Question Looking to pay around $500 for a desktop computer, what brands are recommended and is Newegg safe to buy from?

[arnoldhwang]

So I’m looking to pay around $500 for a desktop computer, what brands do you recommend? I read dell overprices their stuff, I was also thinking about buying a gaming desktop computer from Newegg for $500 but I read a review on one that said it might have cheaper parts inside. Atm I might just wait for a deal to appear on Costco so yeah.

 

[Lutfij]

My vote would be to look into building a system from the ground up. Prebuilts usually have to cut corners in order to make am profit and you're paying for the branding on a prebuilt from HP or Dell.

That being said what sort of tasks will you be putting the prebuilt system through? Mentioning the names of the apps will help us narrow down suggestions.

 

[kanewolf]

My vote would be to look into building a system from the ground up. Prebuilts usually have to cut corners in order to make am profit and you're paying for the branding on a prebuilt from HP or Dell.

That being said what sort of tasks will you be putting the prebuilt system through? Mentioning the names of the apps will help us narrow down suggestions.

Those of us that believe that the OS cost needs to be included, make a pre-built seem more attractive. A Dell refurb for example.

 

[arnoldhwang]

Those of us that believe that the OS cost needs to be included, make a pre-built seem more attractive. A Dell refurb

I’m going to use the computer for basic stuff like Microsoft Word, email, stuff like that, maybe an old computer game which doesn’t require much, I’m not sure but I might even make short videos since I’m curious about doing that stuff (am I making sense, I hope so). I don’t want to buy a refurbished dell computer because I see other sites saying they don’t last very long

 

[kanewolf]

I don’t want to buy a refurbished dell computer because I see other sites saying they don’t last very long

Do you have any examples?
Dell refurbs are generally business computers. At your $500 price point, you can get a tenth gen i5 with 16GB RAM and a full OS license. As a productivity machine, it would be capable.
Good luck on your purchase.

 

[arnoldhwang]

I see there are refurbished dell computers at micro center as cheap as $135 but they only have windows 10 and not 11. If they’d last long I wouldn’t mind buying one, what do you think?

 

[kanewolf]

I see there are refurbished dell computers at micro center as cheap as $135 but they only have windows 10 and not 11. If they’d last long I wouldn’t mind buying one, what do you think?

Unknown without a specific instance. Look at the minimum requirements for Windows 11. That $135 box may not meet the minimums. Intel 8th gen CPU or newer, Ryzen 3xxx or newer. It might have Win 10 installed but suggest you upgrade to Win 11 with the proper hardware.

 

[USAFRet]

I see there are refurbished dell computers at micro center as cheap as $135 but they only have windows 10 and not 11. If they’d last long I wouldn’t mind buying one, what do you think?

Looking at Dell Outlet, I see a SFF Optiplex 7010, Win 11 Pro, 15-13500T, 512GB NVMe, 16GB RAM
$569

I wouldn't buy it due to the absolute non-upgradeability....but there it is.

 

[arnoldhwang]

I’m thinking about just using the computer for email, visiting websites, and using Microsoft word so having a computer that only can use windows 10 and not 11 might be ok, the only issue is that I might want windows 11 if windows 10 doest’t have updates that protect against viruses.

 

[arnoldhwang]

Looking at Dell Outlet, I see a SFF Optiplex 7010, Win 11 Pro, 15-13500T, 512GB NVMe, 16GB RAM
$569

I wouldn't buy it due to the absolute non-upgradeability....but there it is.

Thing is im thinking about looking for deals on Costco.com

 

[USAFRet]

Thing is im thinking about looking for deals on Costco.com

It was just an example.

At your price point of $500, and prebuilts, there isn't really a lot of difference.

Buy a known brand with a good warranty.
Avoid CyberPowerPC or iBuyPower.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

You go Dell stick to their business class machines. We run mostly Dell PCs and usually only need to pull them when they become outdated. Only the occasional instance of failure but those seem to be few and far between.

 

[1stCannonFodderTTV]

It was just an example.

At your price point of $500, and prebuilts, there isn't really a lot of difference.

Buy a known brand with a good warranty.
Avoid CyberPowerPC or iBuyPower.

my 2nd pc is an Ibuypower and its lasted 12 years.. Hell i'm posting on this forum with it because my new Ryzen 7 is dead atm.. Fx8350 lets gooo 😉

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Newegg is a has been company that was once great and has fallen hard.

The term "gaming" is subjective and how much of said word $500 will get you. Pre-built, you'll get mostly junk components. If you build it yourself and have patience, there is a chance you can get something decent made.

If you could give some very specific games and how you wish for them to perform, it would be a good starting point.