Recommended brands?

[phantasm]

What are you recommended brands when buying complete PCs? And which brands do you think should never see the light of day again?

[hockey man]

Good:
ACER
Tobisha
Build your own

Moderate:
Alienware
Hp/Compaq

Evil:
Dell
?Gateway?

[classicsoftware]

Right now almost any brand is good. What you need to buy is the better end of the line.

The problem with Dell, Gateway, HP, etc is they use proprietary parts. One of my wholesalers is always sending me adds for Gateway and HP power supplies for older units that are 2-3x the price of a standard power supply and 1/2 the wattage.

The other area where you run into trouble is tech support. No matter what company you deal with, tech support is iffy at best.

You also need to research your purchase. What are you doing with the PC? I guess the best advice I can give you is to stay away from the Circut City, Best Buy as they are usually the lower end and you will end up being dissapointed. If you want an HP, get one from their web-site and customize it to your needs.

If you like ACER, don;t get an Aspire, get an ACER Power model. If you want a DELL, get the XPS line.

[123456]

IMHO, building your own or having someone you know and trust build one for you. Completely customizeable, and backed up by your own wallet and support. :D