looking for a new computer
 

hi, well my computer died. i'm borrowing a laptop to search for a new computer.
anybody got a good recommendations for where? i'm currently looking at dell, memory express, atic and ncix.
i'd like to spend around 1000.....

thanks
rob

don't do the dell.
Build your own (or get them to build it) from one of the later 3. Ithink there is a few others out there as well that are pretty good.

why not dell? bad experience?
i was so close to picking a dual core system but the weekly special was over and they wouldnt honour the price a few days later. this has kinda left a bad impression with me

memory express!!! all they way, just get them 2 build it, or if u have a friend that knows how to put them together..u'll save alot of money, and be able to get everything exactly how u want it

I manage 60 desktops, 5 laptops and 3 servers at work, and they're all Dell. I have nothing but good to say about them. Just look for a good deal and be ready to buy. Sure we've had stuff break on them, but the response we get from dell has been second to none.
Just look for the one that says $xxx after $300 or 400 in savings.

I have a Dell and a build your own type of computer in my home office. My Dell burnt up a hard drive a couple of years ago, but it was still under warranty and they sent out a tech within a couple of days to repair it.

My Build your own type of computer has had various components replaced including the mother board a video card and a hard drive :cry: fortunately I have a friend that can repair them for a decent price.


I personally would buy another Dell (JMO) :mrgreen:

I work in the industry, and have built every computer I have ever owned. I've never had an issue with them. Building your own just means you need to research the components you want to use. Some do not do well with others. You also tend to pay WAY more than you planned, because well you want a good video card and not a crappy one, or you want that extra bit of memory etc etc.

For simple computing tasks go for a pre-built Dell or some such. For top of the line gaming build your own.

Why not a Dell? I'm on my second new purchase, can't beat the money and the service imo.

i guess chad is right, for the average person a dell is fine...but for the power user, 2 - 512 video cards, 2 gigs of pc2-8000 dual channel ram and dualing 21" monitors is a must :) IMO haha :D

When you are buying a PC for casual home use brand really doesn't matter too much. The companies that produce the components you would use in a PC you build yourself are the same companies that build parts for Dell and the other large OEMs.

This is a nice little system, an AMD proccessor with an Nvidia based motheboard.

http://pc.ncix.com/ncixpc/ncixpc.cfm...41C926-1000611

Jump the RAM up to 1GB and you should be pretty happy. It will run most games well enough but you won't end up spending big $ on hardware you don't really need.

If I read that NCIX system correctly it didn't come with an operating system. You would need to add that as well. For what you do and where you live Rob go with a Dell, I have heard they have excellent customer service.

There is nothing wrong with Dell itself. Like everyone else says the customer service is pretty good. The reason I chose not to go with them is because by building your own you can get exactly what you want in it. If you are somewhat of a computer nerd you could get yourself a way better system for the money. If you have trouble figuring out how to turn the computer off/on, Dell is the way to go. :mrgreen:

It is difficult-to-impossible to assemble a computer from components and come close to the price that Dell can ship one to you. You may be able to get a nicer case, a mobo that can be overclocked, or a video card that kicks, but it won't be cheaper. Now, if you already have a case, keyboard, mouse, power supply, hard drive, and you're just looking to upgrade mobo, processor, & memory, then you can probably do that a bit cheaper than buying new. For example, a decent motherboard is $100 & up. A processor is running you $200 & up. Memory: $70 & up. Case & power supply: $50 & up. Windows XP: $150 & up. We're up to over $400 and we haven't really upgraded anything beyond "very basic".

Compare to: Dell, $250 + shipping ($79). (this is their most basic "1100" model on sale at the moment).

I don't necessarily advocate for Dell over other major brands, but you can't argue: they cost less than roll-your-own. You also get the benefit in a "brand" box of knowing that the components have been assembled in that configuration on that OS a million times.

Dell is actualy killing the PC market right now with their crazy low prices. The components they use are not top of the line by any stretch, and their buying power lets them get dirt cheap parts. Its just the way it is.

Dell is the way to go if you do not care about performance. Ie: Internet, email tasks etc. For gaming, I would not touch a Dell or any other major brand.

i do play the odd game, but with work, the kids and hobbies, i don't seem to have as much time as before.
once you start looking at a system where you piece it together, how do you decide which motherboard to go with, they literally give you hundreds of choices that do the same thing......
same for the ram, video card....

for the computer guys, what's your thoughts on this system from canada computers:

Motherboard Asus A8V Socket 939 with Athlon 64 X2 3800+
RAM KingMax 512MB DDR400 PC3200
Hard Drive WD 80GB 7200rpm 8MB Cache
ROM 16X Dual Layer DVD-Writer
Case Antec SLK2650BQE
Video Card ASUS V9520-X 128MB
Sound Card Onboard Sound
Keyboard Logitech Office Pro
Mouse Logitech Optical Mouse
Speakers Logitech S100 Speakers (Black)

is this mother board of decent quality? the system seems to be priced right, but is it of low quality?

thanks
rob

Via chipsets (the V in ths MB name) really suck. They can out perform others by small margins in certain situations but they tend to have odd incompatibilities and the windows drivers are junk. Try and find one with an Nvidia chipset (Asus A8N something).

The chipset is what runs the drives, slots, USB, memory and such. It is the most important component of the system.

That video card is pretty meh too. Because you have an AGP style video slot on that board rather than a PCI Express your upgrade options are currently limited and will completely disappear in the next 6 months. Not just a game issue either, the fancy interface in Windows Vista uses the video card a lot.

Ask them to change the motherboard to an ASUS A8N5X and get a Nvida GeForce 7300GS based video card. Should add somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 to the system price but will be a bit more future proof. You can balance the cost by dropping the processor down to a 3200+ or so. Chances are you would never notice the processor difference but you would cut $150 of cost. Why they stuck a higher end chip in that junk MB I don't understand.

If you are looking for a computer for e-mail and internet and your knowledge about computers is limited ,and you want plug and play out of the box then go for a Dell. I recommended Dell to my parents and a few computer slow friends and they all love the Dell. The price and service can not be beat.

I love my new HP: 2 gig ram, 300 gig Hd, Nvidia gforce 6200, Intel 920 duel processing cores $1100.00 @ futureslop

Do yourself a huge favour and don't buy another PC at all. Get a Mac. I have used PCs since 1976 and was in the PC business from 1978-2000. I bought a PowerMac in 2004 to replace my old PC and all I can say is that I will never own another PC that uses a Microsoft operating system again. I am so much happier with the overall PC experience (buying, set-up, day-to-day usage). I bought an Apple iBook laptop off eBay in January for my wife and even though it's several years old and I have the newest OSX version on it, it runs great. I could not, in all conscience, read that you want to go further down the road to PC hell without steering you to greener pastures. :smilecol:

I'll just add my two cents about Dell and NCIX.

Personally, I LOVE my dell laptop. Best money I have ever spent on a laptop. All other pc stuff, even for work; we order everything from ncix. Seems to be the best pricing in all of western canada, and you really get what you pay for when buying a pc. Perhaps check out the ncix forums for some advice in building your own system ;)

I work in the computer industry and find Dell PCs are very good. Many small businesses are turning to Dell products. Not crazy about the laptops although they are pretty good too. Price and service is very good. I have spent more time working on HP and IBM issues than I would like. Every manufacturer have their lemon models at one time or another. In the last couple years 2 manufacturers have had a fair number of problems with their cooling fans and over heating. Another manufacturer has had problems with faulty motherboard capacitors. None of these manufacturers were Dell.

My concerns in buying a computer would be:

1. How long is the warranty?

2. How long and where does it need to go for service? ( do I need to send to Toronto for a month?)

3. Lastly is how much is it?

Just my 2 cents...Hope it helps.

Doug

Yes, you can build a machine for less than Dell and it would work just as well. I can build a $300 machine that can match Dell, but you really need to know what you are doing to do that. Its all in picking the right components.

Dell's customer service...is not reliable...like everything...you get what you pay for. The problem is that it is outsource to India...depending on which person you get...its good somedays...bad on others.

Dell got hit with the capacitor issue -- their Optiplex line was hit and it cost them dearly on the books.

One thing to keep in mind....CPUs don't amount to much these days. The slowest Sempron (2600 @ $80 each) isn't that much slower than a mid-level AMD64 3800 @ $380 each, but the price difference doesn't quite reflect that. There is a upcoming paradigm shift for Intel with a whole slew of new processors (dual and quad cores) and new socket for AMD (M2) to support DDR2. So....prices for existing processors will drop to get rid of existing inventory. If you can wait...I would wait for those sales to start rolling.

Some of the better stores in Vancouver are Generic Computers, NCIX, A-power, Frontier Computers and Anitec. Theres also tigerdirect.ca for mail order. Stay away from ATIC - better to shop at Future shop than ATIC.

- Victor.

You could, of course, just buy a Mac and you wouldn't have to worry about any of this stuff. :mrgreen:

why's that?? i shop there cause they have the best prices in town that i've seen, but i'd love to know if there's something else i should know.

Hi fishface,

Most big stores price match, so lowest price shouldn't be the #1 deciding factor. ATIC is infamous for their prices, but also infamous for the lousy customer service, terrible waranty/RMA/return policy and intolerable attitude. ATIC is an expert store where you order parts over the phone (specified...exactly), pick the parts up, pay in cash and leave without a fuss. For most people, the lousy business practices can't justify the price and this is why I don't recommend ATIC.

- Victor.

jebus, i can't believe atic is still in business, i used to shop there in the 80's and they had that belligerent attitude towards customer service even then. there are tons of great smaller shops that will give you great prices on systems and parts, most of them will either price match or come pretty close if you bring in ads or other quotes. i was surprised, there is a tiny little shop 2 mins from my place in steveston that had some killer prices so look locally and be informed and you can get a good deal.

Dell is a little bit hit and miss. I got lazy when I needed a new computer so I ordered a Dell. Been a perfect fit and a decent machine with no problems. So when my folks had needed a new machine I told them to go Dell, and it's been nothing but headaches and the tech support, now that it's all offshore, has been .. less than stellar. It's funny but I've talked to others who have had the exact same situation.. i.e., Dell was good for them but not so good for those they recommended it to.

Anyhow for the money and the laziness factor I'd probably go with Dell again, and recommended Dell just with the caveat that "it might work out well for you, but it might not."

PC's are just a tool. I'm Comp.Sci. but I couldn't be bothered to build my own system, not that I couldn't, it's just that .. well .. there are more interesting things to do with one's time. So my best advice is figure out your interests and what you want out of a PC, and build around that. If you like to tinker, go ahead and build your own. If you want to go with gaming, or multimedia, then you know what sort of hardware you need, and so on.

I guess I'm embellishing a little. I did build my own PVR out of a PC and I'm planning on rebuilding it soon. Once you go PVR for TV you will never go back. Holey mackerel what a difference that's made.

Building a pc
 

The best is A-Power Pick out your components and they put it together for you. I have never had 1 person get screwed when I recomment then to A-Power. Cant say that about NCIX or Atic.
A-Power actually cares about people and will try to build you a decent system that suits your needs. I send all of my customers to A-Power.

BTW I work at Shaw cable and have seen my share of useless,slow,NEW computers.(several thousand)


A-Power first, then Anitec, then NCIX, and of course Dell if you dont know squat...they are the laymans decent option.

Future shop and Best Buy will sell you whatever you're willing to buy, so beware. Tigerdirect...good deals...plus shipping.