It is a Misnomer that branded computers provide the best in terms of quality and after sales service at the right price.If components like mother board, processor, Hard disk drive, Memory are Chosen carefully and Correctly then any assembled PC would definitely give a branded one a run for it’s money.The Basic Tips for buying a Assembled Pc are.
1)Choose your configuration Based on your needs rather than what the assembler tells you.In most Cases the assembler will give you a higher configuration than your needs in order to make a fast buck.
2)Always Buy the individual components like mother board, hard disk drive, memory, monitors, directly, from hardware dealers than asking the assembler to buy it and assemble it for you.Ask at least 5 dealers the prices of components that you plan to buy, This will give you a fair idea of the right prices in the market and eliminate middle men profit.Buy all items with Bills in your own name and ask the dealers to fix the sticker on each parts with date and their signature.This will double insure the warranty and will also Insure that you get what you pay for.
3)After buying everything ask the assembler to assemble the computer in front of you.If the assembler refuses dump him and find a new one.Just Pay the Assembler for the assembling charges, Hard disk Partitioning, and Loading of the operating system and your softwares.
4)The Charges taken by assemblers to cover one year onsite warranty are a hoax.In almost 99% cases all PC problems arise after one year so do not pay upfront cash in advance for warranty.Most assemblers will not turn up after collecting these charges in advance. If the PC gives problems in the first year fix it by calling the assembler or any technician by paying his visiting charges per visit.
5)If some hardware item conks off use the assembler to help you remove the item from the PC and deal directly with the dealer or the replacement centre from whom you bought it.This will get you speedy replacements and transaction bottlenecks will be reduced.
6)Given are the best brands of components for different Categories.
1)Mother Boards:Genuine Intel Boxed Mother Boards with 3 year warranty, and not chipsets.
2)Hard Disk drive:Samsung with 3 years replacement warranty, though Seagate scores on Technology and Quality.
3)Cd Rom Drive/Floppy Disk Drive/Cd Writer:Samsung
4)Cabinets:Mercury, Microtek.
5)Graphics Cards:ASUS, Mercury, Pine.
6)Memory:Hynix or Samsung.
7)Internal Modem:Motorola
8)Monitors:Samsung, Microtek.
9)Key Boards:TVSE Gold.
10)Mouse:Logitech Scroll Mouse.
11)Printers/Scanners:Canon.
12)UPS:Microtek, APC.
13)Speakers:Mercury, Microtek.
7)Follow this Tips and your assembled PC will give you more reasons to smile.
The Following have been added to the above review on 24/08/2004.
My above PC has been working very well for the past two years, However my experience in PC’s has made me more mature than before.
I have survived two Samsung 40 Gb Hard Disk drive Crashes, even when my 40gb Hard disk drive had only less than 3 Gb of Data and hence have to advise prospective PC buyers that even though technology is galloping at a fast pace, and Hard Disk Speeds and capacities are increasing, the unreliability of hard disks is also increasing.
A average life of a hard disk can be said to be in the range of maximum 2 to 2.50 years on a average use of 3-5 hours per day, so a replacement every three years is essential involving a heavy expense of Rs 4000-Rs 5000.00
A PC involves recurring expense in terms of anti virus software updates, Firewalls, and also OS updates and if the hard disk crashes in between all goes waste especially money spent on phone bills.
Hence never buy a PC to store data or your financial records due to various factors like virus, hackers, etc.
A PC can be bought just for accessing the Internet, Playing movie and music cd’s and running TV.
For storing DATA and Financial Records best is paper ledgers and Note book under lock and key.
Hence Prospective PC Buyers are requested to keep the above Negative aspects in Mind before shelling out their Hard Earned Cash in an other wise unreliable Gadget.