Best places to buy barebones kits?

[Solari]

Greetings, folks!

I'm sorta new to this - thought I'd ask the experts here for their thoughts. I'm looking for the best place to buy good barebones kits so I can build a system myself. Any suggestions as to where to go?

Additionally, I was checking Dell's prices lately and I was wondering if it was cheaper to just buy a system from Dell rather than build my own?

Appreciate your input!

Thanks,
Ray

 

[Zugzwang152]

in a word, yes. there are some awesome Dell deals floating around. A couple guys I know got themselves a 2Ghz P4 + 15" LCD monitor for like 400 bucks or something. If you don't want to upgrade something constantly, and you want good peace of mind and stability, dude, you're getting a dell

 

[heartsurgeon]

www.newegg.com to roll your own.

dell for store bought


i suspect the dell will end up costing you less, and being more stable

it is educational to build your own however..

 

[Casper5748]

Check out www.ajump.com. They have really good deals for the mini barbones. They also have some cool barebone kits too.

 

[ahsia]

With Dell, you might end up getting a good deal right, since they'll provide software and support. But building your own system is fun...

Take a look at newegg.com, mwave.com, or tcwo.com. Also, if you live near a Fry's, they usually have some great motherboard-CPU combos to get your started.

 

[compudog]

googlegear has some good barebones. I have gotten a few from TCWO.com and have had good luck with them as well, plus they have $6.95 FedEx shipping.

 

[Solari]

Thanks for the tips, folks. I think I'm going to go ahead and build my own because I've always wanted to and learn while doing it. It just ain't the same as buying a PC.

Any recommended resources out there on how to build your own computer properly?
Am a total novice at this.

Thanks,
Ray

 

[mroptimistic]

really think dell is cheaper? Can you get a dell with 2.26 p4, 64mb geforce 4 ti4200, antec 400w, and 512 of 2100 ram with a good moboard for under 500? Or even under 550?

 

[Solari]

Originally posted by: mroptimistic
really think dell is cheaper? Can you get a dell with 2.26 p4, 64mb geforce 4 ti4200, antec 400w, and 512 of 2100 ram with a good moboard for under 500? Or even under 550?

Perhaps they are also factoring into the cost the software/OS Dell provides?

Still, can you tell me how you would be able to get the above for under $500? I also wouldn't mind using Athlon as well if it brings the cost further down.

Ray

 

[Solari]

BTW, is it generally cheaper to buy barebones kits or just get all the parts separately?

Thanks,
Ray

 

[dakels]

I am going thru the same pains right now.

I am probably spending $220 for a 2.53ghz proc and a another $150 on a decent MB, maybe even $200 for a Granite Bay dual channel (preferably the Asus but I really want the Gigabyte) . Also a Radeon 9500 Pro. That alone is going to run me around $550-600.

For that price you can get a Dell 2.4ghz with a Radeon 9700 TX (better then 9500 Pro) ready to go.

The only real problem I have with a Dell machine is that I will want to swap the MB and case. Thats gonna cost me.

I figure the cost of building a nice setup is gonna run me well into $1100. The Dell will only be about $600 then some extra RAM for $80. It will be usable now but within 4 months I will probably swap the MB, case, add drives and more which will cost me more in the long run. I have to get a new case before the heat of summer where my computer studio gets 90-95º even with the AC on.

I am really having problems deciding.

$220 CPU
$150 MB
$100 case
$100 HD
$150 RAM
$100 CDRW
$50 fans and cables
$90 Win XP
_______
$1100+

Dell $700 w/$100 rebate
Add another $100 for RAM
Few weeks add $100 for another HD

Few months new case $100
Within 6 months new MB to dual channel DDR. $150?

I think I should go with the Dell...

I haven't seen any barebones kits that I really thought were worth the money. Usually you get a something you don't want like maybe a MB or the case is not so great, or something. It's usually not hard to put those components together yourself for a similar price.

P.S. Staples is selling a Compaq Athlon 2000+ for about $320-350+shipping. Its not a bad start and you can add a Geforce 128mb 4200ti for $100. I am getting one today for a friend. It's not bad but Dell's are not much more $ for a better machine.

p.s. building your own is very educational but through the research of the components, not really the assembly. Assembly these days is not really difficult. A chimp could build a computer these days if given the right parts. Its knowing what parts you want and why which is the real helpful education.