Builder Beware!!!!!

[STEELH3D]

I have run into some of the worst hardware in the last year and a half, than I have run into the 6 years previous... Really, do your research before buying a piece of hardware, in fact, if you did already purchase, go read the forums for that product... It seems a rash of complete shit hardware has come to the scene, evermore re-instilling the fear people have about PC's....... It doesn't matter whether it's any name brand stuff... there is a FREAKIN TON, of shit hardware ranging from Motherboards, to Harddrives, to RAM, to, DVD Burners, you freakin name it... DO NOT BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT READING FORUMS of it's nature... The reason I am big on this is???? I build alot of systems, and am running into shit hardware by the leaps and bounds, and if you want to save yourslef some serious money, and serious frustration, you will read the reviews of what you're planning to buy.... I say this because, I come from the day when, if you made a computer component, it had to be up to spec, compatible, and mechanically sound... These days, anything goes, I could make a company making, say, CDroms, and use nothing but complete shit, and it wouldn't even have to work, and still, there are plenty of consumers that would buy it not knowing...... Yes I'm ranting, cause I'm finally pissed.... DO NOT BUY ANY HARDWARE THAT YOU HAVE NOT RESEARCHED FIRST....... Other than that, good luck!! Like I said, I have never, ever seen so much crap on the market than I have seen in the past year and a half.......

 

[5 0'ClockCharlie]

I hear that... I have seen machines built for $1000 that wont run HL1 without lagging and I have built machines myself that cost $300 and can run any game out now that dosent require DX9 without much trouble at all. money isnt everything. just never, ever buy a Vaio, ever and you will be better off that most of my friends.

 

[STEELH3D]

Sorry for that little outburst, but, I'm not kidding... Other than ATI tm Video Cards, NVidia tm(I'm not talking about company's who use their chipset), Intel, and AMD processors, Most everything esle has been mostly shit! Whether they can't keep up, or whatever... It seems, there are enough consumers that you can produce shit, and still make a huge profit... It's sad, but true, just read the reviews, and make sure they aren't biased.... In my opinion, the worst generation of hardware is upon us.....

 

[STEELH3D]

Well, Charlie, I'm talking about building your own computer, We all know that outta box computers are shit to begin with... They make more money on Tech Support, and talking you into buying an updated computer... Sony, Compaq, Dell(which is not too bad), and all other PC's are there to suck you in, and make some serious profit... I know, It sounds like these compnay's coudn't possibly make a profit, They sell these PC's for $599, they just like giving away PC's for the fun of it.... right, No! they use $13 parts cause either way they will make their money by either, charging you for tech support, or giving you a trade-in value towards another piece of shit... Sorry, you just touched on another sore subject... Compaq Sucks! HP Sucks! Dell Sucks!... The only way to get a real machine is, either Alien, or build it yourself! And even still recently, Hardware has been shit....

 

[Asus]

I agree, there are a lot of products that you really need to look up first. Compatibility and quality issues mostly.

I think it is more to do with how overly complex the PC market is now. There are many many PC products out there which are expected to work with many many other combinations for other PC hardware.

Although there are a number of just overally poor models/brands/products out there as well. Luckly the aftermarket products are generally better than the stuff OEM's stuff in their machines.

 

[STEELH3D]

And sad but true, China imports the best stuff for the US... Thailand, Singapore(other than Seagate stuff), Japanese, and Mexico produce some of the worst products for US consumers..... It's sad that our outsourcing has come to this.... China creates the best products now.... Whether you want to believe it or not, they do! I purchase now accordingly.... 19 cents an hour goes alot further in China, than it does Mexico.... Ever heard of Zenith???? A company that went to shit, because it was produced from shit.... What country? I'm gonna let you figure it out! I swear, I could create a company, where I could profess to make something, and completely fuk it up, and still make a ton of money.... I'm not like that though, I still believe in an economy where, one lives uo to his name... Unfortunatley, we don't live under those circumstances....

 

[Spartan]

Ironically, I've noticed that Asrock motherboards are the best, even though they are cheaper than dirt. LG's DVD-roms are some of the cheapest available here, and mine has worked perfectly for years, while the expensive Plextor was a piece of malfunctioning shit.

Morale of the story: buy cheap stuff. At least you won't lose a lot of money if or when it breaks down.

 

[Asus]

Ironically, I've noticed that Asrock motherboards are the best, even though they are cheaper than dirt. LG's DVD-roms are some of the cheapest available here, and mine has worked perfectly for years, while the expensive Plextor was a piece of malfunctioning shit.

Morale of the story: buy cheap stuff. At least you won't lose a lot of money if or when it breaks down.

True, although not everything has a cheap hero.
By the way, Asrock is a subsidiary of Asus.

 

[Ecthe|ioN]

I've been building computers for many years myself, and I ALWAYS do a lot of research before I purchase new hardware. I hang around hardware forums and read recommendations from customers, instead of benchmarks. There is reason to be alarmed, because the standard of computer hardware has dropped dramatically the last years.

- CPU's and GPU's are usually not a tough choice.
- Motherboards require research.
- Harddrives require research. (Some production series are known for malfunctions)
- Don't puchase a no-name RAM, go for well known brands with good timings. You may have to pay a lot for the RAM, but it's usually worth it. Don't get me wrong, no-name RAM has been known to work great, and sometimes better than well known RAM, but the ratio of malfunctioning hardware is much higher with no-name.

Ground rule: Research on all the hardware you want to purchase. You might want to start with reading reviews/benchmarks, and then listen to what customers say. Ask for recommendations in hardware forums

 

[blahblahblah]

When I build a computer, I usually spend 2 to 3 times the amount of time researching components as I do building the computer. The vast majority of that time is spent learning about motherboards. It is really difficult to find reviews of motherboard when you compare how easy it is to find reviews of CPUs or video cards. I can usually pick out CPU's, harddrives, and RAM relatively easy.

Ever since I built a computer that used an Asrock motherboard, I've been really happy with it. In fact, I've built several other computers using Asrock motherboards as well. All have been rock solid (pun intended ).

 

[STEELH3D]

I guess I just kinda got away from doing too much research, as for years I hadn't run into too many problems, It just seems in the last year and a half, I've gotten bad hardware on a more regular basis, My fault of course... I will be spending alot of time on Toms hardware next time, and anywhere else I can find reviews.. Just seems the standard has gone way down.... Anyways, I've just finished loading and configuring everything, now I can get on with doing music for the Kingdom Lost Mod....

 

[Top Secret]

I have run into some of the worst hardware in the last year and a half, than I have run into the 6 years previous... Really, do your research before buying a piece of hardware, in fact, if you did already purchase, go read the forums for that product... It seems a rash of complete shit hardware has come to the scene, evermore re-instilling the fear people have about PC's....... It doesn't matter whether it's any name brand stuff... there is a FREAKIN TON, of shit hardware ranging from Motherboards, to Harddrives, to RAM, to, DVD Burners, you freakin name it... DO NOT BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT READING FORUMS of it's nature... The reason I am big on this is???? I build alot of systems, and am running into shit hardware by the leaps and bounds, and if you want to save yourslef some serious money, and serious frustration, you will read the reviews of what you're planning to buy.... I say this because, I come from the day when, if you made a computer component, it had to be up to spec, compatible, and mechanically sound... These days, anything goes, I could make a company making, say, CDroms, and use nothing but complete shit, and it wouldn't even have to work, and still, there are plenty of consumers that would buy it not knowing...... Yes I'm ranting, cause I'm finally pissed.... DO NOT BUY ANY HARDWARE THAT YOU HAVE NOT RESEARCHED FIRST....... Other than that, good luck!! Like I said, I have never, ever seen so much crap on the market than I have seen in the past year and a half.......

Bought an FX5200 did we? Sorry to hear that.

 

[Spartan]

True, although not everything has a cheap hero.
By the way, Asrock is a subsidiary of Asus.

Is it? I've had one Asus board and it was shit.

 

[westie]

I have an AsRock motherboard, and it's great, really cheap too.