Where to buy a new desktop PC?

For general computer discussion & help, come here

Moderators: Bakhtosh, EvilHomer3k

Post Reply
Darkstar One
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:46 am

Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Darkstar One »

I'm looking to buy a new desktop PC for gaming use. Budget is $1500 max, including tax and shipping All the usual places I'd check out have threadbare selections...

Best Buy has one or two acceptable models, and NOTHING in stock in store.
Fry's has NO desktop PC's in stock, PERIOD, either in store or online.
Checked out Amazon, plenty of PC's, but overpriced garbage for the most part
Newegg has almost NOTHING in stock.

Is there anywhere else I haven't thought of?
Checked Dell and HP, but their already-constructed machines aren't suitable and I don't want to have to wait a month for something to be built and delivered.
User avatar
coopasonic
Posts: 20970
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 11:43 pm
Location: Dallas-ish

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by coopasonic »

I'm still a cyberpower buyer (I've had 3 of them) and they do have "ready to ship" configurations that appear not to suck. I've only spec'ed out my own though (generally for big, fast SSDs).

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/category/i ... p-systems/

Others like eCollegePC (http://www.ecollegepc.com/) but I don't see any ready to ship stuff.
-Coop
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63531
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Daehawk »

Theres also Origin PC
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82094
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Isgrimnur »

coopasonic wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:29 am I'm still a cyberpower buyer (I've had 3 of them)
Ditto.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Anonymous Bosch
Posts: 10512
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:09 pm
Location: Northern California [originally from the UK]

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Anonymous Bosch »

Darkstar One wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:20 am I'm looking to buy a new desktop PC for gaming use. Budget is $1500 max, including tax and shipping All the usual places I'd check out have threadbare selections...

...

Is there anywhere else I haven't thought of?
Checked Dell and HP, but their already-constructed machines aren't suitable and I don't want to have to wait a month for something to be built and delivered.
I would recommend Digital Storm over CyberpowerPC because CyberpowerPC quality control is atrocious, so caveat emptor (I have a good friend who runs a PC repair business, and the amount of problems they see with CyberpowerPC builds is just bonkers).
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." — P. J. O'Rourke
User avatar
TheMix
Posts: 10904
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Broomfield, Colorado

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by TheMix »

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:08 pm
Darkstar One wrote: Tue Jun 09, 2020 11:20 am I'm looking to buy a new desktop PC for gaming use. Budget is $1500 max, including tax and shipping All the usual places I'd check out have threadbare selections...

...

Is there anywhere else I haven't thought of?
Checked Dell and HP, but their already-constructed machines aren't suitable and I don't want to have to wait a month for something to be built and delivered.
I would recommend Digital Storm over CyberpowerPC because CyberpowerPC quality control is atrocious, so caveat emptor (I have a good friend who runs a PC repair business, and the amount of problems they see with CyberpowerPC builds is just bonkers).
After my fiasco with CyberPower support (and quality), my next PC will probably be a Digital Storm again. Oh, in addition to the motherboard dying ~6 months after getting my CyberPower pc, the power supply went out a week or so ago. Luckily I had my older Digital Storm power supply still and was able to get back up and running. So that's two hardware failures. I can't recall any hardware failures for any other pcs I've ever owned (with the possibility that I may once have had a stick of RAM go bad).

P.S. Thinking about it, I did have an SSD go bad. But I think it was one I added to the PC, not the one that came with it.

Black Lives Matter

Isgrimnur - Facebook makes you hate your friends and family. LinkedIn makes you hate you co-workers. NextDoor makes you hate your neighbors.
User avatar
coopasonic
Posts: 20970
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 11:43 pm
Location: Dallas-ish

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by coopasonic »

I wonder if most of the problematic cyberpower machines are some of the pre-builts that show up in retail? I did get a super cheap one off amazon and it was... well, what you would expect for a super cheap machine and I learned my lesson.

Regarding Digital Storm it looks like a 3 week wait time which is something OP wanted to avoid. I'd say a wait is reasonable if the quality difference is there. As I mentioned in my original response, I spec my own builds, so I don't get get the bottom of the line power supply, which is the root of most failures it seems.
-Coop
Black Lives Matter
User avatar
stimpy
Posts: 6102
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:04 pm

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by stimpy »

The CyberPower I bought last year just had the SSD die.
Turns out they used about the cheapest one available. Not even worth the hassle of returning for replacement.
This was a off the shelf purchase, but still.
He/Him/His/Porcupine
User avatar
TheMix
Posts: 10904
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Broomfield, Colorado

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by TheMix »

Mine was ordered through their website. I'm currently spacing on the power supply maker, but it was a well known brand name, one that is generally considered a "gold standard". Definitely not something I'd never heard of.

Edit: To be clear, I'm not telling anyone to avoid CyberPower. I'm absolutely sure that it's possible to get a PC from them that runs like a champ for years. I'm just suggesting that it's also possible (and maybe more likely in a >0% way) to get a lemon. My bigger problem with them was how horrible their customer service was. The rep I had to deal with was borderline incompetent. Definitely frustrating. It's worth it to me to pay more $$$ to minimize having to go through something like that again.

As a counter-point, I called Digital Storm ~5-6 years after I got my PC because I was trying to follow some instructions for doing a restore from the "factory settings" disk they provided, and the interface had changed due to Windows updates. The tech was very helpful. It was well out of warranty.

Black Lives Matter

Isgrimnur - Facebook makes you hate your friends and family. LinkedIn makes you hate you co-workers. NextDoor makes you hate your neighbors.
User avatar
Lassr
Posts: 16863
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:51 am
Location: Rocket City (AL)
Contact:

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Lassr »

I bought a Cyberpower off Amazon and got lucky as all the parts were from quality companies (MSI/Western Digital) except the power supply which I replaced within a few months. It been going strong for almost 2 years now. had a overheating problem but after installing Afterburner, I haven't had a problem since.

With that said, I am mostly likely to get A Digital Storm build next, I've only heard good things about them.
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

Black Lives Matter
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43690
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Kraken »

I had a Cyberpower that lasted 8 years. Can't say anything bad about them. But my "new" (2-yr-old) eCollegePC is a better machine all around. I hope it lasts as long as the Cyberman did. I only mention this because I haven't seen eCollege mentioned yet, and they should be.
User avatar
hitbyambulance
Posts: 10233
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: Map Ref 47.6°N 122.35°W
Contact:

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by hitbyambulance »

Kraken wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:47 pm I had a Cyberpower that lasted 8 years. Can't say anything bad about them. But my "new" (2-yr-old) eCollegePC is a better machine all around. I hope it lasts as long as the Cyberman did. I only mention this because I haven't seen eCollege mentioned yet, and they should be.
incidentally that same Cyperpower PC is still going with the same parts. not even the hard drive has been replaced (but it should be...)
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43690
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Kraken »

hitbyambulance wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:21 pm
Kraken wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:47 pm I had a Cyberpower that lasted 8 years. Can't say anything bad about them. But my "new" (2-yr-old) eCollegePC is a better machine all around. I hope it lasts as long as the Cyberman did. I only mention this because I haven't seen eCollege mentioned yet, and they should be.
incidentally that same Cyperpower PC is still going with the same parts. not even the hard drive has been replaced (but it should be...)
I'm glad (and surprised) to hear that. I know you weren't happy with it out of the box and I've felt bad about sending you a PC that was more wobbly than I knew. Turns out its bones were good enough to reach 10 years old. :)
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63531
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Daehawk »

Ya but now he has said good things about it. It wont last the week :) Seriously though I can have something like that...say something about it...and it will fail soon after. :)
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
TheMix
Posts: 10904
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Broomfield, Colorado

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by TheMix »

Kraken wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:47 pm I only mention this because I haven't seen eCollege mentioned yet, and they should be.
Coop had you covered. Though it's probably worth a second mention just in case.

Black Lives Matter

Isgrimnur - Facebook makes you hate your friends and family. LinkedIn makes you hate you co-workers. NextDoor makes you hate your neighbors.
User avatar
LordMortis
Posts: 70101
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:26 pm

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by LordMortis »

Ever since it has made no sense to build yourself (as in you don't save 100s and 100s of dollars), I buy from a local mom and pop shop. I''ve been having the same place build my machines for 20+ years. I assume others are competitive like that but I got nothing. I'd just get a prebuilt rig but I find that the OEM like Dell and Lenovo and Acer all put crapware in their OEM installations and they also have proprietary hardware that you only discover is a problem after you have it in hand.

I walk in, look at the price sheet. Build something a la carte. They charge something crazy cheap like $35 to put the machine together. I come back in two days.

https://cantoncomputers.com/product-price-sheet/


Now that may not do you any good but like I said, I assumed these shops were everywhere, since the death of semimonthly tradeshows where you bought everything at such crazy discounts that it was insane to pay someone to build your rig.
User avatar
hitbyambulance
Posts: 10233
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:51 am
Location: Map Ref 47.6°N 122.35°W
Contact:

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by hitbyambulance »

my dad got our first two PCs (a 286 AT and a 486-DX) built at local PC shops. the first machine i personally owned was a first-gen Pentium 60 from Acer as my high-school graduation present. the system completely died in my first week of ownership, so it was exchanged back at Best Buy for a Packard Bell, same specs. held onto that one for what seemed like forever (including the CRT monitor that was far too dark), then sold it cheap to an acquaintance when i inherited an uncle's custom build AMD K2-400. only kept that for two years before i built the AMD 800 machine, and everything since then has been PCs i've built. for laptops, they've been iBooks/MacBooks acquired second-hand.
User avatar
Kasey Chang
Posts: 20750
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 4:20 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Kasey Chang »

Historically?

Started with a VIC-20 at a garage sale. Omega Race was fun, but ultimately found the hardware too limiting. My family bought me an Apple //e after I taught myself Apple BASIC off school computer lab. When I was about to enter university, I found that it wasn't compatible with university stuff... which is either terminal or x86 based. At first I tried to install a Transwarp kit (turns the //e into an x-86 compatible) but ultimately didn't work well enough. Had to sell that and went to my local Radio Shack for a Tandy 1000 SL. Within 1 week, had to trade it in for a TL since SL only has 384KB of memory (TL has a full 640K, and has an expansion port to bring it to 768K, which means it can run a Tandy-exclusive version of Wing Commander(!)) Also bought "TopSpeed Modula-II" so I can do Modula-II at home rather than get stuck in a lab sharing lab copies of Logitech Modula-II (yes, Logitech was a software company back then)

Eventually moved up from that 286 TL to a 486 built by a local shop, fried two monitors when the video card picked a refresh monitor couldn't handle. Actually went to a NexGen-90 (the clone CPU) before settling for a Celeron 400 (never overclocked, shame). Bought a Dell laptop off eBay and used that for many years (it's still in my possession) with first gen i7. Skip a few years and I have the i7-9700 under my desk now.
My game FAQs | Playing: She Will Punish Them, Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius, The Outer Worlds
User avatar
Kraken
Posts: 43690
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:59 pm
Location: The Hub of the Universe
Contact:

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Kraken »

LordMortis wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 3:39 pm I assumed these shops were everywhere, since the death of semimonthly tradeshows where you bought everything at such crazy discounts that it was insane to pay someone to build your rig.
They were, for at least a few years. My first Pentium came from a local "screwdriver shop", aka "white box shop." By the time I needed to replace it, they were only doing corporate business. Nice to hear that there are still some around.
User avatar
Jaymon
Posts: 3006
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:51 pm

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Jaymon »

Here is a list of reviews from toms hardware for gaming PCs 2020
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/be ... ,5198.html

however, this review seems a lot sparser than I would expect from them.


PC Gamer also has a review list
https://www.pcgamer.com/best-gaming-pc/


and here is a couple more
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-gamin ... -2219.html
https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-gaming-pc


either HP sent out a lot of money, or the Omen Obelisk is amazeballs, because they all seem to be recommending it.



The cyberpower I got the kids 5 years ago is still running, But I had to do some work on it. I upgraded the CPU fan to something quieter, and recently the power button started sticking. I suspect it more more to do with children than with poor quality, so I swapped everything out to a new case.
Bunnies like beer because its made from hops.
Freyland
Posts: 3042
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 11:03 pm

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Freyland »

I have six PCs from Digital storm, and am happy with all of them, for years.
Sims 3 and signature unclear.
User avatar
jztemple2
Posts: 11545
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:52 am
Location: Brevard County, Florida, USA

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by jztemple2 »

I was going to recommend Falcon Northwest, but I think that might be over your budget. However, if you do buy a computer from them they throw in this nifty facemask :D

Image
My father said that anything is interesting if you bother to read about it - Michael C. Harrold
User avatar
Hrdina
Posts: 2913
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 6:18 pm
Location: Warren Cromartie Secondary School

Re: Where to buy a new desktop PC?

Post by Hrdina »

jztemple2 wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 11:02 pm I was going to recommend Falcon Northwest, but I think that might be over your budget. However, if you do buy a computer from them they throw in this nifty facemask :D

Image
I've been thinking about getting a new Falcon NW desktop (I've had three over the last 20 years or so), but with that facemask I definitely want one.
Conform or be cast out!
Post Reply