24" iMac with a dual core pentium. I didn't need the supreme processing power of the new intel tower machines, so the iMac fit my needs quite nicely.


Best part? NO EFFORT upgrade. Apple's migration utility is absolutely brilliant at moving settings and files over with very few problems. I've upgraded my laptop three times, over two different processor architectures, and still have all the files and settings from the original g4 ibook.

i'm on a lazi'd powerbook. many it has survived multiple spills and a hair drier. and the 2 more spills after that.

i think i'm going to get a imac this year.

Im always on my sisters Dell Inspiron 1521 and I just got Verizon High Speed and it's amazing compared to dial up.

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.33 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz

That's almost the same as mine... Mine's a 2 GHz with 1 GB of memory. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

My son's about to upgrade it to 2 GB though. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Yeah i just updated to snow leopard... Can't really tell a difference yet..

BOO-YA!


Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac9,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz

well, it looks like musty is smokin' both of us..

Yea my son just got Snow Leopard today. He tried to boot me off of here earlier to install it... I told him to do it later. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

It's cool to see so many other Mac users! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

There are a lot more Mac folks than I expected. One of the network guys I work with just got a new Dell XPS laptop. Maybe I'm too set in my ways, but I prefer a stationary computer; I don't want to use the computer while I'm trying to watch TV. I also think of laptops as comparatively fragile, though I think they may be more reliable now. Lots of folks love 'em, just not me.

Black & Decker. Model 5.

Machine Model: PowerBook5,7
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.2)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.67 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 1.5 GB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz


never put leopard on this one. had leopard on a 15" powerbook that i spilled water on. never really got used to it.

Has anyone here ever owned or used a Alienware computer? I have been looking into getting one eventually.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

A 1982 Commodore 64 desktop with the original dot matrix printer and green VGA monitor. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Actually a Dell Inspiron 4500 that I keep upgrading each year and running on Broadband High Speed.

They seem to have good specs, but all the reviews I can recall (when I was considering an Area 51 a couple years ago) said they're overpriced. I have no personal experience with them though.

Compaq Presario C714NR Notebook PC

Product Number GR983UA#ABA
Microprocessor 1.46 GHz Intel Pentium dual core processor T2310
Microprocessor Cache 1 MB L2 cache
Memory 1024 MB DDR2 (2 Dimm)
Memory Max Up to 2 GB
Video Graphics Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (shared)
Video Memory Up to 251 MB
Hard Drive 120 GB (5400 RPM) Hard Drive (SATA)
Multimedia Drive Super Multi 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
Display 15.4" WXGA High-Definition BrightView Widescreen (1280 x 800) Display
Fax/Modem High speed 56k modem
Network Card Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
Wireless Connectivity 802.11b/g WLAN
Sound Altec Lansing
Keyboard 101-key compatible
Pointing Device Touch Pad with dedicated vertical and horizontal Scroll Up/Down pad
External Ports

* 3 Universal Serial Bus USB 2.0
* 1 VGA (15-pin)
* 1 RJ-11 (modem)
* 1 TV-Out (S-video)
* 1 RJ -45 (LAN)
* 1 headphone-out
* 1 microphone-in

Dimensions 14" (L) x 10.11" (W) x 1.29" (min H)/1.58" (max H)
Weight 6.4 lbs
Security

* Kensington MicroSaver lock slot
* Power-on password
* Accepts 3rd party security lock devices

Power

* 65W AC Adapter
* 6-Cell Lithium-Ion battery



That's what I have. Isn't it great? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Fastest I could get here was the 1.5 MB service.


I still have my original computer from 1992. Heck, I even still have the box it came in! A Packard Bell 386 20 mhz, with 2 MB of RAM.

I could have guess MM and Clint were running Macs.

I'm an editor, so Mac all the way. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Usually it is an Asus EEEpc 2g surf netbook with a 7 inch screen. 850mhz processor, 512 meg ram and running Linux
Sometimes it is with my gateway laptop which is 1.7 dual core processor, 4 gig ram. 160 gig hardrive and 15 inch screen running vista
My desktop is a 3 gig dual core HP with 3 gig ram running XP media edition

Toshiba NP205, upgraded ram. It is a tiny machine but really works great.

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/toshiba-mini-nb205-frost/4505-3121_7-33698116.html

I have a Dell XPS 1210....next time I'm getting a MAC!!

kray

Dell Inspiron laptop, with 4gb RAM, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 320 GB memory

AlienWare is overpriced but good if you don't mind paying for it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have two PC's. One for general tasks and web surfing and the other for gaming and photo editing.

General tasks PC:
CyberPower Inc.
AMD Athlon XP3200+
2.16 GHz
1.5 GB RAM
ATI Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition Graphics card w/ 256MB DDR3 RAM

Gaming System:
Digital Storm PC
Intel Core 2 Duo
E6850 3.0 GHz with DS stage 3 cooling
4GB Corsair RAM with HS and LED display
NVidia GForce 8800Ultra Vid card 612 MHz 768MB RAM
Dell 26 WS LCD
Creative Labs X-Fi Gamer Sound card
Logitech 5.1 surround speakers
1GB striped RAID
500GB Barracuda HD
CMT Stacker case


It's a couple years old now but still plays all my games fine and allows me to set settings at max. ALso use as my music media center.

Dell Inspiron

While, as previously noted, there are more Macs than I expected, it sounds like Dells are very popular.

Most of my computers have been "Frankensteins"; companies like Noah's Computers (built as a side business by a fellow who's son was named Noah) or Digirex: you pick components from a list of options, and they assemble them. I don't recall that big name-brand computer companies used to have competitive prices on good consumer systems -- they seemed to focus on basic business models which lacked many features I wanted, or like AlienWare, on bleeding-edge high-end game systems that cost at least $1000 more than I was willing to pay. Dell appears to have been quite successful at moving into the middle-tier consumer home computer market.

My gaming niche used to be real-time strategy, with an occasional turn-based strategy game, or single-player FPS (mainly the Delta Force series). For the most part, I think PC games have gone the route of MMORPGs and fast-paced multi-player FPSs, which don't appeal to me, so I no longer need high-end sound or graphics cards. My new computer cost about half what I spent for the basic computer I'm using (I've performed a few upgrades on it). However, USB was still fairly new when I bought it and even after adding an internal SIIG 5-port (USB 2.0) hub, it remains somewhat unreliable -- I'd probably have to replace the motherboard to address USB issues. I'm also running out of disk space and could use more memory, but at some point, its just makes more sense to start over rather than band-aiding an obsolete computer.

Me too. It's a good machine. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I would say I run a Mac for very different reasons than you artistic types. I need access to low-level programming, LaTeX typesetting for scientific journal articles, and UNIX command line utilities. Graphics performance and sound editing are almost completely meaningless to me.

Before switching to Mac, which has all of the UNIX/Linux utilities I need, I was a full-time Linux guy. I ran Linux exclusively, and only touched Windows when I was using others' computers, for almost a decade. I started running Linux on a Packard Bell Pentium 60, and then a series of computers I built myself out of parts ordered over the internet. Until I bought my first Mac four or five years ago, I hadn't bought a commercially produced computer in a long time.


And my first computer was a Tandy Color Computer 2, which was basically a rebranded TRS-80, with a whopping 1.7 megahertz processor. It booted directly into a BASIC interpreter, and I learned to write my first code before junior high school. Those were fun days, saving programs I wrote to an audio cassette deck <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 9 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz

It also has around 5TB of storage.

I have several computers at home, but I primarily use my laptop for everything. The rest of the family gets to use the other computers.

It's a Gateway, with Intel Core 2 Duo (2.00 GHz), 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB ram, running 64 bit Windows Vista.

I have a broadband internet connection (cable modem), and a Netgear wireless router.

My desktop is a couple years old now (late 2007), but-
Gateway GM5457
AMD Athlon 64 X 2 Dual core 6000 3.0 Ghz
4 Ghz RAM
Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT
Vista 32
640 Gig HD
Blue Ray disc player/CD/RW burner
23.5" Acer Wide Screen/HD monitor
Logitech 518MX gaming mouse

The box keeps chugging along and plays all my games and does everything I ask it to. It was fast, cheap, and like my gaming buddy who recommended it to a non-computer builder like me said, easy to work on. Vista's run great, actually.

The other computer is my laptop-
HP/Compaq Presario CQ70-120US
17.0-inch Diagonal WXGA plus High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display, 1440 x 900 resolution
2.00 Ghz Intel Pentium Dual-Core Mobile Processor T3200 with 1MB L2 Cache
3072MB DDR2 System Memory
250GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN

Big bright screen....Very nice.

I still have my original computer from 1992. Heck, I even still have the box it came in! A Packard Bell 386 20 mhz, with 2 MB of RAM. [/quote]








That was also my first computer !

That was also my first computer ! [/quote]

I've still got my two previous computers here in my office, and they both still run (albeit slowly).
The oldest is a HP Pavilion 6645C with a lovely Celeron 667 mhz processor, and about 1/2 gig of RAM; 1997 vintage.

The other is a Dell. 2.0 Mhz, 300 gig HD, GeForce 6600 Graphics card, 1 Gig RAM. It's about 2001 vintage, but it upgraded well and ran pretty good until it got a little shaky back in 2007. Not a bad $700 investment.

Dell Dimension E520. I think it is about 2 years old. Also have a Dell Inspiron laptop.I was going to buy a new one this year - but my kids said I don't need it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />? I am on cable extreme high speed- or the highest that charter has to offer ? It seems lightning fast and the computers are fine ? You young guys know WAY more than I do for sure <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/paperbag.gif" alt="" /> .Should I upgrade to a Mac or ? Thanks Guys <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

homebuilt Linux box, PCLinux flashed to RAM, no harddrive, ASUS motherboard.

been up and running 24/7 for over 8 years straight now.

pics soon

Almost two year old iMac with 20" screen. Prefer Firefox for my browser.


Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM51.0090.B09
SMC Version: 1.9f4

acer
AMD athlon 5400+ X2 dual core
3GB DDR2 momory
320GB sata HD

Got 2 of the critters.
Home one is a home built using an ASUS board with a 3 GHz P4 and 4 GB of RAM
1/2 a terabyte of hard disk space and unfortunately I'm using XP.

Work one is an Acer with a 3.6 GHz P4, 4 GB of RAM, 360 GB of hard disk
and running Ubuntu Linux. Tres Cool!!!

HP Compaq Presario R3000,,,My son bought a new laptop, I got this one.

I have two machines in regular use, a desktop and a laptop.

The laptop is a Thinkpad T41. It has a Pentium M process at 1.6ghz, 1gbyte memory, 60gbyte hard disk, running Win XP. Built in network, wireless, modem, 2 card slots, Radeon 7500. It's a pretty nice machine to hold, sturdy, thin, and very stiff. It replaced an Inspiron 3800, which was a 700mhz Pentium 3. I had repaired the Inspiron unit with a new keyboard and new screen hinge, and then the mouse and cooling plant were failing too. It was to the point of costing more to buy parts than to just buy a new laptop, even though realistically that old P3 was serving my mobile needs completely. I got the T41 used and with customer upgrades at a good price.

The desktop machine I just upgraded in autumn of last year, home grown from new parts. It's built around a Pentium Core2 Duo E8400 (3ghz). It has 4gbytes of memory, 500gbytes of disk, and a Geforce 9600, all running under Vista 64bit edition. I wish now that I had waited just a little longer and got on the i7 bandwagon, since the E8400 is the best processor that will work on the motherboard I've got. It's nice to have an upgrade path in mind. My motherboard and power supply are both branded to support SLI, so when 9600's get cheap as dirt that's one thing I'll do.

That was also my first computer ! [/quote]

Wow, you're the first person I've ever met besides me that had one. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

13" 2.4G Core Duo Powerbook (late 2008 model).

I'm surprised by the number of Mac users.
Even more surprised by the number of Linux users.

Phenom X4 quad-core

8 gig ram