Couple things. What's the least expensive, or as DoD would say, the cheapest way to get one? Should I have one built? You guys ever notice how Dell has the Dimension 4400 starting at 650 bucks? Well, with the options I wanted, it went up to 1800.00. Also, I've had problems with my Dell, and so has my sis. What should I do with my old one? It's a 400 mhz celeron. How much could I get for it? Any advice? Oh, and I like the flat screen monitors.
Dell and Gateway had flat panels with a system deal, but I'm sure those start at about a grand and you already stated you didn't want a Dell... my other suggestion would be to get a Computer Shopper magazine and shop. There are some good deals to be had... as far as a 400Mhz Celeron, you could probably get about 100 bucks for it... I would check eBay and see what 400Mhz Celerons are going for... don't expect much unless it's loaded... but still, it's a Celeron... Ever thought about a bare bones system that would allow you to add your own accessories, that way you could shop around... are you handy? if you are afraid to open your PC then you should consider a complete system. Maybe you can buy a systems sans monitor and shop around for that?? I don't know.. just throwing out ideas... good luck and let us know what you decide to do.
Roll your own . . . It's easier than you think, and it's VERY cost-effective. Sam's has great prices on flat-panel monitors.
Is there websites that tell how to build a computer? I was always interested in trying to build one, although i prob wont do it, i would like to see how much stuff it takes to do it
There are a ton of sights that will give you instructions on how to build your own PC. Also, there are tons of 'system builder' sites...companies that make a living building customized PCs. You can generally get more bang for the buck with a system builder than with one of the Gigantos. I would suggest one of the following for starters tomshardware.com This site is pretty heavy on the techie side but is still easy to navigate. You should be able to do a search on the site for "How to Build" to get a quality list of what components you would need to build a PC. http://monarchcomputer.com A good example of a system builder site. They have PC packages that they put together ala Dell or Gateway..but they also offer the ability to customize a PC purchase with better or worse components.
I also suggest building your own. Its really not that bad. Once you figure out what parts you want I would order the parts from either www.directron.com or www.newegg.com both of which have great prices and excellent service in my experiences. At newegg for instance, I built a friend a very nice Athlon XP for about $850.00. Personally, I prefer Intel or Macs, but the AMD's are a great option for a cheap price. Good Luck!
With the old computer...<BR><BR> Couldn't you use it as a server if you have a high-speed connection and use Microsoft Personal Web Server?
I Bought a New Computer a few weeks back from Frye's Electronics, it was a great deal and might be better than the Dell you're looking at: $900 for Sony Vaio 1.6 MHZ Intel Pentium 4 80 GB Hard Drive 512DDR Ram DVD/ CD Burner Not a bad deal. You can pay $300 more if you want the DVD Burner. I love the whole "tech market" slowdown, computers are cheap! Like their stock prices! As for the old one..... EBAY!
Sony computer? Wow. Is the 80 GB thin the memory? Is that alot? So, if I want DVD burner and flat screen it becomes 1600.00? Also, who here burns DVDs? I think I'd rather buy them. Weird, huh?
Do yourself a favor and get a burner. For example, My work PC is a fat Sony Vaio(sp) Laptop with an Athlon 4 processor(AMD makes a WAY better chip than Intel..can save that debate for another thread if anyone wants to get scary geeky) and a burner. I have copied over 150 CDs onto my laptop and burn probabley 6 mixed CDs a week. It takes very little time. You can also burn DVDs, MP3s, MP4s, Games, Software, MPEGs, OS Backups, File Backups..... Trust me, you will use it. IMO The keys to buying a PC today are(in no particular order): 1. Flexibility...can you upgrade your PC easily?(can save you money in the long run) 2. Componants...don't buy a brand just cause your familiar with it. For example Sony puts crappy Video Cards in thier laptops.and you can't replace the Video Cards in them. Remember, You get what you pay for. Dell does the same thing. 3. Price...if you build you may save..but not much...unless you really do your homework. If you buy a supersaver machine...expect it to perform like a supersaver machine. If you buy the Macdaddy Uber Watercooled Turbo Kaboomilator machine that has the horse power to run all of the black market transactions for Malaysia, buy it from someone that knows how to build that machine and not have to have classified as a weapon.
