Help me shop for computers!

[ravendta]

I havent had any problems with my Dell Inspiron, i acully really like it... so i dont know where u got those ideas from, but i completley disagree.

Well, I'm glad you enjoy your Dell. It's one of the few working ones. My information is based on actual numbers from our tech shop at work. Dells are cheap quality and lame.

Another thing is that he said he was on a budget, a custom bulit gaming CP and run u alot of $$$$... so if u have a good job and dont spend money on anything else but computers and gaming it is a good option.. but if you are like most of the population, you dont have enough money to get whatever you want... Yeah.. thats my 2 cents worth
Jon

Exactly right. Custom built is the best option, but its expensive.

 

[Breetai]

Custom built is the best option, but its expensive.

I don't think it's substantially more. If you have the skills to build one yourself, or a friends who's willing, it can be cheaper (or am I just delusional?).

 

[WhirlwindMonk]

I don't think it's substantially more. If you have the skills to build one yourself, or a friends who's willing, it can be cheaper (or am I just delusional?).

Not at all delusional. When I get bored sometimes, I'll look at the dells in the magazines and look up the prices to build an equivalent (or better) computer on newegg.com, and even with dell's so called "free" memory and monitor upgrades, custom building is still cheaper. My custom build that cost me almost $2K last January (almost a year now) I think still runs over $2K from dell. When I first built it, I think it broke $3K. So I second ravendta. Never EVER buy dells if you can avoid it. Heck, avoid pre-built period if at all possible. Custom building a desktop isn't hard. I learned just from talking to some of my more knowledgeable friends and reading online articles, and then put together an awesome gaming machine. Don't sell yourself short by saying you don't know enough. Sit down for a couple hours a week and read and ask questions on here. There are plenty of people (including myself) who I'm sure would be happy to help you learn the ropes. Within a couple months, no matter how computer illiterate you are right now, you could probably build a computer without much trouble. Don't waste time and money with a Dell when you could learn quite a bit of useful stuff (who knows when your parents will need tech support?) and get a much better deal for your money.

 

[stonewalljon]

Well, I'm glad you enjoy your Dell. It's one of the few working ones. My information is based on actual numbers from our tech shop at work. Dells are cheap quality and lame.



Exactly right. Custom built is the best option, but its expensive.

Ok and my ponit is that he said he was on a budget....? i dont get how your custom built computer is a reasonable option for him.

 

[ravendta]

OK, I think you're reading my sentences wrong, or I'm not saying it clearly enough. Let me try another way.

Custom built is the best option for a reliable computer. HOWEVER, it is expensive, and he would have to save a bit more money for something high-end.

Better?

And to the OP, should you decide to buy a pre-built, my advice is to stick with an HP. I've always had good experiences with HP products - printers, computers, etc. - and their tech support hooked me up with a new laptop motherboard in less than a week when I needed it.

But if you're hoping to play games like Oblivion or Rainbox Six: Vegas or whatever, then you're gonna have to shell out more money. If WoW is all you want, then you could prolly pull it off for $600.

 

[ravendta]

I don't think it's substantially more. If you have the skills to build one yourself, or a friends who's willing, it can be cheaper (or am I just delusional?).

It's cheaper if you're comparing pre-built machines with custom PCs at the same specs. But it will still be quite expensive compared to his budget if he wants to have a top-of-the-line gaming machine.

 

[stonewalljon]

OK, I think you're reading my sentences wrong, or I'm not saying it clearly enough. Let me try another way.

Custom built is the best option for a reliable computer. HOWEVER, it is expensive, and he would have to save a bit more money for something high-end.

Better?

And to the OP, should you decide to buy a pre-built, my advice is to stick with an HP. I've always had good experiences with HP products - printers, computers, etc. - and their tech support hooked me up with a new laptop motherboard in less than a week when I needed it.

But if you're hoping to play games like Oblivion or Rainbox Six: Vegas or whatever, then you're gonna have to shell out more money. If WoW is all you want, then you could prolly pull it off for $600.

Yeah that is a lot more clear thanks!

Of course i would agree with you on that! I suppose i could have made a pretty nice gaming computer for the price i paid for my Dell, and i am hoping that it lasts, and proves to be better then appatently most of them are..so far so good, *knocks on wood* I would love to make a gaming PC someday though.. thanks for clearing up your message!
Jon
*Merry Christmas by the way*

 

[Breetai]

Custom built is the best option for a reliable computer. HOWEVER, it is expensive, and he would have to save a bit more money for something high-end.

It's only expensive for the computers that we've been recommending.

If he built the equivalent custom system to at brand name system, would it be more expensive?


Opps, I didn't read Ravendta's latest post when I wrote this. I'm still skeptical though.

 

[micro]

"But if you're hoping to play games like Oblivion or Rainbox Six: Vegas or whatever, then you're gonna have to shell out more money. If WoW is all you want, then you could prolly pull it off for $600."

Um.. no...on page 1 i posted links to a self built gameing rig with a little over the specs reccommended for oblivion..... Oh yeah and for $500 without windows xp...

 

[Sketcher]

"But if you're hoping to play games like Oblivion or Rainbox Six: Vegas or whatever, then you're gonna have to shell out more money. If WoW is all you want, then you could prolly pull it off for $600."

Um.. no...on page 1 i posted links to a self built gameing rig with a little over the specs reccommended for oblivion..... Oh yeah and for $500 without windows xp...

Yes, but a computer is a 2-3 year investment. He might be able to pull off a little gaming for now, but in a year it's just going to sputter along as the requirements for new games rise. Yesterday I was looking at the requirements for Splinter Cell Double Agent, and it's the first game I saw that was just beyond the capabilities of my rig that I built a year and a half ago.

 

[WhirlwindMonk]

Yes, but a computer is a 2-3 year investment. He might be able to pull off a little gaming for now, but in a year it's just going to sputter along as the requirements for new games rise. Yesterday I was looking at the requirements for Splinter Cell Double Agent, and it's the first game I saw that was just beyond the capabilities of my rig that I built a year and a half ago.

Agreed. I've personally never understood the point of spending $600 on a computer that only meets the requirements of today's games. I completely understand the whole budget thing. But with a computer, you're looking at a big investment. And if you put enough money and effort into that investment, it will pay it back easily. You could spend $600 each year on a new computer, or $1200 on a nicer one that lasts you two years and only costs a couple hundred to keep going for another. Heck, the computer I built 3 years ago for about $1K is still going strong. It certainly can't play Oblivion or something on full settings, but it can run it.

 

[Dust and Ashes]

The route I took with my PC was to put the majority of my investment in the motherboard and go low to moderate on the video card and processor. It will run anything out right now, though not necessarily with all details. In another year, when it's starting to really lag behind, I should be able to get a better video card, processor and add some memory and get another couple of years out of it.

 

[Abyssal]

In my experiance dells are really good, me and my family really like laptops (we all have one almost) and Dell has been pretty great for us. My sister ordered a new customized laptop from dell, and it got here before the estimated ship date! I'm not sure if building a laptop is much of an option for most people. I'd think it takes alot more expertise then building a desktop. I'm in the market for a new computer and might get a desktop, if I decide to get a desktop I might build my own. But I don't know, I might just get one from dell.

 

[MatthewEn]

Just focus On getting a good Cpu/Ram/Hard drive/ graphics card :0

 

[WhirlwindMonk]

Just focus On getting a good Cpu/Ram/Hard drive/ graphics card :0

In other words...get a good everything?