opinion about prebuilts

[rburn99]

Hi all,

I have an online friend who has asked my opinion about which pc to buy. I do not buy prebuilts though. I make my own. But I realize that many people are not in the position to be able to do that. So I was wondering if I could get some opinions or information about which prebuilt company/product is better and why.

Thanks in advance,
Robb

[Optimus Prime]

Dell, for all the flak they get, make decent PC's.

If I had to choose, I'd go w/ Dell, then HP, then Compaq.

I'm not a gamer, so that is not a factor. I'm sure some folks might recommend Alienware or Falcon for a gaming rig.

[Optimus Prime]

I wouldn't recommend Alienware or Falcon at all, they charge through the roof for a good gaming system, you can build one for half the price, Dell's versions are only about x1.5 what you can build them for, maybe even less.

[tony_j15]

Welcome to TechIMO rburn! Unless your friend is an ubergaming freak with loads of cash, a Dell will do fine. Or you could convince him to let you build him one

[jmichna]

One smaller company that makes great PCs (both Intel and AMD), both stock and to order, is www.outsideloop.com in Colorado. They've been around for years and are solid.

Over the years I've bought 3 pcs from them (2 AMD, 1 Intel) and had friends and family buy several more. Decent price, much better components than PCs-in-a-box, absolutley more expandable. They rank real high in customer satisfaction (check ResellerRatings.com). Small enough for a human to answer the phone. Two brothers started the business... one favored Intel, the other AMD. Although it's been a few yeasr since I bought a PC from them, they used to recognize me by voice when I called.

[Uncle Bob]

In 1999 I bought a Sony slimline desktop. About 1 1/2 years ago
I gave it to my niece. Has given good service. They are pricey, and
very proprietary.

[rburn99]

Thanks everyone for your opinions and information. I have passed them along to my friend.

Thanks again for your help!
Robb

[John Prophet]

Dell is ok. Then compaq. Then HP. Then gateway. Then, emachines.

I dont like HP's cuz of the tiny power supplies and all the junk software they put on the comps....all the little help wizards and crappy stuff..stuff that slows u down.

I sell computers and I have sold several Dells....Dell Dimension 2400s etc.

I did sell one Compaq Presario 6000z. Put it up beside a Dimension 2400 and it comes out way ahead. Mainly in upgradeability....it had an agp slot, and AthlonXP2000 processor...which would kill the celerons that come on the low end dells.

If the friend is even mildly into gaming he needs to make sure he is getting an agp slot...otherwise he will be really limited. Be careful about "onboard AGP graphics"..cuz that aint the same as an AGP SLOT.

One downside of Dell is that seem to be getting more 'proprietary'.....as in the power supply and motherboard NOT being a standard atx (yes, they are the same size and shape but they change the pinouts of the power supply and board...so you cant just go buy an after market motherboard)...also for instance I thought to save $10 bucks by buying a Dell with no floppy..I was going to put my own floppy in it....hehe, they dont tell you that if you dont buy the floppy from them that you wont get the floppy "cage" so you cant mount a floppy at all!!

The compaqs I have worked on have just been standard atx motherboards and power supplies...so thats a slight nod to them.


Whatever you buy it will need some tweaking....IE..turn off all the junk that comes with them...gay things like wizards to help you connect to the internet....help wizards..registration wizards. Also XP itself will need some tweaking to turn off ITS extra junk that you dont need....services like "smart card" "portable media serial number" "alerter" "remote desktop help session"...a long list. You can find the settings here----> http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

There is a chart...it shows the default settings for xp home and pro...and then the alternate settings...I use the "safe" column...that turns off most off the junk that the average user will never need...(except I keep the system restore turned on, lol)

That will help give XP a little more "snap"...also he can turn off some off the "eye candy"..the extra little graphic niceities that arent needed.
JP