Best Store To Buy A New PC?

[Aus_Snow]

Do NOT bother with AMD CPUs, always fans who love 'em and will tell you to get them, but at moment, they aren't as good as the Intel CPUs IMHO and Intel is always reliable

Uh, no.

The new Phenom IIs (or some of them, at least) are most certainly as good value as any Intel chips on the market. Also, their triples and duals across the range are, in some cases, easily as good value per dollar as well. And 'always reliable'? As in, implying that AMD is any less so? Rubbish, frankly. Please provide evidence, if indeed you can.

But, before you or others go ahead and say it, I actually use Intel at the moment, so no, I am *not* some AMD fanboi or whatever. Mind you, I bought it (an E8400, which is still a solid choice, incidentally) when Intel was clearly the superior choice over much of the power range (and, let it be said, the *only* choice for very high end desktops, literally). Interestingly, prior to the reign of the Core 2 Duo (and associated chips), AMD in fact was ruling at most of the power levels, for some time. Their dual cores kicked the asses of Intel's shoddy offerings, which - funny that you should mention 'reliability' before - often ran very hot and consumed tons of power. Wonderful.

So, whatever AMD *or* Intel fanbois tell you (and yes, they certainly will try to tell you some, um, interesting things), the best approach boils down to this: do some research, read reviews, check out benchmarks from decent sites and prices from trustworthy shops, that kind of thing.

If it even matters. Like, if you're into high-end graphics, video work, getting every last FPS for the latest game with everything maxed, or the like.

 

[ssampier]

I'd be cautious about buying computers from Best Buy. My wife and I were browsing laptops there last year, and when I asked about "downgrading" a laptop from Vista to XP (i.e. improving the computer!), the sales clerk said that you ran the risk of breaking the computer by doing that!

I was tempted to ask whether the box would burst into flames if I had the temerity to install Linux...

Well, for your average user that may be true. Your average person could probably install Windows XP just fine. Finding all the proper drivers would not be a fun experience, however, ergo broken computer.

Either way, most OEMs do not support anything other than the default OS. Even if you just need a simple driver, they won't help.

This is the reason I build my own. If I am going to have to support it anyway, why not build my own?

 

[Aeolius]

How far are you from Fresno ?

 

[drothgery]

Uh, no.

The new Phenom IIs (or some of them, at least) are most certainly as good value as any Intel chips on the market. Also, their triples and duals across the range are, in some cases, easily as good value per dollar as well. And 'always reliable'? As in, implying that AMD is any less so? Rubbish, frankly. Please provide evidence, if indeed you can.

Current AMD CPUs with nVidia or AMD/ATi chipsets? Nope. Back when AMD pretty much meant being stuck with VIA chipsets or worse, it was another story. Half the reason AMD pushed so hard to integrate the memory controller on the Athlon 64 was because third-party chipset makers just weren't in Intel's league at making discrete memory controllers.

But, before you or others go ahead and say it, I actually use Intel at the moment, so no, I am *not* some AMD fanboi or whatever. Mind you, I bought it (an E8400, which is still a solid choice, incidentally) when Intel was clearly the superior choice over much of the power range (and, let it be said, the *only* choice for very high end desktops, literally). Interestingly, prior to the reign of the Core 2 Duo (and associated chips), AMD in fact was ruling at most of the power levels, for some time. Their dual cores kicked the asses of Intel's shoddy offerings, which - funny that you should mention 'reliability' before - often ran very hot and consumed tons of power.

Quick, rough ranking of desktop CPUs for the last few years (under certain applications, and at extremes of the clock speeds these CPUs were available at, there's obviously some overlap; for example, it wasn't until the second revision of Pentium 4s before they matched the Athlon XP, and the third before they definitively passed it with the Northwood 'C' chips)

Core i7/i5
Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Quad = Phenom II
Phenom
Athlon 64 X2
Pentium D
Athlon 64
Pentium 4
Athlon XP
Pentium III = Athlon
K6-3
Pentium II = K6-2
K6

 

[Elephant]

Well, for your average user that may be true. Your average person could probably install Windows XP just fine. Finding all the proper drivers would not be a fun experience, however, ergo broken computer.

Either way, most OEMs do not support anything other than the default OS. Even if you just need a simple driver, they won't help.

This is the reason I build my own. If I am going to have to support it anyway, why not build my own?

I forget the exact wording, but in context, it was pretty clear that the sales drone meant that you'd physically break the hard drive if you installed XP instead of Vista.

 

[DarkKestral]

The last time I did that the power button failed to properly deploy after I took 40 minutes to set it up. I had to package it back up, and send it back to Dell, so that they could fix my power button. I've had too many problems with my current Dell computer and I'm through with hauling it off to Data Doctors or Geek Squad to get it fixed. I've had this comp for 5 years and its time for a new one.

Sorry Relique Hunter, you're gonna have the same problems with a PC bought from a physical store. The problems aren't usually hardware; much of the time, in my experience, they come from the shovelware that gets loaded onto the system by the OEM. And unless you build your own or are willing to wipe your entire hard drive and totally reformat with a low level reformat, you'll have shovelware.

Plus, places like Geek Squad really aren't that great at fixing computers. Their methods of "fixing" computers usually consist of finding a model number, going to their disk storage, and formatting the drive and restoring it to factory default. They're not really there to fix computers... they're there to convince you to upgrade. Which they will do at great expense to you. While restoring the shovelware that likely caused the slowdown in the first place.

Occasionally, it's a hardware problem. But if it's a hardware problem, you'll typically notice physical signs well before it'll actually fail. For example, the fan will be on constantly at full, or perhaps you'll lose hard drive space faster or maybe hear a weird noise. But by that time, it's usually more cost-effective to buy a new computer. And anyway, many hardware issues can be headed off by the simple preventative maintenance of opening up the case every so often and blowing away all the dust that's collected.

Seriously, your best options, if you don't want to roll your own, is to find a smaller shop that'll do custom work. Generally, unlike at Best Buy, these guys will be more willing to work with you to find what you really need, because they survive on customer satisfaction. Best Buy or Wal-Mart will instead get one look at you then put you into a category, whether or not your needs actually fit the category. They think you want hi-def sound and video? they'll show you systems with hi def sound and video and only systems with hi def sound and video. This is because most of their salesforce are essentially uneducated in their product, and it's the easiest way they have of avoiding hard questions like "How much HDD space is enough?" or "What's better for me: Radeons or GeForces?" Guy at the little shop probably knows his stuff really, really well, because he's probably in it in part because he loves it (computer shops are just like FLGSes that way...) and in part because he has to, so if you have questions, he can answer them in depth if need be. Plus, if you have to switch gear later on, the smaller shop will probably be a little more capable of doing harder repair and upgrade jobs. The premium is there, but it's probably worth it in your case.

EDIT) And if the small guy is a jerk? Just do as you'd probably do with a LGS: don't offer them your money.

 

[Woas]

Burn the witch!

How far are you from Fresno ?

 

[Aeolius]

Burn the witch!

Why? Look at the criteria:

I'm in the market for a new desktop (or maybe laptop) computer and don't know diddly at where to shop for good deals and technical support.

I want to be able to purchase it in person...I have no knowledge of assembling computers so this is out of the question.

Buying a new Mac at a local Apple Store sounds like just the ticket.

 

[ssampier]

I forget the exact wording, but in context, it was pretty clear that the sales drone meant that you'd physically break the hard drive if you installed XP instead of Vista.

Ah, that's different.

There is a shortage of good tech help out there.

I have thought about selling PCs part-time, but there's just not the money in it.

 

[Mercule]

I've bought my last couple of desktops from Best Buy. They had better price for the features than I could get anywhere else, short of building it myself. My laptop, I bought directly from Gateway, but that was largely because tablets were new at the time and primarily a direct item.

If you're reasonably knowledgeable, you can walk into Best Buy, look at the range of available machines, and walk out with a machine that fits your needs for less than you'd pay online.

As far as the various turf wars go, everyone has a preferrence. I've always had outstanding luck with Gateway, but I've heard horror stories. Meanwhile, my experiences with Dell lead me to believe I'd rather donate bone marrow than be stuck with a Dell, but I know people who swear by them. Since Gateway got bought, I've been eyeing HP as my top pick, since I've also had good luck with them. I also tend to favor AMD for desktops and Intel for laptops because AMD seems to have slightly better performance and stability, but Intel does better power and heat management, but the reality is that both companies go through cycles on innovation and excellence and swap places on occasion. As was said above, do your own research and take a grain of salt with the people who come off too strongly for or against any particular manufacturer.