What P4 PC do you recommend??

I am in the market for a new PC..
Any recommendations??
I am not into any of the heavy multi-media jazz
DVD is not necessary. I need USB 2.0 & firewire support.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thankyou-BB

I can't really tell you what to buy, but I CAN tell you to stay away from Compaqs. I've never liked their systems. Of course, that's just personal opinion.

I'd say go with a Dell. You can "build your own" on their site. We buy them at work all the time and I've only ever had to call Tech Support to send someone out (they don't let us fix them ourselves, even though the repairs are simple) one time and I've been there for 2.5 years. The laptops are an entirely different animal though, since people are slobs and uncaring, since it's not THEIR money being spent on the laptop.

Avoid the Super Cheap models you see from any manufacturer. Generally these use bottom of the barrel components and are rarely "easily" upgraded.

Stay away from anything labelled E-Machine.

Don't diss emachine, for office use they are great buttrock .

Dell does make super stuff though...or if you really want to drop some change, a IBM.

Just don't buy a Sony - very overpriced for what you get oh_no

My friend has a very nice Pentium 4 computer with dell. I have only heard good things about thier computers and i hear they have good customer support. Other then that i dont know much about the major computer makers.

If you are into PC's then you could build your own. Thats what i did. It was a lot of fun and i learned a lot about computers in the process.

Lagduf:
I have only heard good things about thier computers and i hear they have good customer support.

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Well, the tech support guys seem to know their shit, if you like waiting on the phone for 20-45 minutes to talk to them. For corporate buyers, like the account my company has, you usually wait 3-5 minutes, with 10 minutes being the longest amount of time I've spent waiting to speak to someone.

dell is definately the number one choice if you're not building your own.

i just wish they would support AMD processors allready. angry

Yes. I want a machine that is fully upgradeable..
nothing with built in parts ie soundcard,modem,video card. I want a pre-built system but one I can disassenble and assemble in another casing if I choose..
I am just trying to get a feel for a "dark horse",something I am not aware of.
Thanks.
-BB

Have you tried looking in the phone book? More than likely there's a mom & pop shop that will put together exactly what you want.

As far as buying direct from a company, most systems these days come with built in sound, video and NIC. Most can also be disabled. The mobo I bought for the P4 I put together had the NIC, Firewire and sound bult in. I disabled (for now) the firewire and the sound by setting it up in the BIOS.

I'm not really sure how else to help, since the only thing I can say with certainty is that you don't want an e-machine PC.

What does this have to do with Neo wink

Anyway, it depends on what you want. most all intel boards have the built in sound, but it is decent. sound is really not that big of deal anymore unles you are going to use 5.1. Building your own pc is only worth it if you have spare parts laying around the extra OS software. Sure there are ways to get the OS Cheap wink but if you go 100% legit when you add everything up it is not worth the trouble.

As far as custom PC there are many places out there. Alienware make good system and have gone more mainstream, meaning you can now walk into a Best Buy and CTO a Alienware and also finace it with the 0% for 24 months when they run it. If you qualify for the credit that is a good deal.

emachines have gotten a lot cheaper over they years. I have been disappointed in their parts they are using latly for the $. used to be great deals when they came out.

Best Buy also has some VPR matrix system, these is basicaly a in house box. The specs are good and the box is pretty solid. Right now though they are between models.

Dell and gateway make nice boxes as well. they come with nice welcome packages (as do alien wares).

I like sonys but thes are diffently custom boxes, designed to work well with sony equipment and not very good to upgrade.

There are also other custom box builders out there for mail order (falcon is another one) but I do not know if you are really into all the graphic powerhouse gaming machine.

sonic1687:
dell is definately the number one choice if you're not building your own.

i just wish they would support AMD processors allready. angry

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i have nothing good to say about dell.... i work with over 2000 dell machines (damn county tech job) and besides MANY ove them dying within the first 2 years, customer service (to my dept anyways) has been lacking, and slow. and if you get a laptop, leave it standard.... any upgrade will haunt you if it were to die (took 4 months to get 2 replacement lcd's for 2 different laptops, and they had a habit of sending the wrong screen). i'd say build your own...

as a suggestion, get a <a href="http://us.shuttle.com" target="_blank">Shuttle</a> XPC, they are tiny, yet upgradeable (1 agp, 1pci) and just as powerful as a full sized pc.... you can look <a href="http://www.sudhian.com" target="_blank">HERE</a> for more info on them...

<small>[ April 02, 2003, 06:09 PM: Message edited by: ashram ]</small>

Hey Bear, I build PCs for a living, if you are looking for something good and powerful, I may have something I can build you. Spec for spec, pound for Pound, I can build you a killer machine with all the trimmings. If you want, PM me with what you are looking for in a machine.

Personally, I still build my own. It may cost a little more than a pre-built system but I always get the configuration that I want that way, with plenty of room for upgrades. My tower case is made by 3DCOOL.COM It has plenty of room for expansion and 6 fans. These days it is pretty easy to build your own.

For most folks looking for a pre-configured and supported desktop I generally point them towards a Dell solution these days. I have found from personal (work) experience that IBM, HP/Compaq tend to design their boxes so that they are more difficult to upgrade.

Top notch Dell Dimension is very POWERFUL. If money is not a barrier then that would be a good choice.

Buy a MAC damn it!!!!!

Apple rulezzz...........

I got a cheap lesser PC off a friend of mine because I needed one "ready to go" and in my possession immediately. I'll prolly assemble one gradually in my spare time now.

Highlander67 was ready to outfit me with the best so I recommend him to anyone that needs his help.

Thankyou to everyone else as well...all this stuff out o nth e market just boggles the mind
-BB