Opinions on which PC to choose for gift for my dad?

[broc]

Hey all,

I was interested in buying a PC for my father for Christmas. He mostly just uses his current ancient PC for browsing the net and doing a bit of digital camera pictures.

Doesn't need a super up to date 1000+ dollar PC, but something better than his current PC which is about 6 years old. I'm lookin to spend around 600-700 dollars, hopefully taxes in, but if it means the diff. btw a great PC and good PC I can spend a few xtra bucks if needed.

If anyone has suggestions on a PC (best warranties/service, technology, "bang for buck", software, etc) that would be much appreciated.


I'm in the Brantford/Hamilton area, not GTA, but I can make a trip to GTA if an incredible deal warrants it. Thanks in advance for any tips!

PS I already missed out on all those great $297 Staples PC's, but my area was cleared out before I even knew about the deal. I tried! Oh well..

[kimro]

Dell often has basic desktops ($299 ish inc. shipping) for sale at around Christmas time. I got one for my parents a few years back and they couldn't be happier with them.

I think they now have low end dekstops with AMD Sempron CPUs, which is FAAAAARRRR better than Intel Celerons for daily usage. These are basic desktops with everything (video, sound, nic, usb) built into the motherboard but I think they are awesome for the $. I would recommend you keep your eyes open for Dell offers.

[klam]

Agree. For basic computing you can't beat one of the low-end budget Dells. They're cheap, well-made for that price range, have a better warranty/service than your local shop reseller, and come with a legit copy of Windows.

[chicken_little]

My parents have the same type of requirements. If I were to buy them a pc today I'd get a Dell preferrrably with 1GB memory and a 19" monitor.