Choosing a new computer

Good morning everyone. I'm interested in purchasing a new desktop computer for Christmas and I would really like to get the best deal for my buck. All the computers I have purchased before were store brought already built desktops. They have all worked perfectly. However, I would like to get something that will be better than what I have currently. To be honest I don't know anything about computers and I believe I have found some websites that explain good information about computers and what should be my best choice.

That's where you guys come in! I would like someone, hopefully a lot of people, to help me learn more about computers and ultimately make my choice for Christmas.

Link 1
Link 2

reply to post by Phoenix267


Do you know anyone who can build a computer , the best bang for your buck by far is to build your own ...or get someone to build it for you

reply to post by gortex


My friend Paul purchased a very awesome Alienware desktop & monitor combo years ago. He requested what he wanted and they built it the way he wanted. I loved how it had a lot of space, a lot of speed, and he could play the latest games on it. That's the only place I know that builds computers.

Also, usage is a factor.

What are you going to use it for?

Photo's
Music
Web Surfing.

Gaming / Graphics intensive ?

I use mine for listening / burning music
photo storage
web surfing
light gaming...

I have an HP from best buy... $399 and handles everything that I can throw at it....

Here are some Package Deals from Best Buy... these would be good...

Good luck...

reply to post by Phoenix267


Well, Dell, depends on how much you want to spend.....

Dell Options

These don't include a monitor...

I ordered a Dell XPS years ago... had XP on it and I got 7 years use out of it.... it was a great PC.
It finally started "dying", so I wiped the drive and re-loaded XP and can still use it from time to time
for basic web surfing.....

reply to post by gortex


Yup finding someone that knows how to build a computer is the best option. I've built almost every computer I've used, the only I've not built was the first one I ever had and that was a hand me down from my parents.

I don't think the links you posted will help you much, the moment they started talking about computer case size I walked away.

What are you looking to do with the computer with in the day you get it and what would you like it be able to do when it's six years old? With that info I can give you basic specs to look for.

Hi Phoenix! I think the first question you should ask yourself is what are you going to use the computer for?

Will it be used mostly for email, office documents and internet?

Are you going to be storing tons of documents, spreadsheets and pictures on it?

Will it be used for intense gaming and lots of streaming media?

Depending on what it's use will be will help you determine if you need huge storage, a top of the line CPU and video card, memory and the ability to handle lots of additional devices.

For example, my girlfriend and I both have top of the line laptops since we both use them for some gaming and video and things like that, but her office computer (she runs a business from home) isn't as powerful since she uses it mostly for email, spreadsheets, photos and documents. However, for the office PC I made sure to get her a huge hard drive and an even bigger external hard drive to handle all of the data and be able to back up all her business files.

Most computer stores will make custom-built PCs. You choose all the components, then they build it and put everything together for you. (Fees to be aware of are cost of individual parts, building fee and operating system installation). If you are not very experienced, you should avoid building it yourself. Rather leave it to the professionals. And don't forget you are free to walk in and ask for advice with no commitment to buying anything.

I made a thread a while back on basic computer components. You can find it here. Hopefully that thread will aid you in understanding the different components of a computer.

Once you have an understanding of the components, it's time to decide what your budget is and what you want to get out of the desktop.

Good luck buying your new computer

Thanks for the information guys. I'm currently looking into Alienware because I was computer for gaming, schooling, etc. Whatever I can use it for. Something that would be top notch and will give me more bang for my buck.

reply to post by Phoenix267


You can look at Tigerdirect.com
They always have deals going on. Especially now with back to shcool comming up.

I'm not sure what you will use it for.
But base specs for me would be.

Core i7 or i5. i7 is better.
8 Gigs of ram. more is better.
win7 64bit or win 8 64bit OS
1 Terrabyte hard drive or as close as you can get to 1TB if not more.

A decent video card from nvidia or ati won't hurt either.

reply to post by Phoenix267


Really it depends on what you intend to do with the system, if you aren't into gaming or video editing, you don't need to spend 400$ on a video card, the onboard video will be just fine.

You will always save money building yourself, as long as you know how. And your friend who "builds" pcs? Yeah, I had a friend who did that too, cost my over 2 grand in fried parts cause he didn't know what the hell he was doing.

There's a few things that can go horribly wrong building a desktop:

you purchase the wrong form factor case so your board or cards won't fit.
you improperly mount the board on the standoffs creating a short circuit (my friend)
you fail to properly install the heatsink with either thermal compound or a thermal pad, and it cooks your board/cpu.

honestly, pay them to build it. I'm a computer / network tech and have been building and working in the industry for over 10 years. the last desktop i bought, I paid NCIX (or tiger direct, can't remember) to build it for me, you pick the parts, customize it the way you want, then for 50$ they build it, and it's under warranty.

You've got a few choice to make tho. Intel or AMD? You can save some cash with amd, you really can, but for certain ranges, intel offers the most bang for your buck, an icore7 or even an icore5 would be great, my 7 is a few years old now and still running swift like a boss.

I'd suggest a solid state drive for windows, 120gigs is more than enough. They are ridiculously fast and tend to last longer than mechanical drives. But.... because it's nand flash memory, once it goes, don't expect much data recovery options.

For my rig, I run windows, games, and a few apps from the SSD, the rest sits on a standard mechanical sata drive.

You don't need a flashy case, in fact, most that end up with blue or red LEDs all over the place grow to hate them, i have, I hate LEDs, yet most fans that ship are led fans.

I'd suggest an LED monitor (I don't hate THOSE leds) they are rather cheap, and unless you get some crappy walmart brand, are pretty epic screens, night and day difference between a standard 1080p lcd and an LED.

Most motherboards will have your network card, video and audio built in, unless you are doing gaming, or high end video / audio editing, they are more than enough.

Since it's a desktop, avoid windows 8 like aids, get windows 7 if you can.

As for technical specifics, kinda need details as to price range, possibly retailers, and what you intend to do with it. I can tell you to try to avoid asrock boards, they tend to have bad capacitors.

reply to post by Phoenix267

Thanks for the information guys. I'm currently looking into Alienware because I was computer for gaming, schooling, etc. Whatever I can use it for. Something that would be top notch and will give me more bang for my buck.

Tiger director or NCIX, with alienware you are paying for the fancy logo case, you can build better systems for less, even with paying NCIX to build the system and ship it whole. Don't get suckered by fancy logos and cases.

Video wise, ATI cards are i think still running best bang for your buck, my ati 7950 is a beast, a BEAST, but nvidia is tested and true and has much better customer support.

reply to post by phishyblankwaters


Thanks for telling me about the websites. I would like to build a computer with Linux's Ubuntu operating system. Microsoft is good, but I believe this would be better for me.

Originally posted by Phoenix267
reply to post by phishyblankwaters

 

I would like to build a computer with Linux's Ubuntu operating system. Microsoft is good, but I believe this would be better for me.

If you want to play a lot of games on it then your best choice would be a Microsoft system. Not as many games will run on Ubuntu as Windows.

reply to post by PhoenixOD


I didn't think about that. I just wanted to play a few online games that would be able to allow my computer to run properly without fail. The computers I have purchased before are terrible at playing games. When the fans are struggling to cool your PC down for a short online game you know you have a problem.

AVADirect is the site i would use if your not going to build it they can even dualboot install linux and windows
there cheapest computer is about 400 and you can upgrade any part u would like in the prosess or even call them
iv never used them myself most computer people i know who dont like to get there hands dirty buy from them

alienware is now owned bye dell unless ur buying a laptop i would avoid them dell likes to use very chap parts
truth is the avg dell is worth 1/2 the price

hear is a good one to start with www.avadirect.com...

reply to post by Phoenix267


sir, have a look at the thread created by me that directly concerns your topic.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

its full of good advisement.

Building a computer is a very fun and educational experience. There are many great online resources and books that can get you started if you choose to go this route. I recently built my second desktop. I shop for parts mostly on Newegg and Tiger Direct.

Basic parts you need include:

Case
Power Supply
Motherboard
CPU (may come with motherboard) Manufacturers include Intel and AMD.
RAM
Video Card (may be integrated (part of the motherboard) or you might need to buy a separate one or choose to buy a separate one for more power)
Drives: Hard drive, DVD/CD/Blue Ray drive with whatever combination of read/write you want for each media

Make sure everything is compatible. You need a power supply that fits in the case you buy, or a case that comes with a power supply. The power supply should provide enough power for all of the components. The motherboard and drives need to use the same sort of bus interface (connecting cable); most likely you'll only find SATA now; my first computer used IDE, so when I built my new one, I had to get all new drives. The motherboard also needs to support the CPU (processor) that you buy. Make sure you have a slot on your motherboard that is compatible with the video card that you buy, if you go that route as opposed to integrated video.

Read all instructions carefully, and after it is built, monitor it for a while to make sure it is not overheating or having unexpected shutdowns or other signs that something went wrong.

Some options to consider: if you want a really fast boot up and disk access, an SSD is fantastic for a hard drive, however, they can be pricey. I got an SSD for my laptop and opted for a regular hard drive for my new desktop.

Another thing to consider is how long you want to use the computer for (how many years). If you leave lots of room for upgrades in things like RAM, drives, and cards, the computer could last you a very long time. However, it usually cost a bit more to have this extra extensibility.

Actual assembly for a desktop is not that hard; the trickiest part is mounting the processor, usually. For my first computer, I opted to have the processor already installed on the motherboard.

Invest in an anti-static wrist band to ground yourself while working inside so you don't zap any of your expensive components with static electricity on a dry day. They tend to be pretty cheap and can save you a lot of trouble.

Building your own computer is a great way to familiarize yourself with all the components and get a system that really meets your needs. Good luck if you decide to give it a go.

reply to post by Phoenix267


Aliencrap? Might as well got a Dell lol


If you got the money to waste on alienware, go buy a Falcon-NorthWest
www.falcon-nw.com...


However best bet is to build yourself or go down to a local PC shop most of the guys will assemble it for you for 100 bucks or less.

Just go in and chat 'em up find a shop you like. imo.

reply to post by Phoenix267


Phoenix,
If you do have friends that can help you build a computer, that is the way to go,
However, if you don't have any tech-savvy friends about, there are tons of you tube videos on the subject of building your own.

It's actually quite easy as I built my desktop on a budget of $400 and walked away with everything I needed sans the monitor and case.

My current build is an AMD six-core processor with 8 Gigabytes of memory, a terabyte hard drive (1000 Gigabytes), mother board and power supply. Also on a side note just fyi, if you are buying an Alienware you are buying a Dell and I wouldn't recommend Dell to my worst enemy simply because of the poor customer support (being extremely polite there). I know this from doing tech support and dealing with Dell on a daily basis, they will leave you on hold until you are gray...

HP is good and has way better customer service but again I stress that building your own rig for gaming and multi-tasking isn't as hard as one might think. My rig was built in under 2 hours and it was my first time.

Since you are a gamer, your biggest concerns will be with the processor and video card. If you game, do not opt for "on-board video" as this is much less effective for gaming as the graphics should have their own dedicated gpu or "graphics processing unit".

As mentioned above, Tigerdirect has some pretty good deals, if you were to buy these pre-assembled they would be priced largely above what they are on the site.

Kits with everything

***A quick word on cases and mother boards. Most mother boards are mini or micro atx (what's commonly referred to as Form Factor), make sure your case matches your mother board. i.e. mid-sized cases will accomodate mini and micro atx mother boards.***

I hope this helps you a little in your decision making process.

Kind regards,
Frank