Need help with Branded PC Decision

[AniP]

My friend wants to buy a desktop computer in Ontario, Canada and has no idea about building it with separate parts so sufficient to say he wants a branded pc so he can get it built along with 3-5 yrs on site warranty.

I recommended Alienware Canada as I have one in the UK and have fantastic service at home compared to some others where you need to send your pc or part back.

In his case, he too wants good service where technician will come to his place and sort things out instead of him having to send a whole pc (dont think he's confident to remove parts himself) back to service centers.

I have checked NCIX.COM and one other local in his area but again they do not have home service like dell/alienware.

Any recommendations on which brands build good pc's and provide good service. At the moment I can only see Alienware as a top brand for that, as I have had a great experience with them such as 2 days in home parts replacement, cheap 3 yr warranty extensions etc.

If anyone knows of any other brands kindly shed some light, I don't want to give him the wrong advice. He is looking to spend upwards of $4500 Canadian. Looking at a high end gaming pc, side capable of some video edit n such.

#UPDATED

This is the quote from Dell:


225-2262
1 Alienware Aurora-R4 $4,690.73
313-8750
1 AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
313-9776
1 Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
317-8674
1 32GB Quad Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
318-1458
1 Dual Drives: BD Combo, DVD+RW
421-8879
1 Cyberlink Media Suite Essentials BD3D
320-7810
1 If accessories are purchased, they may ship separately
331-4881
1 Alienware Documentation - English
331-9858
1 Resource DVD, W8
421-8687
1 Windows 8, 64-bit, English
421-8808
1 Alienware Product Survey Application
421-8831
1 Additional Software
331-9628
1 Alienware TactX Keyboard,AWDT W8
331-9666
1 Alienware TactX Mouse, W8
338-BDSX
1 Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4820K Processor (4-cores, 10MB Cache, Overclocked up to 4.2 GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
342-3637
1 19-in-1 Media Card Reader
342-3641
1 512GB SSD 6Gb/s MAIN + 1TB 7200RPM Storage
403-BBER
1 ALX Chassis in Matte Stealth Black with an 875W Power Supply (for Ivy bridge processor)
410-0565
1 Document Reader Included
412-AACR
1 Alienware Aurora with Standard Liquid Cooling
421-1424
1 Alienhead 3D
421-8806
1 McAfee Security, 36 Month
490-BBPV
1 Dual 3GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 SLI
630-AABX
1 Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013
938-6632
1 Accidental Damage Service, 3 Years
421-1719
1 Soft Contracts Consumer Accidental Damage Agreement for Alienware
954-1630
1 Premium Phone Support, Initial Year
994-4363
1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
994-4383
1 Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
939-7622
1 Premium Phone Support, 2 Year Extended
994-4373
1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Extended Year(s)
994-4403
1 Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, 2 Year Extended
600-0042 1 NEW FEE as of May 1, 2013: ontario $3 Environmental Handling Fee for Desktop Computers
600-0048 1 NEW FEE as of May 1, 2013: ontario $0.75 Environmental Handling Fee for Keyboards
*DISCNT 1 -DISCOUNT/COUPON APPLIED
Subtotal: $4,686.98
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
GST/HST Tax: $609.79
PST Tax: $0.00
Environmental Disposal Fee $3.75
Total Price w/Discounts: $5,300.5

 

[Jaydip]

Alienware makes some pretty good systems but you can build a better system yourself within that range.For $5300 I would at least look for a 4930K.

 

[Blue_Max]

OOOOOOVERKILL! I doubt the guy will feel the difference between a $1000 i5 4670k and a $3000+ 6-core!

Any i5/i7 with the fastest video card he can get from a local place with reputable extended warranty. NCIX is a really good place in Ontario and they'll definitely build something for him.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

If you were looking for high end you got it. If your gonna spend that kind of scratch get a Puget system. They ship to Canada.

 

[RayTheKing]

This is ridiculous. Spend 2k on the desktop, and use the rest to upgrade every few years. A PC for gaming and video editing doesn't need a monster.

 

[Blain]

Lenovo

 

[mfenn]

You pretty much have to go with one of the big OEMs if the requirement of in-home service is non-negotiable. None of the boutiques or retailers have the manpower to offer that type of deal (unless you worked out some sort of custom multi-thousand dollar contract).

An Alienware is a reasonable choice in this scenario, but for the love of God, pick out a reasonable one. That means single GPU, 256 GB SSD, 16GB of RAM, etc.

 

[Blue_Max]

I still stand by NCIX - they may not come to his HOUSE, but he'll have a place in his own city to walk into, shop, get serviced, etc.

Otherwise, he's stuck with Dell / HP Business machines, etc, to get that in-home service.

 

[Blue_Max]

I wonder if Alienware's extended service plans include home service? I can't read the pop-up... They have a $2500 6-core/12-thread machine that's pretty darned good.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Your friend's requirements and expectations are just as ridiculous as the quoted price. But hey, as long as he's got money to burn....