I�m in the middle of a plan, and I thought I�d ask.....

I�m looking into buying a new computer, and the computer I�m looking into is a Dell Inspiron.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what they�d prefer?

You are probably not in a very good place to get great advice about this, but you will at least possibly get some that's relevant to you if you give some more information. Such as:

-What is your budget?
-Do you want a laptop or a desktop?
-What do you intend to use the computer for?
-Do you have a preference for a particular OS? (Windows, Mac, Linux?)

If you can't provide any of that information, I guess just wait for ROKUSHO to see the thread. He'll probably let you know what type of system he uses to create his jaw-dropping 3D art. If it can work the ol' Kooshy magic, it can probably do just about anything.

I don’t have a budget, I would love to work towards windows, music production, and laptop

I've had two Dells die on me: one the hard drive crashed and the second the video card burned out. I switched to Apple and never had a hardware problem since.

Maybe o should look into a MacBook?

I had my cousin tell me the same(anything Apple with current software should work)

Mac is generally considered superior when it comes to video, audio and graphics. (I was in TV and Radio news and Video Production and all our computers where Apples.) My friend Mike, who knows computers inside and out, tells me the Mac OS is a good deal more stable than the MS OS. When all else fails with a Mac, hit restart.

I took my Dell Inspiron and went hardcore Office Space on it. Once you get a Mac you never look back.

Mac is generally considered superior when it comes to video, audio and graphics. (I was in TV and Radio news and Video Production and all our computers where Apples.) My friend Mike, who knows computers inside and out, tells me the Mac OS is a good deal more stable than the MS OS. When all else fails with a Mac, hit restart.

Yeah, but what's "generally" considered true includes the majority of people who don't really know anything. OSX is a better OS than Windows, and the Apple user experience is very smooth, if it's what you want. But Apple prices are inflated to all hell, and if you are the kind of person who can take care of your hardware and isn't going to load your system with viruses, you can pretty much always get a more powerful machine for the same (or even less) money by going with Windows.

Macs are not truly "superior" in video, audio or graphics. All of these things are just as good on a Windows machine with equivalent hardware. The reputation disparity exists because Apple doesn't really produce anything that is cheap or corner-cutting, and lots of PC manufacturers do, so every year countless Windows machines are sold on shitty hardware that ignorant people quickly fill with malware. When they switch to an Apple computer they go "aha! this is better!" not realizing they're just paying a premium for a brand name that does a certain amount of work for them. And really, there's nothing wrong with that. Lots of people just want to do as little work as possible for the smoothest and simplest experience available, and the Apple "it just works" philosophy is what they're looking for. You just have to know you're limiting your options to what Apple thinks they should be and not mind paying extra.

---------- Post added at 11:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:59 PM ----------

This image is ancient, so the specific information in it is outdated as fuck, but it illustrates the general principle of what you're giving away when you purchase a mac:

There is a reason Dell rhymes with HELL and FAIL.

Try another brand. Perhaps Toshiba!

Dell rhymes with... FAIL.

Either you build your own rig with a set budget (there are plenty of tutorials out there to help you out) or take an in-depth look to user reviews in websites. Look for the model on google and read each review thoroughly: if you see several bad reviews that point to certain components, then you'll have a better idea what you're getting into.

do not, under any circumstance, buy a dell.
DONT. FUCKING DONT.

Since a year I work with 2 Medion Erazer laptops. One has 64GB RAM the other 16GB RAM. Never had any problems with any of these. I am running all my music production software on the 64GB RAM laptop without any problems (Cubase 9.5, Kontakt).

Asus. Vastly superior tech and higher built-quality and I actually feel Inspiron (bad pun lol) by using it.

My first computer was a Hewlitt-Packard, it was bullet-proof and soldiered on well past its useful life. At that point Dell was the gold standard but the one I purchased to replace the H-P crapped out after just a few years. I went back to an H-P 5 years ago, it has had HEAVY use and continues to operate without any issues.

My advice - get the H-P.

---------- Post added at 12:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:13 PM ----------

P.S.: I also have an H-P laptop I've hauled around the country and it is similarly excellent and trouble-free.

Don't buy a Mac. They are for people who don't know what they have in front of them, people who ask you questions like "If I press this button here (meaning the mouse button), will the PC explode/money transferred to Africa/the PC break/etc.?". Yes, the OS is pretty good, the hardware is good, too. But the prices are inflated, upgrading is close to impossible and you constrict yourself to a very limited universe. The myth that Macs are better for music production is fairly robust. But not true. It used to be a fact in the late '80s/early '90s, back then Windows sucked at audio (or video for that matter). But today it isn't a problem anymore. Windows 10 is stable and even though it is not as streamlined and convenient as Mac OS it has come a long way. The fact is: more audio software can be found on Windows systems, even free software (that admittedly isn't as good as commercial software). Why do people still recommend Macs for audiovisual production? Because that's what they grew up with. Many companies never like to change their modus operandi so in some areas you can still find Macs. But take the publishing world: so many in the printing / publishing business have switched to Windows where 20 years ago you would only find Macs - and never a Windows PC. Reason: Apple was getting too expensive, too inflexible, too bloated with hype.

A laptop or a Desktop PC: I would buy a Desktop PC. Should you want something faster, you can easily upgrade. This is close to impossible on a laptop. But I can understand the desire for something portable. Instead of Dell, HP (right now I'm typing on an HP laptop belonging to my neighbour... and the keyboard is a pain in the ass) or Asus I suggest Lenovo. I have a Lenovo from 2010, it's still going strong despite the hardware being ancient. I can't do productive work with it anymore (too slow) but I managed to upgrade CPU, HDD and RAM and for Office or web browsing it's still snappy enough. Try that with Dell or HP. The company of my husband switched from Lenovo to HP and back to Lenovo, the HPs were not very reliable (and those are professional laptops). Yes, Lenovo is not very pretty but when it comes to personal computers, don't go for design. For a Lenovo I would recommend their Thinkpad line, either their Thinkpad E or L lines. You might save a little money once their AMD Ryzen option is out but the Intel-based laptops are pretty good as well.

PC without an Apple Logo: 100USD
PC with an Apple Logo: 500-1000USD
PC manufactured by Dell: Price+Cost For Shipping & Receiving when you have to get it repaired



I've done both company and freelance IT work. Here's my two pennies:
1) Apple PC
Pros: Usually built to last (my 1st Gen iPOD still works!). Customer support tends to be less of a nightmare compared to big PC names like HP/Dell/Gateway/etc. Aesthetically pleasing.
Cons: Tend to be more expensive compared to same non-Apple devices spec wise. Not able to easily upgrade hardware. Less freedom/customization.

2) Windows PC
Pros: More customization and ability to upgrade. More options on things like peripherals, warranties, how it looks, etc. Windows is more ubiquitous.
Cons: Hardware freedom, means more chances to for PEBCAK. Windows ubiquity means it gets targeted more by nasty people. Some pre-built computer companies suck.


3) FUCK DELL! Seriously, don't get a Dell. Damn near any dell I've worked on in the last ~15 years has been a piece of shit.
Maybe they were good 20 years ago. Maybe I just found all there lemons. Maybe Dell just sucks.

I've actually had some pretty good experiences with HP myself. I've, personally, never had an issue with my laptop dying because of manufacturing fuck ups.
Which is kind of, crazy, because I tend to treat them like desktops, and pretty poorly at that.
Lots of travel, my current HP laptop has been coast to coast in locations where there are more cell towers than people.

I tend to think when it comes to PCs you probably get what you pay for regardless of manufacturer. I did have a bad experience with Dell. CPU died within warranty period, and after 3 months of them sending technicians out to fix everything but the CPU I finally got them to to just replace it with a whole new system. On the other hand, the new system they sent me was significantly more powerful than the original one, and I still have it over seven years later. I've changed the power supply and graphics card but everything else is the way they sent it to me, and it's still in great shape.

The reality is that PC components involve a lot of little moving parts and there is always going to be some rate of failure among them, and if you buy a Dell most of what's in it is made by companies other than Dell. The care they put into assembling things and the quality of parts they use are obviously a factor, as is their customer service (Dell's was shit in my experience) but I'd be willing to bet you're better off in the long run getting whatever's the best deal in terms of power for dollar, regardless of whether it's Dell or HP or Acer or whatever.

I've only used DELL pcs. The issues I've had were replacing the dvd drives (which I use frequently), and the little lithium watch battery once. Also some overheating because I wasnt blowing out the dust and/or running an air conditioner in the summer.
You can get a good deal on a brand new PC from their outlet website. They also have used/returned ones there. With the money you save, buy the extended housecall warranty (in USA). I was looking into a new one recently, and they're following the trend of discontinuing dvd drives. The slim towers with dvd drives are vertical-mounted which I dont like either.