New computer, what brand? [Archive] - DiscussAnything.com -

ragtopdave

12-28-2005, 08:55 PM

I'm looking to get a new computer in the next few months, and I've been doing a lot of research, but I want to get some other opinions. You know, to help give me a different perspective.

One thing though, don't jump in here listing Macs. I know the pros and cons of those, I don't want one. They are sharp, and the reviews are great, but I'm far too much into the PC world.

Another thing, I'm looking for more of a budget to midrange system. Spending about $1200.

I've found a great company called Cyberpower, and I'm leaning towards them or an HP.

So, let me have it!

Bear Stories

12-28-2005, 09:13 PM

I'm sold on the HP. All three of my computers have been Hewlett-Packard's and not only have I found their customer support to be great, but they've always given me the best deal. (Assuming, of course, you can afford to shell out a pretty hefty purchase price and coup the back end with the rebates.)

The system I'm using now, I shelled out $1300 for the whole kit and caboodle, but received almost $600 in rebates.)

Gibson

12-28-2005, 09:15 PM

I'd never buy a computer off the shelf, but if I had to I'd buy an HP hands down. :)

caddis

12-28-2005, 09:33 PM

My new one is an HP Media center

mike75

12-28-2005, 09:37 PM

cyberpower built two of my buddies systems and they love them. They were more gamer heavy and it was the place they could build it for the cheapest without building the computer themselves. I plan on buying a system off there as soon as I make a little more money

The Frog

12-28-2005, 10:17 PM

Alienware is the only one I'd wnat to build for me.

But all of my machines are me-built.

RedLine99

12-28-2005, 10:20 PM

But all of my machines are me-built.

yeah, i haven't bought a branded one since the the 286-16Mhz:eek3:

Gibson

12-28-2005, 10:24 PM

Off-topic I built myself a pretty kickass gaming rig for 1300 :shrug:

Kraw

12-28-2005, 11:39 PM

are you able to build your own? I wasn't, but the good people here helped me about 5 years ago. I've built many since then.

there was a company, ABC or ABS something, that was like a partner with newegg. They ahd some nice machines at great prices

Adi

12-29-2005, 12:41 AM

ITA Bearstories,HP all the way.

Kraw

12-29-2005, 10:08 AM

RedLine99

12-29-2005, 05:55 PM

kinda a side note here, but a buddy of mine just sold me his Viewsonic G810 for $40!:w00t:

Betty

12-29-2005, 06:01 PM

http://www.abs.com/index.asp

they use quality parts. YOu can build one of their gaming machines with some good stuff for about 1200-1500. If you don't chose many options, you can get it for just under 1200
That's one of the big things that set them apart from an HP or Dell. Off the shelf computers tend to come with cheap power supplies, low on memory, crappy northbridges, etc...

Definitely go with an ABS. It's like a homebuilt with a warantee.

ragtopdave

12-29-2005, 07:28 PM

Gibson

12-29-2005, 07:32 PM

Well, for some of you that build your own, do you buy the case, the mother board, the chipsets, etc? Or do you "build" it from a computer maker like Cyberpower.

Also, I'm not mainly looking for a gaming compouter, as much as a nice well rounded media computer. I mostly use mine for internet, burning music, DVD's (home movies) I do digital photos, etc. The gaming stuff would be lost on me, but from what I've seen, cyberpower matches up well with the stuff you get from an HP. I will agree though, the HP is good bang for the buck, and you can always upgrade stuff on it like the power supply, new drives, etc.

My HP 750c is a pretty good system, but showing some slow down due to the new stuff out there. It's only a 1.8 ghz system with 512k RAM and an 80 gb hdd. I've put a new power supply in it, a DVD burner, and a new sound card, because face it, integrated sound plain sucks. I have a good speaker system with a sub and when I put the sound card in, it came alive. A big difference.
If you want to "Media Center" it up you need at LEAST a gig of ram and a halfway decent vid card. I'd recommend a good ATi All-in-wonder radeon so you can record your own stuff off TV. Integrated sound ain't that bad. I have integrated audio on my shuttle and it rules. It's got optical outputs and 5.1 support. It's really nice actually. You also want a 2 gig-ish proc with 64 bit processing. If you don't like AMD then you want at least a 3.2ghz pentium4 w/hyper threading. :)

Kraw

12-29-2005, 08:59 PM

Well, for some of you that build your own, do you buy the case, the mother board, the chipsets, etc? Or do you "build" it from a computer maker like Cyberpower.

Also, I'm not mainly looking for a gaming compouter, as much as a nice well rounded media computer. I mostly use mine for internet, burning music, DVD's (home movies) I do digital photos, etc. The gaming stuff would be lost on me, but from what I've seen, cyberpower matches up well with the stuff you get from an HP. I will agree though, the HP is good bang for the buck, and you can always upgrade stuff on it like the power supply, new drives, etc.

My HP 750c is a pretty good system, but showing some slow down due to the new stuff out there. It's only a 1.8 ghz system with 512k RAM and an 80 gb hdd. I've put a new power supply in it, a DVD burner, and a new sound card, because face it, integrated sound plain sucks. I have a good speaker system with a sub and when I put the sound card in, it came alive. A big difference.
well, we can recommend parts, make it a wish list on newegg, then you order it and put it all together :)

for your needs, a 1200 machine is a little overkill. You could build a decent sys for half of that. I'm still running my xp1700 machine I built several years ago. It's only 1.43 ghz but I've got 1gb ram and 160gb of HDD's :D I have an uptodate vid and sound card too. I think I originally built the system for maybe 500 bux and have done several small upgrades over the years

Janus

12-30-2005, 08:07 AM

Betty

12-30-2005, 10:28 AM

for your needs, a 1200 machine is a little overkill.
I agree. The only thing that really makes a computer expensive is gaming, and since he don't really game much...

I'd say a very nice media system can be built for around 7-800ish, and that's including paying for a legal copy of Windows.

I've got a lot of time on my hands, maybe I'll throw something together today.

jonnyofthedead

12-30-2005, 11:24 AM

How about Ars Technica's budget HTPC?

http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/system-guide-200512.ars/3
Mobo: Asus A8N-VM CSM (Nforce4, onboard GeForce 6150)
CPU: A64 3000+
HS/F: Zalman CNPS7000 Al/CU
RAM: 1 Gb PC3200
2 TV tuners
250 Gb Seagate HD
Wireless keys & mouse
XP Media Centre Edition
350W quiet PSU
uATX case

Comes to just under $900, but it'd be under $800 without the tuners...

If I were building the system as a desktop w/ limited media centre capabilities, I'd go with the same setup, but I'd lose one tuner and swap their case/PSU for an Antec P150.

Gibson

12-30-2005, 11:42 AM

That's actually a nice setup jotd :nice:

Betty

12-30-2005, 01:03 PM

dammit, that's almost exactly what I was putting together. I think there are cameras behind me.

Betty

12-30-2005, 01:52 PM

DL DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827135043
Case with decent power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119089
8 in 1 floppy drive / media reader
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16821104104
80G Sata HDD for OS and apps
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822135106
250G Sata HDD for pr0n... err, umm, I mean mass storage for media
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148065
micro-atx mobo with decent onboard video
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131570
2 case fans
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835186122
1 Gig stick of RAM (dual channel and onboard video rarely cooperate anyway)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820223020
Floppy and IDE cables
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16812103013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16812104635
Retail CPU with stock fan (reviewers said fan is super quiet and cools well)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103535
Full legal copy of XP pro (if you're into that sort of thing)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16837102062

Total comes to just under $800 before tax and shipping.

ragtopdave

12-30-2005, 10:45 PM

Good stuff people! Gives me ideas. But for the record, when I said $1200, that was including a 19" flat panel monitor. I'm tired of my massive old desk top monitor and want to get a super cool flat panel.

ragtopdave

12-30-2005, 10:48 PM

Kraw

12-30-2005, 11:44 PM

you can get a nice 19" LCD for 250 bux http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824021019

keyboards are cheap too, 10 bux http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823131115

mouse http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826147003

keep in mind, I just did a search for the CHEAPEST of each. You can get a nice wireless combo from Logitech for 50 bux or even cheaper for off brand.

once you get the parts, you will be guided by the people posting in this thread :)

92Notch

12-31-2005, 11:18 AM

I prefer Dell .... intel based, of course .... for out of the box PC's.

ragtopdave

01-01-2006, 08:07 PM

I prefer Dell .... intel based, of course .... for out of the box PC's.

While Dell is a top notch company, I would rather have a built system or an HP, for the simple fact you get more for you money. Buying a Dell, means you get a good computer, but you pay a price for it. And honestly, for as long as I'll have this particular computer, or any computer I've ever had for that matter, it would be a wash. Other computer companies use the same internal parts, or better ones than Dell uses.

Plus, when I look at PC reviews, and see how PC World continually ranks other brands over Dell brands, I'm wondering why I would want to pay a higher price?

92Notch

01-01-2006, 10:57 PM

While Dell is a top notch company, I would rather have a built system or an HP, for the simple fact you get more for you money. Buying a Dell, means you get a good computer, but you pay a price for it. And honestly, for as long as I'll have this particular computer, or any computer I've ever had for that matter, it would be a wash. Other computer companies use the same internal parts, or better ones than Dell uses.

Plus, when I look at PC reviews, and see how PC World continually ranks other brands over Dell brands, I'm wondering why I would want to pay a higher price?

I agree ... I would not buy one, I would build my own. but if I were going w/ an off the shelf PC I prefer dell .... just a personal preference, that's all.

Gibson

01-01-2006, 11:12 PM

When you buy a dell, you're paying for the warranty. Trust me.

TheAmber

01-02-2006, 12:06 AM

Just so you know before you go with HP, they hav the WORST customer service in the world. My computer, under warranty, shot sparks and exploded when I plugged it in one day (with a surge protector!) and I had to threaten to SUE HP in order for them to honor my warranty and say that it wasn't my fault my computer exploded.

Before I had to take that measure, they gave me 2 fake numbers and told me an unreachable manager would call that never did.

Also, I"ve had problems with my computer starting up and staying on recently, and they had the nerve to tell me it's my screen and charge me 700 dollars to replace it. I get it back to find the SAME problem still happening and no way to prove that they were wrong without an even bigger mess.

92Notch

01-02-2006, 12:13 AM

Betty

01-04-2006, 10:13 AM

And with this order, are you putting the parts together to build your own computer or having newegg build it and ship it? I'm guessing you're building it since you have left out the case, keyboard, mouse, etc.
The case is there.

BooRadley

01-04-2006, 10:16 AM

I've been generally happy with my HP, and extremely happy with my Mac, though that's not the market you're in.

I used to build my own PCs, but with the market as competative as it is, you don't save enough to make it worth the effort. When I buy another desktop, it'll probably be another HP. (For laptops, I think I'm sticking with Powerbooks from now on.)

SudruhEsO

01-05-2006, 04:16 AM

nah.. hp sucks. i disliked them, and after reinstalling about 20 of them i hate em.. stupid backup system, bad compatibility, stupid customer service... well if you need it just for work and watching p0rn ok, but nothing more :)

if you wanna play games and break the overclocking records, then the best thing is to put one together yourself... read some rewievs "motherboards, gk, cpu and their compatibility", and ask around the forums. and never let the clerk to talk about how is this part /that he cannot sell for about a month/ way better /and more expensive-or just is better coz it costs more/ than your "lousy" part /which is usualy better for what youre planing to do and/or possibly costs less/...

Mr. Know It All

01-05-2006, 11:09 AM

My company uses HP boxes. I dislike them. Junk is another word.
I do not have any recommendations since I do not care for any of the other computer companies. Maybe sony but they cost far too much.

Thus, I build my own. It is fairly easy. Then again, I am my own support.

TheAmber

01-06-2006, 01:11 PM

HP is TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE!

OK so, within the past year my HP pavillion notebook has had the same problem of not being able to start past turning the backlighting on TWICE and the first time I sent it in to HP they told me the screen was broken, that's not under warranty, and charged me 700 dollars. So, I paid it, got the computer back, plug it in, and it EXPLODES! It literally shoots sparks out at me and makes a hissing sound. So, I send it back to them, and they have the NERVE to tell me that 1. that might not be under my warranty either 2. that a manager would call me back who didn't even EXIST when i tried calling and aasking for him since he never did call 3. gave me a FAKE WRONG number to get rid of me so I would have to call back and get a different customer service representative. I had to threaten to sue them to get them to even listen to me.

Now, my computer is having the same problem it had the FIRST time where it wouldn't start (where HP asked me to give them 700 dollars for the screen) but I'm not sending it back to them again. I refuse. Thank god CompUSA has a 3 year warranty on that thing... maybe they won't be such jerks.

Anyways, HP's are hell. Don't get one if you ever want help with anything.

BooRadley

01-08-2006, 03:11 PM

Odd. When I had a disk failing, I emailed them, told them it was failing, gave them the error it had given me, told them I didn't want to talk to anyone, I just wanted to RMA the disk, and they sent me a new one and a nice email. The end. I was very impressed with the support, because they didn't hassle me at all, and just filled the RMA request.

TheAmber

01-08-2006, 05:11 PM

No they scammed me pretty terribly and lied.

SudruhEsO

01-09-2006, 05:31 AM

2booradley - guess youre lucky... or you screewed yer disk big time... hehe...
usually i deal with disk problems /and many other problems/ -
roll a d6 dice and
1- format disk and restore, no problems
2- bitch around, delete some files /all p0rn and mp3s/, bitch even more, tell em its their fault for having so much illegal files /well if they shared it before it would be fine../, leave... problem ratio 1/10 /aka 1of 10 has the nerve to call again/...
3- play some games /probably a good MUD - coz its only text and most users thing that i do something usefull. /and not killing elder balog, or exterminating sorcerers//, tell the user it is working... they shut up and cause no problems..
4- just delete some icons and give a new mouse pad... /surprisingly it works. got no complains later from the user and the machine works fine for 2months/
5- take the computer to service. and not care. i usualy do it to the most annoying people.. and i tell the service people to take their time :)
6- do something else. and/or just roll again /note- user=girl-cca20y-good looking - do something "else", other roll again/