Comments on: Help me build a new computer

By: Adarsh Carter

Adarsh Carter — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:08:00 +0000

If you're going to waste the money, waste slightly more and get a Blu-ray drive.OC buttons on the motherboard? Ugh.I feel the same way about Dell, although it's hard to keep up with that sort of thing–I know I probably miss quite a few. As for Macs, I wouldn't use one as a primary computer if you paid me. Well, actually, there probably is /some/ amount you could pay me, but it's probably higher than you think.

By: Cory Radcliff

Cory Radcliff — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:28:00 +0000

Hey Phil. I'm a computer. Stop all the downloadin.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTehdxIj0ZQ

By: Cory Radcliff

Cory Radcliff — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Hey Phil. I'm a computer. Stop all the downloadin.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTehdxIj0ZQ

By: Phillip Cheung

Phillip Cheung — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:23:00 +0000

Just some random responses and side notes…I haven't bought anything from Dell since 2003-2004 because their employees lean Republican in their campaign contributions. Of course, that kind of thing will only guide me so far–Apple is heavily skewed toward the Democrats, but I probably won't be getting a Mac any time soon, unless I can buy it for half off.One thing I like about getting the computer in pieces is that I have more of a sense of where all the pieces came from. Thank god SATA has replaced IDE. Am considering wasting $25 on an optical drive just to get rid of the IDE cable inside the case.This is how far things have advanced/degraded: My motherboard has four buttons on it: power, overclock genie, speed up, speed down.

By: Adarsh Carter

Adarsh Carter — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:35:00 +0000

Earlier machines were a little more difficult, I agree. In fact, the first computer I assembled, back in 1995–Phil, I think you remember that one–wasn't exactly easy. It required all kinds of research and then pin configuration just to boot. I built it for my operating systems class, but I don't think I used it much beyond that. Nowadays, however, things have changed drastically–some parts are even color-coded. I wouldn't recommend that path to most people, just like I wouldn't recommend Linux for most people, because most people just want their computer to shovel content their way; but for others (e.g., Cory and Phil), those more powerful, if more challenging, options are always worth considering.That said, I wouldn't necessarily discount pre-build computers for certain purposes. From a bang-for-the-buck standpoint, they're not very good compared to self-built, and one of the reasons I never buy them is, in fifteen years I've never seen one configured the way I'd want. (/Sometimes/ they can be with options, but then you have the price issue.) I have five regular use desktops here (including servers and workstations). Two of those are pre-built units, which I acquired used. Over the past 25 or so years I've worked with countless desktops and notebooks and I've found the reliability, between older and newer computers and between pre-built and self-assembled units, it about the same. The same parts fail most frequently (power supplies winning by a substantial margin), but mostly all the computers just chug along. (The warranties are often better with self-assembled systems, but I've rarely made warranty claims.) I've also had examples of possessed computers in both pre-built and self-assembled–I think you know what I mean.I agree, Cory, that they're not as bad as some self-assembly advocates say. In fact they're perfectly adequate for most purposes and the extra dollars spent pay off immediately for the typical user who doesn't know RAM from CMOS.

By: Cory Radcliff

Cory Radcliff — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:46:00 +0000

I'll throw my voice in here just to be the devil's advocate, if by the devil you mean prebuilt machines.I have had two major desktops in my life. The first I built myself. Granted, I bought the parts at a computer show (before Amazon Prime, New Egg, etc). I had no end of trouble with it. It crashed constantly and I ran test after test and we could not find anything wrong with it.And the Dell (see above). It ran until the hard disk crashed a year or two ago, but I bought it before my house (I've lived here 8 years). And come to think of it, that wasn't the original drive, I replaced it with a bigger one to hold all of my valuable data (games)Sure, you save some money, and I won't argue that here. But really the machines are not as bad as people say they are.

By: Phillip Cheung

Phillip Cheung — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By: Adarsh Carter

Adarsh Carter — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Earlier machines were a little more difficult, I agree. In fact, the first computer I assembled, back in 1995–Phil, I think you remember that one–wasn't exactly easy. It required all kinds of research and then pin configuration just to boot. I built it for my operating systems class, but I don't think I used it much beyond that. Nowadays, however, things have changed drastically–some parts are even color-coded. I wouldn't recommend that path to most people, just like I wouldn't recommend Linux for most people, because most people just want their computer to shovel content their way; but for others (e.g., Cory and Phil), those more powerful, if more challenging, options are always worth considering.That said, I wouldn't necessarily discount pre-build computers for certain purposes. From a bang-for-the-buck standpoint, they're not very good compared to self-built, and one of the reasons I never buy them is, in fifteen years I've never seen one configured the way I'd want. (/Sometimes/ they can be with options, but then you have the price issue.) I have five regular use desktops here (including servers and workstations). Two of those are pre-built units, which I acquired used. Over the past 25 or so years I've worked with countless desktops and notebooks and I've found the reliability, between older and newer computers and between pre-built and self-assembled units, it about the same. The same parts fail most frequently (power supplies winning by a substantial margin), but mostly all the computers just chug along. (The warranties are often better with self-assembled systems, but I've rarely made warranty claims.) I've also had examples of possessed computers in both pre-built and self-assembled--I think you know what I mean.I agree, Cory, that they're not as bad as some self-assembly advocates say. In fact they're perfectly adequate for most purposes and the extra dollars spent pay off immediately for the typical user who doesn't know RAM from CMOS.

By: Phillip Cheung

Phillip Cheung — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 00:58:00 +0000

I'll probably install Ubuntu on my old machine to play with it.

By: Adarsh Carter

Adarsh Carter — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:42:00 +0000

Much better to build it yourself. I haven't bought a new preassembled desktop since 1995 and I have no idea why I would, especially since these days it's so simple to put the parts together (swapping memory slots notwithstanding). It literally took less than half an hour to get our initial office development server up-and-running, /including/ installing Ubuntu.