[Help!] Buying a new Desktop

[John Crichton]

Voodoo makes incredible PCs. I bought one 3 years ago and it's never crashed once or given me any other problems whatsoever. I've only made a couple minor upgrades, and I'm still playing hardware intensive games with no problems at all, and it wasn't even top of the line back then (1.4 AMD overclocked to 1.7). I know for certain that when I get a new PC, probably next year, it will without a doubt be a Voodoo. They do service contracts. I think 1 year comes with all their PCs and you can upgrade to 2 or 3 years. The price might not be what your looking for (if price is the main thing, I'd go Dell), but for PCs with nothing but top-end components, their entry level PCs aren't too bad of a price.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check 'em out.

BTW - the link is http://www.voodoopc.com/

The voodoo.com link is fun, tho.

 

[John Crichton]

I'm another of those "built it at home" computer users. This route is good if you're planning on upgrading some of your comp. Probably best if all you need is a hard drive (which may be your problem-faulty hard drive going bad).

Yeah, I built this one so it wouldn't be hard to just replace the HD. However, there are some other issues that have popped up as well. And I'm just sick of having to deal with this stuff.

 

[Krieg]

2 nights ago, my computer's main HD decided to stop working. I have tried many different methods of data recovery and my next step is to bring it to a pro. I've also been having other problems with the unit even after a few new installs of Windows (over the last year or so). I am terribly frustrated all around at this point.

Seal the HDD in a plastic ziplock bag & stick it in the freezer overnight. It might buy you a bit of time in which to get your data off the drive.

I know that Intel just released some new processors and I'd like to stick with them over AMD. Also, I've been reading the Microsoft will be releasing a new OS this year that is 64-bit based. I'd need to have the system be able to run that.

If you are serious about running a 64bit kernel then AMD's Athlon 64 is your only practical desktop choice at this time. Intel's current desktop offerings are all 32bit processors and their only 64bit part is the Itanium which is not practical for a desktop machine

I've heard good things about Alienware and have purchased from Gateway & Dell in the past. Any suggestions, things I should look for or be aware of? New tech? Any deals out there? Any websites that have deals updated so I don't have to scour the net? I used www.notebookreview.com daily when I was looking for a new laptop. Are there any sites like that for desktops?

PC World's Top 15 Desktops and Top Cheap PCs lists are a good place to start, as is PC Magazine's review database.

You also might want to check current prices on PriceWatch.

If you are looking for a "performance" machine Alienware, Voodoo and Falcon Northwest are probably the three biggest names in boutique PC manufacturers. If you are looking for a more budget minded PC, Power Spec PCs are worth a look....and of course Dell is the WalMart of the PC world.

 

[reveal]

Seal the HDD in a plastic ziplock bag & stick it in the freezer overnight. It might buy you a bit of time in which to get your data off the drive.

You know, even after 12 years in the industry, it always amazes me that that actually works.

 

[WingOver]

I've built my last 5 computers. I'll probably buy my next one from Dell. Why? Because if I get one on sale its really hard to justify the few dollars I'd save when compared to the time/hassle spent building one. No fuss and a warranty to boot.

I bought my dad a Dell and it got hit by lightning. We called Dell and played dumb, they sent a tech to my house and replaced the motherboard, no questions asked. After dealing with RMAs and other problems with my own custom-built systems, I can't tell you how much I appreciated this service.

I strongly recommend you check for dell coupons (www.slickdeals.net is an outstanding resource). Dell always has sales (for example http://www.slickdeals.net/#p5782). You can save hundreds of dollars this way.

 

[cybertalus]

No one's recommended Tigerdirect.com yet. While I'm another homebuilder (and will never have another desktop that I didn't build myself), I've known several people who've been very happy with machines they bought from Tiger. I believe they've all been Systemax brand in particular.

IME despite the low prices, Dell computers are also surprisingly good machines. Most of the problems I've seen with them have been as a result of user error/choice rather than hardware/driver type issues. Though they have gone to a case design that makes replacing CD/DVD drives difficult until you learn the trick.

Oh, and just out of curiosity, what brand was the hard drive that went up?

 

[John Crichton]

Seal the HDD in a plastic ziplock bag & stick it in the freezer overnight. It might buy you a bit of time in which to get your data off the drive.

Really? That's very cool. I happen to have a small fridge right here that has a mini-freezer compartment. How convienient.

If you are serious about running a 64bit kernel then AMD's Athlon 64 is your only practical desktop choice at this time. Intel's current desktop offerings are all 32bit processors and their only 64bit part is the Itanium which is not practical for a desktop machine

Really? I thought that Intel's new 600 (?) series precessors will run the 64bit stuff? Coulda sworn I read that the other night. Grrrr.

PC World's

Top 15 Desktops and Top Cheap PCs lists are a good place to start, as is PC Magazine's review database.

You also might want to check current prices on PriceWatch.

If you are looking for a "performance" machine Alienware, Voodoo and Falcon Northwest are probably the three biggest names in boutique PC manufacturers. If you are looking for a more budget minded PC, Power Spec PCs are worth a look....and of course Dell is the WalMart of the PC world.

Thanks for the breakdown. I knew about some of these but not the "pecking order." Pricewatch has been my place to buy for years but I'm really leaning towards not building my own. Partially because most of my tech-minded buds have moved away over the years. There are a few left but they are all software gurus and not hardware guys. Thank god for ENworld!

Those Voodoo prices are insane! But the machines look awesome. Hmmm.

And yes, a "performance" machine is what I am leaning towards right now. I don't mind spending a few extra bucks at this point for quality.

 

[John Crichton]

No one's recommended Tigerdirect.com yet. While I'm another homebuilder (and will never have another desktop that I didn't build myself), I've known several people who've been very happy with machines they bought from Tiger. I believe they've all been Systemax brand in particular.

I'll check 'em out.

IME despite the low prices, Dell computers are also surprisingly good machines. Most of the problems I've seen with them have been as a result of user error/choice rather than hardware/driver type issues. Though they have gone to a case design that makes replacing CD/DVD drives difficult until you learn the trick.

I have always liked Dell in general. I've actually had good luck with Gateway as well. But a few friends have had nightmare experiences with both. Go figure. My first Gateway, which I bought used - the monitor just died. I sent an email and got a reply that night. I called the guy to give him a credit card number (in case I kept the new monitor and didn't send the other one back) so he would send me a replacement and I could send him the busted one in the same box. It got here in 2 days. I had no extra warranty on the thing.

Smooth experience.

Oh, and just out of curiosity, what brand was the hard drive that went up?

Oddly enough, a Seagate S-ATA.

And since you asked, it started off with a "[size=-1]NTLDR is Missing" error. I found a few help sites and tried to fix the problem with the boot up. Somewhere in the middle of that, the bios stopped recognizing the HD altogether. I took out the HD and found that the power cord would no longer stay plugged in to the back of it. I have ordered a new cord from zipzoomfly.com and am waiting for it to come in.

I may still be able to fix this problem and I would REALLY love to get the data off that drive as there is some really important stuff on there. It won't change the fact that I want a new machine, tho. I actually need to return a video card I bought 3 weeks ago come to think of it. The new machine will surely have a better one...
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[Rackhir]

As far as 64 bit goes, this is really only important if you need to use large (greater than 4gb ram). Other than that it's fairly meaningless. Yes the latest Intel Chips have 64 bit extentions, but from current reviews apparently mostly take a performance hit from running in 64 bit mode as opposed to the Athalon 64/Opteron chips which see a significant benefit from runing in a 64 bit enviroment. Though that is somewhat more complicated than just the operating system. A lot of device drivers are not available in 64bit versions yet, for example. Though I'm not sure exactly how that interacts at least with the AMD chips in terms of performance.

Frankly you will get nightmare stories about any computer manufacture or building them on your own. All it takes is one idiot (on either side) and/or missunderstanding + non obvious problem to produce a nightmare. In my experience though, if you are half way competent you are unlikely to get much in the way of tech support for consumer level products (though Apple is Top Rated for this and the new Mac Mini IS only $500) that you couldn't have figured out faster on your own.

Don't bother worring about a computer lasting for more than 3 years. The hard cold fact is that by that time technology has advanced enough that what ever you have is obsolecent and in 5 years it's obsolete. No amount of money you can spend will change that. The power of computers doubles roughly every 18 mo and the difference in power between the top end systems and the low end systems is roughly that. So in 18 months the low end systems are as powerful as your 18 mo old top end system. In 3 years the low end systems are twice as powerful and in 5 years they are 4 TIMES as powerful.

If performance is your goal, the AMD Althalon FX Chips are head and shoulders above Intel's offerings for everything except video encoding and the new FX-57 due to be shipping in 2-3 weeks may beat them even there (it adds the SSE3 instructions that have helped the Intel chips). Of course you are talking about $1000 chip, but the Intel P4EE chips are similarly priced and get left behind.

The AMD chips also have the highly regarded Nforce4 based motherboards with the SLI slots for use with Nvidia cards (no word yet on the AIT solution). These are clearly among the cream of the crop in MBs currently and for architectural reasons are superior to anything available for Intel Chips. Mostly the fact that they have a separate direct processor to memory connection, where as the intel chips are routed through the FSB through which all the other data has to pass as well. This means that the AMD chips can benefit from the verly low latency memory that is available.

BTW the AMD chips can not use the newer DDR-2 memory, but since the performance of DDR-2 is actually lower than DDR at the same clock speeds (and doesn't actually go faster either) this is not exactly a disadvantage. What ever a computer sales person tries to tell you.

What ever you get AVOID AT ALL COSTS systems with video cards built into the motherboard.

 

[Krieg]

Really? I thought that Intel's new 600 (?) series precessors will run the 64bit stuff? Coulda sworn I read that the other night. Grrrr.

You are correct, but keep in mind that the 600 series procs have only been officially released within the last week. Availability, price & chipset maturity are all going to be questions at least for a little while.

Pricewatch has been my place to buy for years but I'm really leaning towards not building my own.

I listed pricewatch because they do have prices for complete systems as well

Those Voodoo prices are insane! But the machines look awesome. Hmmm.

And yes, a "performance" machine is what I am leaning towards right now. I don't mind spending a few extra bucks at this point for quality.

From a quality standpoint I am a big fan of Falcon Northwest. They have been in the custom PC game the longest and it does show. While they might not be quite as wild as the Voodoos, Falcon Northwest goes to great length to part match & test their machines, their attention to detail is unmatched.

Voodoo and Alienware are certain no slouches either of course, Falcon Northwest is just my personal favorite.