gman863

It depends on the specific Celeron chip. Although the dual-core Celerons (3200, 3300) are almost equal in power to Intel's 5300/5400 CPUs, there are still some single-core Celeron units left in retail channels. Single core units (AMD or Intel) are very slow compared to dual, triple or quad cores. My dad just made the mistake of purchasing two single-core Celeron eMachines desktops for his church. Even with 3GB memory and the "crapware" disabled in startup, they are sloooow compared to dual core Celerons! The WEI (Windows Experience Index) can be a bit misleading, especially if you're not looking at all the measurements individually. The overall WEI rating is based on the lowest of the individual scores. If the lowest score is gaming or aero graphics, it's usually a non-issue unless you're doing gaming or video editing. On graphics, even a score of 3 (out of a max 7.9) is adaquate for surfing the web, MS-Office or viewing standard quality videos on YouTube. For the hard drive score, it appears any 7200RPM SATA hard drive scores a 5.9 (I've checked over 20 units in the past 6 months, all 5.9). If you want to research specs, go back to my original post in this thread. You will not have time to do this at 6AM on Black Friday as people are fighting over the cheap models. The actual performance of any PC will be affected by the type and number of programs that load at startup; the WEI score does not reflect this. Without boring readers to death, it's usually worth it to pay the neighborhood geek or the IT guy at work a few bucks to tweak a new PC if you're not familiar with the process. Do not have this done at Best Buy, Office Depot, etc. unless they're willing to do it CHEAP. Some stores charge up to $100 to do this; it takes me about 20 minutes and I charge $25-$40 depending on if I have to go to the person's house to do it. Again, it goes back to how the PC will be used. For e-mail, web surfing and word processing this is great advice. My concern is that many people (especially college students or those who own just one PC) do use a notebook PC for desktop-type apps such as gaming and video editing. As a PC tech, I've run into many people who want to edit video or play World Of Warcraft on an entry-level notebook. This is like trying to drive a Kia Rio in a NASCAR race: It just ain't gonna happen.

Here's the scoop on Harbor Freight Tools' Black Friday sale I received today as an official e-mail from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/retail-flyer?utm_source=early&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4710a Harbor Freight will also be open Thanksgiving Day from 8AM to 3PM. If you prefer tools over turkey, here's a link to a coupon for 25% off a single item Thanksgiving Day only. http://www.harborfreight.com/thanksgiving-day-coupon.html

One more important tip: Fry's is no longer putting price tags on items. Items (especially smaller ones) are often misplaced when placed back on shelves or pegs. If you want to verify that an item is the one on sale, compare the last few digits of the UPC (scanner) code on the item against the last few digits of the UPC code printed on the shelf tag. Since Fry's doesn't have self service price checking (like Target or Wal-Mart), this will save you huge headaches versus waiting in line only to discover you got a non-sale item.

I'd also like to see the ad for CompUSA. Since it's owned by the same company as TigerDirect (Systemax), the two ads should be similar.

Square Trade (www.squaretrade.com) is offering 20% off its extended warranty plans beginning Midnight on Black Friday using the coupon code "JINGLE". For anyone unfamiliar with Square Trade, they offer extended and accidental damage warranties on electronics, computers, appliances, etc. Their everyday pricing is usually less than store warranties, and they are the only extended warranty company with a "5 Star" rating on most consumer web sites. On most smaller items, if they can't fix it in 5 days, they refund you the original purchase price of the item. I am not employed or compensated by Square Trade for posting this. I'm just a happy customer. :)

As a PC repair tech with over ten years experience, I urge everyone to consider the following before making an impulsive Black Friday purchase... What will you be using the PC for? Low-end PCs are great for surfing the Internet and basic word processing. If doing spreadsheets or photo editing, it's best to buy a mid line (dual core) unit with a minimum of 3GB memory. If you plan on editing video from your camcorder (especially HD video) or extreme gaming, buy the best you can afford (at least an I5, preferably an I7 that can be upgraded to 8GB memory if needed) - HD video editing on anything less will be a total buzzkill; if the PC can handle it at all it will take up to an hour to process just a few minutes of 1080p/i video files. Beware the limitations of netbooks, iPads and similar devices. Netbooks do not have a DVD drive (you'll have to purchase an external one separately if needed), limited processor power and a very small keyboard. They are designed for web surfing and basic office apps only; more powerful apps will slow them to a crawl. iPads (although the latest fad) do not have USB ports for attaching a DVD drive, flash drive or other external storage. What is the store's Holiday return policy, especially if the item is "DOA" on Christmas morning? Be sure the retailer will accept the item for at least an exchange or store credit for a week or two after Christmas. There is nothing more frustrating than having to send a brand new item back to the manufacturer and wait weeks for service or a replacement. If possible, open and test the item before wrapping it and placing it under the tree to catch possible defects early. Pass on the store's extended warranty option. On notebooks and netbooks I do recommend getting an extended warranty that includes accidental damage coverage. Square Trade is usually less expensive and they are the only warranty company to score "5 Stars" on most consumer review sites (www.squaretrade.com). Beginning on Black Friday, Square Trade is offering 20% off all warranties purchased from their website using the code "JINGLE". Square Trade warranties must be purchased within 30 days of buying the item. If you want unbiased research on specific brands and models, a good source is www.zdnet.com or look at customer reviews on major sties such as amazon.com or newegg.com. Good luck and happy shopping on your Holiday PC purchases. :)

I was in sales at one of Fry's retail stores the previous two Black Fridays. Here are a few shopping tips that will help you get the best deals at Fry's: You will not see most (if any) of the doorbuster deals on Frys.com. Your local newspaper is the only source.Fry's ads are different for each city. Just because an item is listed in the Dallas ad does not mean it will be available or at that price in Houston, LA, etc."One per customer" is strictly enforced. If you want more than one, have an extra family member with you to purchase the second one with cash or a different credit card.Items such as PCs, larger TVs and major appliances require a salesperson to write a "quote" ticket in the department. If you want two or more large items (a TV and a PC), have a different person in your party get a ticket on each one. Be in line when the store opens and hit PCs first: Blowout deals there are usually the first to sell out.GPS units have been moved from the PC parts section to the car stereo section in most Fry's locations.If waiting for a sales ticket on a large item, send someone else in your group to hunt down and grab the "cash and carry" items that don't require a salesperson to write them up. This will speed up your shopping.In past years Fry's has extended its return policy to the end of January on items purchased after Thanksgiving; however this is not a guarantee they'll do it this year. Some items (motherboards, PC memory, camera memory cards) have a 15 day return policy.The checkout line snakes throughout the store but don't panic: It's one checkout line that feeds into 60-80 registers and usually it won't take much longer to get out than any other major store.If Fry's repeats last year's ad strategy, there will be a new ad with new one day specials on both Saturday and Sunday. Get up bright and early and check the newspaper. The same tips listed above apply for Black Saturday and Sunday.Fry's (like most stores) will not do price-matching on competitors' one day Black Friday specials. In order to match a price, they have to call the competitor and verify the item is in stock; this is impossible on Black Friday.If you have any other questions on Fry's retail store sales, post them here and I'll try to answer them. Happy Black Friday! :)