Where do you buy your new computers/parts?

[Ryan Lintker]

Before I graduate, I am considering upgrading the computer in my life past the 700 mhz barrier, meaning I'm basically looking for a new machine for a decent price.  I have heard different people swear that the best deals are here or there, but I only have info from few sources.  So where do you buy your new parts/whole computers?

[Guest]

Pricewatch.com is strongly reccomended by a lot of people, but I have found that occasionally their vendors aren't all that great.  When I built my computer this April, I ordered the majority of the parts from Next Generation Computers (www.nxgen.com).  Their phone support is quite good, their site is well designed, RMAs are a breeze, and their prices are relatively low.  Their generic RAM is pretty good too, and I have had no problems with it (save the constant harpings I get from people regarding the unreliable reputation that generic RAM has).  I've also had good experiences with Outpost(www.outpost.com) and Newegg(www.newegg.com), though I found Newegg's prices to be a little steeper than the average, and their shipping to be slower.  Also, don't be afraid to give eBay a try; but with new/expensive items, I tend to stick to sellers with ridiculously high ratings (1000+), and make sure that every item comes with a warranty from both the seller _and_ the manufacturer.  eBay is also a good place to look for obscure parts that usually cost a fortune from authorized dealers (laptop parts, for example)..

--Beanie

[Chris Swingler]

;)

--Beanie

[Michael Kennedy]

newegg.com
tcwo.com
accessmicro.com

[Jerry]

dell.com

[Guest]

I almost always use newegg, I always get everything within 2-3 days and they have pretty good prices.  Problem with looking on pricewatch is that most of the vendors with the best prices aren't the most reliable.  But you can check them out at resellerratings.com as well.

Jim

[Ryan DonCarlos]

www.newegg.com ALL THE WAY they pwn and if they are not the cheapest they are DANG close.

[Guest]

Don't use pwn, no one who goes to school here is 31337 enough to use that word.

[Ryan Lintker]

My cousin recommends www.pcusa.com.  It has a pretty powerful configurator that allows you to pick out exactly what hardware and software you get on your machine, and the ability to build econoboxes and some pretty high end rigs.  An advantage to this approach is that i would only have to pay $30 in shipping for everything, while if I bought all the parts separately, who knows how much that would cost.  Has anybody else heard of or used this site?