So... you want a new PC thread

Introduction:

I am frequently asked this question and am putting this thread up to put up my 2 cents. Many can not build their own machines, so this thread is dedicated to buying a pre-built, READY TO RUN computer. With computers, if you buy a $399 machine consider it as disposable as a bic lighter. If things break in a year or two, there may be onboard parts that make fixing it unrealistic. A good example is the motherboard or onboard video goes. To replace a motherboard and chipset can cost you roughly $200, half your initial cost. A motherboard alone is roughly $99. The final paragraph here covers sub $800 computers, usually in the $300-600 range. This is not a complete guide, but a basic primer, kept as simple and short as possible to help you make a decision. I have heard more lies and disinformation being told to customers at large chain stores, so please, hesitate to buy at one of these stores. While I have met some very knowledgeable people, overall, it is risky to take the word of someone at a chain store.

Two companies to consider:

Dell has some great deals on machines and flat panels. Plan to spend $899 or better. Current high end is about 2,500 - 3,000 for their XPS Gen 5 gaming rig. I own one and love it. Fast and quiet. 17" flat panels are around $250. A 24" wide screen for as little as $1.100. Thats a lot of flat panel. I have heard varying stories on their support, but the one time I needed it, it was great. Their machines are all Intel.

ABSPC I have purchased from about 6 times. Nice machines, but start looking at about the $899 range. Intel and AMD available. I used support once for a bad floppy and had no problems. Machines are always fast, huge towers and they never break. I know of a few still running years later.

What you need and what to watch for:

Many boards now come with onboard sound and network cards. If they break, they are easily disabled and a card added on. Not so with video. Onboard video tends to be Intel or SiS in many cases, both cards are not even worth calling average. Onpar with Nvidia and ATI, they cant even hold a candle. So, if you lose your video, you often have to buy a new motherboard. Usually this is down the road, so you might as well upgrade the chip while your at it. If memory standards changed (and they do a lot) you also need new ram. See where it gets expensive? Pay now or pay later.

Buy as much as you can afford, but dont skimp in a few areas:
Large hard drive, 160 gig drives are cheap. Better yet, make it two and back your important data up on the second drive.
1 gig of ram, not 512, not 256, 1 gig. RAM is cheap and theres no substitute. Period.
Get a dual layer DVD burner, plus a regular writer. Prices are cheap, many are upgradeable so you cant go wrong here. This is flexible if you never burn CD's or video, but since you need at least one, a DVD writer might be something you use down the road.
I like XP Pro over home, but that said if you get pro, make sure file and print sharing are disabled because they are on by default making a huge security risk. XP Pro is a bit pricey, so you will be fine with home.
Get a flat panel. 17" are coming down near 200 bucks and are better then ever, you cant pass that up.
Get a better sound card and speakers. If you listen to music, a sound and speaker upgrade can be worth every dollar. Onboard sound has always been as impressive as onboard video. Thats not good.
When your machine arrives, you may want to do a clean install with recovery CD's. This will allow you to remove Nortons, Mcafeee's or whatever other bundled garbage came with it and can be difficult to uninstall. For the average user, most come with free cd\dvd burning software worth using. Install your own anti-virus (AVG, AntiVir, Avast) and firewall (Windows included or Zone Alarm free) Most recovery CD's now come with the operating system on once CD and everything else (drivers, utilities) on another CD making a clean install of Windows easier then trying to uninstall difficult to remove programs.


Notes on lower end machines:

If you must buy a sub 800 dollar machine, try to make sure it has an AGP or PCI-E slot for adding in a video card at a later date. Some motherboards have onboard video AND a video slot. If you need a cheapie machine, look for one with an N-Force motherboard. These have Nvidia graphics and sound built on, both are decent and can land you in the $400 range for a pretty decent chipset. Take note, however, these usually use a cheaper processor because it has a lack of cache, which it steals from your memory. Since onboard video also uses your computer memory, having 1 gig or more is extremely important as your machine is being robbed of a big chunk of memory as soon as Windows starts. Typically these machines are in very small towers, which usually means your getting a small, proprietary power supply. If it goes, you could be down for weeks. Buy an extra from the manufacturer and stick it in the closet. A great example is Emachines. Decent box for $400 bucks, DVD writer, good sized drive, Nforce motherboard, memory stick readers and so on, but a underpowered, proprietary power supply. Underpowered means it will work harder and fail sooner.