Build a PC - alternatives to Dell?

[NbleSavage]

Cheers, All.

Time to build a new rig. I'm not a gamer but I've got a bit of bonus money coming and I'm due to invest in a new workstation for the house.

Dell seems to want me left nut in order to do business.

Apologies for the daft question, but are there any more affordable options where I can pick & choose on-line?

- Savage

 

[HydroEJP88]

http://pcpartpicker.com/

Check this site out.

I've been looking into building my own also, they have guides and everything

 

[trodizzle]

I have always built my own PC's, but I'm a nerd.

It will require...

A case.
A motherboard. (I'm a big fan on Intel brand motherboards, they last forever and are rocksolid)
RAM for the motherboard. (8GB total RAM is fine)
CPU for the motherboard. (again, I stick with Intel here)
A hard drive (SSD is suggested)
A video card (unless your motherboard comes with one)
A power supply
A copy/key for Windows 10 loaded onto a USB drive (or you need to buy a DVD drive as well).

Usually I keep my old keyboard, mouse and monitor and just renew my CPU every few years or so and kick the old one down to one of my kids.

 

[Onrek]

What kind of work are you looking to use it for? He could probably omit the cost of a high end gpu card if he doesn't need it for gaming or high tier media editing.

 

[NbleSavage]

Not to misspeak, I'm not looking to build this rig myself

I'm hoping to choose options & have it made / shipped.

Usage: hey, I need me UGB to be fast. Like balls-out fast. Otherwise, things like 'dizz spreadsheets and word docs & such. I dont mind spending a bit for better performance (within reason - think perhaps $1500 US if thats achievable).

 

[trodizzle]

Not to misspeak, I'm not looking to build this rig myself

I'm hoping to choose options & have it made / shipped.

Usage: hey, I need me UGB to be fast. Like balls-out fast. Otherwise, things like 'dizz spreadsheets and word docs & such. I dont mind spending a bit for better performance (within reason - think perhaps $1500 US if thats achievable).

UGBB should be fast on any system, it's mostly your Internet connection at play here. The horsepower it takes to display web pages and browse the web can be done on a 10 year old PC without much issue still.

For $1500 you could get a bad-ass system, new monitor as well. I would think a good system (no monitor) could be had for around $800 or so.

 

[trodizzle]

6th-Gen Intel Core i7-6700 Quad-Core Skylake CPU (3.4GHz)
16GB DDR3 Memory
2TB Hard Drive (7200rpm)
2GB AMD Radeon R9 370
Bluetooth 4.0
500W Power Supply
Keyboard & Mouse
Windows 10 Home 64-Bit

$750 free shipping @ NewEgg

http://slickdeals.net/f/8478085-asu...0w-usb-3-1-win-10-750-in-newegg?src=catpagev2

More deals:

http://slickdeals.net/deals/computers/?rating=5

 

[grizzldsealpoacher]

http://pcpartpicker.com/

Check this site out.

I've been looking into building my own also, they have guides and everything

I used this a few times it compiles compatible parts based on your selections for example if you select a intel chip it will only show you boards that will work with the chip you select and so on and so fourth ..

My advise would be to sit a site like slick deals until you find the most expensive part you want on sale and build from there . I am not a AMD fan but you can save money using there chip sets . If you go Intel then you don't need more then an I 5 Haswell chip I run it with a beefy video card and 16g of ram my cpu is lightning fast ! Also run all of your important programs IE windows etc on a solid state drive makes a big difference in speed then have a secondary drive for your porn and what not.

Good luck!

I forgot .. Set yourself a budget all in and work around it . I built a solid cpu with monitor for 1300 that is gonna be as good as it gets for high end in my op

 

[Fruity]

I think the most important part you should focus on is the case. Don't get a case with just 4 RAM slots and 1 Disc medium. You want to go all out on the case, because what goes in the case can wait. Each year you can buy one new RAM stick and watch your Computer develop.

 

[trodizzle]

I think the most important part you should focus on is the case. Don't get a case with just 4 RAM slots and 1 Disc medium. You want to go all out on the case, because what goes in the case can wait. Each year you can buy one new RAM stick and watch your Computer develop.

Sorta, there is only so much an average person will need to fit in a PC case.
Starting out with 8GB of RAM (which isn't too pricey) will last quite a bit of time. Even on my 3D gaming rigs I rarely get close to using up all 8GB of RAM. Anything more is just overkill and never used by the average Joe.
DVD drives are almost a waste now too. I mean, who is buying DVD's any more? The only time I used mine was to load windows and I now do that using a USB drive.

 

[grizzldsealpoacher]

Not to misspeak, I'm not looking to build this rig myself

I'm hoping to choose options & have it made / shipped.

Usage: hey, I need me UGB to be fast. Like balls-out fast. Otherwise, things like 'dizz spreadsheets and word docs & such. I dont mind spending a bit for better performance (within reason - think perhaps $1500 US if thats achievable).

Dude I will build it for you for 1500 pm me if your interested I will show you the build before you purchase it .

 

[NbleSavage]

Dude I will build it for you for 1500 pm me if your interested I will show you the build before you purchase it .

Cheers, Mate. I nicked the rig 'dizz suggested.

 

[Fruity]

Sorta, there is only so much an average person will need to fit in a PC case.
Starting out with 8GB of RAM (which isn't too pricey) will last quite a bit of time. Even on my 3D gaming rigs I rarely get close to using up all 8GB of RAM. Anything more is just overkill and never used by the average Joe.
DVD drives are almost a waste now too. I mean, who is buying DVD's any more? The only time I used mine was to load windows and I now do that using a USB drive.

Good point on the dvd drives, but having lots of room has always been my priority.
If I wanted to take take up editing, I'd have enough room and slots for Bus's and graphic cards to take me all the way on that path. Or if I wanted to go in so or so direction I could optimize for that and so on.

Besides thinking in the mindset of an average Joe is awfully depressing.

 

[Luscious Lei]

I build all my rigs, but I need specific and powerful machines (3D, CAD and graphic softwares).
I also likw to have machines that look good and that I don't have to hide under the desk (Lian Li FTW).
They are already pretty expensive (my current rig is a 7K set up) but buying a Dell would cost me much more than that.
The only machines I buy off-the-shelf are laptops. Got a Dell M6600 in a pretty high config and the bastard costed me around 8K, never again.
Your rig will depend on your needs, that's the beauty of building one, you can get exactly what you need without a lacking part or paying for stuff you will never use at 100%.
But the cost effectiveness also depends on the above mentioned needs, if you just want a decent, multi task PC then buying an off-the-shelf product is cheaper.