Computer shopping - where to buy?

[Squidmaster]

Hi everybody. I used to build my own systems, but I am disabled with extremely poor health that is getting worse, so I need to change gears and try something else.

Where are the best places to buy reliable, good quality computers online these days? The last time I bought in quite this manner, the discussion was about Gateway vs. Dell. I imagine things have changed since then.

I am looking for the best combination of fair pricing, good quality components/no bottlenecking, and probably most importantly these days, reliability. It would be nice to be able to buy from someone who won't package on a bunch of garbage I will never use, or could partition a drive or something like that before it gets to me. I use my systems for gaming and movie/netflix type use along with standard web browsing.

I'd love some recommendations. My current system is on the fritz, and it has become extremely hard for me to do anything *other* than use a computer or stare at TV. Needless to say, having a good computer situation figured out is a top priority for me right now. The last 2 systems I have had have wound up with multiple, hard to detect flaws that have exhibited themselves over time. I have debated shipping them off for repairs and the like, but the plausibility of living computer-less in my state of health has made that a tough choice, which I have avoided. I would love to be able to buy from a reliable site with good support and an overall good experience.

I'd love some advice, and thanks!

 

[corkyg]

In your situation, my choice would be to find a local shop that will build to order using components you specify. I realize that depends on where you live. Here in Tucson, we are fortunate to have a very decent shop that does just that - SWS.

http://www.shopsws.com/

Due to eyesight problems, I went through just such a make or buy decision in 2009, and that resulted in a Quad Intel system that has performed flawlessly for me. The nice part about a local builder is that should a repair be necessary, it is only a phone call away.

Sorry about your health problems - making every day as good as it can be is the name of the game. I turned the big eight oh last month,l and luckily, am still reasonably well.

 

[DaveSimmons]

If there isn't a good local store, what kind of system do you need and what is the budget? Gaming, non-gaming?

A high-end builder like Puget Systens http://www.pugetsystems.com/ is one choice if money is no object, and Dell with an on-site service plan is another.

If you need power but are on a budget Cyberpower, http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/ lets you pick most of the parts that go into the system so you can pick better brands.

 

[Squidmaster]

Gaming/movie playing. I don't want to spend more than $1300. I don't need a mouse, keyboard, speakers, or monitor. I could use a printer but I certainly don't need to get one bundled.

I have had local places build for me before, and have had problems just the same. I can have someone ask about it again up the road and see what they have to say on the matter. Most of the local repair places in my area cater to a lower end market. They don't sell computers for more than a few hundred dollars, and they aren't intimately familiar with the higher end parts. That doesn't mean they can't put them together though. The question is, who is responsible for the parts, and can I get a warranty on them?

I am also somewhat concerned about picking every single component on my own again. Reading is a challenge for me (I get tired doing it relatively fast) and if I have to research a lot of components I could be in trouble. Perhaps I can enlist some forum aid in that department, though.

I have investigated CyperPowerPC and iBuyPower, both of which seem to have some great reviews and some horrible ones. Puget Systems seems to charge a lot more for the same parts. Is that because they are better guaranteed? I also briefly checked Dell. My concern there is that if I want to customize some elements beyond the stock options, the prices are out of whack (like adding $280 for a $140 video card when there is a lesser video card already chosen by default.) I guess everything has strengths and weaknesses. That's why I'm posting.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Puget charges extra for making the computer more quiet, and for taking more care in the build. I'd expect them to be a bit more helpful than CyberPower or iBuyPower, but none of them have on-site service.

For gaming your best choice might be CyberPower than asking someone local to help if later on you need to swap out a bad part.

We can help you pick the parts for a system from CyberPower, we do that all the time in General Hardware.

For movies, do you need blu-ray playback? That adds quite a bit extra for the drive and software, it's actually cheaper to just get a $99 or less stand-alone player unless you are planning to rip discs to the hard drive and play them from that.

 

[Squidmaster]

I'll tell you what I could use in the short term is some general info about processors and memory.

What is the functional difference between dual and tri channel memory?

Can somebody rank the typical available i7 and/or i5 processors in order of performance, or link me to something along those lines?

How much difference is there in performance between the i5 and i7?

 

[jlazzaro]

I'll tell you what I could use in the short term is some general info about processors and memory.

What is the functional difference between dual and tri channel memory?

Can somebody rank the typical available i7 and/or i5 processors in order of performance, or link me to something along those lines?

How much difference is there in performance between the i5 and i7?

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=1495&bih=796&q=dual+vs+triple+channel+memory

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=1495&bih=796&q=core+i5+vs+i7

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

I turned the big eight oh last month,l and luckily, am still reasonably well.

WOW!!! I'd imagine when im 80, im going to lucky if i remember what a computer is, nevermind being one of the most helpful people on a computer forum filled with lots of knowledge. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[DaveSimmons]

For gaming at the $800+ price point, you want a "Sandy Bridge" socket 1155 processor, the i5-2500K. Add 2 x 4 GB of DDR3 1333 RAM that runs at 1.5 volts. Get a Z68 chipset motherboard, decent ones like ASRock start at just over $100.

For gaming there is no reason to buy an i7 or faster memory. It is dual-channel, it's the older socket that used triple-channel memory.

The nvidia GTX 560 ti for just over $200 is a good midrange gaming card. If you prefer AMD then either the 6870 or 6950.

Onboard sound is good enough for most of us.

 

[WildHorse]

I've bought 2 from
http://www.powernotebooks.com/
and they are excellent at answering questions. follow-up, and post-sale assistance.

I'll probably buy from them again, and recommend them.