cheap computers??

[jsusfrk32]

i was wondering if any one knew of some good computers for under $400. i know about all the Dell computers, but i just had one and it broke. so if yoyu know of any cheap ones that work alright, then please reply. as i speak i'm on my mom's computer. and i am not too fond of it.
~~Travi$~~

 

[Kristin364]

eMachines are pretty cheap. I think it might be hard to find a good $400 computer that will last a long time. You'll probably get a good 2 or 3 years out of them, but I could be wrong. Anyway...try looking into eMachines!

 

[Livinloud316]

seems to me that your best bet would be one of the big companies(Dell, HP, gateway). it would be cheaper to have someone build it or buy it at some website, but with one of the bif ones you get customer support, and a hardware warranty.

 

[GzusChick]

go to pricewatch.com & see of you can snatch a good deal there.

 

[Psalms34]

eMachines are pretty cheap. I think it might be hard to find a good $400 computer that will last a long time. You'll probably get a good 2 or 3 years out of them, but I could be wrong. Anyway...try looking into eMachines!

Yeah, emachines has one for like 400 but you may need to buy a monitor as well, but you can get CRT's for real cheap. emachines is now owned by gateway computers and the quality of emachines has really gone up.

Yes, www.pricewatch.com is another good place to check into. It's not a "computer company", they list mom and pop companies on the website that link to the sellers site. Just watch the reviews when choosing a seller and make sure you get all the details for a complete computer, unless you buy parts and build it yourself of course. Hard to build with only $400 though so just look for a complete deal. Also look into used refurbished models, maybe even newish used laptops

 

[Joseph E.]

I recommend having one built. They are better then store bought.

 

[daveleau]

If you go to Pricewatch, cross reference the vendors at resellerratings.com. It's a huge site that has references from users who have bought from the companies. I usually never buy from a 6.5 or lower rep at RR. But, it depends on what I am buying. If it's a simple component, then I am more forgiving. I used to work for resellerratings.com and their mother-site TechIMO.com.

In building your own system, buy all the parts from 1 or 2 companies to keep the shipping prices down.

Try newegg.com or mwave.com. I've had great success with them over the years.

If you want to buy rather than build (build = same price but better parts), then go with Dell, HP or Gateway. Stay away from Compaq and to a lesser extent e-Machine. They both have poor reputations, despite the draw of them having lowest prices.

Do not buy a computer built from a local shop. I have found that most shops don't have competitive prices and most give poor quality computers compared to self-built computers or mass-produced computers.

God bless you,
Dave

 

[Psalms34]

Stay away from Compaq and to a lesser extent e-Machine. They both have poor reputations, despite the draw of them having lowest prices.

Yeah, stay away from any used emachines, they were dirt a year or so ago. Personally I like the new T6212, for a rig that plays games it's pretty good. If you want something for cheap now but build it up over time with upgrades that's what it's perfect for. AMD 64bit, Fastest RAM and PCI-E video slot for the high end video cards, not bad at all.

 

[daveleau]

eMachines have consistent power supply (PSU) failure problems. Often when the PSU goes, it fries the mobo. Not a great option.

 

[Psalms34]

eMachines have consistent power supply (PSU) failure problems. Often when the PSU goes, it fries the mobo. Not a great option.

Oh I agree, emachines computers were crud before gateway aquired eMachines.

 

[GzusChick]

eMachines are pretty junky even with Gateway taking over, but that's just my opinion. I'm also a firm believer that you get what you pay for. I'm all about a good deal or getting something cheap but don't get dependant on a machine that you paid $400 for - the parts will be cheap & you run a greater risk of losing your data. If anything get a cheap machine & immediately replace the cheap hard drive with a Seagate or Western Digital.

 

[Psalms34]

eMachines are pretty junky even with Gateway taking over, but that's just my opinion. I'm also a firm believer that you get what you pay for. I'm all about a good deal or getting something cheap but don't get dependant on a machine that you paid $400 for - the parts will be cheap & you run a greater risk of losing your data. If anything get a cheap machine & immediately replace the cheap hard drive with a Seagate or Western Digital.

err... it does have a WD (160gig7200rpm). It also has the ATI chip set. DDR400 RAM. 64bit processor. PCI-E slot which is golden for gaming. This is bad stuff? I dunno what you are thinking of, my opinion says that's great stuff. I guess emachines changed their vendors from what you knew of them before gateway took over.

 

[GzusChick]

OK, I went & looked & apparently I'm still biased from before, but I couldn't find the brand of any of the hardware, where do I get those specs?

 

[Psalms34]

OK, I went & looked & apparently I'm still biased from before, but I couldn't find the brand of any of the hardware, where do I get those specs?

Hmm... interesting, you were biased because you though the HD was crud and not a WD but now that you know it is infact a WD... you are still biased?

Oh and btw just to make it clear the T6212 is in the $500 range but worth the few extra pennies, but still well within the cheap range. I've seen $700 computers with less.

Yeah, I have the specs on my other computer but it's busy and not in Windows atm. Quick search brought up this though: MSI MS-7093

 

[GzusChick]

No, I meant I went & looked & was apparently still basing my judgements on before Gateway bought them out.

So, you don't know off hand of a website with brand specifics for the emachines?

 

[Psalms34]

No, I meant I went & looked & was apparently still basing my judgements on before Gateway bought them out.

So, you don't know off hand of a website with brand specifics for the emachines?

Ah, ok I understand now.

No, emachines does not post an official components list. I went through reviews to piece together the information, originally.

 

[jsusfrk32]

thanx guys! yall are helping. and just to clear things up- i already have a moniter, keyboard, speakers, and a mouse. i just need the actual computer part. and yall can talk about graphic cards and hard drives all day and i still wont know what the heck you're talking. im only 14, so all i would use it for is music, Microsoft Office, surfing the web, and the occasional game or two. nothing big. but thanx guys~
~~Travi$~~

 

[Psalms34]

Oh I have no idea what your level of expertise with a computer in relation of you age, Bro. When I was 14 I was writing programs that used flat data bases as well as doing data recovery for people. When I was 15 I fixed my first computer (hardware) after having two semester of electronics classes at school. When I was 16 I was putting IC chips inside small robots after two more semesters of electronics.

Naw, we were simply talking about low priced computers and how reliable the hardware is regarding certain brands.

What kind of games do you play or plan on playing with this computer? That seem to be the only thing you mentioned that can be demanding on the performance of the computer. For the rest, any reliable computer will work fine.

 

[jsusfrk32]

that's fantastic that you are that into electronics- but im not. if i wanted to be, i could learn all that computer jazz- i just spend my time with other stuff- i think elecs are fun, but im just not that into it. i really just wanted a computer that could play music, surf the web, and if i got a semi- good game, (rollercoaster Tycoon, the Sims) it would have enough memory and power to play it. but thanks-
~~Travi$~~

 

[Les Grands Pieds]

Get one of those new Mac minis. They come with Tiger, which is like the greatest operating system in the world hands down and it's just about the only computer you could fit in a backpack and still have plently of room to spare. It's amazing, check it out for yourself!
www.apple.com/macmini/
Life's too short not to use a Mac.