How to buy a new pc the right way!

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  1. Posts : 1,533
    Windows 7 Professional x64 Service Pack 1
       #1

    How to buy a new pc the right way!


    1. Know that no one brand is perfect. (all brands have bad product lines of computers)

    2. Know what you are going to be using the new pc for. You don't need a top of the line Core i7 to browse the internet and edit word documents.

    3. Choose whether you need a laptop/netbook or a desktop. Laptops are needed when you don't want to take up a lot of space or need a mobile pc.

    4. Choose a pc with good reviews.
    Bad: 1-3 stars
    Good: 4-5 stars

    5. Find your pc at the store. I made the mistake of buying a laptop online without ever using it. Worst pc buying mistake (nearly) that you can make.

    6. See if you can find a review of the pc you want to buy from Cnet, PCWorld, or PCMAG.

    7. Choose a PC that is quiet. You don't want your new pc to be waking you up during the night because it is so loud!

    8. Does the PC that you want to buy have a good feel? For example, on a laptop, if you push down on the keyboard some, does it flex a lot? A little bit of flex is ok, but a lot of flex can be a sign that the manufacturer was cutting some serious corners when making your pc. On a desktop, if you push on the case, does it flex or make any creaking sounds. That is an indicator that the manufacturer cheaped out on the case of your pc which isn't a good thing.

    9. Does the PC come with a monitor (desktops only)? This is important to some, not to others. My desktop didn't come with a monitor, but that didn't stop me from buying it. Sometimes, you can get a good desktop with a good monitor for a good price.

    10. Based on everything above, are you satisfied with using that new PC for a long time. You don't want to be stuck with a pc that you don't like.

    11. Enjoy it!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2,606
    Windows 7 Pro X64 SP1
       #2

    Better yet, don't buy a (desktop) PC.

    Assemble one yourself. That's one way to be sure that you get only industry standard components. The only tool required is a medium Philps screwdriver. Some paper towels for cleaning up any stray thermal paste may be handy. A grounding strap may be a worthwhile safety item, although few people use them.

    You'll probably have to spend more money than for a comparable appliance PC, but it's more than a purchase - it's a hobby, and (for some) an indoor sport. It's not very good exercise, but you may work up a sweat wrestling around a 20kg PC.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 1,533
    Windows 7 Professional x64 Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #3

    bobkn said:
    Better yet, don't buy a (desktop) PC.

    Assemble one yourself. That's one way to be sure that you get only industry standard components. The only tool required is a medium Philps screwdriver. Some paper towels for cleaning up any stray thermal paste may be handy. A grounding strap may be a worthwhile safety item, although few people use them.

    You'll probably have to spend more money than for a comparable appliance PC, but it's more than a purchase - it's a hobby, and (for some) an indoor sport. It's not very good exercise, but you may work up a sweat wrestling around a 20kg PC.
    Yea, I know. This was supposed to be a tutorial, but it got removed from that section. It was intended for the people that don't build their own systems or who don't know what to look for in a new pc.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 3,168
    Windows 10 64bit
       #4

    bobkn said:
    Better yet, don't buy a (desktop) PC.

    Assemble one yourself. That's one way to be sure that you get only industry standard components. The only tool required is a medium Philps screwdriver. Some paper towels for cleaning up any stray thermal paste may be handy. A grounding strap may be a worthwhile safety item, although few people use them.

    You'll probably have to spend more money than for a comparable appliance PC, but it's more than a purchase - it's a hobby, and (for some) an indoor sport. It's not very good exercise, but you may work up a sweat wrestling around a 20kg PC.
    Agree with this post
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #5

    Not to sound like I'm being rude, but I can take some guesses as to why it was pulled from the tutorial section....aside from the fact the topic is covered very often.

    1. Agree somewhat, but there are plenty of brands to avoid completely.
    2. True
    3. True
    4. Reviews are biased (usually) and there's no guarantee they will use a star rating. You don't need reviews, especially on towers, if you understand what you are getting for your money....and understand what components you are choosing.
    5. Plenty of people buy PCs online. Again....know what you are getting for your money. Not every has brick and mortar stores near them that sell the trustworthy brands.
    6. Those sites haven't been relevant in a decade.
    7. Sound isn't important to everyone. Unless you are a kid, the computer probably won't be in the same room as where you sleep. Many people don't let them run overnight, either. None of mine do, except my server.
    8. Again, that's why you stick with trustworthy brands. Know what you are buying.
    9. True, but that's always made very clear...monitor or no monitor.
    10. Sometimes. However, I know many people who bought an off-the-shelf computer, were unhappy with it, and took that opportunity to use some of those parts to finally learn to build their own. Building a computer is actually quite simple, especially if you have a friend who can oversee...which most people do. My wife, before switching to laptops, built 5 towers for herself. The first, I walked her through every step. By the 5th, she was creating her own parts lists and doing the assembly 100% herself.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,533
    Windows 7 Professional x64 Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #6

    DeaconFrost said:
    Not to sound like I'm being rude, but I can take some guesses as to why it was pulled from the tutorial section....aside from the fact the topic is covered very often.

    1. Agree somewhat, but there are plenty of brands to avoid completely.
    2. True
    3. True
    4. Reviews are biased (usually) and there's no guarantee they will use a star rating. You don't need reviews, especially on towers, if you understand what you are getting for your money....and understand what components you are choosing.
    5. Plenty of people buy PCs online. Again....know what you are getting for your money. Not every has brick and mortar stores near them that sell the trustworthy brands.
    6. Those sites haven't been relevant in a decade.
    7. Sound isn't important to everyone. Unless you are a kid, the computer probably won't be in the same room as where you sleep. Many people don't let them run overnight, either. None of mine do, except my server.
    8. Again, that's why you stick with trustworthy brands. Know what you are buying.
    9. True, but that's always made very clear...monitor or no monitor.
    10. Sometimes. However, I know many people who bought an off-the-shelf computer, were unhappy with it, and took that opportunity to use some of those parts to finally learn to build their own. Building a computer is actually quite simple, especially if you have a friend who can oversee...which most people do. My wife, before switching to laptops, built 5 towers for herself. The first, I walked her through every step. By the 5th, she was creating her own parts lists and doing the assembly 100% herself.
    Ha! I agree with number 6. They are the ones that try to review an off the shelf computer when they custom build their own. I kind of wish I cutom built my pc now, because HP has made my experience upgrading my pc difficult and my pc doesn't like ssd's at all. My pc comes on overnight to run backups, do a mse scan, defrag, and sometimes, an automatic disk cleanup. My pc does all of that during the night, then goes back to sleep. I wake it in the morining with all of my stuff completed. I like that feeling. I am probably going to delete this thread (if I can) because it isn't as good as I would've hoped. I could've done better, but this was my first tutorial, so I didn't really know.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 197
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       #7

    The above is true, buying online is not always a bad idea though. My friend got a second hand laptop from Norway! It was perfect for him, brilliant price for virtually top of the range stuff, the keyboard did cause a couple of issues though! I am in the UK so don't know what it is like in the U.S. or similar. In the UK, don't buy a ready built pc from the main high street shops, they really do rip you off! I would recommend either building it (as I am about to hopefully do) or if you don't want to do that, buy one online that you can customise, you can get fully customisable laptops as well. I know a couple of brilliant places to buy online if you are in the UK, I won't post them here but PM me if you want help. If you are stuck for parts, go onto a forum, either here I guess or some of the websites selling the PCs sometimes have their own forums. Most of all though, look at reviews, they tell you a lot about a company and the standard of the PCs they sell. Basically to sum what I am saying up, if you are in the UK, don't buy a desktop or laptop from PC world, Currys, Dixons or equivalent, they generally rip you off. I saw one Acer laptop with a 520m gpu claiming it had top of the range graphics...debatable!
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #8

    windude99 said:
    I kind of wish I cutom built my pc now, because HP has made my experience upgrading my pc difficult and my pc doesn't like ssd's at all.
    HPs are good for what they were intended to do...and nothing more. HP isn't doing anything to block SSDs from your system. Any issues you have are probably related to BIOS settings or lack thereof. The cases are usually non-standard, so with a new case, motherboard, and PSU, you could build yourself a new computer out of those parts.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 1,533
    Windows 7 Professional x64 Service Pack 1
    Thread Starter
       #9

    DeaconFrost said:
    windude99 said:
    I kind of wish I cutom built my pc now, because HP has made my experience upgrading my pc difficult and my pc doesn't like ssd's at all.
    HPs are good for what they were intended to do...and nothing more. HP isn't doing anything to block SSDs from your system. Any issues you have are probably related to BIOS settings or lack thereof. The cases are usually non-standard, so with a new case, motherboard, and PSU, you could build yourself a new computer out of those parts.
    I already upgraded it with a 380watt Seasonic psu from the 250watt bestec. I added a second hard drive. I also added the Sapphire Radeon HD5670 512mb which does all I need it to do. I am disappointed because my 2 year old Acer laptop works fine with the Crucial M4, but my HP that I cought last year didn't work with the ssd. I could install Windows and everything on the ssd, but then it would have these lockups at shutdown, and weird issues sometimes at boot up. I dodn't have any of these issues when I had Windows on the hard drive.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 71
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
       #10

    bobkn said:
    Better yet, don't buy a (desktop) PC.

    Assemble one yourself. That's one way to be sure that you get only industry standard components. The only tool required is a medium Philps screwdriver. Some paper towels for cleaning up any stray thermal paste may be handy. A grounding strap may be a worthwhile safety item, although few people use them.

    You'll probably have to spend more money than for a comparable appliance PC, but it's more than a purchase - it's a hobby, and (for some) an indoor sport. It's not very good exercise, but you may work up a sweat wrestling around a 20kg PC.
    a lot of people cant do this. I always get pissed when i hear really experienced PC users say to novice PC users (usually in an elitist tone) to "just build one yourself". There is A LOT of knowledge that goes into buying individual components and assembling them to form a perfectly working PC. Most likely you will need a lot of troubleshooting knowledge also. Most regular people just dont have the know-how.
      My Computer


 
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