new computer time

payback462

payback462

Joined
Nov 2, 2001
Messages
667
ok, so its finally time for me to get a new computer (for college:barf: )
and im not sure what i wanna get, i know i dont want some peice o junk off the shelf computer, and DEFINETALY not a mac.

and since im going to pretty much the cheapest college in the world i was told i could pretty much get whatever computer i wanted. of course the first thought that popped into my head was falcon northwest. i can still remember drooling over their ads 5 years ago in pcgamer when i was totally into that whole video game thing, but now im not sure i even need that much power.

so what do you guys think, should i go for the falcon, or just go with a dell or gateway, or maybe alienware?


BTW, heres the falcon northwest website- http://www.falcon-nw.com/index.asp
 
Falcon NW and Alienware both make hot turnkey systems, but charge a premium for their services. You can build the exact same system for less money if you do a bit of research. Spend a couple hours on the following websites and you'll be able to make your own decisions about what components you want to use. Once you've built your own rig, tech support becomes mostly surperflous (spelling?).

It's tremendously gratifying when you first hit the power switch and get a boot screen.

Look here:

www.sharkeyextreme.com

www.tomshardware.com

www.hardocp.com

www.virtualhideout.com

www.adrenalinevault.com

www.maximumpc.com

For a long time maximum PC has a FAQ posted about how to build your own PC. That's what got me started. I've probably built 25- 30 systems since for my family or friends. It's much easier than you think. The skills don't look bad on a resume either.

jmx

PS: My System:

P4 1.7 ghz (running at 1.82 ghz) in a Soyo Dragon Ultra motherboard w/ 512 mb of Mushkin PC2700 333mhz DDR ram.

PNY GeForce 4 Ti4400 Vid card runing at 300 mhx core and 600mhz DDR memory.

Soundblaster Audigy 5.1 Gamer soundcard

Plextor 12/10/32A CDRW and Pioneer DVD115 DVDRom drive

40 gig Maxtor 7200 RPM hard drive

It's all housed in a moded Antec full tower case with a few extra fans and a 425 watt power supply. I replaced the led's so there is a blue LED for main power and a flashing red LED for drive access. When I'm hitting the hard drive it liiks like a Police cruiser!

20" Sony Mutliscan 20 SFII monitor

6 channel NAD amplifier powering a Sound Dynamics CineSat/ CineSub surround speaker system.

Win XP Home with all the latest drivers.

Pacbell DSL (about 600K/s download speeds)

This system Rocks!
 
Dell all the way. I'm on my second laptop from them, and they are GREAT. In-home service is amazing. I've never been disappointed with them.

drjones
 
ALIENWARE ALL THE WAY!!
They make some of the best custom computer systems, bar none!
I've had one for a while now, and it has never had any problems. Plus, you can get your tower and mouse painted in cool colors! :D

Jeff
 
I got a VPR Matrix and have been happy with it. I think I would have had trouble building one for the same price or lower (see thread in this forum) but my timing was right to take advantage of a few excellent specials.
 
First I'd like to ask "why not Mac"? Their professional line is what I'm going to buy next, and I make my living with computers. Not to mention spending my free time..

Then.. if you're getting a PC you have an awful lot of choices. When it comes to processing power etc. you should use moderation, get what you need, not pay a premium for that last 10% or 30% of power you won't notice anyway. Power-wise, a balanced 600$ computer (screen not included) will run any current game, and continue to do so for three years - maybe needs a video card upgrade on the way, though. I'm guessing you won't do anything else people might need power for, like 3D rendering or video processing. The point is not that you should limit the price tag to 600$, just realize that anything over that and you're paying for features. Before you buy, know what those features are.

When buying a computer "from scratch", I would invest in case and associated parts plus interface. If you get cheap on either they'll bug you every day. However, get quality and one day you'll be plugging your third motherboard to the same case, beside which your old display still stands.:)

Case:
Sound. The computer should not make a lot of it. This requires tweaked/special fans inside the case, insulated and specially chosen hard disks, sturdy (aluminum or insulated) case that reduces vibration. If you buy an expensive whole computer, IMHO you can expect the company to give decibel levels when asked.
Maintainability. Case must be easily opened without tools. Rounded cables inside help airflow & maintenance. I'd like to have filtered air intake, not sure if that is available anywhere else than industrial computers. Good feature though, with multiple real benefits towards fault-tolerance.
Looks. If you'll keep the computer out in the open, it obviously needs to look unintrusive.

Interface:
Last time I got a computer I paid as much for the display that I paid for the rest of the computer. Nowadays displays are a lot better and people no longer need to spend tons of cash just to get a "decent" one. Absolute minimum you should consider is a 300$ 19" CRT monitor.
Also keyboard & mouse are large factors in ease of use. IMHO, Microsoft Natural Pro USB keyboard and Logitech optical USB mice are second to none in price/performance.

- Gon
 
And oh, drjones: I have great impressions of Dell laptops, too - quite probably the best quality for the buck in PC laptops. But I understood the question was about a desktop computer and Dell desktops are severely overpriced.

Is someone who's used Dell able to tell what, if anything, compensates for the prices of the desktops?

- Gon
 
Just go lookin around for the best prices on parts (or get em whosale if u can) and build it yerself... much cheaper that way..
 
Actually the savings you get by building your own computer vs. having a no-name shop build it for you tend to be little. If you count your own work hours towards the price, assembling yourself will often cost you more. Not to mention time lost in fault-hunting, etc.

If you have no experience and no one to consult when things get hairy, don't build the computer yourself.

I lean towards buying complete or semi-complete computers, because as long as the warranty stands, I can just carry the whole thing to repair shop and be done with it. I can repair them but don't like it. That's why the society is specialized... the pros can do the same in an hour that I can do in 8. If their per-hour prices are high, it's still nothing compared to the saved 8 hours.

- Gon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top