Is there a good brick-and-mortar store to buy a new computer?

I'm looking to buy a computer (tower, keyboard, monitor, etc.) to use it today or tomorrow. So I think the quickest way is to go to a good brick-and-mortar store rather than buy one over the Internet. The only ones that come to mind are Walmart, Target, Office Depot, etc. But something tells me that those might not be the best place.

In sum, I'm looking to buy a computer set up around $1,000 at a store located in Southern California. Any suggestions?

 

They last PC i 'bought' was a Medion from Aldi, which is a cheap grocery store. But the PC still rocks like 10 years later. I think you really need to consider what hardware you want, then figure out if a local store has it.

 

I want something lightning fast with lots of memory (compared to my current computer). I haven't bought a computer since 2000? 2002? so I don't really know what is lightning fast and what is a lot of memory for about $1000. I'm very open to suggestions.

 

Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot, Wal-Mart for the big chains. Also check your phone book for local mom&pop computer shops in your area. You can have a system put together in a day (as long as you're not wanting exotic or really expensive parts they may not have in stock.). That can give you an advantage over a chain if you have a problem or if you decide to upgrade parts of the system. Some name brand systems use specially made motherboards, cases, etc., that do not lend themselves well for upgrading.

Sam

 

Well, I don't know what any of the below means. Please provide me a link to a computer setup that approximately meets the below. I want something fast (or fast enough) that doesn't get hung up/frozen a lot.

Before You Select a Desktop Computer Systems
From http://compreviews.about.com/od/buyers/bb/DesktopPCs.htm
it looks like:

(1) Processors (CPUs) - Look at how many cores there are in the processor and its relative speed. (See below list)
(2) Memory (RAM) - At least 4GB of memory (RAM)
(3) Hard Drives - At least 500GB or more of storage space
(4) Optical Drives (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) - get a multiformat DVD burner that can support both the +R/RW and -R/RW formats, with a 16x > recordable speed
(5) Video Cards - For gaming, a Direct X 10 card with at least 512MB of memory onboard
(6) Extrenal Connectors - at least six USB 2.0 connectors and one FireWire ports
(7) Monitors - LDC 22-inch is the best overall value


OK, here is the Processor list from http://compreviews.about.com/od/cpus/a/Desktop-CPU-Buyers-Guide.htm

Which ones should I look for when I buy my $1,000 computer? (The really don't seem to give the number of "cores" (whatever those are) and do not seem to indicate the relative speed (however that is measuted).

Budget Processors
•AMD Athlon II X2 200 Series
•AMD Athlon II X3 400 Series
•AMD Athlon II X4 600 Series
•AMD Phenom X3 8450 and Higher
•AMD Phenom X4 9650 and Lower
•AMD Phenom II X2 545 and Higher
•AMD Phenom II X3 705 and Higher
•AMD Phenom II X4 810
•Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 and Higher
•Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 and Higher
•Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 and Higher
•Intel Core i3-530 and Higher
•Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 and Higher
•Intel Pentium G6950

Middle Processors
•AMD Phenom II X4 920 and Higher
•Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 and Higher
•Intel Core i5-650 and Higher
•Intel Core i7-860 and Higher
•Intel Core i7-920 and Higher

Top of the Line Processors
•Intel Core i7-975 Extreme

 

Thai- I think a place to start is what do you want to use the computer for? Gaming, high end video editing/watching, general use?

An idea of what you want to do would help us to guide you.


Sam

 

I'd look for a 64 bit system and 6G of RAM. I've set some of these up and they good.

 

I've checked out some of the chain stores. Here is what I found near to what I am looking for:

Walmart: HP 20" Touchsmart 300-1003 ($1,001.56), uses worst budget processor (AMD Athlon II X2 235)
Best Buy: Asus PC Home Makeover ($1,519.55), uses upper end budget processor (Intel® Pentium® processor E5400)
Staples: HP Pavilion Elite e9280f Desktop PC ($1,588.56) uses upper end middle processor (Intel Core i7-920 Processor) (They call the tower a "PC" and I had to add in monitor, mouse, etc. separately.)
Office Depot: Very low end computers. I didn't see anything good

So for about the same money, you can get a better computer at Staples than at Best Buy.

I was thinking about getting the Staples HP Pavilion Elite e9280f. I checked it out on Amazon. They have none in stock and it has one review (1 star out of 5).

So I feel like I'm back to square one.:crybaby

I'm open to specific computer suggestions. (I'll check out http://www.dell.com and http://www.newegg.com . Are there any other good computer sites?)

 

OK but you still haven't said what you want to use the computer for. If you just want the high end hardware so it'll run most everything for a few years then a $2000 i7 setup should hold you.

Is building your own (or if you have tech-savvy friends who can help) something you'd attempt?

Sam

 

OK, here's why it pays to look at the chain stores first, then the online stores.

At Newegg, I can get a CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1030 with a 23" monitor for $1,045.64. It uses an Intel Core i5 750, which is on the middle processor list above. For $500 less, this is similar to the unrated/bad rated Staples computer above and has a larger monitor. Also, the tower has a cool outer looking shell.

I think this one is it. Is anyone familiar with the CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme?

 

That setup has an odd video card choice in it. A 9500GT isn't that great of a card. If you're looking to play games at high settings that is not the card to have. The rest of that system is really good, that's why I find it odd they'd cripple it with a 9500GT.

Also 10% of the reviews sited problems. 10% is kinda high.

Sam

 

Micro Center Tustin & Santa Clara

 

Here's a link to a Desktop Computer Buying Guide. http://reviews.cnet.com/desktop-computer-buying-guide/?tag=contentMain;contentBody

If you want a Laptop, search at CNet or Google for a similar article.

Sorry, I don't have a brick-and-mortar store for you, but you knowing beforehand what your needs are prior to purchase is a good thing to start with.

 

And I was all proud of myself for finding something decent. :banghead
The 9500GT is listed at amazon for $69.95. I'm not that much into gaming, but is there a video card that you would suggest to replace the 9500GT? (One commentor indicated that he swapping out the 9500gt w/ 2 ati3870s that he had laying around. Each one looks to be around $180 on amazon.)

There seems to be an agreement about the weak video card, some fan noise, cheap case, cheap mouse, and cheap keyboard.

Is there a custom build (including tower, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers) for <$1,500 either at cyberpowerpc.com or newegg.com that you (or anyone reading this) would recommend?

 

Another CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1030 commentator wrote "I threw another four gigs of Corsair (what it came with) into this thing along with a GEFORCE GTX260 (which almost didn't fit) and the thing practically flies"

Is he talking about the "CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5" for $88.99 at newegg? Also, there are several $200 GEFORCE GTX260s listed at newegg. Which one is he talking about and is it easy to just throw these things into the machine?

 

Stay away from CyberPower! Worst buying experience I have EVER had, and their customer service is beyond horrible.

Anytime you have to fight for three weeks for a warranty repair, is a time you know you should have gone with another company...

 

As I asked you before, have you looked in your phone book for local computer shops? A local shop can custom build you what you want with the advantage of being local if any issues arise. Having to be w/o a computer cause you have to send it off somewhere to get fixed would stink.

Sam

 

I bought the CyberPower and everything has gone OK. Phew! It's a great computer and runs as fast as I had hoped.