Computer for my parents

My dad just called me and said he got an email from one of websites he pays his bill online and it said something like if you are running windows XP then after April 8th you are gonna be subject to hackers, viruses,etc It said windows is gonna stop offering updates. He said what should I do. I said for the price of a new os you mide as well get a new computer. His computer is pretty old can't remember hard drive space but memory is 512 mb and I think the hard drive is less than 100gb if I remember right. What kind of computer would you guys suggest. They are on a limited budget and I may have to help them and possibly put it on my best buy credit card and let them pay me monthly. I'm thinking they may enjoy a laptop and I can set them up wirelessly

 

There are a couple of options. If he wants a laptop, even the cheapest modern one is going to seem screaming fast compared to what he has. Keep in mind that Windows 8 is dog's breath and a HUGE departure from what he is used to. You can buy computers with Windows 7 if you look around on line. A $500 - $600 budget will buy you something that is pretty decent.

If all he does is surf the web $300 will buy you a Chromebook. They only run the Chrome browser and nothing else, nothing else. And without a wireless connection they are nothing more than paper weights, but they are virus proof and the least expensive option for online banking.

You said he is on a budget so you can forget about Apple anything.

 

You can make Windows 8 mimic Windows 7 with a few tweaks.
http://blog.laptopmag.com/make-windows-8-like-windows-7

 

Don't worry about it. Keep your firewall on, Antivirus up-to-date and keep XP on it. Millions of people will still use XP. It's just that MicroCrap isn't going to support it anymore which isn't any big deal.

 

Thanks. I will make sure I tell him that today when I talk to him. I know they would like to get another computer but if its not that big of deal then they can keep what they have. I know my wife got a "old" but newer than what my parents have from her work a while back but it has to be erased and put new OS on it I guess. I've been meaning to see if I could find someone to do it for me just haven't found anybody. I guess all I would have to do is buy a OS software cd and put it in the computer and thats it?

 

...in time, it could be a big deal because there won't be any active defense against code vulnerabilities in it...

i'd recommend to the OP, get a new comptuer or do a clean install of a newer OS... given the age of the H/W in question, ...i'd probably say it's good to invest in a new computer (doesn't have to be the best/fastest), ..at least start from a new data point w/ modern H/W that will run today's OS's and apps well, and last a good while before being obsoleted again...

check around for deals, ...i know on tigerdirect they are always running deals on entry level PCs and also on "build it yourself" "kits", ...if you want to build it for them...

 

I will keep my eyes open for deals. Him and my mom are both worried about it and mom said you may as well just start writing checks again. He uses the computer for just web browsing, email, printing some, online bills, and thats about it. They don't stream a lot of video/music.

 

Would you worry about what kind of processor the new one has? I know I like intel pentium myself just because the intel celeron that we used to have was slow. I've been helping my aunt and uncle with their computer and they have one of those all in ones and the processor is an AMD and it doesn't seem as fast as my wife and I's laptop with Pentium and our computer is about 5-6 years old.

 

Whats currently happening is exploits for the OS are going to be released as soon as MS stops providing updates.

The firewall on that is akin to putting a deadbolt on screen door and Anti-virus is never up to date, ever.

My advice, ditch that relic as soon as possible. Even an old system like a core 2 duo conroe core with 4GB ram and a windows 7 install will cost maybe 200-300$ on a classified ad and will be ALOT faster and safer to use.

If he wants to keep using XP thats fine but it shouldnt be connected to the internet.

If you just want to save money and keep the same system, install ubuntu.

Pentiums are slow as hell. Core i3, core i5 will work nicely but are more expensive than a comparable AMD. I picked up a 6 core AMD and motherboard for under 200$ recently to go in my home server. Its comparable to the low end i5s

 

So if I went with an AMD processor which ones should I be looking at. I'm assuming an memory over 2 gb is gonna be a heck of a lot better than the 512mb he currently has.

 

Windows 7 requires alot more memory. I would go with the Fx6300 6 core AMD. a basic MATX AM3+ motherboard and 4GB ram. Any hard drive will work but for longevity I'd go with a WD Blue drive of any size above 500GB.

That will last them years to come.

 

Are you saying piece one together or can you buy one with all those on there already. Appreciate your help so far btw

 

Piecing one together makes sure you have quality parts that will last a long time. Up until I bought that AMD FX6300 my server was my gaming computer I built in 2006 and my gaming PC I built in 2002 is still running as my dads server.

Buying quality and not Dell, HP, etc garbage makes a big difference. Those PCs arent fast but they still run and work well as a server.

If you dont think you're capable of building the PC yourself you can buy all the parts and usually have a computer store locally put it together for a hundred bucks or something. I usually charge a 6 pack of Canadian to build a PC, or I trade the service for someone elses service that they do better than I can do. Welding for example.

 

Gotcha. My wife and I have to keep our current laptop plugged in at all times b/c I guess the battery is shot. So its really not a laptop anymore. I was thinking maybe if my parents wanted our laptop and use it as a desktop like they've been doing, my wife and I could get us a new laptop. I was looking on Bestbuy.com and I heard someone here at work talking about the 2n1 laptops where they act as a tablet or laptop, but all the ones I see don't come with a dvd/cd drive. Why is that and also the Chromebooks don't either. How do you put internet security or other stuff on there w/o cd

 

You dont use a disc thats why.

If you're buying a laptop I would suggest you research greatly each model you're considering. Dont just jump on something because its a good deal. There is usually a reason its a good deal.

 

...i just built a new PC, and intentionally left out a CD/DVD drive ...basically, you shouldn't need CD/DVD, unless you like to back stuff up that way or watch DVD video content... the proliferation of USB HDDs and flash drives has pretty much make the CD/DVD obsolete IMO (flamesuit on )...

...you'll have to decide between Intel or AMD first and foremost, ...from there it gets easier... Intel has been a bedrock for business and scientific computing, generally favored for it's compute cycle performance, ...AMD has been pretty innovative in coming out w/ 6-core and 8-core processors, and their integratic graphics... AMD tends to cost a bit less than Intel in terms of price... AMD makes what they call their "A-series" processors, which supposedly have good on-board graphics (i.e. GPU cores and CPU cores on same chip), so the AMD A-10s or A-8 processors might be a good fit for your parents (no need to have a separate video card)... Intel has integrated graphics as well, ...but their processors cost a bit more, and I don't think their integrated graphics is as innovative as AMDs..

 

...see my other post about Intel and AMD...

...go w/ a newer computer with modern H/W (and OS) that supports 64-bit architecure... then you'll be in good shape for a long time to come w/ plenty of memory and computing overhead... look for a computer (or mobo if you're DIYing it) that supports at least 8GB DDR3 memory, ...some of the new stuff supports up to 32GB and a few as much as 64GB of memory! i'd recommend going w/ something w/ four memory slots instead of two, ...since it makes it a bit easier to add more memory w/out having to replace the chips you've already got...

 

The reason I asked about cd's. We normally buy internet security from walmart or office depot and put the cd in and dl it. What do you guys do just dl it straight from the internet? Also, our laptop is has Vista home premium and I think 2gb of memory. Which I think would be pretty good for them and I think when we bought it, it was on sale at best buy for like $300 maybe $400 but think it was 3. WE don't do any gaming, just web browsing looking at hulu, youtube, etc. I know my wife don't want to spend an arm and a leg and since we got the other one so cheap, she's probably thinking the next one shouldn't cost no more or not much more than that.

 

you can get a brand-new "good-enough" desktop on tigerdirect (or other stores or sites) for $300-$400... might check you local newspaper ads too...

i don't like laptops, especially as "home" computers, so i'm biased a bit, ..desktops have the advantage of easy h/w changes/upgrades and better cooling (i.e. longevity) than laptops...

as for the CD/DVD thing and software install, ...yes a lot of software is available for download online (much of your browsers, antivirus, utilities, etc..), ..but even if you buy software on CD/DVD, as long as you have "a computer" with the drive, you can transfer the content to a USB stick and use that to get it on the other computer... if they are used to having a CD/DVD, then you're probably better off making sure they get something with CD/DVD drive...

 

Geez maybe I'm not up to speed on my knowledge either. how do you get the content off of a cd and put it on a usb stick?