[dbuske]

Those new to computers are easy for unethical computer sellers to rip off. My advice to newbies is to make sure you know what parts are in the computer before you buy. If the seller won't tell you what is in the computer, then don't buy it.

Some major things to know:

If you are going to play games on the computer, make sure the computer does not have integrated video. Integrated video is alot slower than an add-in video card.
Stick with an ATI or Nvidia video card.

Make sure the bios version of the computer is the latest version that will support the hardware in your computer. Motherboard makers have the stupid way of often shipping the Motherboards with older bios' that do not support the very latest cpu's.

Often cheaper computer systems will have older CD and or DVD players that have old firmware on the device. Frequently, when the computer then tries to start up, the system will stop booting up, because the cd or dvd drive firmware causes an error and no boot-up.

The above are the 2 biggest thing to look for when buying a cheap computer.

Video card rip-offs:

Not to pick on Newegg, but they tried to sell me a video card that had a 64-bit memory bus on it, that they advertised as 128 bit. I sent the first one back, and then they sent me the same card back.
In their defense they did make it right in the end and I got a better card for the same money. I would have been ripped off, if I hadn't tested the card to make sure I was getting what I was supposed to.

My last advice is to not buy a cheap old computer. It would be outdated as soon as you buy it. If you are a gamer, trust me, buy the best computer you can afford. New games require more performance. Save yourself alot of trouble and buy the best computer that you can afford. If you have to buy the cheaper computer, just be aware that it most likely will not be able to play newer games well or fast.

[Wolfeymole]

Good solid advice there DB. :)

[alex]

Originally Posted by dbuske

Those new to computers are easy for unethical computer sellers to rip off. My advice to newbies is to make sure you know what parts are in the computer before you buy. If the seller won't tell you what is in the computer, then don't buy it.

Some major things to know:

If you are going to play games on the computer, make sure the computer does not have integrated video. Integrated video is alot slower than an add-in video card.
Stick with an ATI or Nvidia video card.

Make sure the bios version of the computer is the latest version that will support the hardware in your computer. Motherboard makers have the stupid way of often shipping the Motherboards with older bios' that do not support the very latest cpu's.

Often cheaper computer systems will have older CD and or DVD players that have old firmware on the device. Frequently, when the computer then tries to start up, the system will stop booting up, because the cd or dvd drive firmware causes an error and no boot-up.

The above are the 2 biggest thing to look for when buying a cheap computer.

Video card rip-offs:

Not to pick on Newegg, but they tried to sell me a video card that had a 64-bit memory bus on it, that they advertised as 128 bit. I sent the first one back, and then they sent me the same card back.
In their defense they did make it right in the end and I got a better card for the same money. I would have been ripped off, if I hadn't tested the card to make sure I was getting what I was supposed to.

My last advice is to not buy a cheap old computer. It would be outdated as soon as you buy it. If you are a gamer, trust me, buy the best computer you can afford. New games require more performance. Save yourself alot of trouble and buy the best computer that you can afford. If you have to buy the cheaper computer, just be aware that it most likely will not be able to play newer games well or fast.

There's some great advice in that post Dbuske. Nicely done, and thanks for taking the time to type it all. I have no doubt it will be useful to people. :)