Buying Computer

[tree_frog]

I have been deciding on what to buy. I think i am going to try for an alienware. But i have heard some bad things about them.

Also i dont know what to get.

I know i want to get something for gaming and programming whatever it may be that i want to program

[The Mob]

well, alienware was bought by dell, and HP bought voodoo
imo, you should just get one of those system's that the stores put together.
or you could build your own

[Pamela]

I try HARD to stay away from here...*sigh*...but if I were a friend or even salesman I would need to know a few things.
What is your price range? Do you have system requirements for internet? Be more specific about what you are looking for...ask pointed questions...and HOPEFULLY...someone will post a suggestion.

[SilverTears]

build a computer, better than buying one off the market.
if you want one for gaming get some good memory like 250gb +
nice ram, and for graphics card i always say stick to nvidia, probably the 7 series +

[tree_frog]

Yeah but i want something portable and i have not found somewhere to build a laptop at

[SpoonMan999]

Finding a shop that customizes laptops is tough because laptops are a pain in the ass to put together.

Also Silver, memory = RAM when you say 250GB+ you're thinking of storage. Storage =/= Memory. Very different things there.

If you have no experience building a computer a laptop is definately not where you should start. Alienware is nice but a bit overpriced. Depending on your budget you may be better getting a Dell XPS or equivalent.

[Edit] Allow me to make some suggestions on minimums for a modern gaming machine.

Processor: Dual-core and at least 1.8GHZ. Why dual? More and more game are using multi-threading and dual-cores get cheaper and cheaper every day it seems. Avoid the Pentium Dual-core and the original Core Duo...they are terrible.
Memory: In the modern gaming world you want no less than 2GB. Speed is important but it's one area you can go cheap on and still be ok, I personally use 800MHZ but anything 600+ should be ok.
Storage: This really depends on you. With a laptop you can get a 7200RPM drive but only up to about 160GB usually where as with a 4200RPM you can get 250+. So that's just preference.
Video Card: With this it all depends on budget but the GeForce 7 series cards are a great place to start if you're trying to save a buck or two.

[Pamela]

*Bows* Oh dear GOD thank you Spoonie!!!!! *kiss*
What he said...whatever the hell it meant....

[The Mob]

eh... if you want portability, there isnt much gaming you could do.
ok, while you will be able to play most games out there, this obviously wont be a crysis machine.
as for the laptop, consider getting one that has a dedicated video card.
integrated is fine, but that shares its memory with the RAM
get the laptop according to the processor and video card specs. you can always upgrade the RAM and HDD later. (usually with a dedicated video card they give you 4 gigs of RAM and a good processor anyways)
oh and, they do sell 320 gb hdd at 7200rpm...
or what you can do is, get a small 7200 rpm hdd, but store all of your media on an external sata hdd. could be cheaper that way

[SpoonMan999]

To fit a 320GB drive you need more space and therefor a larger laptop. He said he's going for portability and frankly I don't consider anything above 15" to be in the portable category.

Also, you can play games just fine on laptops if you build it properly.

[Fykins]

If you are even close to being knowledgeable you can build yourself a computer, most parts nowadays come with great instructions. Plus you got us and the internet to give you a hand.

I just spent $1600 dollars building a rig that would retail for $2200-$2400. AND I got extended warrenty on most of my parts.

If you're really wanting a laptop though, I'd pray your not planning on gaming with it for more than 2 or so years, and thats if you spend alot. Laptops don't last like desktops and once its time to upgrade, your pretty much going to have to buy another.

Also, it would be nice to give us your budget, Alienware is "ok" I guess, but actual wholesale computer parts stores like www.newegg.com and www.tigerdirect.com have some pretty good systems for reasonable prices. (They sell laptops too I believe)

If you must go with a laptop, and you want to game with it. Be sure that you get one with a good video chipset, don't just look at the amount of video ram it has.

[The Mob]

now that you are mentioning websites... i feel that newegg has gotten way to big for its size. there are some better websites that have lower prices.
try this one. directron.com[url=http://www.directron.com][/url] (based in houston)
oh and dont forget about amazon. free shipping on anything above $25

[ZxSlippy191]

I strongly suggest you look into building your own computer, or paying someone else a fee to build it for you (choose your own parts), it'll be much cheaper and you have way more customization options with hardware.

[Mathalamus]

why build your own computer? my brother had that type and he had loads of trouble from it, i suggest a store brought computer like mine, with high specs. my computer got very high specs, more than twice as powerful as my brother for only half his price.

[SpoonMan999]

Your brother built it himself? Then he's dumber than you.
If he had someone else custom build it then he just got screwed.

[Mathalamus]

its mostly incompatible parts and stuff

[Fykins]

its mostly incompatible parts and stuff

He probably didn't read up on what he was buying. I looked at parts for a good month and asked around before I finally decided what to put into my new rig.