WHOAguitarninja
Member
I'll be heading off to college in the fall and it's time to start thinking about a completely new rig. My current "fast" computer (we have two, a 300MHz, and 950 mhz) is way the hell outdated and so I'm starting from scratch.
Heres my perdicament, I don't know if I want to build my own, or purchase one from a retailer. I understand I'll probably save a bit of money building my own, but how much would I expect to save? I'm going for a fairly top end rig here, most likely.
Also, if I do decide to simply buy one from dell or someone, who tends to have the best deals. Ibuypower seemed to have really good deals, but I looked up reviews on their systems and customer service was apparently awful. Not to mention there seemed to be quite a few complaints of them simply not being well built.
Alienware....I know they're nice but are they hugely over priced? I'd probably get an Aurora, not an Area-51(unless there are some advantages to area-51 that make it a better value). Or are they so over priced that they're not even worth it?
I looked at dell and can't decide what I think of them. ANy input at all on that would be nice.
Essentially my only problems with building my own computer are that I wouldn't have any tech support if I ran into major problems like I have with my last two computers, and all the cases I see online are ugly as sin. Either way too gaudy looking like some geeky neo-techno-gothic monolith, or so incredibly plain that they make the computers we used back in middle school (you know...the dirty white ones that sit on their sides) look sleek and stylized. I like more curvy cases without being incredibly gaudy (like the alienwares).
My dad will be paying for most of it, and he said he'd like to buy one through the school (I'll be going to university of maryland) as he thinks they'll be able to give the best price, but I'm not even sure they offer any such option.
Any advice is enormously appreciated.
Heres my perdicament, I don't know if I want to build my own, or purchase one from a retailer. I understand I'll probably save a bit of money building my own, but how much would I expect to save? I'm going for a fairly top end rig here, most likely.
Also, if I do decide to simply buy one from dell or someone, who tends to have the best deals. Ibuypower seemed to have really good deals, but I looked up reviews on their systems and customer service was apparently awful. Not to mention there seemed to be quite a few complaints of them simply not being well built.
Alienware....I know they're nice but are they hugely over priced? I'd probably get an Aurora, not an Area-51(unless there are some advantages to area-51 that make it a better value). Or are they so over priced that they're not even worth it?
I looked at dell and can't decide what I think of them. ANy input at all on that would be nice.
Essentially my only problems with building my own computer are that I wouldn't have any tech support if I ran into major problems like I have with my last two computers, and all the cases I see online are ugly as sin. Either way too gaudy looking like some geeky neo-techno-gothic monolith, or so incredibly plain that they make the computers we used back in middle school (you know...the dirty white ones that sit on their sides) look sleek and stylized. I like more curvy cases without being incredibly gaudy (like the alienwares).
My dad will be paying for most of it, and he said he'd like to buy one through the school (I'll be going to university of maryland) as he thinks they'll be able to give the best price, but I'm not even sure they offer any such option.
Any advice is enormously appreciated.
