Must Upgrade PC :: Suggestions?

With Dhell's recent track record of late here in the states they'd be the last OEM type PC I would suggest buying. If you ever have an issue and need tech support your gonna need lots of patience with the language barrier you'll be dealing with.

Tsmith wrote in post #3385862
With Dhell's recent track record of late here in the states they'd be the last OEM type PC I would suggest buying. If you ever have an issue and need tech support your gonna need lots of patience with the language barrier you'll be dealing with.

That is very true with the base support. If you pay for the better support, I have found that it goes much smoother. But that is just my experience. YMMV.

24" iMac !

tim wrote in post #3380227
Making a machine takes time, and effort, and you usually save very little. Also if something goes wrong they can blame you, plus there's no tech support. Depends if you want a reliable tool or a hobby/toy I guess.

I'm not sure if I agree that the savings is small for a high end machine. I could be wrong though as I don't really price out pre-made offers. Why don't we try a little test though...how about someone find what they think is a really slamming deal on a Dell or whatever, and then I will try and beat that in price/performance with OEM price listings from reputable places like newegg. I am pretty sure the savings would be substantial.

Why do you assume computers from Dell would be a reliable tool, while something you put together yourself is a toy? Last place I worked had a contract with Dell and that was all they bought. Let me tell you, these things were the biggest pieces of crap. They feature great name brand headliners like "CORE2 BLAH BLAH BLAH", meanwhile power supply garbage, ram garbage, cooling system garbage. I think it really pays to ensure every single part going into your system is of good quality. Most OEM warranties are also superior to a PC maker and I have never had any problems returning defective parts. For example, ram has a lifetime warranty, but if that is what breaks on your 3 year 1 month old Dell with a 3 year warranty you are SOL. I know most people can't be bothered or have the time or the skill, but the OP mentioned that they did.

Sathi wrote in post #3397487
I'm not sure if I agree that the savings is small for a high end machine. I could be wrong though as I don't really price out pre-made offers. Why don't we try a little test though...how about someone find what they think is a really slamming deal on a Dell or whatever, and then I will try and beat that in price/performance with OEM price listings from reputable places like newegg. I am pretty sure the savings would be substantial.

Why do you assume computers from Dell would be a reliable tool, while something you put together yourself is a toy? Last place I had a contract with Dell and that was all they bought. Let me tell you, these things were the biggest pieces of crap. They feature great name brand headliners like "CORE2 BLAH BLAH BLAH", meanwhile power supply garbage, ram garbage, cooling system garbage. I think it really pays to ensure every single part going into your system is of good quality. Most OEM warranties are also superior to a PC maker and I have never had any problems returning defective parts. For example, ram has a lifetime warranty, but if that is what breaks on your 3 year 1 month old Dell with a 3 year warranty you are SOL. I know most people can't be bothered or have the time or the skill, but the OP mentioned that they did.

You have to remember that Tim is not in the states. He doesn't have the Egg like we do. Prices there are very different and he said this earlier. For him Dell may be the better option. For us it may not be.

As for pricing out a computer I did that earlier in this post:

https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=3377473&po​stcount=20

I don't think Tim was the one who's in the market for a new pc right? Unless i missed something the TS was Sam...and he's living in the US.
As for the computer, I wouldn't buy a dell or any oem pc. The best thing is to build your own, IF, and that's a big if, you know how to build one. It's not that hard to build a computer, but when things aren't as they should, it's troubleshooting time. And believe me, that's a real pain in the neck.
The good thing is, when u build ur computer, you can choose your own quality parts, from respected manufactures, backed with their own warranty (which is far superior than any oem computer manufactures) and u know what's in there and what u can and cannot upgrade in the future.
I have a link here, it's of a dutch pc/electronics website, they publish a best-buy guide every two months. It's in dutch, but since the parts are internationally available i think it's understandable for most of us.
http://tweakers.net/re​views/687
and one more thing, Intel announced a price drop 22 of july, so it might be worthwhile to postpone ur computer upgrade.

one last thing, it might be a bit overwhelming when u start up reading about building a computer and what parts to select, but in the end, you will learn from it. Knowledge and skills always come in handy..

Here's one that I found as a very helpful starting point to guide my research into what I was looking for when I put together my latest PC-

Ars System Gude

They publish 'em every quarter, the one linked was put out this month (June).

Hope it helps.

I'm on the fence about building one -- Sure, I could, but like this one here now it goes down, my wife calls me. At work. On the cell! So, I wondered if anyone was left to even compete with Dell, since the Gateway self-destruction.

Ok, a Dell box -- But two monitors, or one? (CS3/RAW) And, if I'm not an artist, are the pen pads worth it?

I really like dual monitors. They take a little getting used to, but are surely worth it once you do get used to it. I would love to have a good tablet for detailed work, but you can manage without one. There are a lot of people that do not use them.

I suspect the US is cheaper for components, because to get to NZ the parts usually go thru a bunch of people who all add a markup. I compared Dell vs home built in this post and Dell won pretty easily.

What are you trying to say Tim, that the US is NOT the center of the universe!?!?

btw: I just noticed you changed your avatar. I identify people so much with their online avatar that when they change it I basically lose all association. Its like a new person with 20k posts. Anyone else have this problem? Heh, I dunno maybe i'm too visual.

Sathi wrote in post #3404993
What are you trying to say Tim, that the US is NOT the center of the universe!?!?

btw: I just noticed you changed your avatar. I identify people so much with their online avatar that when they change it I basically lose all association. Its like a new person with 20k posts. Anyone else have this problem? Heh, I dunno maybe i'm too visual.

I do, but man I wish you would change your avatar.

In2Photos wrote in post #3405020
I do, but man I wish you would change your avatar.

Done

Sathi wrote in post #3411144
Done

Thanks. But I am not sure if that is any better.

Sathi wrote in post #3404993
What are you trying to say Tim, that the US is NOT the center of the universe!?!?

btw: I just noticed you changed your avatar. I identify people so much with their online avatar that when they change it I basically lose all association. Its like a new person with 20k posts. Anyone else have this problem? Heh, I dunno maybe i'm too visual.

I have the same problem -- Avatar changes, I'm not sure who it is for a second.

That's why I keep changing mine, to cover my tracks on POTN.

The ones that really throw me are commercial images of some stripe, like the 3 stooges.



Thx to all of you -- Learned a lot -- Dell it is, probably dual monitors will have to wait (ca-ching).

Although now I have the $, since the Mark III's AF system is hosed-up so badly.