Any suggestions for a new PC?

The budget?
Does a laptop have any appeal or use?

Yes, can’t believe I forgot budget! Laptop, around $800? The less expensive the better, but I want it to last.

I like my new HP and it was about 800$ but a lot of people think HP computers are crap. It’s quite and has a very good battery life. Those are two things that really matter to me. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone has things they care about on a computer that might not matter to other people… but I like this site, if you don’t know about, epinions. It has reviews by people who have actually purchased and used the product and they will tell you if thing turned out to be noisy, has a crappy battery life, , said it was supposed to do this, but didn’t, tell you it’s great if you don’t mind… whatever, etc.

If finances are an issue, buy yourself a cute little Mac Mini. They are perfect for your usage.

My Toshiba T135 laptop serves me well, gets 4–½ stars at epinions, over 6 hours on a charge, and otherwise has made me happy.

@MissA I could get a PC with better specs for about half the price; less if I install Linux instead of paying for an OEM Windows license. If you can find a Mac Mini for $350 then fine. Otherwise, not so much.

Tell your budget please.
i think Dell is best for you

@Elezbeth “Dell” and “Budget” don’t belong in the same sentence. That is like calling a BMW 3-series an economy car! While Dell does have a few cheap systems, that lack of expensiveness comes with severe enough compromises to make them a less-than-ideal choice most of the time; there are almost always better systems than Dell for less.
If you want a system that is a good value then Acer beats Dell. In fact, as of last year, Acer has replaced Dell in the #2 spot on the list of top PC makers worldwide, which means tha tthey are doing something right.

I recently purchases an Acer Aspire Timeline AS5810TZ and am very happy with it.
Pros – slim, attractive metal case, med/lrg 15.6” screen, 6–8 hrs battery life, good performance
Cons – chiclet keyboard (like a Macbook) not great for touch typing

There are several models, look for the better Pentium SU4100 Processor

$642 at Amazon right now

@jaytkay Agreed; the SU4100 is a great CPU for those that like long battery life but don’t want to be ssslllooowww. It has the speed you can only get from a true multi-core CPU with low enough power consumption to allow for all-day battery life, and barely any more expensive than the craptacular single-core SU2700.
Unless you absolutely need the power of a Core i-series CPU (and few people actually need that sort of power in a laptop) then the SU4100 CPU is the way to go.

Thanks everyone! I need a PC rather than a Mac b/c I have a Zune….if Mac would not be so particular about with it accepts, then I’d prob get a Mac. (my husband has one, but I can’t use my Zune or Quicken on it)

Thanks for making my research easier!

No problem.

While it’s true that Macs tend to last, your desire for something around $800 pretty much knocks Mac of the list of contenders, especially if you want a laptop. The only Mac under $999 is the lower of the two Mac Mini models ($699), and that does not include the keyboard, mouse, or monitor.