Hey guys, need some advice. It's time to buy a new computer and need some suggestions. Here are some of the main things I need it for:
I need a fast computer so that when I 'click' things happen instantly.
Do zero gaming. Do listen to online music and videos so need quality sound. (already have a surround sound system, so just need a good card) Do lots of online research. Burn CD's and DVD's. Of course there is always the curse and blessing of lots of email.
Which company? Dell, HP, Gateway or ???? Or should I just build one up?
Which O/S? The reports about Vista scare me a bit
AMD or Intel? Dual core of course.
Want a 20" or 22" monitor but don't want to break the bank. Any suggestions?
If I buy it in the states I will have no use for the warranty and have to take my chances. Can I buy online and have it delivered to a friend in Austin, Tx for pickup, or am I taking too big a chance?
All suggestions are very welcome

 

I bought a SystemMax from www.tigerdirect.com, Model H356 I believe.It is a good machine.You can call and have them build a machine that suits your needs. The customer support there is very good and you are not calling India if and when you call them!
Maybe you can still get XP operating system from them?
I also bought a Acer widescreen from them, it is alright but if you want a really good picture get a Samsung, I noticed where their 19" 940's have come down in price and they are very very good- I have 2 of them.

 

kinda up to you man, I just built a new rig for my stepson 3 weeks ago, but I spent a month looking and deciding on which chip to go with manufacturer wise, and then which socket from them. Ultimatley built an amd am2 socket system that rocks some serious firepower. You really need to know what parts you are getting and interfaces as well. I also spent a lot of time buying stuff with rebates and after all said and done the system cost 600. That is all the basics + seperate high end video and audio cards. It was nerve wracking trying to keep it all straight, but in the end the system is awesome. Let me know if ya want some ideas to head you down a parts path, or just make life easy and head over to Dell and customize one of theirs.

 

I always build if Im going for a desktop. Its way cheaper and you can get the parts you want based on what you are going to do.

I've been building comps for about 10 years now for me, family and friends. Usually Im able to sell old parts to help lower the cost of new parts.

If you go with a company I usually prefer Dell.

There are other good companies that build more customized machines, but the cost goes up a lot.

As always, just my opinion.

Have a good one.

 

Do not buy a Gateway. I have a Gateway laptop that I have had for 3 years and it has been shipped back in 7 times for service. Please take my advice. DO NOT BUY GATEWAY.

 

Build it yourself.

You can get everything you need from www.newegg.com.

They have great prices and fast shipping.

I built a gaming system about 2 years back for around $1200.

If you want help configuring a computer I'd be more than happy to "build" one for you on the website and then send the list of parts to you. Even if you haven't done it before its not that hard to do!

 

I'm fond of the Lenovo thinkpad line. i BEAT my computers to DEATH, and they have always held up really well. I'm using a T60 now with built in Verizon wireless access, and love it. I got it for just a bit over 1000 bucks, and it's worth every penny. This thing is mounted in my car, gets thrown around and still just keeps on working. The screens are nice and bright, too.

 

Here another place to look. http://www.pricewatch.com/

 

Don't get a dell, there computors have all sorts of quirks that get annoying. Sometimes when u turn on the computor it loads up right away, other times it takes like 5-6 minutes of a black screen then u can sign in.. And this happened since it was new. And it eats HD space like no other, I did test's where I would download a 50mb file 3 times, and it would subtract 1GB space, go figure. And windows vista gets annoying so try to get XP.

 

I used to love Dell but when I switched, I'll never go back. Just remember, you get what you pay for. If you go to Wal-Mart or Best Buy etc. you'll get some ok stuff, but if you go through CDW or something like that, you'll tend to get many more choices

 

Here is a deal for $99.99 that is pretty hard to beat Stan.It is only good for 24 hours though.Ron G
http://www.tigerdirect.com/email/wem...CODE=WEM1489TT

 

I'll give you some things to keep in mind while making your decision. Building a PC can be rewarding, much like working on your truck vs. taking it to a shop. For me, I'm very picky. It's rare that I find a PC from the major companies that has everything I want and some of the more "premium" components usually don't come standard with these PCs. It's cookie cutter packages, you have a fixed set of options and if your option isn't on there then you'll have to add it yourself on top of the price. Now that's not to say these guys are all doom and gloom. They do have great warranties with them and these guys have usually worked all of the hardware compatibility issue bugs out of them... usually.

About 2 years ago when I was still a sys admin where I work we leased Dell PCs. For the most part they were pretty reliable but they weren't without fault. We had a round of bad motherboards with leaky capacitors and a series of hard drive failures involving one specific model. All of these issues were covered under warranty and Dell replaced these components without complaint.

If you do decide to build your own keep in mind, you will always get what you pay for. Always. Every time. Don't spend money on the great motherboard and processor then turn around and put a $10 power supply in it. Buy the good stuff and do it right. Google is your friend. You can use it to warn you of possible hardware conflicts between the various components going into it. Pricewatch.com is a great place to find good deals but there are a lot of "generics" on there. Newegg.com is great as well, I bought almost everything for a build I did for a friend from there. If you sign up for their newsletter they email you some "secret" deals every week.

If you decide to go with one of the major brands and get one built for you I suggest going to places like fatwallet.com They have a hot deals forum that list some pretty good deals online.

http://www.fatwallet.com/c/18/

For example there's a Dell right there on the front page that's looking pretty appealing.

Whatever you decide, do your research, google some stuff and get exactly what you want.

 

Check out this monitor. Keep an eye out for rebates. I got it when they had a $40 rebate. This thing is amazing. Make sure your graphics card will support the resolution.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...203&CatId=2775

Brad

 

Thanks folks for all the answers. Good stuff, keep the suggestions coming. Still doing lots of head scratching on this one. Lots of questions still to answer such as: Vista (which version) or XP? Intel or AMD, which brand, which brand and model of monitor, etc etc.
Due to my location have decided against building my own, even tho I know I would have enjoyed it plus saved money. In any case, lately just do not have the time. So now have to decide on brand, version, reseller etc. It's a whole new ball game when one is so far away from cheap sources and variety of choice. Next week will dig into the local suppliers and see if they can come close to matching the US prices.
Have a friend going to Austin at the of the month so can get stuff delivered there for him to bring back to me. I am too busy here to take a break and head north to do any personal shopping, even over Christmas Darn!
Jack, checked into the Lenovo line. Interesting company and products. That is an option, but when I dug down into the reviews the Lenovo line appears to be consistently slower in all ways compared to Dell, however they are still on the list.
Decisions, decisions, decisions!

 

I too am looking at getting a new laptop. I currently have a Dell Inspiron, about 4 years old, but it has been a good piece of equipment. I have several Dell laptops being used in my office that have all been good investments.

Dell does offer XP in their builds, so I am considering continuing with the XP instead of moving into the Vista. I hate the thoughts of having to get all new software. It used to be that software was backwards compatible, but I have not been able to determine if Vista will run any of the XP stuff?

I do not need all the bells and whistles for gaming, etc. Just time to replace an old, getting worn out keyboard. Anyone know about the software compatibilities?

CD