What Brand Computer Would You Recommend?

[knancy]

I am thinking about buying a new computer. My existing one is over 5 years old and I'd like to take advantage of the new technology for gaming. For everything else that I do my system is very sufficient.

I've never built a computer, always bought a brand name or had someone build a custom one for me.

Would it be worth my while to build my own? It would be a very steep learning curve for me.

What brand name systems would you recommend?

Appreciate any and all input.

 

[Isokolon]

personally, I had no idea how to build a pc.
but upon upgrading RAM and GPU back in the day I disovered it's pretty easy tbh
it's like... there's a slot, that's the only part that can possibly fit in there and the guy in the youtube video says to put that there

the only 'more complicated' things is installing the PSU (best is to use a checklist to make sure you connected everything and start with a semi-modular) and the CPU cooler (which is pretty easy once you know how to do it)

the difference between building it yourself and buying a prepaid is usually around 200-300€ -- but you can adjust things like you need them.
so I'd personally lean towards building myself as it's mostly the fear of the unkown then really lacking the skills to build one

 

[Unregistered1]

Steep learning curve? Its relatively easy following a guide.

As for brands if you decide against custom PC then i suggest staying away from eBay stores that use poor power supplies (Corsair CX) or OEM PCs like Dell or Lenovo.

Something from a component store should suffice as they know better combinations for the hardware

 

[why_wolf]

What exactly do you want to use the computer for and what is your budget?

 

[Tradesman1]

I'd build your own and get more for your money 😉 My kids started building when they were 5 and 7. They watched me build one, then I watched and answered question while they each built a couple, then they were on their own and did fine... Both are still involved in systems, the oldest runs a large IT shop for the Air Force

 

[James Mason]

Building your own computer is easy. Building it takes 2-3 hours, and installing windows takes about 30mins to 45mins, and after that downloading and installing drivers takes another 30-45 mins. After all that, have it download windows updates at night, it may take a 2-4 passes to get them all.

Building a PC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIF43-0mDk4
Installing Windows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zAdwedmj1M

Protip for installing drivers safely, install them one at a time and restart the computer after each install to avoid breaking the OS, which can happen if you try to install them all at once.

 

[g-unit1111]

What brand name systems would you recommend?

Appreciate any and all input.

None of the above. Big box brands like Asus and Acer aren't worth buying because they load their OS with so much bloatware and adware that it makes the systems unusable. Then there's iBUYPOWER and Cyberpower which are notorious for building systems with high end components then going cheap on critical components like power supplies, and even cheaper on build quality. Then there's the ultra high end vendors like Maingear, Puget Systems, and Falcon Northwest which make some killer rigs but you're not getting one for less than $3,000. Then you can build your own for less than that.