<p>Could someone please recommend me a good yet affordable desktop computer? I download a lot of stuff so I need one that could handle that without dying prematurely. I thought I'd ask here first before doing my own research :) :rolleyes: I currently have a macbook, but it has been giving me a lot of trouble lately...</p>
<p>The thing is, you probably want to do your research first so you have some idea of what you want in terms of hardware and brands, and also in terms of knowing you are actually getting something good…Also, what’s your budget? “Affordable” is subjective. “Good” is subjective.</p>
<p>Macbook broke? Have you tried fixing it?</p>
<p>The thing is, you probably want to do your research first so you have some idea of what you want in terms of hardware and brands, and also in terms of knowing you are actually getting something good…Also, what’s your budget? “Affordable” is subjective. “Good” is subjective.</p>
<p>Macbook broke? Have you tried fixing it?</p>
<p>Try building one yourself, it’s actually pretty easy. If you give me a budget I can find you the best parts to fit that budget, and help you with any questions you have.</p>
<p>If you want something similar to top of the line laptops, you’re looking at $600 or so, less if you don’t need a good graphics card. Also, when it comes to desktops, customization is pretty much standard. There’s no single “best” desktop computer, and the deals change pretty frequently.</p>
<p>If you’re looking for a good desktop at an affordable price, your best bet is to build one yourself. Even the best / most reliable commercial brands tend to be built out of parts that are in the bottom quartile in terms of reliability. Don’t even get me started on the “bad” brands.</p>
<p>Don’t know what to do? See if you have a geeky friend who’d help you out. Emphasize reliabliity, and be prepared to spend approximately $500. If you shop for good deals (instead of all at once), your system will likely have performance equal to that of a $3000 laptop.</p>
<p>Building a computer is Legos for big boys</p>
<p>If you PM me your budget and what you’re going to use it for, I can email you a few different builds from Newegg.</p>
<p>Build your own (though buy a case, because building a case out of Legos is extremely tedious and actually costs more than most cases) and you can save a good $200 or so than if you buy from HP or Dell and the components you end up using on the inside are MUCH better. Plus, it’s not terribly hard to build, and if you get in trouble, there are plenty of video tutorials on Youtube and you also have us! When you do build it, if you have any problems, it’s easy to fix because you know your way around the computer and if there’s a defective component, it usually comes with a warranty and is replace-able.</p>
<p>Like the guy above me, I’m willing to e-mail you a few builds based on some retailers. I loved doing that stuff last semester. :D</p>
<p>These days you don’t really save much by building, but it is good to have more control over quality.</p>
<p>@ThisCouldBeHeavn: I have to disagree. When I put together my computer, it was then valued at $1000 and I managed to put it together for $650. Granted, most of the parts were used, but computer parts are a lot like cars: Even after only six months, the price can heavily drop even if it runs just as it did when new.</p>
<p>Burningbright-
We bought a great HP desktop online through Costco about 6 months ago.
It is fast and has plenty of storage. $500 and they double the manufacturers warranty.
It is not include a monitor as we already had one.</p>
<p>I’d also like to add that, unlike laptops, desktops are much less prone to overheating/breaking down. While it’s true that you can definitely save money by buying parts and custom building your own, if you’re not comfortable with that I’d say it’s fine to go with pre-builts.</p>
<p>I’d stick with HP, as their desktops are pretty good quality from what I’ve seen (unlike most of their laptops). I’d definitely would not go with Dell as the parts they use are proprietary (BTX motherboard, non-standard PSU) which would make upgrading or DIY repairs almost impossible.</p>
<p>Unless you’re hurting for space, I’d also avoid “slimline” or “low profile” computers as the parts they use there are usually proprietary or laptop-based, which again could make upgrading or DIY repairs difficult.</p>
<p>Even with the supposed “good” quality of HPs and such, I’d still say that they aren’t near as reliable as a computer you built yourself with carefully chosen quality components that usually go towards servers and such.</p>
<p>From experience, Intel chips generally tend to be more reliable than AMD. However, this is only true if the motherboard also uses an Intel chipset (not VIA, SiS, or nVIDIA). Anything else, and there will be a noticable decrease in stability.</p>
<p>RAM is also important. If it’s a Core i3 or i5, it’s dual channel, and if it’s an i7, it’s triple channel. In either case, when doing dual or triple channel with more than one stick of RAM, make sure that you buy the kits to ensure that the sticks are <em>exactly</em> the same. You can put in different sticks, but that will compromise stability. Even sticks made at different factories will make slight differences at extreme conditions.</p>
<p>Finally, the video card also plays a small role in stability. If you have no need for gaming, get a video card that runs cooly, but stabilly. The cards that come to mind are the newer low-end cards with GDDR5. I personally liked the nVIDIA GT220.</p>
<p>Also, get a good power supply. Go search up which ones are most reliable (personal favorites are Antec, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake, and Coolermaster). The idea is not extra wattage, but rather stability. That is - you want it to ideally be at 50% load. This PSU business is very important because this is what powers your system. A bad power supply means unevenly supplied power, which may cause premature wear and tear, unpredictable behavior, or worse - computer on fire (literally).</p>
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<p>All prices drop when used, even retail computers. When I was getting a new computer 6 months ago, a core i7 computer from HP cost about the same as the equivalent using the cheapest components from newegg. Now with the release of the new i7’s, i5’s and i3’s, the market has shifted somewhat. Still, you shouldn’t build just because you hope to save money.</p>
<p>The OP made no mention of ability or desire to build a desktop.</p>
<p>Even though it might be easy for many people to do so, many of us wouldn’t want to try it!
And my perfectly lovely, fast, high storage capacity HP from Costco was worth every bit I paid for it and arrived 3 days after ordering.</p>
<p>“High storage capacity” shouldn’t be the deciding factor when getting a desktop. It’s very very easy to change or add a hard drive (and cheap too).</p>
<p>^if they knew how to install a hard drive, I doubt they would be buying prebuilt computers.</p>
<p>@TheReach: Or you can just get an external harddrive :)</p>
<p>I built the desktop computer that I am currently on about four years ago for around $600, which was basically a savings of $400. It is a nice way to defray costs, particularly if you purchase used parts and find the task intellectually motivating.</p>