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Hello,

I have been shopping for a system for the past week and trying to find
the best all around deal. Like most any person shopping for a
computer, I want to deal with a good company and get a great product
for a fair price. I'll tell you early on that I don't know enough to
build my own computer, but I do know enough to not buy from Dell. )
They are great for people that want an easy solution, but I feel that
they tend to cut corners and charge a little bit too much for their
systems. I am not a gamer, but I do want a system that is a slowpoke.
Basically, I want the most bang for my buck. For instance, I figure
that an AMD processor will give me more for my money than an Intel
chip would.

With that said, I started my search at PCWorld.com and found what I
considered to be a good review of the ABS Bravado 2280 (
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/artic...,111295,00.asp ). I built
the computer that I wanted on their website and it actually came out
to be a good price. Although I am not very comfortable with the
company considering the last couple of phone calls I made to them did
not exactly result in a warm and friendly response. Nothing too bad,
but just like they didn't seem to care either way.

I just visited ResellerRatings.com and saw that the top five resellers
are as follows:

1 KC Computers
2 Envision Computer Solutions
3 PC Torque
4 Performance PC's
5 PowerNotebooks.com

I tend to trust these rankings because I have read many of the posts
on this site and they seem to be from technically knowledgeable
people.

Can someone offer me a better way to go about getting a system? I
would like to get some advice on the best components like motherboard,
video/sound card, etc. Then where to buy them so they will all get
assembled in a nice case and be ready to be used when they arrive at
my home.

I just don't want to have buyer's remorse like I did after buying my
first computer from Dell.

I agree with everyone else... build your own. The only tool I can use is a
screwdriver and fortunately that's all you need. I knew enough about
components to order what I wanted and paid a kid $50 to put it all together.
The motherboard was bad and I didn't want to pay him another $50 so I
searched online and found many sites with photos that really lead you by the
hand and there's not much to it. Looking inside the case at all that mess of
wires seems confusing but there isn't much to know about really.

If you don't want to build your own I recommend a local mom and pop shop
where they can custom build you what you want and give you a price
beforehand. If you have problems it doesn't cost a big shipping charge to
return it and since they built it you don't have a long wait for possibly
lousy tech support and spending a long time on hold. Or you can buy and
order your own parts and case using a site like www.pricewatch.com to get
your best deals and ask your local shop what they would charge to put it
together for you.

Be aware that an AMD system often has problems that can drive you nuts or
cost you more money in the long run for having to try 3 different graphics
cards, various brands of RAM, power supplies, floppy drives, etc. But that
is how you learn and the tuition may be worth it. Intel isn't any fun
because by comparison, they usually work like they're suppossed to.

Definitely don't buy a name brand although I disagree with comments about
Dell. They give support beyond the warranty period and have a site full of
information for whatever your problem might be as well as particular updated
drivers for your model. Unlike most outfits it seems they care about their
reputation and don't trap you with such idiotic things like a restore disk
or proprietary RAM, hard drives, etc., and use quality parts. I think their
prices are very fair. There's probably not much room for futuristic upgrades
though.

You can look for systems on www.techbargains.com and research the companies
selling these systems on Reseller Ratings. They have links to the coupons
and rebates and advise you of them. Definitely check this site out.