opinions about buying new computer
 

hey guys, sorry if this has been asked before, but i am buying a new computer this week, guessing from dell... does anyone have opinions on the offered computers, or an idea of a good affordable place? help would be loved.

dells are good (for the most part). but if you're inclined and have the know-how, nothing beats building one yourself.

alternatively, if you're looking for a cheap computer, check http://www.retrobox.com

i wouldn't buy a gateway, compaq, or hp as far as cookie-cutter computers go...dell is nice, building one is better. go with dell if you're buying a prebuilt machine

It all depends on the budget. How much do you want to spend (US Dollars)?

Honestly, I'd buy an Emachine if you are just looking for a run of the mill comp.

You can get set up with everything for under 400 dollars after rebates, then slap in a bit more ram if you are so inclined, and you'll be set. WIth the money you save, buy yourself something pretty ;)

Mine works fairly good for what it is. I can't complain.

I agree with Stare At The Sun, and add this one addendum, reformat immediately if possible. I can't stress this enough. Cookie-cutter store-bought b0xen (that's right I'm leet, I said "b0xen" oooh!) always come stock with a craplode of spy/mal/bloatwarez. Computer companies always, always put unecessary shit on their computers. Therefore, before you even fire whatever machine you purchase up, I suggest going into BIOS, changing your boot order, putting cd-rom first, and then pop in the damn XP restore disc that the company you buy your computer from often sends. I realize that companies like HP have recently (as of 2002 at least) have stopped shipping restore shit with their PCs, and you must request it from said company. I also realize that not having a disc come with it makes for a difficult situation, so it might be best to just order an OEM version of XP Pro from a respectable online reseller like Newegg.

However, if you don't mind all that shit, just stick with whatever your computer company's build of XP has on it.

The crap restore CDs that HP provided re-installed the whole frigging mess of crap just the way they delivered it.

I'll never buy anything else from HP.

HP Sucks.

<comic book guy>
worst cases ever
</comic book guy>
Gateways and Dells are horrible to upgrade after using my antec cases for so long.
My dad's newer Gateway system was a nightmare to add an internal floppy drive to - it was impossible as far as I could tell to put in screws on both sides without popping some rivets (the drive is still loose in the case), and a friend's Dell only has mounting for ONE hard drive.

If a vendor has Antec cases available (or anything else with the same incredible ease) then I could consider them for OEM machines. Anything else I have to see first 'in the flesh'.