Gasp! I Think I May Buy a Retail PC INSTEAD of Building....

[acelesson]

I work for Best Buy and we just got the new Sony Vaio's in stock. The model number I am looking at is the Sony VAIO RA810G. It is a package deal that comes with a 19" LCD Display, Printer, and others. Well, with my Discount, itll only cost 1500 and some change. Considering thats about the cost itll take to build a good PC, Im thinking about just getting this deal.


Here are the Specs


What do you guys think?

 

[jpeyton]

Replace the X600 STAT!

 

[high]

Hey I work @ BB aswell. Not a bad rig...if I was going to invest in ANYTHING retail, it would be the watercooled Sony

 

[imported_Salvatore]

It's beautiful.

 

[Chronoshock]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Replace the X600 STAT!

Seriously...
From the site:

ATI RADEON X600 XT
Hailed as the new leader in graphics performance, the X600 XT features up to twice the performance of any previous RADEON card. The ATI RADEON X600 XT delivers the ultimate visual experience.

Ugh...stupid marketing bs

 

[imported_Salvatore]

Oh, and go for it. Just replace that graphics card when better PCI-E is available.

 

[imported_Salvatore]

Do all employees get the same discount as you, or do you have a bigger job/bigger discount thing going on?

 

[JBT]

not bad for the price go for it.

 

[Sideswipe001]

Buy it. Sell it on e-bay for more. Use the money to build an even better system for yourself.

 

[stickybytes]

get it! that case looks hot!!! plus water-cooled goodness!

 

[Anonemous]

does that thing actually use a water cooled system?

It says liquid cooled but I can't find anything in the specs that describe it.

Advanced Liquid Cooling System
The heat pipe cooling system pulls heat away from the CPU, dissipating it through an exchanger, ensuring ultimate performance without the noise or hassle of alternative cooling system

I wonder how it looks on the inside or if you have to change the liquid.

 

[high]

very clean inside....and yeah we all get the same except my bonuses would pay for mine

 

[LTC8K6]

All of the heatpipe type coolers are liquid filled, that is nothing new. Most laptop cpus are "liquid cooled".

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: Anonemous
does that thing actually use a water cooled system?

It says liquid cooled but I can't find anything in the specs that describe it.

Advanced Liquid Cooling System
The heat pipe cooling system pulls heat away from the CPU, dissipating it through an exchanger, ensuring ultimate performance without the noise or hassle of alternative cooling system

I wonder how it looks on the inside or if you have to change the liquid.

There's a pic on the site. Click on the graphic for an explanation of the system. Basically has copper pipes that are liquid filled leading to a grill in front of the exhaust fan. Looks cool, but I wonder how well it works. Also, the air intake is on the left side of the computer...i.e. furthest from your ear.

 

[jpeyton]

It's not "water-cooled", it has a heatpipe.

Akin to Shuttle's ICE system for it's SFFs.

 

[LTC8K6]

Looks like they have just extended the heatpipe so that one half of it is in line with the PS fan, rather than it having it's own fan like other heatpipes.

 

[LTC8K6]

Well, it is liquid cooled since there is liquid in any heatpipe type cooler. I don't think splitting up a heatpipe like that qualifies as unique, though.

 

[Mik3y]

dood, that case is soo ugly! yuck!

 

[zephyrprime]

isn't one of the sonys actually water cooled?

 

[sandorski]

Pack some clean underwear. The padded van and white suited men will arrive shortly.

 

[3LEMENT0]

looks nice...I'd get it

 

[pirred908]

PSU's on OEM computers always suck, replace that and you should be doing great.

 

[Gurck]

-Heat pipe != liquid cooled as most people think of it. A heat pipe runs a few bucks; liquid cooling systems start at ~$100
-The x600 is sh*t, replacing it = +++ price
-You won't be able to salvage any old/spare parts from your old rig to offset the price
-sony loves nothing more than to screw their customers. Most companies are willing to do this to save money, but Sony would do it for nothing more than the sheer pleasure that they'd take in it. Good luck getting them to hold up their end of the deal with any service you might want from them, which btw raises the package price

I'd advise against it, personally, in large part due to that last reason

 

[bigboxes]

Originally posted by: acelessonWhat do you guys think?

I think you work for Best Buy.

If you want the best system, build it yourself. If you don't want a pc cheaped-out on parts, build it yourself. If you don't want a proprietary pc that you will have trouble upgrading or repairing, build it yourself.

You are on anandtech. Eventually you will build your own system and you will never consider buying a pre-built system again.