Buying A New Computer - Question

[RitingFool]

I'm considering a new computer purchase. I prefer Compaq, and after shopping around at Microcenter, Best Buy (the two local stores I like to buy major H/W from), and even Compaq direct, I've found something disturbing.

It seems that hardly any pre-packaged computers are coming with free AGP slots. I can find many with a couple PCI slots free (for my sound card), but not the AGP. I very much prefer ATI Radeon cards, and these just don't come in the PCI flavor.

Is this the new standard? Are there ANY pre-packaged systems with free AGP slots? How else are we to install favored components, like video cards? I don't have the guts to build my own system (I don't have that kind of knack with hardware), so buying a pre-built system is my preferred way of doing it.

Any information on this subject is greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Michael

[Albromor]

If you know someone who can build you one I strongly suggest going that route. You then can buy the parts you want. I have done this twice and never regretted it.

[SpiritWarrior]

Compaqs are terrible. Try a dell, you can build your own system from scratch over the phone plus free shipping and a cd-burner right now!

[andrewas]

Compaq? Compaqs are a *nightmare*. Non standard parts, restrictive cases. The only good thing you can say for compaq is that the machines are well built - no chance of anything working loose in transit.

I really would suggest building your own system. It sounds like you know what the inside of the case looks like, and its really not that difficult. Just ground youself before you start and RTFM 2 or 3 times. I mean it. Every time someone screws this up, they either dont RTFM or they ESD something expensive.

Failing that you could buy a bare bones system - motherboard, CPU, RAM, Case, and thats all the hard work done, everything else you just bolt on and plug in.

Or if you must buy a complete system, find one of those small computer stores run by a couple of guys that *know* PCs, and talk to them about it. They should be able to compete on price, and they'll be able to build a machine as good or better than anything Compaq or Dell could build.

[harleyquinn]

Don't buy a compaq if you're thinking you want to do any kinds of upgrades or additions to the system you get. They build their computers in a way that you need to have a compaq professional make any upgrades to it yourself, they are not built to any standard as far as their cases go.
I agree, go with Dell, they are tops when it comes to customer service, and are great with upgradability and customization.
Of course, nothing beats building your own or having someone else do it for you. For example, I'm building my own, and by using some parts from my current system (like the CD-Rom, floppy), buying some stuff used (like monitor, keyboard, etc) and being patient waiting for sales for the other pieces, I'm building it for a fraction of what the same system would cost me to buy from a manufacturer.

[Thoran]

I second what Harley said... I've bought numerous Compaq's, and in every instance it's been for systems I knew I'd never be modifying (typically servers or vanilla workstations). I prefer Dell for price, service, and system design over any of the other first tier vendors. If you're price sensitive you can save money doing it yourself, but if you use top quality components (and don't reuse current components) you won't save as much as you'd think.

[Zuvio]

Buy a pre-build, custom designed PC from your local hardware store. Do not buy some well-known brand like Compaq or Dell! They only limit what you can do with your PC. Learn how to build your own PC. It's not hard: remember back in elementary school where you needed to put the round figure through the round hole and the triangular figure through the triangular hole? This is the same thing! Just make sure you ground yourself before touching any electronic component and you should be fine.

Check out the Overclockers site for a lot of newbie guides on how-to! Always keep the PC you are running now operatable and connected to the internet and *then* start building your own PC. This way if something goes wrong, a quick post here will help you back on your way. Building your own PC is *the* best way to go!

[slicer15]

I second that! Building your own is far better and in almost every case, cheaper. The one I use now is custom-built and it is sooo much better than my old pre-built one, as well as £200 cheaper (no I didn't take anything from the old one, its still in use!). If you prefer to have it pre-built I'd go with selecting the parts and having someone build it for you. If you need advice on which make is the best, just post here! That's what I did, and I never regretted it!

[john]

I've had my compaq for two years and can't wait to get something new.You have a hard time upgrading to a better video card cause its on the mother board harder to reconfig. I'm not one who likes to get into the insides of a pc but I have on earlier pcs but not on this beast.Plus like someone else mentioned there are no agp ports to add on to..

[RitingFool]

As the originator of this topic, I just want to say thanks for all the opinions. It sounds like building my own is the way to go, even though I may have someone else build it for me. It looks like that's the only way to get components I want (like the AGP video card) at a good price!

Thanks again for the discussion.

Regards,
Michael