I built a AMD Athalon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+ 2.21
8 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS
2+ years ago.

I looked at newegg.com and felt like i had just walked into Wal-Mart. What has changed out there? Where are all the cool PC's these days?

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I'm quite happy with my XPS 9100 from dell.

Building your own is a waste of effort nowadays, sadly =( Unless you want to build a big bucks gaming rig.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

OK, but what brands are worth a shit anymore? Is Gateway a real PC now? What about other brands?

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meh on gateway and hp for desktops. we've had nothing but problems with their non-server equipment at work.

ibuypower.com and cyberpowerpc.com are good too.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Can't go wrong with Dell of late as well, if you focus on the XPS models. I'm also a fan of the Asus stuff.

I have been very impressed with both machines I got from Velocity Micro. The price is a little higher than Dell, but you get what you pay for. The components they don't advertise (or I don't usually pay attention to) are all of a higher than typical quality and the wiring is all run very neatly. I don't know how important that is, but it makes me feel like it was produced in a more professional manner than my last Dell which looked like a spagetti dish when I opened it. Check them out.

Mmm spaghetti...

Dell's gotten a bit better about that, finally. At least, they have with the Optiplex line.

Their customer service / tech support still sucks though.

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Kuwen Furyblades
Hunter of Memento Reejeryn
Champion of Faydark

Not in my experience. I've never had a problem with Dell customer service or tech support. I've never had to do anything other than say "the motherboard is dead" or "the hard drive is dead" while the machine was under warranty to have a replacement sent out for me to replace myself, or a tech at my house/office within 2 business days to repair it in person.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Agreed. My wife has NEVER had an issue with her XPS, and it's quite possibly the best designed case I've seen to date by a major OEM vendor (outside the "boutiques"). I'll take a picture of it so yo ucan see it, but even the sata connectors are all trenched so removal is easy via the trays + anchored cables.

I am looking at an ASUS laptop. Is the only place to buy on Bust Buy? I can't seem to find another retailer

Do NOT buy the Asus G7x models from Best Buy. It's cheaper, but it's also crippled. For just a few hundred more you can hit up either a Fry's or a Micro Center and get one that's fully equipped.

Also, I think they're on NewEgg and the Asus warranty is no-fault for 2 YEARS, which means you don't need to worry about the NewEgg return policy.

OK, looking at Frys.com they don't have any Asus G7x models in stock (poo).

However, they have this one that is cheaper than the BB Asus. I know it is not as good as the Asus but I could easily sell it to the wife ($850.00 vs $1,200).

Here are the alternative specs:
Toshiba Satellite A665 -6065
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Processor, 1.60 GHz (2.80 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology), 6MB Cache

Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT330M with 1GB GDDR3 discrete graphics memory, plus up to 1758MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory using NVIDIA® TurboCache™ technology. Total Available Graphics memory 2782MB

Memory: Configured with 4GB DDR3 (max 8GB)

Storage Drive: 500GB (5400 RPM); Serial ATA hard disk drive, TOSHIBA Hard Drive Impact Sensor (3D sensor)

Fixed Optical Disk Drive: DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash® supporting 11 formats (Maximum speed and compatibility: CD-ROM (24x), CD-R (24x), CD-RW (24x), DVD-ROM (8x), DVD-R (8x), DVD-R DL (6x), DVD-RW (6x), DVD+R (8x), DVD+R DL (6x), DVD+RW (8x), DVD-RAM (5x)), Uses Labelflash® media to burn high quality labels directly to disc

Display: 16.0” diagonal widescreen HD TruBrite® TFT LCD display at 1366x768 native resolution, Native support for 720p content, 16:9 aspect ratio, LED backlit

Sound: Built-in harman/kardon® stereo speakers, DOLBY® Advanced Audio™
Webcam: Webcam and microphone

Communications: 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)

Card Slots: ExpressCard™ slot, Memory Card Reader supporting Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick™, Memory Stick PRO™, xD Picture Card, Mini SD Card, SDXC, Multi Media Card [shared slot may require adapter for use]

Ports: RGB (VGA), HDMI, Microphone input port with Sleep and Music, Headphone output port, 4 USB v2.0 ports (3 USB + 1 eSATA/USB combo with USB Sleep and Charge), RJ-45 LAN port

Battery: 6 cell/48Wh Lithium Ion battery pack

Vs the BB Asus:
Intel® Core™ i7-740QM processor
Features a 6MB L3 cache and 1.73GHz processor speed.
Intel® Core™ i7 processor

6GB DDR3 memory For multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.

Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media.
17.3" LED-backlit high-definition widescreen display
With 1600 x 900 resolution showcases movies and games in stunning clarity.

640GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)

Built-in facial recognition

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 graphics
Feature 1GB GDDR5 memory for lush images. HDMI output for connection to an HDTV.
Built-in 1.3MP webcam
Makes it easy to video chat with family and friends.
8-in-1 media reader
Supports Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Smart Media and xD-Picture Card formats.
4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.

In my experience, Toshiba's warranty service is garbage. YMMV though.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Is it about time or getting close to it where I can get a Laptop with speeds comparable to my desktop? Im real tired not able to just work on the many projects I have anywhere I want.

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

I went ahead and got the Toshiba. Was a lot easier to explain to the wife spending 850 on my laptop when I just paid ~500 for hers not too long ago.

I am liking this so far. I like the expanded keyboard (number pad on the side) and when I had the Fry's guy get this one from stock he was amazed that I was getting an i7 core + NVIDIA graphics on a laptop for this price.