Easy-peasey

[lykaon78]

I'll admit it... in my older age I'm getting lazy. I've built my own rig in the past but now I just want buy a new computer with minimum hassle.

Who does everyone trust for premade/spec/retail (or whatever the correct word is) computers these days?

Looking to spend $600ish and will be used for some photo editing (nothing more serious than Photoshop Elements), general everyday use, and some occasional light gaming.

 

[Blain]

I check the Lenovo Outlet site very often for sweet deals.
My default is to snag one and swap out the spinning platter for a SSD.

Good deals usually don't last long, so I check frequently.

My last deal was a ThinkCentre M73 MiniTower.
i5-4570, 8GB, 1TB, DVD burner, Keyboard, Mouse, Windows 8.1... @ $351.75 (taxes included & free shipping)
I bought a Crucial 256GB SSD for it @ $107.27 from Tiger Direct.
Not a bad machine for $459.02 total. If I were a gamer I'd add some kind of GPU card, but integrated HD 4600 is fine for my use.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Staples sometimes has $75, $100, and even $150 off computers coupons. Sometimes off clearance, sometimes off laptops, desktops, or all PCs above a certain "regular" price.

You can snag some good deals that way.

 

[Cerb]

Nice thing about Lenovo and Dell outlets are you can get new, refurb (new returns, I bet--I don't think any refurbishing is ever done), or B grade (usually no more than a scuff, or bubbles in the paint) business desktops, with good build quality, good parts quality, and parts available for several years (which, several years later, usually translates into all but mobos being available for cheap on eBay ).

 

[inachu]

Bought a ASUS for around $540 and it works great and all I upgraded was the power and video and its a small power house for being just an i5.

 

[Charlie98]

Dell is where I would go, I always had good luck with my Dell prebuilts and laptops. I would agree with Blain, however... whatever you buy, swap the HDD for a SSD, and, depending on the specs, bump up the RAM (to 8GB, for photo editing.)

 

[corkyg]

I'm in the same boat. Eyesight is no longer good enough to build. I bought my last system at adecent local shop, SWS Electronics. Pretty big. Yjry have a lot of pre-builds, but I did some customization. That way if anything goes wrong, I can easily take it back and have them fix it under warranty. That way I don't have to bother with shipping, RMAs, etc.

If you have something like this or better (eg., MEI) it' worth a look.

 

[J-Acito]

I found that I need to steer clear of the PowerSpec systems from Micro Center.

 

[Ken g6]

I found that I need to steer clear of the PowerSpec systems from Micro Center.

Because of part quality, build quality, price, or something else?

 

[lykaon78]

Ended up purchasing from the Dell Outlet for $426 +tax I got an Inspiron 3847 with these specs:
Intel i5 3.4ghz processor
8gb ram
1 TB HDD
DVDR
1GB dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 705 gpu
Windows 8.1, which I may downgrade to 7.

Not a bad deal.

 

[Blain]

Ended up purchasing from the Dell Outlet for $426 +tax I got an Inspiron 3847 with these specs:
Intel i5 3.4ghz processor
8gb ram
1 TB HDD
DVDR
1GB dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 705 gpu
Windows 8.1, which I may downgrade to 7.

Not a bad deal.

One thing I don't like about the Dell Outlet PC's is that the CPU's are only list by speed and family (i3, i5, i7).
The Lenovo site actually specifies what CPU model number is in the PC.
Does your invoice give any more information about the CPU?
Do you happen know if that i5 is a Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge or Haswell?

 

[J-Acito]

Because of part quality, build quality, price, or something else?

I have bought 2 systems over the years, and both had compatibility issues with the components inside.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

One thing I don't like about the Dell Outlet PC's is that the CPU's are only list by speed and family (i3, i5, i7).
The Lenovo site actually specifies what CPU model number is in the PC.
Does your invoice give any more information about the CPU?
Do you happen know if that i5 is a Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge or Haswell?

current gen i5-4460. Good box

 

[mistersprinkles]

Ended up purchasing from the Dell Outlet for $426 +tax I got an Inspiron 3847 with these specs:
Intel i5 3.4ghz processor
8gb ram
1 TB HDD
DVDR
1GB dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 705 gpu
Windows 8.1, which I may downgrade to 7.

Not a bad deal.

GTX 705 does not exist. You sure it wasn't a 750?

 

[lykaon78]

GTX 705 does not exist. You sure it wasn't a 750?

It's a GT 705 per the invoice.

The CPU is 4th Gen i5, #4460

 

[Cerb]

It's a GT 705 per the invoice.

It does exist, but seems to be an OEM special.