Just got a new PC.

[MN Shutterbug]

I finally decided to retire my 10 year Gateway desktop. I got it free 4 years ago from my cousin because it had quit working. I got 4 more years out of it and the USB ports started going bad on me so I knew it was time. I'm just amazed how much faster the internet is with this machine. My download speed jumped from 9 megs to 14 1/2 megs/sec. I expected it to be a little faster but not this much of a difference.

I don't know how many have heard of this brand before but it's a Systemax. It gets great ratings and is totally installed in the U.S. with support in the U.S., which helped me decide. I had a presale question and it was nice to talk to someone that sounded Minnesotan. They are based in Ohio.

Anyhow, I'm a happy camper. I just have a lot of work to reinstall programs and hope some of the old ones are compatible. The IE favorites and photos have been moved back for starters.

[Shack]

Systemax I believe is a build to order company offering pre-built package deals for desktops. They might even offer services and components similar to Cisco's Enterprise/Business line, but build PC's to order using middle to higher end OEM and stock components purchased from on-line sources. Similar to a local PC builder, but on a much larger scale and for lower prices.

The only concern(s) could see is "having" warranty repairs performed and the lack of a storefront for dropping off. Beyond this, you PC should be a good machine.

What are the specs MNS? I assume Windows 7 is installed.

[Nick Kuhn]

There's nothing like using a freshly built system. Building it yourself or through a small builder saves you a lot of bloatware software that comes pre-installed, so the home-built systems run remarkably fast with a fresh Windows install.

[Elybound]

I am more of the build it yourself type. It saves a lot of money and much more reliable.

There are quite a few of the special order/build companies out there. With some you can specify each part and they will build it for you.

Which ever company a person chooses, always ask them which motherboard and power supply they use. To me those are the two most important parts of a computer and also the two parts the big name companies go cheap on.

[Moose]

Ely, Where do you get your components from? I've priced out parts from Newegg and find it's not very cost effective unless your looking to build a specialty system. I would like to try to build one but haven't taken the time.I usually buy refurbished units with new windows installed. No bloatware or junk software.

[Elybound]

Two thirds of my parts came from Newegg and the rest came from Micro Center. I was very patient and over the coarse of 6 months just about every item was on sale. Every component was between 20 to 35% off. Had quite a few rebates also. Subscribe to Neweggs e-blast emails. Cpu's are always cheaper at Microcenter.

[Shack]

+1 Nick and Ely. I love MicroCenter as they have an outlet down in the cities, but keep an eye on the pricing. They tend to run on the higher side with some items, but the convenience of having the item now outweighs the price difference in some instances. I will also toss out TigerDirect. Using MicroCenter, NewEgg and TigerDirect, a guy or gal can assemble a high end machine at a low end price level. I used to really use Evil Bay, but have found "just as" good pricing with the others mentioned. Although I have not run across this, but people I know have purchased components from EB (new) and the components ended up not being exactly what was described. Amazon is another source, but in most cases Amazon will lead you right back to MicroCenter, NewEgg or TigerDirect.

Interesting Note: As I was searching for some items earlier today I came across that Systemax (I believe) owns TigerDirect or vice versa. They are connected in some fashion.

The following is a rundown of my personal findings when building a PC from scratch. By no means should the following should be limited to, as I love trying new product lines and keeping my horizons open and encourage others to do so. Just seems right now I have found:

Mother board: This is a major point and only name brands with good reviews should be considered. Asus, for me, has taken over as the number one board of choice. Not only do they last, hold up to neglect, but the components they use are top notch and the recovery measures they have are second to none. I believe Asus even makes Intel’s motherboards?

CPU/Processor: Always Intel, but if not I go AMD. Anything i7 second gen and the best/fastest I can find a deal on. Hard to spend an extra $200 for a gain of milliseconds and being able to say "My processor is faster than yours" when either CPU has the same capabilities.

Power Supply Unit: If you are planning on not upgrading within the next 2 years, the PSU should be a unit which costs around the $60-$100 mark, depending on your setup, closeouts and your use of the PC. Name brands very for me as they all produce good units. It just depends which retail pricing level the unit started as. Seems to be the "go to" mark is hitting the 1000w supply, but that would be for gamers and heavy editing machines. If the machine's purpose supports what is provided, most times the PC case or chassis you purchase will come with a powers supply unit that will meet the needs of what is tossed within the chassis. Just check around on the net to see if the unit is worth a darn or not and has the capabilities you need with room to grow your machine if you want. Majority of the "noise" a PC will emit comes from the PCU. So keep this in mind when buying and researching your unit, as a unit which meets or exceeds your requirements, is on sale for $10-$20 cheaper than other units, could be a looser when the unit sounds like a jetliner when under load. One maker of PCU's to keep an eye on is the ModXStream Pro Series. They are not cheap but are capable of supplying all the spectrums of power such as NVIDIA SLI and ATI. Just something to consider if upgrading or changes are being thought of for down the road. The higher price tag actually could be much cheaper than having to buy another power supply unit a year later.

When it comes to me and having to choose the remainder components and peripherals, price drives my choice unless it comes to a RAID controller or hardrive.

Harddrives: I always seem to end up having to choose between Western Digital and Seagate, but my choice of drives is Hitachi. Hitachi has better forgiveness with warranty concerns, great support and free tools within their website. The other options like Maxtor or Samsung have good points. Although I rarely use/deal with them, I would not pass on them if I found a deal and they had a particular spec or type of HDD I was looking for.

Audio: Today this should be addressed and provided within the mobo and most likely is provided by RealTec. If I go PCI with sound, Creative has been my choice with their Sound Blaster series.

Video: Anything G-Force and 512mb or higher is perfect for anything today.

DDR Memory: Depending on, but most likely building new, you would be using DDR3 type RAM. All the name brands are open game in my hunt and pretty much will come down to what is on-sale at the time. Crucial would be the name I would toss out if I had to toss out a name. Corsair and PNY are other good mem makers. With that said, I also wouldn’t hesitate purchasing refurbished DDR even on new builds if you can find what you need. It saves money and comes with a warranty.

Cases and Chassis: I have found with what is being made today, going cheap provides just as much as going expensive. It all comes down to size and features. CoolMaster has some very cheap, but effective and good looking units and most times has been my choice. Other notables would be Thermaltake, Rosewill and Antec. Your case and chassis choice will most likely come down to how you want your desktop to look and what you are putting inside. Just keep in mind upgrades of the future if you are not planning to start from scratch.

Optical Drives: LG has become my preferred DVD drive. Cheap, comes with Light Scribe, last a long time and is packages on-sale most times for under $20.

All other points such as cables, USB, fans, HDMI, and the entire list of other minor garb needed, my suggestion would be on-sale and as cheap as I can find will suffice.

[Nick Kuhn]

I build mine from Newegg. It is not cost effective to build a basic system; you simply can't beat a big company on the low end of the spectrum. Building your own is generally recommended for those into gaming or with heavy multimedia uses (video editing and such). For instance I built my system for gaming (years ago now, whenever an 8800GT was new). It cost me about $900 to do so. A comparable system from Dell or HP was up around $2000.

[MN Shutterbug]

I can see buidling your own if you enjoy that type of thing or want it specialized, but to save maybe $100 if you're lucky, why bother? I know some people are particluar about the brand of hard drive, CPU and mother board etc., but I have never had a hard drive crash, CPU fail or mother board go bad. My first desktop was bought 30 years ago and the only time I retire them is when they get way outdated, such as 10 years old like my last one.

[Shack]

I agree. If you are just using the desktop to jockey the internet you would have to either be frugally patient finding 50%+ off deals on everything from last year, with maybe some used tossed in the mix to beet the $250.00 E-Machines deal.

I mainly deal with upgrading and updating older desktops to accommodate newer features and components. Every so often I am approached by someone who want to "build" up a PC for editing and heavy rendering. This is where you can save good amounts of money if you take the time and find the where and when with deals and low prices. If a person is looking to spend $500.00+ on a machine and building it yourself (a monkey with one eye can put together a new PC and get Windows up and running on it) is even a happy thought, a person can easily save a couple hundred and even come out of it with a better PC. $500 and building your own can mean an i5 verses an i3. That is a pretty big difference in processors.

MNS a $100.00 can upgrade a mobo and fill those extra slots with DDR3. Yes, you would have to want to put one together for the above to work. Most times it is easier to just buy one and I am all for this. No problem with buying off the shelf or direct at all. In fact, when I am helping someone get a new machine, pre-assembled deals are the first I look for. Much easier for the both of us. I really do enjoy building PC's and this would be a must to pursue build one.

[SkunkedAgain]

I built mine this spring from Newegg. The computer with quad-core processor and 8GB of RAM and terrabyte HDD was about $500. I just finally capped it off with a new monitor for another $150. This thing is SUPER fast and I don't do much beyond surf the web and standard Office apps. However, when I build these things they last forever...way longer than a store-bought machine.

[spearchucker]

FYI

Seagate owns Maxtor and Samsung HD's.

Western Digital has purchased or is in the process of buying Hitachi HD division.

[MN Shutterbug]

I'll admit Skunked, your PC is much more robust with a larger capacity than the one I bought for $450, but totally unnecessary for my use. My laptop, which has all the same programs plus a couple more and all the photos my desktop has, has just a 67 gig HD and I'm using only half of that, so I think my 500 gig drive will be sufficient until technology forces me to upgrade. My wife is the main user of this new PC and all she uses it for is Facebook and email. All I use it for is graphics design and editing photos, and the old one with just 2 gigs of RAM was actually enough. I'm just not a fan of overkill.

BTW Skunked, how much of that terrabyte are you actually using?

I've also never had a store bought desktop fail on me.

[Elybound]

I agree with what has been said. If all a person is using a computer for is web browsing, emails and storing family photos, then it is hard to beat an E-Machine for $250. But if you plan on running the most graphic intent games or programs (sometimes all at the same time) then it is better and cost effective to build one that can handle it. Computer building is not for everyone, but there is a sense of pride after you power it up for the first time, much like anyone who can build their own furniture, remodel a bathroom or change the brakes on their vehicle. The big box stores are hoping people are intimidated with opening a computer, repairs is a big money making department. Just try to have a computer diagnosed and have windows reloaded for under $150 to 200.

[Shack]

Thanks spearchucker. I thought I heard something about Hitachi buying up one of the other big ones. I think Hitachi has a little something in every harddrive. That or the other Manu with a heavy japanese name that I forget at the moment. The other two I have never really dug into besides working with them, but know they are around.

[SkunkedAgain]

BTW Skunked, how much of that terrabyte are you actually using?

Not a ton yet - but over the next decade that will change. I buy for the future. I no longer worry about reducing photo sizes or deleting a movie to save space. An e-machine would suit my purposes just fine, but it won't last me more than two years. My parents by that junk and get frustrated when it's butt-slow after not too long. I spent twice as much but my system should last four times as long.

[Nick Kuhn]

It's $40 for a 320GB hard drive, and $55 for a 1TB hard drive. Really there's no reason not to go with the bigger drive, as they do not cost a whole lot more.

[Shack]

It's $40 for a 320GB hard drive, and $55 for a 1TB hard drive. Really there's no reason not to go with the bigger drive, as they do not cost a whole lot more.

+100 Nick. Only reason I would go for a drive under 1tb would be for advancement or speed purposes.

If a persons ever gets into heavy HD video editing and recording all home and production video in HD, develops in the multiple areas of open source, PC and Mac world, likes music and works with CAD (3D modeling to boot), plus other things added in, that person can chew up 2TB's like nothing. Without even ripping one DVD from my collection, scanned for dups and re-scanned, on hand I have 6TB worth of must keep content and media in my storage. Actually this is not all that much compared to other people I know, namly geeks that PC game.

Sad thing about this though, I know every little file and folder I have down to the kilobyte. Spent about 3 months going through a 10TB mess and now have my storage areas setup like downtown. So nice having files named correctly and directories treed the way you want. I picked up 3 2TB Seagates a couple weeks back to add on to my main NAS server so I can backup everything the way it is now and start once again organized and fresh. Even using software to help (which does help huge), most of the sensitive areas came down to just clicking in, moving files and clicking out to delete the empty folder or directory. I had been running Nero backup for awhile and when it syncs it was recreating directory and folder paths to each modified file. What a mess.