Alienware knows people are getting their tax returns soon

[Drem]

agree on the buying vs. building.

i built a computer a year ago and it was pretty cool til a year later it started to really bog down and some things broke and since it was home-made i had no warranty

i bought a toshiba laptop recently and i've enjoyed it infinitely more than the computer i built as far as OS stability and problems (i've had zero in four months, not even a crash or a freeze)

[Diekan]

OK.... one of you.... find a prebuilt system like the one below:

3.2 gig Pentium IV
1 gig Atlas RAM
160 gig Seagate HD
ASUS P4P800 MB
Sony CDRW
Song DVD player
ATI Radeon 9600 256meg Video Card
Standard Floppy
Aluminum Case (Mid Tower)
400 Watt PS
Sound Blaster PCI card
CPU fan + 2 case fans
All cables


For LESS than 900 dollars (INCLUDING shipping and handling). If you can, then I'll change my opinion on building yourself compared to buying a prefab system.

The last prefab system I bought was a Compaq (350 meg CPU - back when they were "fast")... yes it's been that long. However, I did do some buying for the company I worked for when I was in tech... mostly Dell systems.

I think what a lot of people don't understand is... they are paying over 1000 dollars for something that's half name brand and half generic. The ONLY generic component on my system is the floppy drive... generic = headaches. Try to find updated drivers for a component made by a company that's no longer in business - or are so shitty they simply don't do it. People see "Pentium Inside" and assume it's a "quality" system... not realizing that probably better than 50% of the components inside are no name - generic junk. They end up paying tons more for the names "Dell" and "Pentium." Now, granted the prices are coming way down.... 300 bucks for a full system isn't bad (if all you ever plan to do is surf the web and write papers) - but you're going to get exactly what you paid for. 300 bucks? Do you really think something that cheap is going to last longer than a year or two?

If you take your computer serious, then you should never - ever settle for generic components, period.

Computers are not hard to build. Ensure you're static free and literally "plug and play" your computer together. It's actually more difficult to install Windows than it is to piece the system together. Even that [installing Windows] has gotten so simple it's almost idiot proof (almost).

Besides if you happen to buy the entire system (all the parts) from the same supplier - you can generally buy a support contract from them for 100 bucks or so. Not to mention most (if not all) the components you buy should come with a warrenty.

Anyway, I challenge someone to "build" my system (the one described above) through Dell / Gateway / whatever "name brand" company you want - for less than 900 dollars (including shipping) - if you do - I will gladly stand corrected.

[Lyion]

Done and better. Free shipping included

http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highend ... p3.asp?v=d

I get work discounts for Dell and with free shipping and an additional 33% off I can probably beat the 900 plus get a two year warranty for it, as well.

[Diekan]

??

I pieced it together and came out with $1171.00

I went with:

ALUMINUM X-Navigator Server 420W -- Aluminum w/ 400W PS

Pentium IV -- Same as mine

Asus P5GD1 I915P -- ASUS P4P800

Hitachi 160GB 7200RPM --- Seagate 160 GB

ATI RADEON X600 XT 256MB -- 9600 256 meg

Creative Labs SB Audigy-2 ZS 7.1 -- Same as mine

Sony DVD Player -- Same as mine

Sony CDRW -- Same as mine

/shrug maybe I missing something here man... but the end price for all that was - $1171.00. Also, I randomly chose a video card, I believe the one I have is quite a bit better than the one I chose for the pricing. When I priced the same system with an nVidia card (256) the price shot up to close to 1500.


That is a pretty good site though... I especially like this case:

http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highend ... 00.asp?v=d

[Lyion]

I went with one 'like' yours and got less of a price.

You didn't say an 'exact' copy.

Why do you need Sony DVD and CD players, just out of curiousity? I can get other brands that are just as good cheaper. Also, does your CPU have 2 megs of Cache?

Anyways, you get a decent warranty and I can build a system 'like' yours for 900 bucks with arguably better components than the chop shop you bought the individuals at.

Also, did you take the 5% discount off that is bolded at the top of that page, just out of curiousity even with the higher priced components?

[Diekan]

I chose Sony for no particular reason... other than I happen to like their products... well, at one point I did buy a cheap (no name brand) and it wouldn't burn for shit - so I decided to stay with I what I knew and trusted... Sony.

Regardless... I bought this *system* from SMKsuperstore.com - had it for almost a year now and haven't had a single issue. I'm content with what I spent... Everything is name brand, fast CPU, good RAM... decent video card... works for me.

[Lyion]

Here you go, Diek. Comparable system, under 750 dollars shipped. Includes a DVD R/W unlike your system shipped to your doorstep with a warranty.

# -BLADE Medium Tower Case 450 W (SILVER)
# (Sckt775)Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 630 CPU w/HT Technology 3.2GHZ 800FSB 2MB Cache, 64 Bit
# (DDR1 OR DDR2)MSI 915P COMBO FR I915P CHIPSET SOCKET775 PCI EXPRESS MB W/ SATA, GIGABITE LAN & 7.1 SOUND
# 1024MB PC4200 DDR2 MEMORY
# 160GB 7200 RPM ATA 100 HARD DRIVE
# NONE - 2nd Hard Drive
# NVIDIA Geforce 6200 Graphics with TurboCache supporting 256MB 16X PCI Express VIDEO CARD
# NONE - CD/DVD
# 16X DVDRW/CDRW DRIVE (BLACK)
# NONE - MONITOR
# Creative Labs SB LIVE 24.bit 7.1

[Diekan]

Also, did you take the 5% discount off that is bolded at the top of that page, just out of curiousity even with the higher priced components?

With the 5% discount I came out to around 1112 or so...

[Drem]

all my sony stuff breaks

[Diekan]

Here you go, Diek. Comparable system, under 750 dollars shipped. Includes a DVD R/W unlike your system shipped to your doorstep with a warranty.

# -BLADE Medium Tower Case 450 W (SILVER)
# (Sckt775)Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 630 CPU w/HT Technology 3.2GHZ 800FSB 2MB Cache, 64 Bit
# (DDR1 OR DDR2)MSI 915P COMBO FR I915P CHIPSET SOCKET775 PCI EXPRESS MB W/ SATA, GIGABITE LAN & 7.1 SOUND
# 1024MB PC4200 DDR2 MEMORY
# 1600GB 7200 RPM ATA 100 HARD DRIVE
# NONE - 2nd Hard Drive
# NVIDIA Geforce 6200 Graphics with TurboCache supporting 256MB 16X PCI Express VIDEO CARD
# NONE - CD/DVD
# 16X DVDRW/CDRW DRIVE (BLACK)
# NONE - MONITOR
# Creative Labs SB LIVE 24.bit 7.1

Ok - fair enough - I guess you can get a decent *real* system just as cheap as you can build it - times have changed it seems.

[Lyion]

This is what ya need, Diek. Get the Dual SLI Nvidia 256s and Raid 0 a pair of Raptors on an FX-55


http://www.cyberpowersystem.com/highend ... urator_top

[Ciladan]

Hmm I know where I'm buying my next computer

[labbats]

When something gets too slow, I'm too broke to start all over, so I just add a new processor, RAM, etc from time to time.

Then I put my MDA in the LORAN finalizing the MM to the gigernet sideways. It's always put the LL in my GON if you know what I mean!

[Captain Insano]

OK.... one of you.... find a prebuilt system like the one below:

3.2 gig Pentium IV
1 gig Atlas RAM
160 gig Seagate HD
ASUS P4P800 MB
Sony CDRW
Song DVD player
ATI Radeon 9600 256meg Video Card
Standard Floppy
Aluminum Case (Mid Tower)
400 Watt PS
Sound Blaster PCI card
CPU fan + 2 case fans
All cables


For LESS than 900 dollars (INCLUDING shipping and handling). If you can, then I'll change my opinion on building yourself compared to buying a prefab system.

I'll accept this challenge.... but tell me what software you intend to put on it ? That is going to become a very important factor here soon when Microsquash stops letting all the illegit copies of its stuff download any patches.

Now that being said I think I should restate my stance on this... If you want to hand build a system and pirate all the software and deal with one month turn around times and RMA's on parts when they break and no tech support and components that might now work well together.. then YES you can build a cheaper system and save maybe a couple hundred bucks in comparison to the Dells/IBM/HP etc machines.

But if all the above sounds like to much hassle just buy a machine. The thing about it is that MOST people can do everything they need efficiently on a 500 dollar Dimension Desktop or Gateway box. The only time you need the heavy hitting hardware is for gaming and/or graphics design or video editing.

5 years ago I was all about building machines. Back then an entry level box was 1000 bucks from any of the major PC manufacturers. These days as cheap as they are I don't see why people waste the time building.

[Harrison]

Because people like me don't want shitty generic hardware sacrificed for cost effectiveness.

[labbats]

Because people like me don't want shitty generic hardware sacrificed for cost effectiveness.

On second thought... nevermind. This is getting old.

[Captain Insano]

Because people like me don't want shitty generic hardware sacrificed for cost effectiveness.

Oh yes i'm sorry... what was I thinking. Who would buy a machine that has been engineered from the ground up from companies who have 20+ years of experience in doing so? Not to mention extensively tested so that when there built by the millions they have few to no problems which would cost the companies millions in repair and warranty work.

I guarantee the lifespan of an average computer built by one of the bigger companies and the rate of failure is significantly less than those that are hand built.

Once again lumpison you really don't know what the fuck you are talking about.

[Harrison]

Let me build a computer and then compare it to a Dell/Gateway/HP/Compaq

And then run your fucking mouth...

Until then, shut your fucking mouth.

[Captain Insano]

Let me build a computer and then compare it to a Dell/Gateway/HP/Compaq

And then run your fucking mouth...

Until then, shut your fucking mouth.

I'll put my money on the other's. Dell and Gateway's computers are designed and built by engineers with extensive technical knowledge not by highschool dropouts who pound nails for a living while feasting on McRib sammiches with excessive amounts of hairy asscrack being flaunted in front of men holding their power tools.


I think one of the mods should change your name to Chumpchange instead of harrison... for some reason that has more flair.

[Harrison]

I don't have layers of bureaucracy to work out prices and "cost cutting" to get my shit together.

I will have ALL quality hardware in my system. If it isn't compatible, it is my fault.

I won't have "mcjew 4200 ram" to save $200.

You are just rambling because you are caught up in the industry itself. I know better.

[Captain Insano]

haha.... You're a peon compared to my computer sk33lz. It would be better if from now on you just agree with everything I have to say.

[Harrison]

*shrug* Keep mumbling and stroking your own ego.

My systems will ALWAYS beat out cookie cutter pieces of shit.

[Diekan]

I think the issues depend on the person. You already know my system specs....

I run a small 30 gig partition with Winsux XP and the other 130 gigs are *running* SuSE Linux... I've had the computer for close to a year and haven't had a single issue (hardware wise) - the issues I have had - were all from that 600 meg piece of shit called "Windows" - which is nothing more than a huge fuching virus.

[Gidan]

I have for the most part built every computer I have owned for the last say 10 years with the exception on 1. The Alienware computer I had was without a doubt the best computer I have ever had. If I still had the $$ I would buy another one without a thought. There are very expensive though and so far and beyond what any normal person would ever use.

For the every day computer user, I would definatly recomend going out and buying a prebuilt system. If you like to know you built your own go for it but you really can get just as good buying one already assembled.

I personally wont buy prebuilt other then alienware becasue I like specific pieces and can never find someplace that offerest exactly what I want preassembled.

[Narrock]

Diekan said:

Winsux XP

lol I'm easily amused