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Old 11-03-2010, 08:52 AM
 
Location: Now in SP, hopefully for a very long time
249 posts, read 439,962 times
Reputation: 103

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Hi,

I am in a urgent need of a new computer, I usually have 2 or 3, but now only an horrible Toshiba laptop (the lightest and it is what I need when I travel, but I have millions problems, I am soooo angry with Toshiba ).

I am looking for a desktop, with win 7. I used to build them myself, but it seems to be less expensive and fewer headaches to buy it assembled. I went to CompUSA and BestBuy (are there other stores now???), it seems they have only Gateway and Asus (Lenovo being much too expensive). I don’t need a keyboard or mouse included, they would better include Ms Office! I am considering Intel Core i5. I need a fast machine, good at multitasking (but I don’t play games... in every meaning ).

Can anyone tell me, first if there are other big stores, Staples and Office Depot are so incompetent, then if you have other ideas? It has been a long time since I have not bought a desktop, mine lasted forever with upgrades. I can’t believe there are only 3 makers.


Thanks a lot
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Old 11-03-2010, 09:05 AM
 
3,219 posts, read 6,570,968 times
Reputation: 1852
Quote:
Originally Posted by Allwyna View Post
Hi,

I am in a urgent need of a new computer, I usually have 2 or 3, but now only an horrible Toshiba laptop (the lightest and it is what I need when I travel, but I have millions problems, I am soooo angry with Toshiba ).

I am looking for a desktop, with win 7. I used to build them myself, but it seems to be less expensive and fewer headaches to buy it assembled. I went to CompUSA and BestBuy (are there other stores now???), it seems they have only Gateway and Asus (Lenovo being much too expensive). I don’t need a keyboard or mouse included, they would better include Ms Office! I am considering Intel Core i5. I need a fast machine, good at multitasking (but I don’t play games... in every meaning ).

Can anyone tell me, first if there are other big stores, Staples and Office Depot are so incompetent, then if you have other ideas? It has been a long time since I have not bought a desktop, mine lasted forever with upgrades. I can’t believe there are only 3 makers.


Thanks a lot
Do you have a computer shop that builds them in your area?, that would be the way to go IMHO.
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Old 11-03-2010, 10:16 AM
 
Location: Pomona
1,955 posts, read 10,965,233 times
Reputation: 1562
Yes, it's typically less expensive to buy vs. build ... at the lower end (sub-$500). Beyond that, do your homework to see which is a better value. Here at the office, the server was built (huge price difference) but most of the other computers were bought instead. Reliability ... two of the built ones have had more hardware issues than all nine of the Dells (from the past 10 years) combined. The other built one (and of the lowest spec) has been fine.

As for makes ... there are others. Worldwide, the top five are HP, Acer, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus. Compaq is lumped in with HP, Gateway is lumped in with Acer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by njguy View Post
Do you have a computer shop that builds them in your area?, that would be the way to go IMHO.
You're better off building it yourself; it's not like it'd take that long. Besides, small computer shops are getting fewer and fewer nowadays. Price wise, they just can't go up against the likes of Newegg which resells (or drop-ships) by container-loads of quantity.
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Old 11-03-2010, 10:19 AM
 
Location: Now in SP, hopefully for a very long time
249 posts, read 439,962 times
Reputation: 103
To NJguy
Thanks, but you don't answer my question, and it is certainly not an option for me. If I buy parts separately, I will assemble it myself.
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Old 11-03-2010, 10:43 AM
 
Location: West Virginia
16,631 posts, read 15,583,585 times
Reputation: 10871
Quote:
Originally Posted by Allwyna View Post
..... I went to CompUSA and BestBuy (are there other stores now???), it seems they have only Gateway and Asus (Lenovo being much too expensive). ..... Can anyone tell me, first if there are other big stores, Staples and Office Depot are so incompetent, then if you have other ideas? It has been a long time since I have not bought a desktop, mine lasted forever with upgrades. I can’t believe there are only 3 makers. .....
Step back and look at what you are saying. You have the skills to build your own computer. Why do you care if Office Depot is incompetent? You're not going to use their expertise anyway. You are capable of buying a computer at BestBuy because you will never let the GeekSquad touch it. Look for the best bargain you can and make sure you understand the warranty. Is it manufacturer, retailer, or third party? Don't forget to look at Office Max, WalMart and Sam's. We don't have access to BJ's or Fry's, but you might. Find the features or the machine you want and shop for the best bargain. It might be at a small computer store, too.
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Old 11-03-2010, 10:54 AM
 
Location: Now in SP, hopefully for a very long time
249 posts, read 439,962 times
Reputation: 103
I was replying to the previous answer.... and it crashed again....

Thanks, Mensaguy, you make me laugh and cheer me up at the same time . I used to have the ability to build them myself, but the technology changes so fast that I lost... self confidence . That's true, NOBODY ever touches my computers.

But thanks, you give me precious advice. I hope I will have time to backup all my system. It becomes more unstable, I get a lot of error, and I am SURE it is not Outlook or FF.

Not sure I can wait so long, but can you tell me if there are real bargains on Black Friday in this quality? (as you can see, I am new in the US)

I have to restart now to see if it gets better... scared
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Old 11-03-2010, 11:22 AM
 
Location: Pomona
1,955 posts, read 10,965,233 times
Reputation: 1562
For computers with i5 processors ... maybe not. BF deals are typically lower-end at really low prices, not mid-grade at low prices.

That said ...
- Intel® Core™ i5-760 processor(8MB Cache, 2.80GHz)
- 8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
- 1TB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
- Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
- ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR3
- 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
- Wireless-N PCIe Card
... for $729.99 from Dell Small Business.
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

DIY from Newegg ...
$602.99 AR + $74.99 for the additional 4GB ram + a graphics card + Windows7 ...
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
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Old 11-03-2010, 12:07 PM
 
Location: Wicker Park, Chicago
4,789 posts, read 14,722,565 times
Reputation: 1966
It's best if you build your own. But if you want a built one already I'd get it from CyberPower Inc. - UNLEASH THE POWER - Create the Custom Gaming PC and Laptop Computer of your dreams

They make nice custom built PCs from off the shelf components.
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Old 11-03-2010, 01:11 PM
 
Location: Pomona
1,955 posts, read 10,965,233 times
Reputation: 1562
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesse69 View Post
It's best if you build your own. But if you want a built one already I'd get it from CyberPower Inc. - UNLEASH THE POWER - Create the Custom Gaming PC and Laptop Computer of your dreams

They make nice custom built PCs from off the shelf components.
I used the Gamer Xtreme 2000 to compare with the Dell. To meet the same specs (add to 8GB memory, deduct to ATI 5450 GPU), it will be $839 + $65 shipping from CyberPower.
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Old 11-03-2010, 01:16 PM
 
Location: Wicker Park, Chicago
4,789 posts, read 14,722,565 times
Reputation: 1966
I'd rather buy from Cyberpower than Dell for a desktop because maybe Dell uses the cheapest components, has a custom PS only replaced by Dell, and maybe Dell computers can't be SLi'd.

But I'd rather buy a laptop from Dell.
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