Which manufacturer to buy new system from?

Justin726 · 05-21-2006, 08:46 AM

I'm just curious to know who makes a good reliable home computer? Is there a company that stand out better between Gateway, Dell, HP, or any of the other brands that I definately don't know of? Or are they all about the same?

My computer at home is getting a little old now and is really, really running slow. I've done all I know of to clean things up and try to make it run faster, but nothing much has helped. Just seems like there's too much crap in there. My wife will be going back to school in the fall to go after her masters degree and says that she NEEDS a good reliable computer. So she's given me the go-ahead to get a new computer.

I thought about just reinstalling everyting from scratch on this one, but my monitor is even older than the tower and is starting to get dark. I figured I might as well get a whole new system instead of working on the tower and buying a new monitor seperately.

Like I said, just looking for a good home system that's mainly used for internet surfing, school work, some downloading, and maybe some photo editing. That's about it. Dn't really need a system set up for gameing, but wouldn't mind a decent sound card and speakers for some music and videos. Oh, and I definately need a 19" monitor.

I'm definately not the most computer literate, and haven't looked into computer systems for years. Just looking for a little direction. Thanks in advance.

Krazy Hawaiian · 05-21-2006, 05:54 PM

I'd personally never buy one I'd build it. You get way more bang for the buck. Its easy to do too.

I like HP stuff myself if a built system is what your after, they have been great to me for any other components Ive had. I found a scanner in the trash once and went to there site for info they said it was still under warranty

and sent me the CD with the manuals and drivers for free

Dont get a compaq... grrrr Ive had some bad experiences with them.

Justin726 · 05-22-2006, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krazy Hawaiian

I'd personally never buy one I'd build it. You get way more bang for the buck. Its easy to do too.

The funny thing is, I'd jump into a project on my Busa with little or even no knowledge of what I'm wanting to do, and all without thinking twice about it. However, I'd probably never think of working inside a computer to install all the components. About all I've done on the inside of the tower is to install a video card once (I think) and install more memory a seperate time. That's why I'll probably just end up buying a finished system.

I might even go back down to the local computer store and have them price me out a system. That guy is the one who built my current tower and he was always great when I took it in to him to have him work on it or check it out.

Krazy Hawaiian · 05-23-2006, 03:03 AM

Justin it's sooo easy to put one together. I learned from taking a old one apart and putting it back together years ago. But hell I take everything apart LOL

Most motherboards come with really good assembly instructions, just read carefully and double check your work.

When you consider that for around $500 you can make a comp that would cost easily twice as much or more as one with a brand name on it.

A good site to check for the best prices on anything for PC's from whole systems to cameras and more is www.pricewatch.com/ it's a search engine for the best deals around.

kevinwilly · 05-23-2006, 03:14 AM

+1 on pricewatch, KH. I build everything off of there.

And yeah- building a computer is the easiest thing ever. You just plug things in until it turns on.

But my dad just bought another Dell. Got a HELL of a deal with a free 19" LCD monitor. I couldnt have built one for cheaper if i tried.

I'll hopefully be making another one here in a couple months... mine's getting old, and something blew up on it. Havent been able to figure out if it was a hard drive or the RAID controller yet....

But yeah- dell has good deals. But anything you buy totally built will have less ability to upgrade in the end, so watch out.

For 1000 bucks, my dad got two 160 gig drives in RAID mirror, a 19" monitor, a nice video card, a good sound card, DL DVD writer, dvd drive, and a nice processor.

The monitor alone is like 400 bucks. And the hard drives themselves would be 200 bucks, 50 for a burner, 150 for a Mobo, 200 for the proc.

So yeah- Dell has some very good deals from time to time.

We've owned quite a few, and nothing has ever broken. My laptop from them was awesome. I have a compaq now (required for my college) and it's a hunk of shit. Compaq and HP are the same company, but they put the better stuff in HP. Gateway are overpriced for what you get, IMO.

If you want more info, feel free to PM me, i'll help you build a computer, or give you some good specs on what you would need. If you buy everything that's like one generation old (not cutting edge right now, but was last month) you'll get a computer that will last for at least 5 years right now if you don't play games. Mine's 4 years old and running strong. It's great for everything but the newest games. I spent 1200 on it and it was kick ass at the time.

(got everything from pricewatch)

Chaebis · 05-23-2006, 03:41 AM

Building your own computer is the best way to garuntee you get exactly what you want. However, if you build it yourself and it craps out you have to fit the bill to fix/replace stuff. Whereas if you buy it there's a warranty, whether it be through the manufacturer or the retail store (i.e. Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.).

If you dont feel comfortable building your own computer then maybe buying one is the best route to take. I would personally recommend HP products and secondly Gateway products. My customers at Best Buy tend to have the best experience with these two brands.

Good luck.

Justin726 · 05-23-2006, 05:07 AM

I doubt I will be building one myself. I just like the ease of ordering a system and it just shows up ready to plug in and use. Plus I just don't know enough about all the different motherboards, types of memory, and all that technical stuff.

Just from looking around Dell does seem to have some of the better prices. This one one of the systems I was looking at. Dell system. Might add a bigger hard drive, dual drives, memory card reader, and some better speakers.

Still looking around though.

Spike · 05-23-2006, 05:24 AM

That computer looks pretty good, though I would go with the flat panel monitor and not the flatscreen, they're so much nicer and take up next to no space! I just got a 19" flat panel from Dell a week ago and I LOVE the damn thing. Don't know how I survived with the 15"!

Justin726 · 05-23-2006, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spike

That computer looks pretty good, though I would go with the flat panel monitor and not the flatscreen, they're so much nicer and take up next to no space! I just got a 19" flat panel from Dell a week ago and I LOVE the damn thing. Don't know how I survived with the 15"!

Yeah, that one comes with the 19" flat pannel from what the list says. I don't know if the 19" Analog monitor would be allright, or if the 19" Digital monitor would be worth the extra $80.

Right not I got a 19" CRT and that thing takes up a shit load of space. There isn't any way I could get by with a 15" monitor no matter how nice it was.

kevinwilly · 05-23-2006, 05:48 AM

Decent system for the price. I might go with the $80 monitor upgrade, and a much bigger hard drive.

But i use a lot of hard drive space.... last i checked i was running out and have well over 500 gigs... you can never have too much room on your HD. though it's easy to add more later.

It all depends on what you need, though- saving money now means that you'll have to upgrade sooner. Spending a little more means being able to wait longer. Though with both of these there's a range. A $300 computer is not half as good as a $600 computer. It's maybe a tenth as good. But a $600 computer is about half as good as a $1200 computer. And a $2400 computer is only marginally better than a $1200 computer.

It's wierd how things work. That will probably suit you fine. But you'll have to buy another $600 computer in a couple years when you could just buy a $1200 computer now and keep it for twice as long. It just depends on which route you want to take.

I personally go for the $1200. But i play games from time to time.

Spike · 05-23-2006, 06:04 AM

Oh, see I guess I saw the monitor thing wrong... The monitor that comes with that system is the one I'm looking at SBN on right this minute and it's awesome. It's not a digital signal, though kevinwilly was telling me the other day that I would probably never know the difference between analog and digital, so I think you might want to just save your 80 bucks and put it into a bigger hard drive perhaps.

Choco · 05-23-2006, 11:37 AM

shitty thing about building a comp is software.....if you use hacked software, it can limit your abilities. Buying a windows license is still expensive, but very nice to have one.

Chaebis · 05-23-2006, 02:03 PM

I wouldnt highly recommend dell. There are some business practices that they have that aggrivate alot of customers. For example:

1. Their products are proprietary. If you ever want/need to upgrade a certain piece of hardware you more then likely will have to buy through dell themselves. Whereas other pc brands are USER UPGRADABLE. You can find the part you need at the cheapest price and slap it in there with no compatibility issues.

2. There are no retail stores. If you need anything done concerning your computer you have to ship it. This means lots of down time. Could be weeks before you get it back.

I personally dont like dell at all. To each his own though, right?

fallclassic02 · 05-23-2006, 02:06 PM

Get a Honda, definitely a Honda.

Chaebis · 05-23-2006, 02:22 PM

Wow! Honda is building computers now?!?! What will they do next?

jk