Where is the best place to buy a computer (not online)?

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I am flustered at the lack of knowledge and even interest in selling displayed by computer sales clerks in big box stores. I ask what the RAM (or a similar question) of this unit they say in effect, or "I dunno.", "Whaddythink I am, an encyclopedia?" or "Read the owner's manual." Probably just summer help.

The computer I have now is a refurb desk top I bought in January 2012 from a computer repair shop. However, I will not go back there since I brought them an external HD there to be fixed. They called me 4 days later and said they couldn't fix it and were shipping it to Wisconsin to be repaired. I told them not to bother as it would probably be more expensive that way than to just buy a new one and that I would be there the next day to get it. When I arrived, they handed it back to me in pieces.

I can't buy online. My only alternative is a big boxer, but they sell mostly laptops and tablets.
 

I bought my last one from Staples. I did a lot of research before I ventured into the stores and then was lucky to encounter a young and knowledgeable sales person. I also have a grandson who is a tech geek and always steers me right.
 
Both my sons are computer experts. If I need any advice, I just ask them. Sorry that doesn't answer your question, but I'm in England and my advice would be to go to Currys.
 

If you have a Best Buy nearby, they sell several models of a brand called "CyberPowerPC". This is a high quality PC that far surpasses anything sold by Dell/HP/etc., and for not a whole lot more money. This brand uses far better components, and is a bit larger, with increased cooling capacity than most of the other brands. Visit their websites and check them out. If you find a way to shop online, you can even get some of their models from Walmart, for a bit of savings...although BestBuy has a price match guarantee.
 
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Don M. said:
If you have a Best Buy nearby, they sell several models of a brand called "CyberPowerPC". This is a high quality PC that far surpasses anything sold by Dell/HP/etc., and for not a whole lot more money. This brand uses far better components, and is a bit larger, with increased cooling capacity than most of the other brands. Visit their websites and check them out. If you find a way to shop online, you can even get some of their models from Walmart, for a bit of savings...although BestBuy has a price match guarantee.
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I appreciate your advice. I looked at Best Buy's choices of that system. It is a little overkill for what I need and they are expensive here. Their least expensive one was over $1600.

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debodun said:
I looked at the 5-star rated computers at the nearest Best Buy and the only ones thay had were pre-owned and refurbs.
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"5 star rating" is usually of Little Value. The difference between 5 Star and 4.7 Star is usually one or two people who might have bought a unit that was broken, or they didn't know how to use it. If you rely on such "ratings", a better indicator would probably be "best selling"....as more people have found a particular model to be the best choice. If you want to consider the "5 Star", take the time to read through all the replies, and find out Why a given person did/did not rate the item 5 star.
 
debodun said:
I see that a new computer from a "big box" doesn't come with any software but the OS. When I bought the one I have now, it came with a lot of programs & other software.
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Years ago, many new computers Did have several added programs....mostly useless junk. Now, a new system will come with W10, and that will have virtually any "Ap" a person would want....in fact, the secret to tuning W10 is to get rid of as many of these Aps as possible. If you want or require some "specialty" program, you can find almost anything you could want on sites like CNET of Filehippo....usually free.
 
Deb,

It's time to join the 183 million Americans that have a credit card. Apply for a credit card and open a PayPal account with a modest credit limit that you use only for internet purchases, eBay sales, etc...

I bought my current HP Pavillion laptop online and it made it all the way from China without any problems with my credit card or the computer.

I'm not sure what you use your computer for other than surfing the net but unless you do massive calculations or are writing the great American novel one of the basic computers that are geared towards the back to school crowd this time of year should be fine.

Good luck!
 
I agree with Aunt Bea. Buying a computer in a store is paying way more more than you need to. You can find great deals at the Dell outlet (on overstocked computers) and other places, too.

Also, be sure, as Aunt Bea said, you are not buying way more computer than you need for your purposes. You don't need one of those gamer computers unless you are a gamer; it's like buying a high powered sports car for going to the grocery store and back -- it won't get you there any better than a normal car would.
 
debodun said:
Unfortunately, having no "plastic", I can't buy online.
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Would be wise for you to get a credit card Deb, a lot of them have no annual fees and if you pay the balance in full you don't pay any high interest charges. You really need at least one for convenience these days, Capital One or Discover are a couple of good ones.
 
I'm thinking of buying a laptop before winter, will probably buy from Walmart, Costco or Best Buy. If they don't have the model you want in the store many stores will have it delivered locally for store pick-up.
 
While we're on the subject of new computers - my husband wants a 17" screen laptop to replace his older laptop that's starting to give him trouble. I'm finding that reasonably priced larger screen laptops are scarcer than hen's teeth. His needs are FB, email, and web surfing. Any suggestions?

Hope this isn't a thread hijacking. If so, please let me know and I'll delete the post and start a new thread.
 

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