I'm finally getting around to getting a new computer. I'm not looking to buy an off-the-shelf model (e.g. Dell, Compac, etc.). After hunting down a few components, I've located a couple of vendors that will assemble/test one for you letting you pick the components (e.g. motherboard, processor, video card, etc.) you want. I did a quick test and found I could save about $150 in shipping and save the headache of assembly. So before I go on a wild chase comparison shopping I was wondering if any of you have any recommendations on vendors that do this kind of thing and which ones to avoid.

I recommend investigating your local vendors. I purchased parts for a computer from pc-cost.com a while back and when the power supply's fan died, I was going to have to pull it out of the computer, ship it back and wait for them to verify I my complaint. Then, if I was not fibbing, they would replace it. I was going to be without a computer for weeks. If it had been a local dealer, they would have determined it was under warranty upon inspection, and I could have gotten a replacement right away. Most of your local companies have web sites, and offer competitive pricing (but don't offer it to you on the sale's floor, becuase they have to invest time in answering your qestions.) They will still be more expensive than warehouse type vendors, but still less expensive than any chain electronic / computer company. If you do go with an internet vendor, be sure you know exactly what they are putting in your computer. Put extra $ in power supplies (crappy power == sooner repairs required). Good motherboards are essential (ABIT, ASUS, TYAN just to name a few). Check out www.tomshardware.com for advice on what works with what. You might be surprised to find some chipsets don't get along nicely with some video cards. These types are nearly impossible to diagnose, but will cause you lots of headaches. Also, I my opinion is don't buy intel. Why? Do you really want to pay the "Blue Man Group" salaries each time you purchase your processor? The cost of their commercials is outrageous. Not to mention that AMD chips generally out perform comparable Intel chips for most computer work (though there have been some tests that the P4 was tweaked to score well on). Maybe I'm a freak, but when I purchase a computer part, I want to know that the money that went to the company went toward R&D, not hype (or pretty commercials) Just my .02 eric

Thanks eric! I pretty much know WHAT I want (and it lines up with what you've recommended). I just want to stay with reputable dealers. I've checked some of the local folk and they don't carry the "good stuff." ugggh!

HM. There are several dealers in my area that carry both the top-of-the-line parts, and also cheapo stuff, and we are a relatively small town (although lot's of technical people around). It does suck that there is so much sub-par stuff out there. People really should educate themselves before buying a new computer (but then, where would half of the "name brand" computer builders be these days if people shopped wisely?) Be sure you can select the case it all goes in (if you are not building it yourself.) That was my biggest complaint with my purchase (before having to buy a new power supply). Wish I could suggest someone. Have you visited pricewatch? They have lots of venders who can be rated by visitors (and they also allow you to search for the best prices) Not sure how accurate the ratings are, but might be worth looking into. eric

oops that should be www.pricewatch.com

It really depends on how you want to do things. Local people are great - as long as you deal with the right one. My last computer I got from dell (because I needed to finance it - I could have gotten the parts cheaper and put it together myself.. but not by much) and I love it. You can customize the system but more importantly and something that you ussualy lack when dealing with local people is software and a good warrenty. Now.. My last was a gateway.. and I LOATHE that machine.. I hate how the company dealt with me and when i worked at a software store everyone complained about them. Dell does a good job though and handles things well if you have a problem 99/100. But if you have a reputable local dealer that has good word of mouth, etc.... Go with them. Good to give the little guy some business, just be careful. I know a guy who owns one out where I live, he's even a friend of mine, but I'd NEVER in a million years would buy one from him. Anz

Several years ago I bought my first Pentium from JDRs, and had them assemble it from my specs. It was expensive (developers are far over the bleeding edge), but worth it. When the hard drive went bellyup less than a year later, they not only replaced it, but spent 3 days recovering data. They stand behind their warranties and give good customer service. Parts of that beastie are in another machine and working still, 8 years later. JDR is almost local to me (50 miles), but they have a catalog, etc.. Carolly

As a VAR (value added reseller) I've dealt with many companies some good, some not so good. One of the best over the years has been The Chip Merchant in San Diego, Ca.

http://www.thechipmerchant.com/

They will have just about everything you need at very competitive prices. They are a large very reputable company and if you know basically what you want they can help you fine tune your selections. Eric is right stay away from Intel. AMD for the CPU gives you better performance for the money. A slower clocked Athlon is actually faster then some faster clocked Pentiums. The Pentium 4 derives much of its performance from instruction sets coded into the CPU. However if the particular software does not utilize that instruction set, it is no faster then a Pentium 3 in some cases. The Athlons also have superior FPU (floating point unit) performance which is a must in the 3D world.

Additionally with an Athlon you can use DDR Ram which will double the speed of data that the RAM can write and read giving you superior performance. DDR Ram is generally cheaper and more stable then RD Ram which also can have compatibility problems when adding memory at a later date. Most people encountering memory related problems are using Intel CPU's with RD Ram.

Thanks folks! I'll check out those vendors. FYI, here's a few of my target components. Abit KR7A133-RAID AMD XP 1700+ (price really jumps after that) 512 DDR RAM (whatever branded stuff they got, NOT generic) After searching for a few days, the vendors I've spotted so far with the components I'm looking for and (relatively) good prices are bzboyz.com (they've got some good off-site reviews) and accessmicro.com