Sunday Best Buy Ad Re Dell Desktop

[KendrellJones]

I think these are national ads.

I need a new desktop. I have no real video or gaming needs other than YouTube.

They have a 329.00 Desktop with 4 gig memory and 8 Gig flash drive...whatever that means.

I can't get anyone from BestBuy who can answer this question:

Now, it has Windows 8 but there is no mention of what word processing software it has. I need Word.

Has anyone seen this ad? Would you be able to know if it includes Word?

Thanks a million in advance.

[vaxcardinal]

i just looked it up on their website and doesnt say anything about microsoft word being included. So you'll need to buy it or maybe use google docs. Its compatible with microsoft word and free

[KendrellJones]

Thanks Vax

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Office/Word is almost never included except as a trial these days.

You'd be perfectly fine using OpenOffice or LibreOffice, which are both 100% free.

[KendrellJones]

Orange, thanks but I am a writer and definitely need Word. What is my best option in getting it as an add on?

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Well you can buy Word.

Have you ever used OpenOffice or LibreOffice? They are completely feature compatible with Word. It's basically just a free version of Word.

[Potzer01]

Fwiw...

This is going to be a much better PC, I'm almost 100% sure.

http://sellout.woot.com/offers/hp-qu...top-w-2tb-hd-5

Its got very decent everything, only thing missing is a Blueray drive ~

[KendrellJones]

Orange? Or anyone...what is the best way to buy Word and...should I get the other Microsoft basics with it?

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Originally Posted by KendrellJones

Orange? Or anyone...what is the best way to buy Word and...should I get the other Microsoft basics with it?

You can buy it from MS for ~ $100.

But seriously, at least try Libre Office. It has *everything* that Word does and ... it's free:

http://www.libreoffice.org/

[Itssaul]

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

You can buy it from MS for ~ $100.

But seriously, at least try Libre Office. It has *everything* that Word does and ... it's free:

http://www.libreoffice.org/

I find myself using freeware more and more everyday. If its open, I myself can go in and try and help and make it a better product

[gatormoe1]

To be honest, you'd be better off going to Tigerdirect and getting a barebones system bundle and get a really good PC for a good price.

Only downside is you have to know how to put it all together, which really isn't that hard.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

I don't know about "better off."

While I think everyone should build a desktop at some point - it's very easy - if you plan on using this as a normal computer and aren't gaming on it, don't build it. It's not a good ROI.

[gatormoe1]

I think its better than getting a little mid-tower with little to no expansion possibilities. The boxes they send that stuff in usually suck and have very little slots to expand. Also, I hate the OEM license for the OS because its usually a pain in the ass if you ever need to change something other than the HD.

With a bare-bones system he can get a nice box that will expand quite nicely along with some good hardware to start off with and then upgrade if needed.

He can even skip the OS and install a nice Linux distro and find a good Office alternative (they are out there).

Ok, maybe it is a lot of work initially, but I think thats a great way to go, as a nerd of course.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Originally Posted by gatormoe1

I think its better than getting a little mid-tower with little to no expansion possibilities. The boxes they send that stuff in usually suck and have very little slots to expand. Also, I hate the OEM license for the OS because its usually a pain in the ass if you ever need to change something other than the HD.

With a bare-bones system he can get a nice box that will expand quite nicely along with some good hardware to start off with and then upgrade if needed.

He can even skip the OS and install a nice Linux distro and find a good Office alternative (they are out there).

Ok, maybe it is a lot of work initially, but I think thats a great way to go, as a nerd of course.

Ok, but he listed Word and Youtube as his requirements. I would never recommend "build a machine and throw a Linux flavor on" to someone who listed their requirements like that.

[gatormoe1]

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

Ok, but he listed Word and Youtube as his requirements. I would never recommend "build a machine and throw a Linux flavor on" to someone who listed their requirements like that.

Im not sure why youtube/Linux is a problem but if you really need Microsoft word then by all means, don't try out linux. If you're ok with alternatives to Microsoft Office, then its not such a big deal.

There are some really easy to use Linux distros out there that are free and you don't have to get your hands dirty like with a lot of Linux OS out there.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

I run Ubuntu on my daily machine, you don't have to tell me.

But if someone said "I'm looking for a machine to run Word and Youtube" I wouldn't be recommending he build his own and throw a Linux variant on it. That's all I'm saying.

[Itssaul]

How about a chrome book? I have not read about it, but I know it's cheap. Meaning integrated graphics, and Prob 2g ram, and def not a quad core processor (which is overkill for almost everything ever, besides my matlab programs takin in 50x50 matrices -_-)

I would highly recommend Ubuntu though.

[Jaggator]

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

Office/Word is almost never included except as a trial these days.

You'd be perfectly fine using OpenOffice or LibreOffice, which are both 100% free.

Good call OBOB...

http://download.cnet.com/OpenOffice-...-10263109.html

CNET Editors' Rating: Spectacular