Buying a prebuilt PC - which company to choose?

[sp1rit]

So, I built a computer in the past, but this time I want to buy a prebuilt.

I won't be ordering a new PC for a little while, but I was wondering, are Alienware desktops a good choice? I know it comes down to hardware, but are they an ideal company to choose?

I initially planned on buying a Falcon Northwest, but they are super expensive.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Oussebon]

There are other custom PC builders out there - a lot of them. And I'd probably pick any in preference to the kinds of prebuilds that Dell, HP, and those sorts of companies do as they often use proprietary connections. Which is a problem for upgrading/replacing if something breaks.

Even where they don't, the cases very often have a unique style that limits things like space for certain upgrades or limits airflow.

This isn't bashing Dell, they do what they do well, and I've had a dell laptop for work purposes that was fine. It's more recommending broadly against certain kinds of prebuilt PCs.

Companies that do custom builds off standard parts can also of course offer parts that are poor quality, so you just shop carefully. People here can be a second pair of eyes ofc.

It's not worth planning a build in advance especially with a whole legion of new CPUs and GPUs coming out over the course of the next couple of months. The only thing I'd say is that for gaming you want to make sure you have a monitor fitting for the system you end up buying.

 

[FreezerBurn]

Well, I wouldn't be afraid to check out some smaller companies like Computer Upgrade Kings on amazon. There are a ton of them out there. Also I would wait until they release the new 30 series video cards before I would buy any pre-build PC.

 

[Hyderzz]

i'd suggest you use nzxt for prebuilt. As big companies tend to use cheaper parts, but nzxt uses more of the pc builder brands like asus, msi, etc and their build quality is spot on. You also get more customization in terms of parts as well.

Have a look

NZXT BLD | Custom Gaming PC Builder

Build a custom gaming PC with the NZXT BLD Service.

www.letsbld.com

 

[Brian Boru]

I've had an Alienware Aurora R6 for 3 years, it has run like a champ with 16/7 usage—i7 & GTX 1060.

cases very often have a unique style that limits things like space

This. The R6 is the worst case I've ever opened—mind you, I've built all our other machines since '99, so those cases were my choice.

R6 has the PSU on a swing-out—here's a pic.
The actual case is much smaller than it looks with the plastic trim on it, which doesn't suit me—I always get full-size towers for ease of working, better airflow, no danger that a monster graphics card won't fit etc.

So if you plan to do some internal upgrades later, make sure to check the case carefully.
Against that, as I said, runs as well as any PC I've built.

 

[FreezerBurn]

I always get full-size towers for ease of working, better airflow, no danger that a monster graphics card won't fit etc.

Exactly. If your going for a pre-built I would definitely give your self ample room for the option to upgrade your card to a 30 series down the road. That doesn't mean you have to, but its nice to have the room for that option.