Dilemma.. need help!

Hey,

This morning my pc decided to die, not for the first time. My friend thinks it might be memory error (due to the bluescreens coming up) and I also think the hard drive isn't in too good shape. I tried reinstalling windows but the PC crashed again during reformatting- it now can't boot from the cd. So my dilemma is basically this:

a) Buy new RAM and a hard drive and then hopefully still be able to buy a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 with money at christmas.

or

b) buy myself a powerbook and finally have something reliable solely for work (academic) and photography - obviously I won't be able to afford a new lens.

I'm not as such a big fan of macs; they're worse for gaming and I don't like some of the layout (can you get something to tab internet windows like in firefox?!) BUT I realise that for photography they are great at what they do and they do seem alot more reliable.. I have hardly ever heard of them breaking (and yes perhaps my pc did go downhill due to 'user misuse', i'm not bashing pc's!). It would also be useful to have a laptop and it's something i've always wanted- i've just never been able to afford one powerful enough for what I want to do.

Anyway, I hope some of you have some ideas and can help me out a little.

Regards,
Adam

How old is the computer?

About 3 years?

I guess I would really be hesitant to replace things on an old computer just because you think that might be what is wrong. That kind of shotgun approach can cost an enormous amount of money in the long run.

Also, you need to prioritize. If you are in school will the computer be a better assett than a new lens? I would guess that the answer to that would be yes.

Well, a computer is obviously essential- I have to do all my essays on one.. which is why something reliable would be useful.

If I don't get the lens now I will be able to get it probably next July at the earliest. My only concern is buying a used mac (new is far too expensive and a cheap windows laptop isn't worth bothering with), however it is from a reliable seller and mac's are known for being very reliable.

adam* wrote in post #2415452
Well, a computer is obviously essential- I have to do all my essays on one.. which is why something reliable would be useful.

If I don't get the lens now I will be able to get it probably next July at the earliest. My only concern is buying a used mac (new is far too expensive and a cheap windows laptop isn't worth bothering with), however it is from a reliable seller and mac's are known for being very reliable.

Have you gone to the apple site to check on pricing. You do know that you get an educational discount on everything apple.

I doubt that the RAM is at issue as RAM failures tend to be a all or nothing proposition and suspect a hard drive failure instead but rklepper has a great point. Trying to fix a computer by trial and error can become expensive especially if you do not have spare parts to salvage from. But if your willing to toss in $50 bucks to find out, you might want to get a new hard drive first and give it a shot.
One other thing. Is it an Abit mobo by chance? In the last 2 months I have had 2 PCs fail and after debugging, both turned out to be leaking capacitors on the mobo. Both mobos were Abits and both about 3 years old. The reason I ask if that your symptoms were very similar to what I was seeing. The machine ran fine but experienced random crashes. Trying to reimage the hard drive didn’t help.

Yeah it is an Abit mobo I think. Is there any way to fix leaking capacitors?

adam* wrote in post #2415582
Yeah it is an Abit mobo I think. Is there any way to fix leaking capacitors?

Yes, but usually it is not worth the effort. If you can identify them before hand you can unsolder them and replace with new ones. For me, I swapped out the board. Then because I was curious, I removed one that looked questionable. They were the larger electrolytics just off to one side of the processor socket. The first I measured checked out ok. The second and third had changed capacitance significantly. One measured as an open and that was probably the one causing all the headaches.

i have a powerbook g4, to answer your questions...

I'm not as such a big fan of macs; they're worse for gaming and I don't like some of the layout (can you get something to tab internet windows like in firefox?!)

once you've spent a couple of weeks using the interface you'll love it i find things happen so much quicker with a mac, you'll soon learn its ways. as for browsing, yes you can use tabs in safari, works the same as firefox, i think you can get firefox for mac anyway... you're right, they are rubbish for gaming! dont even bother buying games... i got unreal tournament for my pbook (top spec at the time) and it ran badly. i wonder if the new intel macs are any better... perhaps just completely strip down the pc and just use it for games..?

BUT I realise that for photography they are great at what they do and they do seem alot more reliable.. I have hardly ever heard of them breaking (and yes perhaps my pc did go downhill due to 'user misuse', i'm not bashing pc's!).

iphoto doesnt work to great on mine, ive got far too many photos, which slows it down a bit. when i've got the time i'm going to organise them properly with something like iview media pro. photoshop works great though, plenty fast, it has a nice screen too.

got a link to the ebay mac you're looking at? i wouldnt get the 12" model unless you want something really portable or are going to use it with a second monitor.

Well to be honest I'm not so fussed gaming wise. I'm pretty sure Football Manager 2007 works on it and that will do, if I want to play games i'll just stick to the ps2 for now I think. Photography is the key and then obviously also word applications etc but that's basic and comes down more to reliability. It's the 15" model and for sale on here