Best gaming PC builder?

[Peach]

I am going to be turning 18 in march, and I was considering applying for financing on a beast gaming PC on my birthday. So far the only PC companies I know of that have really good gaming rigs and have financing are VoodooPC, Dell, Alienware. Any others? I know I can build my own, but what I can't do is get the money to pay for it. But I can pay a monthly bill on it.

 

[cmb4787]

dont finance bro, first of all you have no credit, ie bad financing, second by the time its paid for it will be way outdated, s oyoull be pissed, and on top of that for lets say 400 you could build a nice , yes nice comp that would play anything now(not like sli 7800s but..) and you can upgrade, just do that

 

[Peach]

400 dollars?! I highly doubt that, I had a hard time putting something together for less than 900. And I think the system dell quoted me (Pentium Extreme Edition, 2gb ram, X850XTPE, 500gb HD, 2405FPW, etc) will keep me happy for quite a long time.

 

[Michigan PC]

for 1000 bucks you can build a very good upgradable gaming pc. If you still want to buy then go with falcon northwest

 

[InvictuS]

oh my god...falcon = costmuch?

 

[Treyshadow]

Falcon Northwest
Velocity Micro
Alienware
ABS Computers
BOXX
And maybe Dell XPS

Those are the vendors I would consider the best PC Gamebox builders

 

[mjz_5]

400 dollars?! I highly doubt that, I had a hard time putting something together for less than 900. And I think the system dell quoted me (Pentium Extreme Edition, 2gb ram, X850XTPE, 500gb HD, 2405FPW, etc) will keep me happy for quite a long time.

well, for one your getting a Extreme Edition, which is expensive and shitty at the same time...

why not get a amd 64 3500+ or something

 

[pr0nasaurus rex]

Don't get in the habit of financing everything. I have friends who do that, and some of them are six figures in debt. Also DO NOT USE INTEL if you want to play games, and if you do go intel, don't get the Extreme Edition; you're paying $400-500 extra for something like a 5% performance improvement over the top 6XX pentium 4's.

Alienware is decent if you're on a budget; if the sky's the limit, go with Voodoo PC. Also, a fire-breathing monster of a PC is not a good way to spend money. Instead, go with upper-midrange stuff (like an Athlon 64 3500 and an X800XL); you'll get great performance, and the money you save can buy another, entirely new PC when you need one, instead of trying to get four years out of an aging, excessively expensive hulk.

I speak from experience; I sank $3000 into Socket 940, AGP, and DDR1, and I regret it now.

 

[Rich Tate]

I'm running a P4 2.6 @ 3.2 with no issues, and thats my BF2 machine. You can certainly build a nice gaming rig with a 1000 bucks no problem. I'd suggest building it yourself, or have someone you trust doing it. You can save alot of money and get a nice box in the process.

 

[Jason_Wall]

Also, a fire-breathing monster of a PC is not a good way to spend money. Instead, go with upper-midrange stuff (like an Athlon 64 3500 and an X800XL); you'll get great performance, and the money you save can buy another, entirely new PC when you need one, instead of trying to get four years out of an aging, excessively expensive hulk.

Nail on the head there.

Unless you just have money burning a hole in your pocket, buying an OEM like Voodoo or AW is largely a waste of money. Something that's going to stretch your (evidently) budgeted dollar further is something that can be modularly upgraded.

You could really get by with an ass-kicking machine for around 650-900. I would take a hard look at that before spending 3-4 years paying on a machine that's going to be bottom-shelf by the time you're done paying on it.

 

[Wingy]

I'm beginning more and more to think that saving the extra money is great. Life on a computer is much much better with dual 19 inch LCD's. I could take a slight performance hit to see people go "OMG OMG WTF 2 MONITORS WOW"

 

[Mister Natural]

Check out these guys.

 

[pr0nasaurus rex]

I've heard nothing but horror stories about ibuypower. Also, if you're going to build your own, the best spot for price-performance is $1000-1500.

 

[Susquehannock]

Agree on the financing. I know you are on a limited budget Peach, even so, you'd be much
better off saving up for a while longer and paying cash.
Paying interest on purchases is like having a ball & chain.

As someone said above, build a mid to high end rig rather than going for the latest
and greatest. Much better performance to cost ratio.

 

[Peach]

Alright, looks like that is a bad idea hehehe, I sold my previous rig for 500, so I guess i'll just save up until I have like 1300-1500 and buy everything. I have no problem building PC's, I do it at work, I just wanted to buy from OEM for the sake of financing. That I could get a top of the line PC now and just pay payments.

 

[Deleted member 72990]

Alright, looks like that is a bad idea hehehe, I sold my previous rig for 500, so I guess i'll just save up until I have like 1300-1500 and buy everything. I have no problem building PC's, I do it at work, I just wanted to buy from OEM for the sake of financing. That I could get a top of the line PC now and just pay payments.

also keep in mind that with financing, you're going to end up paying much more than its worth anyway.

 

[crazyvato]

build your own modify it over the years.
in 2003 I built the system in my sig. Since then I have put a new soundcard in, overclocked the cpu, overclocked the gf4 i used to have in it, put a 6600gt in, put in thermaltake heatsink fan and added 512mb of ddr. All the upgrades were about 330 dollars total. It cost me about 1000 dollars to build it.

so roughly 1330 Dollars over 2 years and im sure this system will play all games fine for probably another 2 years.

5 years for 1330 dollars.

So basically spend the good money on the cpu motherboard psu and you will be able to upgrade around those for probably half a decade or more.

 

[Kaiga]

I say:
>Stay the hell away from people like Alienware and VooDoo, I don't know where people get the thing about "If you're on a budget go with AlienWare" because you must be on something strong to say that., For one of alienware's low-end PC you can get a really good one built yourself. And stay away from Falcon Northwest, it seems that all they really care about is their little fragboxes and their PC's paintjobs.

>As for IBuyPower.com, yes, they do suck. A co-worker of mine bought something from them a while back and let me tell you service is so bothersome he decided to let me work on the PC and Void the warranty, I tired them and the phone support has no clue whats going on, even inside their own PC's. and they build those things poorly. When I worked on my co-worker's PC, there were 2 Motherboard mounts missing and those things had some really poor airflow because there are cables dangling around like Micheal Jackson's hair at a rave party. They do not sem to know how to even use air flow systems because all the fans that where running where turned around so they were exhaust fans. nothing was being cooled, just air was being taken out of the PC. All they really seem to Focus on is how flashy the PC's look. they suck.

>If you want a cheaper, better place than IBuyPower, buy from these guys: CyberPower, they have very reasonable prices, they really know how to build a PC, and IF YOU ARE ON A TIGHT BUDGET THEY ARE THE BEST SOLUTION. I have worked on some of the PC's these people build and I say they do a great job. When I ordered from them I got my PC quicker than I thought and they don't BS you on anything. You can get some great Gamer PC's outta them. Quality builds.

>Also, remember Monarch Computers? please, try them.

>Dell, Dell Dell Dell Dell Dell Dell Dell, have you seen their latest addition to their site? their gaming section, thats right, a gaming section, and its one that is so terrible too, they are selling overpriced Intel machines, can they relate? yes, to Alienware and the rest of the moneymongers.
also, check out their stupid misleading quote, they mention no sissies allowed. no sisses? you have got to be frikin' damn kidding me if they say that, NO SISSIES and they are using only Intel and have no AMD machines my friend and AMD is the way to go Esspeacially is its for gaming. Don't be fooled that Intel's Procs clock higher than AMD, because AMD doesn't give a damn about Clock speeds, they are focusing on architecture and better ways to get that 2.4GHz to be used better. Intel just changes a few things here and there and then slaps a big Clock sticker on it and says "all done!"

>But, in the end, the best Gamer PC out there is one you build yourself. but go with AMD when you build, because you'll be sorry you even heard the word Intel.

 

[magoo]

Well,my Peaches....You want someone to do it for you,right??? I have a short list...these are OEM builders that allow you to pick and choose the parts that you want and then will put it together. There are a bunch of threads in this section that talk about OEM vs. DIY. Its up to you to choose what you want and if you want to pay for the build and SERVICE. Just remember the thing that should set a builder apart from you of your friend is quality compatable tested parts and service after the sale.
OEM:
Velocity Micro,Monarch,Alienware,and of all people....Shuttle.(not in any order)
If you would like to build some of it yourself,like buy your own case,PSU,sound and graphics....check out JNCS.com. They put together nice MB Bundles that are tried and true. They also have some very nice systems as well. Give them a look too.

 

[Peach]

Listen, only reason I want to buy OEM is to have it right now, pay payments on it for 6 months to a year, then pay it off. I'm leaning towards Dell right now.

 

[neubspeed]

IMO, Falcon Northwest is the overall best OEM there is. Great tech support and great systems. Open up the case on a Falcon and the cable management is like you did it yourself, amazing. Alienware is a pretty close second.

 

[TomJesusBrady]

I must say i checked out cyberpowersystem.com and their prices are pretty amazing. I think i might get my next system from them instead of building it myself, cuz their prices are only 100-200 more if i were to buy everything myself. Check out the following quote:

CAS: ALUMINUM X-Navigator Server 420W W/ Window & Temp Dis,Fan Control w/ Liquid Cooling (SILVER w/ Blue, Black, & Silver Face Plate)
CD: 16X DVD ROM (SILVER COLOR)
CD2: SONY DWD26A DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (SILVER COLOR)
CASUPGRADE: NONE
CPU: (939-pin) AMD ATHLON64 X2 4800 CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [-270]
CABLE: None
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 6in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (SILVER COLOR)
FAN: CoolerMaster Liquid CPU Cooling Fan System Kit + 2 EXTRA CASE FANS
FLOPPY: 1.44 MB FLOPPY DRIVE (SILVER COLOR)
HDD: Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM Serial ATA 150 8MB Cache WD740GD
HDD2: MAXTOR 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA 150 8MB CACHE HARD DRIVE [-58]
HALFLIFE2: Free "Half-Life 2 Bronze" Download Coupon
HDD3: NONE [-107]
IEEE_CARD: NONE
KEYBOARD: NONE [-38]
MOUSE: NONE
MODEM: NONE
MP3PLAYER: NONE
MONITOR: NONE
MOTHERBOARD: (Sckt939)ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI Chipset SATA RAID Dual PCIE MB w/Gb-LAN,USB2.0,IEEE-1394,&7.1Audio
MEMORY: 512 MB PC3200 400MHz DDR MEMORY [-40] (Corsair Value RAM)
NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/1000 NETWORK CARD
OS: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional w/ Service Pack 2
PRINTER: None
PRINTER_CABLE: None
POWERSUPPLY: Enermax EG565P 535 Watt Power Supply (SLI-Ready)
RAID: NONE
RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
SCANNER: NONE
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY PLUS ONE-YEAR ONSITE SERVICE
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: NONE [-95]
SOFT: Microsoft® Works 7.0
TEMP: NONE (AS SHOWN)
UPS: None
USB: Build-in USB 2.0 Ports
USB_PENDRIVE: NONE
VIDEO: NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GTX 256MB 16X PCI Express Video Card(Bundled w/ BattleField II Game)
VIDEO2: NONE [-470]
VIDEOCAMERA: NONE
WIRING: None
WIRELESSPOINT: NONE
WIRELESSCARD: NONE
ZIP: NONE

all that for $1890 shipped

I know its only 512mb of ram i only did that cuz i got 2gb of ocz platinum at home. but i Think thats a pretty good damn deal, considering a 4800 x2 and a 7800gtx alone would cost you about 1500 bucks....

 

[Kaiga]

oh yeah, CyberPower has financing as well.

Well,my Peaches....You want someone to do it for you,right??? I have a short list...these are OEM builders that allow you to pick and choose the parts that you want and then will put it together.

sorry to say but that is nothing new that is something very old just about every OEM PC builder does that.

There are a bunch of threads in this section that talk about OEM vs. DIY. Its up to you to choose what you want and if you want to pay for the build and SERVICE. Just remember the thing that should set a builder apart from you of your friend is quality compatable tested parts and service after the sale.
OEM:
Velocity Micro,Monarch,Alienware,and of all people....Shuttle.(not in any order)
If you would like to build some of it yourself,like buy your own case,PSU,sound and graphics....check out JNCS.com. They put together nice MB Bundles that are tried and true. They also have some very nice systems as well. Give them a look too.

after mentioning the one place most people say to stay away from because they are UNGODLY expensive(AlienWare). And he wants a gaming PC, not servers and rackmounts, JNCS is not the place you want to go. Remember, if you want everything you want + Financing for your PC, then CyberPower is the place. check out CyberPower

AND Jesus freakin' Christ man Velocity micro is another ungodly expensive place, they are the one of the biggest ripoffs out there. When my friend ordered from them they only messed him around. He was just going to replace the Soundcard he had in there because it was defective but they told him he had to send in EVERYTHING in order for it to be replaced. He asked if they could send him a new one, but no, there he goes paying an amazing $70 for shipping to ship the tower, speakers, monitor and the rest back in order to just have 1 little soundcard exchanged. VelocityMicro is terrible.

 

[Kaiga]

IMO, Falcon Northwest is the overall best OEM there is. Great tech support and great systems. Open up the case on a Falcon and the cable management is like you did it yourself, amazing. Alienware is a pretty close second.

Open the case to a Falcon Northwest and you Void the warranty on an extremely overpriced PC, and it made me laugh when you said great tech support. Alienware makes good PCs but they charge far too much.

 

[Kaiga]

I must say i check our cyberpowersystem.com and their prices are pretty amazing. I think i might get my next system from them instead of building it myself, cuz their prices are only 100-200 more if i were to buy everything myself.

and you speak the truth, these guys are amazing, they don't just hire every Tom Dick and Harry that runs out of school with an A+, these people are experienced. The PC I ordered from them is designed really great. and you might as well not even select the extra fans option they have because I bought the AlienServer case and it already had 5 fans in there and they choose them right. You make a wise decision ordering from them, because the lowest selection of support lasts 3 years and 1 year on site.

 

[Dan_D]

Agree on the financing. I know you are on a limited budget Peach, even so, you'd be much
better off saving up for a while longer and paying cash.
Paying interest on purchases is like having a ball & chain.

As someone said above, build a mid to high end rig rather than going for the latest
and greatest. Much better performance to cost ratio.

I agree with this. Only buy the latest and greatest PC's if you can afford to do it and you know for a fact you will use it. Theres alot of dumbasses who buy these $4000+ machines and run their games at 1024x768 with no AA or AF because they simply don't know better.

On the financing thing,.paying cash is the way to go. Don't finance anything you don't need to. Cars, houses and college. Those are the three items that should get financed. Anything else is BS. If you don't have the cash for something you want, save until you do. You can do it with Credit cards later on, but trust me. you'll want to be moderate with that also. Having the buy now pay later mentality will only cause you problems in life.

 

[wikidlad]

Dont buy Monarch....read the "terms & conditions", even if your pc doesnt work they wont refund you.

 

[CRXican]

Here's what I did back in Feb 2004. I have some money in savings so I qualify for what is known as a secured loan. You're taking out a loan on money that's already yours so you get a much lower rate, under 5%

18 month loan $2500 = payment of $145. Secured loan looks great on you credit, I'm 21 and work at the credit union that gave me the loan.

 

[magoo]

oh yeah, CyberPower has financing as well.

sorry to say but that is nothing new that is something very old just about every OEM PC builder does that.


after mentioning the one place most people say to stay away from because they are UNGODLY expensive(AlienWare). And he wants a gaming PC, not servers and rackmounts, JNCS is not the place you want to go. Remember, if you want everything you want + Financing for your PC, then CyberPower is the place. check out CyberPower

AND Jesus freakin' Christ man Velocity micro is another ungodly expensive place, they are the one of the biggest ripoffs out there. When my friend ordered from them they only messed him around. He was just going to replace the Soundcard he had in there because it was defective but they told him he had to send in EVERYTHING in order for it to be replaced. He asked if they could send him a new one, but no, there he goes paying an amazing $70 for shipping to ship the tower, speakers, monitor and the rest back in order to just have 1 little soundcard exchanged. VelocityMicro is terrible.

Dude.... do you HAVE any of those above computers from those above companies???? I dont think you were taught to read where you live. First of all, I have two alienware comps, they are fine machines....you can read my posts on that elsewhere....Secondly JNCS sells full gaming systems,parts,bundles and just about EVERYTHING else also racks and servers (read my post above again,sir) Velocity micro was reviewed here on Hard. Read about it before you flame them. Maybe your "friend" did something dumb to deserve poor treatment???? Or screwed up the order, etc. But if youve never deatl with any of these companies PERSONALLY< dont flame them based on ads, or "friends". The best source in my book is resellerratings....do some research.
I have nothing against Dell except they use alot of proprietary components and upgrade may be tricky. The other companies I mentioned use stock retail stuff. (except Shuttle) There are many OEM builders who allow you to choose some items in the build but not ALL of them. The ones I mentioned usually do give you a choice on all the components. It may be "old news" but it is another prime reason in selecting your builder and allows for easy upgrades. Always check the fine print to see what the warranty allows or does not allow. Again, it is not my position nor should it be anyone elses position to flame a company they have had no first hand dealings with. I usually recommend companies that I have dealt with and done the research on before I open my mouth.
I also agree that financing is a tough choice. Personally I would wait until I had the money so I dont owe anyone anything. Obviously I couldnt do that with my house, but thats about all I ever borrowed. Borrowing can be a slippery slope, especially in stuff that changes so much, like PCs.

 

[Deadpool9]

Bleh. I would try and get a personal loan from a bank. Get one of your parents to co-sign with you. You will have a much better chance at getting it, and then build your own pc and get a lot better computer for the money.
You should be able to get $1000-$1500 without a lot of hassel.

 

[soekev]

I say:
>Stay the hell away from people like Alienware and VooDoo, I don't know where people get the thing about "If you're on a budget go with AlienWare" because you must be on something strong to say that., For one of alienware's low-end PC you can get a really good one built yourself. And stay away from Falcon Northwest, it seems that all they really care about is their little fragboxes and their PC's paintjobs.

If you're into buying a computer for its looks, then I would highly recommend VoodooPC. What Voodoo has over the other boutique makers is a unique case. Even AlienWare's case can be purchased via 3rd party but the VoodooPC case is a uniquely designed case that they designed partnering w/ Lian Li. Not to mention if you get the custom paint job, it quite literally is just like an automotive paint job right down to the high gloss finish and how it feels when you run your hand over it.

If your computer is going to be stuck underneath your desk and you wouldn't be able to see it unless you got down there w/ a flashlight, then I'd buy neither a Voodoo nor any of the other boutique PCs because you really are paying a premium for how the computer looks on the outside.

As for budget... well, they do have 6 months same as cash and no interest if you pay it off within 6 months... but you're probably not going to be able to afford $700 per month in payments.

 

[Genocidal[v2]]

You just missed out on a great deal from dell. A pretty decent gaming computer for around $1,400 and it came with a 2405FPW too.

 

[PurpleSaurusRex]

Just wait until black friday and get a deal.

Its never a good idea to put yourself into debt for something you don't really need.
Its not like its a liver transplant, its just a computer.

 

[Tman]

My Vote would be for AquaBox PC

"Who in the world is Aquabox Pc??" "I have never hird of them!!"
Let me tell you. they are a company that is in its Final few days of Opening Up.
And I Have never seen a company that has such a promising future.

Some of the things that they are in the process of pateting are amaxing!!! I mean
they will totally blow your mind. ( I cant tell you many details or etc) But I can tell
you that you will have Desktops and Notebooks that well run ICE COLD!!!!

Yes AquaBoxPc is not the coolest name compaited to AW or etc, but when you think of water
you think of cool ice mountain water (kind of like what i am sitting on my deck typing on
my lapop in the sun, lol) and that is exactly what they are aming for. Selling some of the
fastest, coolest, coldest computers out there.

I mean how does -60*F sound to you
(that is what one of their computers was reading when then began testing a new idea
they had.


Also I am not just supporting this one company, because my friends are running it.
But because I am an owner of a

Voodoo HeXx
Alienware Area-51
HomeBuilt Watercooled Lan Li
Homebuilt Side Pc
Dell XPS Gen2
and a few other pcs.


And Yes i have been happy with these companys. But Aquabox pc basically excells on what Alienare, Voodoo, Dell lacks in. And each system gets test long and hard. I mean
what other compansy do you know of that build a pc and then sit down on it and play
a game on it to test for any flaws while actually playing a real game?? Before they ship it
out to you.... in the best running condition possible!!!!!!!!!!

Heck (not taking a shot a voodoo) but one of voodoos big fourm members has placed an
order with Aquabox Pc just becacsue he thinks this company has the exact same quality
if not better then Voodoo. For a much cheaper price.

Another person I know, who has had 2x Falcon Fraboxes, countless homebuilds, and etc
is thinking about buying a fully loaded pc from them in about a month. as soon as he
sells his current desktop.

I mean how cool is this.??

people who are not friends / hardly know this company are already buying computers
form them.... becasuse they know what kind of a company this is going to be.

Also they are prieced at almost exactly New egg's prices!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!

And I almost forgot to mention that if you want your case laster cut, ingraved, painted
they can do that to thanks to their partner ship with West Coast Customs!!!


(sorry for any spellings that i may have made in this post. I dont have time to check it and
every since i was a kid have had a hard time with spelling. everything elce was awsome
except for my spellling ;(.)

 

[Tman]

if you are interested in getting a system now before they even open up.

go to their site www.aquaboxpc.com and send them an email with all of the parts you
want and they will give you a price that will leave you speachless!!!

 

[Peach]

I made my decision on Financing a Dell XPS when I turn 18. Reason being is that I dont mind paying 100 a month to build my my credit, and I will be totally be happy with the PC for quite a long time.

 

[magoo]

Just do it. Good luck.

 

[Atherton213]

if you dont have any credit you probly wont get approved for financing anywhere anyway... just save and build your self...

 

[magoo]

and you speak the truth, these guys are amazing, they don't just hire every Tom Dick and Harry that runs out of school with an A+, these people are experienced. The PC I ordered from them is designed really great. and you might as well not even select the extra fans option they have because I bought the AlienServer case and it already had 5 fans in there and they choose them right. You make a wise decision ordering from them, because the lowest selection of support lasts 3 years and 1 year on site.

Oh, and by the way, I went to the cyberpower site. Besides extra choices for cases they have ABSOLUTELY nothing over anyone else. I priced a set-up the same as I built less a monitor and it was 3600+ dollars. I couldnt even get 2 GB of RAM???? You dont know who your video cards come from, and thrie PSU choices do not include PC Power and Cooling. You would have to get something snazzy to convince me they are any different than ANYONE else.

 

[TomJesusBrady]

Oh, and by the way, I went to the cyberpower site. Besides extra choices for cases they have ABSOLUTELY nothing over anyone else. I priced a set-up the same as I built less a monitor and it was 3600+ dollars. I couldnt even get 2 GB of RAM???? You dont know who your video cards come from, and thrie PSU choices do not include PC Power and Cooling. You would have to get something snazzy to convince me they are any different than ANYONE else.

The video card is evga and it does say it if you click on the ? mark.