You are not a good tech if....

[Mr. Rude]

I have to agree with the original post across the bar

Core 2 Duo is right snapping good.

But, I love my old Athlon 64 3000+.

33% overclock on stock cooling ( I run it 25% just to be safe )

[sld72382]

I have been looking at a new computer lately. Since I have an intel I was looking at the AMD ones. They just seem better than the intels out there. The AMD looks stonger and faster than the intels.

It depends on how much you want to spend. If you are under a budget that limits you to a Pentium D or an Athlon X2, get the X2. If you can swing it and be able to afford a Core 2 Duo, get that.

[Crazyredhead]

After having used IE for 5 years, and having used FF for the last 1 1/2, I can say that FF is better and would recommend it over anything else.

I am currently using System Suite Pro 6 and it is great. I will not use Mcafee, even if it was free for 2 years. It came with the AOL software, when I used it about 3 years ago. AOL and Mcafee together couldn't protect my computer from squat, and SSP6 is better than both put together.

Isn't Lexmart going out of buisness. I heard this somewhere, but coudn't tell you were. I figured as such, since there printers are so cheap. I just shake my head when I see someone walking past with a Lexmart box. I had one several years ago and it was cheap junk.

From what I have heard about Dell, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

I have been looking at a new computer lately. Since I have an intel I was looking at the AMD ones. They just seem better than the intels out there. The AMD looks stonger and faster than the intels.

[protege]

Oh, and please don't say Intel CPUs are more reliable. I am currently using a nearly 6 year old AMD 1.2GHz T-bird that has never failed me.

I'm not a fan of Intels either. Too many problems with them at work. My current machine runs a 4-year-old AMD 1.25Ghz. So far, no problems. Sure, it's not as fast, but that's not why I bought it--cost and reliability were the main factors.

[Gurndigarn]

He/she recommends a Dell PC "for the support." Dell PCs are actually pretty good (just not the low-end ones!), but trying to get a tech you can actually understand is worse than trying to get a date with Evangeline Lily.

"Dell" and "support" do not belong in the same sentence.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

You are not a good tech if...you get mentioned in one of Phone Jockey's posts.

[RichS]

I'm running Norton Antivirus 2005 - before they started to add all of the additional bloatware. As soon as it expires, I'm going to NOD32 or AVG.

Agreed on AMD being reliable - I had an original Slot A Athlon 550 o/c'd to 650 that lasted the whole time I had it (~4 years) before I sold it. Now I've got a Socket A Athlon XP 2100+ I've had for 4 + years (used to be my main machine before being handed down to the kids) with no problems.

[symposes]

I agree on the Norton part.
While ive never delt with its fallout aftermath.
My dad works on computers, and everytime he gets one with norton, he almost has to reformat the harddrive to get the computer to act right.
Its unreal.

Dont forget AoHell. While its a good service for people who are not computer literate.(Hey i cant do math can i write that off as math illiterat, or am i going to be called stupid too?) And honestly it is, if you arent savvy, you can still find things, and if you are a smooth talker, you can get it for free. Heres the secret, just try and cancel it. Works every time.

[Crosshair]

Heh, I'm like Stong Bad when it comes to computers. Even though I am very good with them, build my own, and have my A+ certification, I stick with very obsolete technology. I don't upgrade until I have to. My main computer has a 1.4 Ghz Pentium 3, 512 MB of RAM, Radeon 9600, and a 120 GB hard drive. This computer is technically 9 years old because it started as a 486 I bought for $1 and was continually upgraded, recycling the old into the new. I even rolled over my file organisation methods, just copied them onto the larger hard drive. The computer case dates back to 2000. The DVD-ROM drive dates back to 2001 or 2002 IIRC.

/Uses AVG.
//Remembers trying to fing 512 L2 cache chips for my 486
///Then find out that the 256K cache chips are faster because the 486 can access the two banks of 128Kb cache faster than a single 512Kb bank as well as the importance of block size. (Looks at all the blank faces of other users having no idea what I just said.)
////Remembers upgrading his video RAM to 2Mb, 16 bit color at 800x600 w00t.

[sld72382]

OK, there are some good techs and some not-so-good ones. I have found one way to measure their competence level is look at what software/hardware they recommend to their clients.

A person is NOT a good tech if:

He/she recommends using Internet Explorer over Firefox or Opera. Now I know using a 3rd party browser won't exactly make you invincible, but at least it's won't let everything in like IE which is known as the "open door." And don't tell me about IE 7 - it's basically version 6 with a new skin. Oh and BTW, I know by default Firefox can't access certain web pages but that's fixed by installing the IEtab extention.

He/she recommends using Norton Internet Security instead of something better. I have been a tech for 6 years (2 with the company I am with now) and I am amazed at how many times I have to remove this piece of crap software to fix a customer's issue. Version 2006 was a blatant embarrassment to the company, and 2007 isn't much better. Mcafee is also following in the same path. Instead of Norton, there is NOD32, AVG, Antivir, Kaspersky, or F-secure. Any of those are much better alternatives.

He/she recommends ANY Lexmark printer. Yeah, the printer only costs $80. Wait 'till you have to buy the ink. By contrast, a $150 Canon printer not only delivers better quality, but it's ink is a LOT less expensive and lasts much longer. In short, the money you saved will be lost very, very quickly.

He/she recommends a Dell PC "for the support." Dell PCs are actually pretty good (just not the low-end ones!), but trying to get a tech you can actually understand is worse than trying to get a date with Evangeline Lily.

If the client cannot afford a PC with a Intel Core 2 Duo, he/she recommends a PC with a Pentium 4 instead of an AMD "because of the name." The Core 2 CPUs are the fastest right now, but the next fastest are the AMD Athlon X2s. The P4 is junk, even though the clock speeds are higher. I'll try to make a comparison: the P4 is a sports car while the AMD X2 is a pickup truck. While the sports car is fast, it can only carry a small load in it's trunk and needs to come back to reload several times, while the pickup truck is slower but can carry the entire load at once in it's bed, so it gets the job done much quicker. The Core 2? A combo of the 2.
Oh, and please don't say Intel CPUs are more reliable. I am currently using a nearly 6 year old AMD 1.2GHz T-bird that has never failed me.