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So I'm in the market for a new PC, and I'm going to go with a custom-built one. Where's the best place to do that? I've heard good things about portatech.com, and the prices are decent as well. Also, this computer seems to have everything I want, at a great price:

http://www.compusa.com/applications/...598&CatId=2405

(I have a 8800 GT OC to go with it)

Should I go with that, or is there a better place to get this done at? Any suggestions would be great, guys.

I've used CyberpowerPC.com, and my mother had a custom job by Ibuypower.com through Costco.

Both computers were fine and shipped well. Though my developed some defects due to a bad motherboard. CyberpowerPC's customer service isn't exactly the best out there. It's not the worst, it could just be a whole deal better.

Building it yourself would be the cheapest/best route.

Originally Posted by Liquid 2 Building it yourself would be the cheapest/best route.

Yeah, I'm sure it would be, but I don't really know what is compatible with what, and I don't want to mess something up while putting it together.

Originally Posted by EvilAkana Yeah, I'm sure it would be, but I don't really know what is compatible with what, and I don't want to mess something up while putting it together.

I used to think the same thing until I built my first one (just last year). There is no way I'll ever throw money away again by going through a third party to put my box together. It's more simple than you'd think, and requires only a little research.

I must add, since I have used the build it for you services, that building it yourself is really the way to go. I just have horrible luck with Motherboards so I was hoping to avoid it. Building your own computer really teaches you alot and can really save in the wallet.

Unless I can get a mega deal I won't use a service again.

Originally Posted by zenprime I must add, since I have used the build it for you services, that building it yourself is really the way to go. I just have horrible luck with Motherboards so I was hoping to avoid it. Building your own computer really teaches you alot and can really save in the wallet. Unless I can get a mega deal I won't use a service again.

http://www.compusa.com/applications/...Te6uUbhLgf6NTA

Does that count as a mega deal? Or is that no good for the money?

IBuyPower.com is a site my friend recommends to folks. I'd always recommend you learn to build your own, though. It's good to know how and you'll end up being more knowledgeable about your own machine.

If you must buy one "custom built" by someone else IBuyPower is the biggest name in that. If you want to try to build your own, check out this guide its pretty good to help you get familiar with what is involved in building a computer.
http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/

...Thinking about it if you want support and all that for the computer then get a refurbished or new Dell as they provide the best customer support of the big PC manufacturers.

Build your own it really is very easy

you cant plug anything into the "wrong spot" it wont fit period.

I built my e8400, asus p5q pro, 8gb ram, ati 4870x2 500gb, vista ultimate 64 bit comp for a little over 1k This is a little much for your casual gamer though

To build a SOLID computer to play every game maxed out and crysis only on high it takes like 550-600 bucks

a little piece of advice i used is i started with the processor then built from there. then get the mobo. it made things alot easier for me at least.

Basic sheet for building a comp now a days

Best band for buck
processor-core2duo=e8400
mobo-asus or gigabyte that supports crossfire and pci 2.0
4gb or more ram nothing less
500 gb hd
case antec 300- real cheap
video card- ati 4870 for 1680x1050 and lower or 4870x2 for 1900x1200 rez or higher

I recently built a new pc, but before I decided to do it myself again, I seriously considered buying a custom built machine.

At the top of my list was Uberclok.

http://www.uberclok.com/

Decent prices for the quality you get, they overclock the pc's and guarantee their work. The Ion model is a good gaming machine, at a price that beats boutique builders like Falcon Northwest, or VooDoo. And there's not millions of options to wade through like on IbuyPower and other cheapy custom sites.

Uberclok has limited options, but their components are top of the line. When I built my own PC, I wound up using many of the same parts that were in the Uberclok system I almost bought.

Originally Posted by plasticbathmonki I used to think the same thing until I built my first one (just last year). There is no way I'll ever throw money away again by going through a third party to put my box together. It's more simple than you'd think, and requires only a little research.

A while back (a little less than a year) I spent a few weeks getting a build together (Q6600, 8800gt, Vista, 4gb ram, 320gb hd, 1x optical drive, antec 900, Antec Trio PSU) it was about $1300 after rebates. I got good deals on everything, about half of the parts were front-paged SlickDeals.

About three weeks later, I saw a comparable prebuilt Dell front-paged on SlickDeals for $850.

I'm never building another PC...

I wouldn't go with one of the specialty manufacturers, though. I'd just get a Dell or HP.

My recommendation is to build yourself. Ok sure it might take some work but it is not much work.

Plus you don't really need to worry about parts, they do sell barebones kits which have a processor, motherboard and ram (and the rest are pretty much your choice because parts like power supplies, video cards, hard drives, cpu fans, etc) are standard across the board, it is just how powerful you want.

The real reason I say build your own is because you know what goes in it, and lets say something goes wrong you know you wont have trouble fixing it because you put it in yourself. I don't know if a company like dell uses standard parts that can be swapped.

The good thing about choosing your own parts is that on top of getting a great deal, you can also get a good warranty. If you buy a Corsair power supply for example, it will carry a 5 year warranty on it. Good memory has lifetime warranties too. I would avoid buying most OCZ RAM though.