A good OEM gaming machine?

2007-02-27 14:50:53

#26

HeimdalX: Member; +37|7115

What do you people not understand? He said he wanted a warranty, stop bitching at him and insulting Americans because the guy wants a warranty. Hell maybe he wants tech support too, some people like the feeling that they can call a phone number and be on hold for 2 hours.

Some credit cards offer warranties on what you buy with them anyway, find out if a credit card you have does this and if so build it yourself for half the price. If not, Dell and Alienware are shit... so shop around.

2007-02-27 14:53:23

#27

TheEternalPessimist: Wibble; +412|7084|Mhz

Erm you get warranties if you build it yourself, in fact you get a warranty for every single part as opposed to having to haul a massive PC off for repairs you just get replacements (usually newer and better than what broke).

Pre-build fail on all counts, hell choose some parts and pay a guy to build it, it'll cost about the same and be better...

2007-02-27 14:56:36

#28

Parker: isteal; +1,452|6858|The Gem Saloon

ok, so i just got off the phone with my local pc shop. they will install everything, including OS for $120.
good deal?

2007-02-27 14:58:09

#29

Pete: Member; +3|7004

Yeesh you lot sound like a bunch of bikering kids. Thanks to the gentlemen who posted links to manufacturers (I will karma u when I get a chance) to be honest I only really knew about dell's XPS and alienwares 7500/ALX range, so I will look into vodoo and falcon, again thankin u.

Just to clarify, I need to go intel yes? Is vista causing such a problem (with gaming) that its going to drastically reduce my gaming power (as in system resources). And last but not least what would be a good widescreen monitor? Thinking around the 22-26'' range, 30s far to big

Gratz all

2007-02-27 14:58:21

#30

CrazeD: Member; +368|7137|Maine

Most big companies will find ways to get around honoring the warranties they provide anyways.

And tech support with pre-builts? hahahaha since when did that happen? The people on the other end of the tech support line are complete retards and only read out of a book. Most of them have no actual street smarts, they just follow protocol and tell you to send it to them.

But hey....if you have money to burn, go ahead...

2007-02-27 15:12:49

#31

Bell: Frosties > Cornflakes; +362|7013|UK

Disagree, I had a dell and found there support more than adequat, for a company of that size theres no supirse to find varying customer service, agreed that on average perhaps they may be lacking but personally I have never once had an issue with em.

U buy OEM for the peace of mind, if it breaks, its there problem, u just pack it up and let them fix it. To say a self build is easy is just an exageration, its not as difficult as some people imagen, but its not like playing with fucking lego. Especially on the high end, fidling around with $1000 CPU's and $500 graphics cards, I dunno about u guys but if I was in that position, I wouldnt trust my handy work with such expensive parts that can easily be cracked (I know I split a mobo in two!).

They do charge a premium and ofcourse there init to make money but considering everything, for a lot of people the ease of a prebuilt machine is easily worth the premium. Though in that XPS 710 H2C there is bit of a mark up to say the least, and for such an expensive system I would expect every part to be the highest available. I suppose that is deliberate on dells part, if it was any better there would be no reason for alienwares, the XPS range stops where the ALX begins, if u want faster RAM and the newer Mobo then u need to move to alienware if ur set on buying from them.

I like the Falcon NW machines, in a money no object build I would buy from them in a heart beat!

Good luck anyways mate!

Martyn

2007-02-27 15:23:58

#32

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|7065|132 and Bush

Parker wrote:
ok, so i just got off the phone with my local pc shop. they will install everything, including OS for $120.
good deal?

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2007-02-27 15:35:59

#33

ilinear: Bigger. Better. ilinear.; +27|6909|Lisburn, NI

Bell wrote:
U buy OEM for the peace of mind, if it breaks, its there problem, u just pack it up and let them fix it. To say a self build is easy is just an exageration, its not as difficult as some people imagen, but its not like playing with fucking lego. Especially on the high end, fidling around with $1000 CPU's and $500 graphics cards, I dunno about u guys but if I was in that position, I wouldnt trust my handy work with such expensive parts that can easily be cracked (I know I split a mobo in two!).

How the hell did you manage to split it in two?!

Oh, and FYI, Installing a $40 CPU is the same as installing a $1000 CPU. Only difference is the price to replace it, and if you're installing it, you *should* know what you're doing. If you know what you're doing, you won't break it.

Self builds are easy, it's just a mental wall that people have about PCs being high tech and only for experts.

Waste a tonne of money on Alienware or Voodoo if you want, sure there's a warranty, but then again, you're a member of BF2S, and if something does go wrong, just made a thread in the Tech forum, it's like a never-ending warranty.

2007-02-27 15:36:28

#34

CrazeD: Member; +368|7137|Maine

Bell wrote:
Disagree, I had a dell and found there support more than adequat, for a company of that size theres no supirse to find varying customer service, agreed that on average perhaps they may be lacking but personally I have never once had an issue with em.

U buy OEM for the peace of mind, if it breaks, its there problem, u just pack it up and let them fix it. To say a self build is easy is just an exageration, its not as difficult as some people imagen, but its not like playing with fucking lego. Especially on the high end, fidling around with $1000 CPU's and $500 graphics cards, I dunno about u guys but if I was in that position, I wouldnt trust my handy work with such expensive parts that can easily be cracked (I know I split a mobo in two!).

They do charge a premium and ofcourse there init to make money but considering everything, for a lot of people the ease of a prebuilt machine is easily worth the premium. Though in that XPS 710 H2C there is bit of a mark up to say the least, and for such an expensive system I would expect every part to be the highest available. I suppose that is deliberate on dells part, if it was any better there would be no reason for alienwares, the XPS range stops where the ALX begins, if u want faster RAM and the newer Mobo then u need to move to alienware if ur set on buying from them.

I like the Falcon NW machines, in a money no object build I would buy from them in a heart beat!

Good luck anyways mate!

Martyn

Putting a pc together is literally plug-and-play. All you have to do is snap a few components in, but a few screws in, plug a few wires in and install drivers...voila.

Putting in a 1000$ CPU is absolutely no different than putting in a 50$ CPU, and same with the graphics card or any other component. They are all the same, just pop it in.

If you cracked a motherboard in half then you are doing something very wrong. o.O

I'd say the hardest part about building a PC (for a new builder) would be installing the heatsink. Though, the C2D ones are about as easy as they get (stock anyway).

Last edited by CrazeD (2007-02-27 15:36:54)

2007-02-27 15:37:31

#35

leftoverkiller: Member; +9|6927

here is one place to buy http://www.ibuypower.com/mall/lobby.htm . like others have beat like a dead horse you should build it yourself. but i know you said you cant. just if anything you take from this post stay away from alienware. they are really not the best. like others have said they lock parts of the bios of the machine. at times in machines in the price range you are looking they will use very low end parts. one i opened had some cheap power supply and memory so generic and cheap it couldnt be identifyed as far as a manufacture. there are lots of better options out there . just go buy a pc gamer magazine and look. places like i buy power at least tell you exactly what parts they use. alienware dosnt. they will tell you the specs on there parts but they wont tell you who made them.

2007-02-27 15:39:06

#36

hate&discontent: USMC 0311 SEMPER FI; +69|6852|USA, MICHIGAN

$120 isn't that bad, since you can't do it yourself, that's a descent price. i've seen some prices over $225 to put a pc together!!

2007-02-27 17:02:15

#37

Parker: isteal; +1,452|6858|The Gem Saloon

hate&discontent wrote:
$120 isn't that bad, since you can't do it yourself, that's a descent price. i've seen some prices over $225 to put a pc together!!

thanks, im hoping it will work out.
and for the last time, i will not build a computer.
i beat on hot metal all day long......i cant build PCs.
not only that, but my mind is already filled with numbers, like forging temps, welding temps, heat treating temps etc. etc. i dont need more numbers and info floating around and messing me up.
ill start trying to forge at like 256, and trying to get memory at like 2500......too many numbers to get mixed up.

2007-02-27 17:12:22

#38

CrazeD: Member; +368|7137|Maine

Well okay, it's your money you're wasting.

2007-02-27 17:17:38

#39

Parker: isteal; +1,452|6858|The Gem Saloon

i suppose it is my $120 to waste..........

2007-02-27 17:51:54

#40

_j5689_: Dreads & Bergers; +364|7181|Riva, MD

There is no such thing as a good OEM gaming machine.

2007-02-27 17:55:19

#41

norge: J-10 and a coke please; +18|6934

i might forget something here, just making a quick list of everything in a pc

case w/psu
mobo
ram
cpu
gpu
hd
cooling
DVD+_RW

hmmmm, i think thats it?

Last edited by norge (2007-02-27 19:56:38)

2007-02-27 17:59:03

#42

_j5689_: Dreads & Bergers; +364|7181|Riva, MD

norge wrote:
i might forget something here, just making a quick list of everything in a pc

case w/psu
mobo
ram
cpu
gpu
hd
cooling

hmmmm, i think thats it?

Maybe cables and disk drives also.

2007-02-27 18:06:28

#43

norge: J-10 and a coke please; +18|6934

disk drives? i said hd

2007-02-27 18:09:15

#44

_j5689_: Dreads & Bergers; +364|7181|Riva, MD

norge wrote:
disk drives? i said hd

No I mean disk reader drives. Like a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

2007-02-27 19:56:19

#45

norge: J-10 and a coke please; +18|6934

oh yeah

2007-02-27 20:03:31

#46

Marlboroman82: Personal philosophy: Clothing optional.; +1,022|7087|Camp XRay

http://overdrivepc.com/

these guys in my opinion build the best gaming rigs

https://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/marlboroman82/Untitled-8.png

2007-02-27 20:29:50

#47

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|7065|132 and Bush

CrazeD wrote:
Well okay, it's your money you're wasting.

It could be quite the deal if he was pressured into doing a task he didn't feel comfortable doing and screwed something up.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2007-02-28 03:20:43

#48

Nate_32: Member; +3|7198|Nambe, New Mexico

LOL@ the people saying he is wasting his money. By definition, a gaming machine is a waste of money, as it usually built with top shelf hardware. Then something else comes along about 6 months later and makes the price drop as the cutting edge is obsolete.
Anyhow, I would personally pick the parts out and bring it to the shop. You would be surprised how many geeks there are out there who love to pick out parts in their spare time. At places like Anandtech, you can state your budget and usually people will come up with several different machines, and usually argue about which is better. You would still have the manufacturers warranties on all the separate components, just hope the PC shop will swap the stuff for free, and many manufacturers even support cross shipping, so you have less down time.

Anyhow, don't be afraid to go OEM, the price for building your own is not HALF. Huge companies like Alienware and Dell buy their parts in bulk and therefore get a discount. This applies to the copy of Windows too. OEM you get it for free, BYO you must pay for it, and with copies of Windows going for $400+ for Vista (Which is what you will get with a top of the line OEM).

While I have been building PCs for over six years, and encourage everyone to try it, but I have made money building PCs on the side, so I respect people like you as well. (I am no metallurgist )

So basically, about 70% of this thread is garbage replies and huge signateures.

2007-02-28 06:09:16

#49

CannonFodder11b: Purple Heart Recipient; +73|7154|Fort Lewis WA

Another good PC builder is www.buyxg.com

I got a friend who just bought a monster for a reasonable price.
I would have to say Build your own or have a friend build you one is the cheapest method, AND you know Exactly what it is you are buying. check out www.infotechnow.com
For any military members they offer a killer military rate, and they are right next door to Koolance.

2007-02-28 06:26:15

#50

KnowMeByTrailOfDead: Jackass of all Trades; +62|7145|Dayton, Ohio

Dell XPS 410 if you want a decent machine without breaking the bank. My Brother is using one for nothing but gaming. It wil get you up and running with a decent, not great graphics card, but you can upgrade that in a year or so while the rest of the system should be fine. You can do a decent setup for under $2000.

BF2S Forums A good OEM gaming machine?

Parker wrote:

Bell wrote:

Bell wrote:

hate&discontent wrote:

norge wrote:

norge wrote:

CrazeD wrote:

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