IIIII 2 Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 I know there was talk of notebooks a few months back, but how about desktops? I am thinking of replacing my 4 year old one with something. As I'm buying, will wait to get something as powerful as possible for, say, 300,000 yen. Any recommendations in terms of which brand and what kind of power setup to go for? Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Yes why don't you take a trip to Tsukamo where they sell both e-machines and gateway computers. You can also buy all the parts to make your own computer and they will even customize a computer or build one for you if you wish. Their prices are much cheaper than other brand named computers but offer the same if not better specs for a lot less money. I have an e-machines desktop that I have had for 4 years now and still use it sometimes, never had a problem with it. My mother in law bought a Gateway comp about a year ago which was higher spec than just about anything else you could find but only cost about 100,000 yen, where by other shops would be selling different brands for about 250,000 onwards at that spec. At the end of the day the physical parts that are in all the computers now a days all come from the same few manufacturers. Of course the higher spec reflects the price, but when you consider you can by a sony vao or nec machine that usually has a less powerful processor lower spec but costs twice as much, you realise it is the name you are paying for not necessarily the performance. Hope this helps you! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 My advice is find someone you trust who knows more than you do and have it built from the ground up with the specs you want/need. I am getting a new desktop (for the boy) and a new laptop for me - and I wouldn't have thought of half the things my friend did ... feeling pretty confident we are buying a piece of equipment that will be useful even a few years down the road. And price comparision wise expecially on the desk top we are way in front! Why these companies charge new tech charges for old tech and install it in package deals to move the stock and allow them the bring in the new stock .... makes ya mad to realise you are starting out with old outdated technology to begin with! Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Originally Posted By: Mamabear My advice is find someone you trust who knows more than you do and have it built from the ground up with the specs you want/need. I am getting a new desktop (for the boy) and a new laptop for me - and I wouldn't have thought of half the things my friend did ... feeling pretty confident we are buying a piece of equipment that will be useful even a few years down the road. And price comparision wise expecially on the desk top we are way in front! Why these companies charge new tech charges for old tech and install it in package deals to move the stock and allow them the bring in the new stock .... makes ya mad to realise you are starting out with old outdated technology to begin with! Exactly why I recommended the shop I did, they will build you a computer that is the best you can get and for a decent price too! Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 When you're not a techbod, can they still help or do you need to go in there knowing all the details you need? Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Unless you need it to do some processing heavy thing, a mighty powerful computer can be had for under 200,000. If you still want to treat yourself, I'd get an Apple screen regardless of whether you buy a PC. They're gorgeous. For a desktop I think about 24" is enough. 30" and you'll have to sit too far back. I've only got a couple of flash bits of kit. My fave is my 2.1 Altec Lansing speaker setup. The speakers are towers with five little ones in and theres a subwoofer on the floor. Really great sound. I've got a wireless mouse, but its a pain in the arse. It doesn't charge unless it is perfectly positioned on the cradle. The charger/cradle thing is plugged in permanently, which is also a big waste of power. Having lots of buttons on your mouse helps though. I'm a fan of natural keyboards, so try one of them as well. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Here's a guide, by the way. http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/guide-200809.ars Another thing to consider with high performance computers is that all the fans in them for cooling can be very noisy. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Originally Posted By: scouser When you're not a techbod, can they still help or do you need to go in there knowing all the details you need? No just tell them what you want the comp for and whether or not you want the max power or enough to do what you want and they will build it for you. No need to be a techy at all! Obviously we all have different needs for a computer, but one thing that many people don't bare in mind is that if you by an average powered machine with a reasonable sized drive etc, it will of course work fine and do everything that most want it too. But you need to think whether or not you plan to keep the computer for 3+ years, because if so an average machine is already out of date the day you bring it back home, in three years time it will be a dinosaur. Of course money is a big factor, but I say set your maximum budget that you are happy to spend and then buy the best you can in within that budget. Of course if you intend changing the computer every year then the top spec is not really required unless you plan on doing a lot of very heavy processing as any computer now a days works well. One of the biggest problem I find is lack of hard drive space, for me, as I take a lot of photos I need big hard drives and have actually bought two external 500gb hard drives for both back ups and to store all my photos as I have to many photos now to store on my laptops 400 gb hard drive. An external drive is of course not so expensive, so that may be another thing to think about. If you are only using for the net and to do a little word processing then power and a huge drive is not required! Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Originally Posted By: Mr Wiggles Here's a guide, by the way. http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/guide-200809.ars Another thing to consider with high performance computers is that all the fans in them for cooling can be very noisy. Yes that is a draw back with the big desk tops noisy fans! Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Fans are your friend though. If the case only has the single fan in the power supply, add at least one more to keep the HDD's cool. In general, the cooler HDD's stay, the longer they last. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 nerds Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 How long does it take for those dudes to put together your pc if you go in and ask them to? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 nerd Link to post Share on other sites
yamayamayama 2 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 nerds are cool, thursday. didn't you know? I'd be interested in going this way next time I want a computer. Not with that urge yet though current one doing just fine. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Laptops packing 400GB these days? I remember when..... etc Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 I remember being astonished at one with 20GB. That wasn't too long ago either I shouldn't think Link to post Share on other sites
journey_man 0 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 If you are going to go for a non standard computer make sure you can support it yourself or can find someone to support it for you. A sick pc that no one wants to fix is no fun. Link to post Share on other sites
journey_man 0 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 Originally Posted By: thursday nerd Hahaha, methinks the pot may be calling the kettle black... Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 JM good point. Sometimes it is worth paying slightly bit more for a a support system. I had a Vaio a few years back and things went wrong (actually a bit my fault I think but keep that quiet) - sent it back and it came back brand new just 5 days later. I was very pleased. Link to post Share on other sites
IIIII 2 Posted September 17, 2008 Author Share Posted September 17, 2008 Thanks. Well I would not be in a position to fix it when it got sick, so I do need the reassurance of some kind of support. As for the main brands - any recommendations to look at or stay away from in particular? Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 My friend has just bought a new Sony Vaio desktop. It's one of the new models, huge screen. All in one, so no huge tower - it's all included in the display part. 350,000 yen in Yamada and places but he got it for something like 260,000 yen (some kind of employee discount). The screen looks incredible, looks like a really great system. Link to post Share on other sites
best skier in hakuba 5 Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 There are some good looking machines out there now. I want to know why it took so long to get away from the huge cream/grey ugly towers. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 Yeah some of the displays now are incredible - 24 and 25". I remember when I marvelled at my 15 incher! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 the old towers used to be needed 'cos the hardware was primitive. Look at the size of the power supply and the HDDs then. Link to post Share on other sites
@tokyo 14 Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 They could have been nicer designs though - they were design-less! Link to post Share on other sites
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