Need help w/ startup computer company

[abracadabra1]

hey there guys...was hoping some of you could shed some light into the computer building subject.
i'm a student and hope to make a little money on the side by building computers. i've been building them for quite some time so i do have the knowledge and experience (although more knowledge and experience is always welcome). i was hoping to start a ltitle computer building company and was wondering what you guys suggested i sale...components i should use, and any other info you find might prove to be helpful.
i am aiming at builduing towards home users and gamers, not business.
how would i go about building a company like this and what do you think is essential to its success.
thank you in advance

 

[ParasiticFly]

Well you are gonna need a license for it

 

[ltk007]

I just started offering to do it for my friends, and a couple of them recommend me to people and I've made little money. I only charge like $50 to do it and for my friends its free (unless they are filthy rich and they don't mind paying ). I do it more for my own experience cause I hope to get a job doing the same thing someday.

 

[kranky]

I have absolutely no experience in this field, so you should probably ignore this post. But if you are still reading, here's some thoughts.

Don't sell a computer to someone who has no experience using one. They will assume that since you sold them the computer you are a combination tech support/training resource for free. They will suck up all your time with questions and non-existent problems, and when you get fed up and quit helping them, they will bad-mouth you to the world. For the little bit of money you'll make on a system, you can't afford to spend a lot of time with each customer after the sale.

Will you take on the responsibility of handling defective parts under warranty? Or will that be the customer's job? Make sure everyone is clear.

Stick to components you know will work together. Since you're a student, you probably don't have a lot of time to troubleshoot compatibility issues.

Don't stock parts. The value drops too quickly. And while you want to buy parts as cheap as possible, your customers will expect prompt delivery of systems, so you won't be able to wait for backorders.

Do you expect the customer to pay for the system up front, or on delivery? If they pay on delivery, what will you do when a customer says they spent the money on beer and pizza and they don't want the system any more?

 

[Raspewtin]

<< how would i go about building a company like this and what do you think is essential to its success. >>



I've been building computers for a while and there are some hurdles you'll run up against. You cannot buy in volume compared to the big guys. You won't always be able to get the fastest chips. Usually companies like Dell get first dibs on the fastest set of Intel chips.

What you can do, especially if you build to gamers, is offer customization with exactly the parts they want. Buy nothing ahead of time, and a have good website of all the latest parts and thier prices. Keep up with the video cards war, and be able to choose the very best stuff at the time. Also offer AMD. Options is what you can offer the big guys can't. Also provide some benchmarks with each system (of that system); gamer's love that. Mad onion has some good benchmarks. Remember to keep your benchmarking software current. Throwing in a game like UT or Q3A will really impress your clients. You can usually get them for less than 20 bucks at compuexpert.com. Remember all in all, it's the details that count.

I worked also for a company that built computers in volume. When you get to that point, I can offer some suggestions on how to save money and time when building several computers at once, where to buy parts, etc. Don't worry about that right now.

 

[abracadabra1]

thx a lot for the input guys.

 

[Windogg]

Are you a student in college? How about installing NICs and setting freshman up on the campus network. Charge $50 a pop if they provide their own card or $100 if you sell it to them. For option 2, get a few Linksys or Netgears and some patch cables and viola!!! All your work will be early when there is little work. Then kickback and relax with your new $$$.

windogg

 

[abracadabra1]

just wondering...is there anything i should know about windows me, 98se, or 2k installs that'll help me out?
other than installing it. can i customize it somehow so that it will be setup for optimal performance?

thx again!

 

[RU482]

ParasiticFly
why do you need a license to do this?

 

[Soybomb]

My take on it, and I mean absolutely no offense by this, is that if you're having to ask these questions you're gonna be getting in over your head if you start selling them to people. If you already know some &quot;sweet&quot; combinations of parts I'd say differently but to each his own...
Good luck either way!

 

[abracadabra1]

i already have the combinations for parts sorted, mostly.
i've got 3 main categories
home user
gamer
internet

home user and gamer are pretty self-explanatory
internet is also, but pretty much it's a compaq clone. crap computers for gamers and most home users, but great for people on a tight budget that don't mind low expandability and integrated components such as video, sound, lan, modem and so forth.

for the home user and gamer categories i will either have 2 or 3 standard system- 1 low end, and 1 high end (in the case of 3 1 low end, 1 higher end, and 1 monster)

and ofcourse customs systems

any suggestions/ideas/help?

thx again

 

[Soybomb]

See thats part of my selling points, none of my computers, even my cheapest wont come with any intergrated parts. They all come with pretty good components too like abit boards, sound blaster of some sort, at least a diamond or 3com modem, some nvidia or ati chipset, etc. Put nothing in it you wouldnt use in your own computer, cause when the cheap stuff breaks the customer is gonna want your butt on a platter

 

[GT1999]

kranky hit it right on the money when he said:




<< Don't sell a computer to someone who has no experience using one. They will assume that since you sold them the computer you are a combination tech support/training resource for free. They will suck up all your time with questions and non-existent problems, and when you get fed up and quit helping them, they will bad-mouth you to the world. For the little bit of money you'll make on a system, you can't afford to spend a lot of time with each customer after the sale. >>



Trust me, if you're going to start a computer business with support, be prepared for hell. I do tech support as it is right now, and am considered the 2nd man away from System Admin at an ISP. You'll get people who call up and ask the dumbest questions, that have absolutely nothing to do with what you offer support for, but you have to answer it anyway just to make them feel happy. If you do offer support, make sure that you ask for enough money that will MORE than be sufficient for the average customer. It's not uncommon for a system to need an RMA on the video card or motherboard, but if you choose the right components it will decrease that.

Make sure you pick components that work well together, as someone else already stated. For business computers, right now Matrox cards would be an excellent choice. If you are asked to build a database server, don't throw in a 64MB nVidia GF2 GTS, give them a 8 or 16MB vidoe card, since 32-bit 3D rendering and T&amp;L won't matter to them.

Manpower. This is where friends can make or break your business. Have them help you configure systems, do tech support if you offer it, and have an accountant go through all the money stuff. This is all assuming that you're going to get into this big-time.

Spread the word - to the right people. Influencing certain people in your community that you are THE computer shop in town will give you more customers than you can imagine. As I stated earlier, I work for an ISP, and when people ask &quot;where should I get my computer repaired?&quot; I never tell them to go to the guy down the street who sells 486s for $400, I always tell them to go to a friend of mine, who is a smaller business, but offers better support. And guess what? I almost never refer anybody to him who I believe wouldn't have half a brain. This way, he doesn't get all of the &quot;stupid&quot; customers. Consider it a filtering system.

All in all there are many, many things you will need to look over before starting a business such as this. I hope you have a lot of money: because you will need it to get a business up and running with a store.

Best of luck,

G|T

 

[Bleep]

Parasitic Fly:
You are a dumba$$. Do not give advice unless it is correct. Check your facts before posting. You really are getting to be a pain.
Bleep

 

[abracadabra1]

hey guys, thx again. really found the information about the tech support to be useful.
i really am not planning on making this a &quot;big-time&quot; company. i just need some money on the side given my extremely busy schedule. as it is, i already get less than 5 hours of sleep every night. therefore, i will be unable to provide tech support and such. i am really selling the systems quite cheap if you ask me- $50 over what i purchase the parts for.
i really was hesistant in using integrated components but i feel it's the only way i can compete w/ companies like compaq that offer 566 w/ 64MB ram, video, sound, modem for $599. i myself would prefer not to use these parts, but i feel it suits home users that are on a tight budget well.
thx again guys

the company, really is just a computer building company, that's it.

 

[Impact55]

Since you get so very little sleep I'm guessing your a college student? If so do what Windogg said and install NIC's for around 100$ for incoming freshman, if you get your business spread by word you'll make a LOT more money that starting a building computer business. There is a LOT of people who would never install a NIC and have rich mommys and daddys to pay for it to be done