How often do you buy a new computer?

Question

I've been planning on buying a new computer for a while now, and with the release of the XPS 720 imminent I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy one of those. However, if it costs anything like the XPS 710 H2C it will probably cost me about 6,500 dollars. I have the money, and for the first time ever I can afford a monster machine like that. However, whenever I tell people that I would spend that much on a computer they seem to freak. The last computer I bought was an Inspiron 5100 laptop about four years ago, and I don't intend to buy another computer for a longer time yet. What I'm curious about is how often you XPS owners buy new computers. I've seen some people say they would spend 5000 dollars each year on a new computer, and that just blows my mind. Please let me know so I can help judge my own purchase decision a little better.

CHSIsupplier · Answer

This is kind of a difficult question to answer. Personally, I buy a new computer pretty much every year, but they don't all cost thousands of dollars. I still build my own machines from time to time, and they can simply be upgraded as new technology comes out. This 700 I bought from Dell is by far the most money I have ever spent on a computer. Would I buy another XPS? Sadly....no. I still give Dell credit for offering the mobo's to 700 owners, but it all comes down to price versus features. I can build a gaming rig for myself (fully functional, retail) for half the price of an equally decked out Dell. So when you see people talking about replacing machine's every year, keep in mind that homebuilts are much cheaper than XPS's and therefore, easier to replace.

Message Edited by CHSIsupplier on 05-13-2007 08:20 PM

ManyDimensions · Answer

SSJWebbster

I have two older XPS rigs that have run 24/7 since day one.

One is an XPS Gen4

The other an XPS 600

No problems with either one and no plan to replace them any time soon.

I forgot to mention that I also have an XPS 400 as well, but that is not a real XPS if you know what I mean...:smileywink:

Message Edited by ManyDimensions on 05-14-2007 02:17 AM

SR45 · Answer

Dimension 4400 five years old. Purchased a Gen 5 XPS system about two years ago, than sent it back within the 21 day return policy, and glad I did, since it did not give me the WOW factor I was looking for, and just kept my 4400 longer until one came out that was really better. Got a non Dell system recently, with most of the bells, and whistles, and have noticed once again, unless you are a gamer, or a numbers cruncher, the old 5 year old system works just a well as my new system with what I do with it. Gaming is another story. New system plays them much, much better.

VelocityMicro Gamer’s Edge PCX

eVGA nForce 680i SLI Socket 775 A1 version
Bios P-25
E6600 core 2 duo 2.4 Ghz @ 3.2 Ghz 1.35v
850 watt p/s
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Heatsink
4 Gb Corsair Dominator DDR-2 1066 Mhz Heat Xchange 5-5-5-18 2T
4 gb addressed for 64 bit - 2.8 gb addressed for 32 bit
eVGA 8800 GTX 768 mb @ 660/2000 O/C
SATA 250 Gb WD 16 mb cache
20x Lite On DVD-R
Dell 2407 ( 24 ) LCD
Vista Premium 64 bit
3DMks06 11,879

Dell Dim 4400

2.6 Ghz 400 FSB
1 Gb 2100 DDR memory
120 Gb Seagate 7,200 drive
XFX 7800 GS O/C AGP
410 watt p/s
XP Home

mistressniki · Answer

For home use: 5 year life cycle.

For corporate use: 3 year life cycle.

But for that kind of money, honestly, I'd build my own rig. There is NOTHING a vendor is going to put into a computer that can justify $6500 for a home system that you can't assemble yourself for under $2000. There is no game that is going to need that much power or processing to play well, and unless you live in a house with no A/C and hot, humid temperatures you won't need any fancy cooling systems either.

A lot of times it's cheaper to buy a slightly bared down system, thereby saving some initial work, then pay for upgrades from less expensive sources and installing them yourself. When you go through the website and "build" a system it's easy to add on lots of stuff to jack up the price tag, but you should ask yourself at each step if the upgrade you want is cheaper elsewhere. RAM is a great example of this; I opted for 2GB from Dell and picked up another 2GB pair for half of what Dell wanted, and that stuff is easy to install. The kicker is windows doesn't even use it beyond 3GB unless you opt for vista 64 bit.

Anyway... think before you buy. There's no reason to spend that kind of money on a computer for the home, not ever.

SSJWebbster · Answer

Thanks for the input everyone. I particular like the comments at the end there about how it is cheaper to upgrade yourself. RAM is about the only thing I've actually put into a computer myself in the past 9 years or so, and I don't have the confidence to build one myself. The main reason I've been sticking with Dell is because the warranties. The last computer I had needed to be sent in or have replacement parts sent 3 or 4 times, which was a bit of a hassle. Still, I didn't have to try to install anything myself, and I wouldn't have had a clue what was wrong otherwise.   On a side note, my girlfriend sometimes reminds me that I'm one who seems to break things more than fix them. I definitely take after my dad in that when I put something back together I tend to have screws leftover. That's part of the reason I don't have the confidence to spend that kind of money on something I would potentially break.   I'll look into upgrades though and see how that would drop the price. Thanks everyone.

catchxps · Answer

I currently have 6 PCs and 1 server running on my home lan.  The server is a Dell, and 4 of the 6 PCs are also dells.  I've tried other manufacturers as well as building my own.  I started out doing PC break/fix, so it wasn't a big deal to build my own when cash was tight.  Now that cash is not as tight, I have gotten into the habit of buying prebuilt.  My reasoning is that when you buy a computer from a manufacturer, the components usually work much better together, since the manufacturer tests for compatibility.  With the home built machines I have built over the years, there always seems to be stability issues eventually.  That being said, I decided this last go around to buy an XPS  710, which I paid about 3200 for, then added a few SATA drives, maxed out the memory, added another video card, etc.   As for who to buy from, I've had very good luck with Dells, and very good luck with their support.   Yes, I have heard horror stories, but with all the PCs I have owned over the past 15 years, Dell has always treated me the best.  Your mileage may vary.   Seriously, I think the video cards out there are overkill, which is one of the big costs that jack up the price of the PC.  I'd stick with something more basic, (I got the nVidia 7900gs in mine), then upgrade later down the road if you want.   It will save you a boat load of cash.   Now, if you have to have the latest and greatest, thats another story.  You'll blow your cash, then 3 months down the road, there will be something better.    Me, I'll buy second generation stuff, and be happy.  Saves me money, and serves my needs just fine.   -Catch   -------------------------------------- XPS710 Intel 6600 Quad Core 2.4ghz 4gig 667mhz DDR 2x 500gb SATA in RAID 1, 2x 500gb SATA in RAID 0, 2x 250gb PATA 4x DVD Burners, Sony, NEC, Toshiba, Sony Blue Ray 2x nVidia 7900gs, 4x 20' Dell Digital LCD Dual Boot, Windows XP Pro, Windows Vista Ultimate VMWare 6, XP Pro, Fedora Core 5, Windows Vista 64bit

CHSIsupplier · Answer

SSJWebbster wrote:

Thanks for the input everyone. I particular like the comments at the end there about how it is cheaper to upgrade yourself. RAM is about the only thing I've actually put into a computer myself in the past 9 years or so, and I don't have the confidence to build one myself. The main reason I've been sticking with Dell is because the warranties. The last computer I had needed to be sent in or have replacement parts sent 3 or 4 times, which was a bit of a hassle. Still, I didn't have to try to install anything myself, and I wouldn't have had a clue what was wrong otherwise.

On a side note, my girlfriend sometimes reminds me that I'm one who seems to break things more than fix them. I definitely take after my dad in that when I put something back together I tend to have screws leftover. That's part of the reason I don't have the confidence to spend that kind of money on something I would potentially break.

I'll look into upgrades though and see how that would drop the price. Thanks everyone.

I'm not going to try to sway you one way or the other on the "build versus buy" debate, but I can tell you that I felt the same way you do not to long ago. A couple of things that I have noticed people getting hung up on is

1) The term "build". A more proper description would be assemble. In all honesty, the hardest part of the process is deciding what components you are going to put together. It's pretty easy to overlook something and get parts that don't work well together. But with a little bit of research, and a couple of forum questions, that's not a huge obstacle. The actual assembly is shockingly easy if you just follow the directions.

2) Warranty. Every part you order from a retailer comes with a warranty. There are some manufacturers that even warranty their products for life. If something goes wrong down the line, and you aren't sure what the problem might be, again I recommend asking a question in a PC forum. If you don't trust that, take your PC to a local shop for diagnostics. Sure, that will cost you a little, but not nearly as much as the cost of a warranty from a leading PC maker, not to mention the overhead already paid for parts and assembly.

Honestly, none of this is meant to sway anyone's decision. Sometimes, buying a PC from a company like Dell makes perfect sense. If I'm looking for an office PC that doesn't need to be top-o-the-line, I can't beat Dell's prices, even if I build it myself. But if I'm looking for the monster gaming rig, I can save literally save thousands doing it myself. More importantly, no one should think that they can't assemble one of these things. It really isn't rocket science. I guarantee you, you could build a PC. And the satisfaction you get after hitting the power button for the first time and hearing the fans spin up is a pretty good feeling.

biznaga · Answer

1983-Kaypro CP/M system ~1985 Built IBM compatable ~1993 Gateway system 2000  Dell Computer that is still running okay 2007 XPS 410

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How often do you buy a new computer?

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