[knarf]

So I've decided to replace my old desk top.

I have tried to use a lap top and I have tried to use the finger swiping stuff ... and I just don't like them.

I like a mouse and I like a tower with a cup holder and all that.

Now, I suppose I could just get the sound card replaced, but this is an old Compaq CQ5210F PC that has served me well for what I do.

Surf FR, news, listen to the news bites frequently posted as we enter the most fascinating political cycle of all time.

What's out there that serves basic purposes ?

I don't need super memory because all I save is desktop hot links and personal pictures.

Most everything else I'll print out and save as a hard copy.

My favorite price is free, but seriously .... I would think there would be a reasonable desk top for a couple of hundred, but the ones I've seen have names I've never heard of.

Any input would be appreciated. And Jeffrey Epstein didn't commit suicide.

[ronniesgal]

check out a pawn shop

[McGruff]

Just found this little deal. Dell OptiPlex 3010 refurbished with Windows 7 $89.00

https://www.dellrefurbished.com/desktop-computers/dell-optiplex-3010-191389

I’m sticking wit Windows 7 as long as I can.

[Secret Agent Man]

craigslist

[Terry L Smith]

It is not the memory that YOU need, it is the memory needed for each and every update the machine will need.
All the brands at walmart have been around a while. I was looking, because my beloveds hp touchscreen one piecer is win 7. There wad a one piecer desktop for 300.

[Iscool]

I have tried to use a lap top and I have tried to use the finger swiping stuff ... and I just don't like them.

You can get a mouse for a lap top for just a few bucks...And they work good...I have one...

[minnesota_bound]

You want a pc with a great graphics card. The Dell pc I have at work does not have a very good card. I need to wear my reading glasses at work whereas on my desktop pc at home with a better pc and card I do not. Everything is sharper.

Dell has less then 200 watt power supplies. My video card at home says nothing less then 400 watts will do.

[numberonepal]

If you're just browsing the web and storing pics then a Raspberry Pi is where you want to be. There's a slight learning curve, but worth it. Here's a whole kit with some horsepower for $99.

[No.6]

If you don’t want to do Newegg and a philips screwdriver, next cheapest is a ‘work’ style laptop.

I checked this last year for my Mom and ended up giving her an HP laptop for use with her existing monitor; cheapest option around.

You picked a good time with everyone pushing pre-Black Friday deals.

[Pox]

If you want to go cheap you could consider a Raspberry Pi 4.

You need to do a little work to get it in your zone, but it's quite capable, especially if you get the $55 4Gb version.

[Kickass Conservative]

Register at Frys.com.

You’ll get a daily discount Code in your Email every day.

They have some killer deals.

When you see what you want, order it.

Fry’s has saved me a bunch of money over the years, TV’s, Computers and even a Refrigerator.

[catnipman]

some great deals here:

https://www.dellrefurbished.com/desktop-computers?filter_brand=188

make an account, get on their email list and they’ll send out emails with even better deals.

1. only get cosmetic grade A

2. do NOT get involved with the auction part of the website

3. do NOT buy a laptop from them

4. stick with the optiplexes

5. you can even get W7 Pro

6. watch your specs carefully: Intel I5 CPU,8GB ram, optical drive, 50GB HD, USB 3.0, HDMI/Display Port options are the best

[Hulka]

Cheap, buy a wireless mouse and keyboard. . I did. . .works well and I don’t do the finger swipe thing. Don’t have to.

[upchuck]

Lenovo refurbished desktops, 8GB memory minimum, Windows 7 Pro 64 bit. I am an unabashed Lenovo fan. Have been for years. They make the best, period.

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100019096%2050010418%20600014645%20600337538%20600015155%20600015158%20600265953%20600470993%20600015149&d=refurbished%20lenovo%20desktop%20windows%207&Order=PRICE

[Jagermonster]

https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/

$35 and up.

[Viking2002]

Bro, I have Compaq tech certifications that date back to Lewinsky's blue dress. That thing is a derelict - bury it and plant flowers on top. The others are right - go with a new laptop, and preferably the factory dock or a universal port replicator. The 'new' machine I bought after the fire in '12 was an iMachines tower that only had 4 GB RAM and a dual-core processor. It blew the HDD, so my main rig is an Acer laptop with a quad-core with 8 GB of DDR3 and a 500 GB SATA drive. Not too expensive, but I use a wifi KB/mouse and 32" Vizio monitor, a Logitech speaker system with a four-ball subwoofer, and the performance and audio is great. Plus, I can take it with me on trips. The iMachines is sitting under my desk with a new HDD on top and waiting for me to throw Linux Mint on it. (I'll spring for a KVM switch when that happens. Always good to have a backup rig, and Linux is a hoot.) Go with a low-end but robust laptop. You can bypass/disable the biometric security in the OS. If you're really hell-bent on a desktop, you can find refurbs out there for as little as $100 that'll get you wheels-up again.

P.S., go with a DVD/RW in whatever you get. Always good for burning media. And Epstein didn't kill himself.

[P.O.E.]

My tower PC finally took a nose dive a few weeks ago. Bought a Lenovo at Best Buy for around $300. Don’t need gaming, so pretty stripped down.

BEWARE: It had Microsoft 10, and they want to steal whatever information they can. Felt like the eye of Sauron turning to me as I slipped on the ring.

Took about 4 hours to turn all kinds of stuff off. Then installed VPN and some other anti-virus stuff. Several days later, I started getting spam about my credit card on email and my phone (IOW, despite my best efforts, MS still leaked my info).

[elteemike]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfZwYQUdQyE

How to vid replacing a sound card...20-35$ on Amazon and places like New Egg or Micro Center...

If the ‘puter has no other problems might just be easiest way to get back up and running...

[sigmashooter]

Check out eMachines.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

A USB sound “card” plug in is cheap. It bypasses your sound card and allows you to simply plug in the audio out cable from your speakers. Cheaper than a whole new PC.