Name Brand Computer Systems -vs- Clone Computers
It seems to be a popular topic online these days that when buying a computer as to whether you should go with name brand computer (i.e. Dell) or a clone system (i.e build it yourself).
I have been building and repairing PC’s for a good 10 years now or so, and have built over 4000 systems worldwide from the basic home user to large law firms. Each of these types of people were faced with the same question as stated above.
There are pros and cons to both and without putting you to sleep with techno-babble, I will try and be brief but succinct with my response.
Name Brand -
Pro’s -
-Package deals – i.e. full system with all the bells and whistles for one set price. Done deal! Ready to go!
-Warranty – You break it, burn it, shoot it, lose it to a flood whatever you can get coverage for a price (usually about $350 for a three-year is standard)
-Support – You can call on a 24/7/365 support team that will help you after you accidentally deleted that all important windows file and just deep-sixed your operating system.
Cons -
-A lot of the name brand systems are proprietary — meaning that just about everything that can be integrated to the motherboard, is. This is great until you burn up a video card or lose your audio or whatever. Of course if you purchased a warranty then this will be covered unless it has expired.
-A lot of times you end up with either more than you need or less than you wanted and either way it cost you $1000+ for that lesson.
-If you want to add more things to your system (i.e. memory, hard drives, faster video card, etc.) you first need to call your support who will try and sell you “their” name brand product for considerably more (in some cases) that you could find if you look around the internet for a better deal. Then you have to figure out what will be compatible with your specific model and so on.
CLONE SYSTEMS -
Pro’s -
-You can build a system from scratch or have a PC savvy friend do it and know EXACTLY what is in the box and hand choose each and every component personally. Total freedom over the decisions in building your eventual system.
-You can actually add things that are replaceable like a video card. Maybe you want a 128MB now but in six months you want to upgrade to a 256MB for greater speed, with a clone system all you have to know is what type card (AGP, PCI-E) and just go get another card, pop it in and voila, done!
-You can find really good deals on parts at various online shops, but it will take a little research on your part to find the best deal. I tend to stay away from Ebay on PC stuff because there is too much junk being sold as legit items.
-You NEVER pay for more than you want You put in exactly what you need, no more no less, and when you want to change something, you just go get it.
Cons -
No warranty except manufacturer’s warranty on parts and whatever warranty comes from where ever you bought the part. NOTE: If you buy a retail box processor (CPU)(AMD or Intel) they usually come with a 3 year warranty. Hard drives are starting to have 3-5 year warranties (Maxtor and Western Digital) and Memory has always been lifetime warranty (as long as I can remember).
If you don’t have a pretty good knowledge of what you want you could end up with a $1000 worth of metal and junk.
You don’t get the regular tech support, but if you have friends who are in the business, then that usually isn’t an issue.
—————
Now, I have used and built clone systems for years and I would never use a name brand desktop PC (my personal opinion only) because my computer systems usually outperform the name brand systems. I also know that if my PC goes south on me I have the resources and so on to fix it and be back up and running should I have a major error.
Now, with that having been said, there are plenty of people who own both types of PC’s and are very happy with what they have. I am not slamming anyone’s decision, I am just giving my two-cents about what I see in the industry. Dell makes great computers. So does Compaq and the others. It comes down to what do YOU need it to do? How much are you willing to spend for it? How much knowledge of PC’s (repair and maintenance) do you have and are capable of dealing with in times of need?
Finally, in the case of laptops, I WOULD choose Compaq or Dell. Reason being, I don’t know any place offering parts to build your own and Compaq, for instance has awesome deals for laptops and at prices that are very reasonable for the mobility factor involving PC’s in the wireless age.
Scott Bulkley
http://www.houstonphoto.netScott has been a web site designer for over eight years now and his artistic vision and creative skills have earned him quite a few satisfied customers. His innovative and easy to navigate sites have been applauded by the many who have hired his services. He currently has built over 100 web sites and maintains them for his clients. Aside from Web Design, Scott is also an accomplished photographer and PC consultant.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/20022.html
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch II 100 GB External Hard Drive *NO RESERVE* $500.00 |
|
|
Maxtor F01H500 OneTouch III 500GB External Hard Drive USB 2.0 $299.99 |
|
|
Lot Of 3 External Drive Maxtor One Touch 4 500GB Buffalo 320GB Iomega 320GB !!! $260.00 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 320 GB,External,7200RPM STM303203OTA3E1-RK Hard drive $159.99 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 750 GB,External,7200 RPM (STM307504OTA3E1-RK) Hard… $154.00 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 750 GB,External,7200 RPM (STM307504OTA3E1-RK) Hard… $120.00 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch II Hard Drive (Y01E200) $129.99 |
|
|
New Maxtor One Touch III Mini Edition 120GB USB 2.0 external Hard Drive Sealed $129.99 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 1 TB,External,USB Hard Drive $110.00 |
|
|
Maxtor Onetouch 4 Plus 750gb External Hard Drive (USB + FIREWIRE) ************** $89.99 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 1TB,External (STM310004OTA3E5-RK $100.00 |
|
|
Brand NEW Maxtor onetouch III mini edition 60GB Hard drive external Sealed USB2. $99.99 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch II 300GB – 400 Mbps (FireWire) / 480 Mbps (Hi-Speed USB) $89.99 |
|
|
Maxtor Peripherals PTE OneTouch III 750GB 7.2K External Hard Drive $79.95 |
|
|
Maxtor Peripherals PTE OneTouch III 500GB 7.2K USB FireWire External Hard Drive $79.95 |
|
|
Brand New Maxtor OneTouch 4 500 GB,External Hard Drive in sealed packaging $75.00 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch 4 1 TB,External,7200 RPM (STM310005OTA3E1-RK) Hard Drive $90.00 |
|
|
Maxtor (E01E200) OneTouch II 200GB External Hard Drive!! $65.99 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 750 GB,External,7200 RPM (STM307504OTA3E1-RK) Hard… $75.00 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch II External Hard Drive 200GB 7200 RPM $64.97 |
|
|
MAXTOR ONE TOUCH ONETOUCH III HD HARD DRIVE 300GB $49.99 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 1 TB,External,7200 RPM (STM310004OTM305-RK)… $55.01 |
|
|
Maxtor Peripherals PTE OneTouch III 320GB 7.2K USB FireWire External Hard Drive $44.95 |
|
|
Maxtor 500GB Hard Drive Onetouch II External 7200RPM USB2.0 IEEE 1394a E01G500 $45.00 |
|
|
Never Used Maxtor One Touch 4 $55.00 |
|
|
MAXTOR ONE TOUCH II CASING $29.99 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch II 200 GB External (EL200V) Hard Drive – Upgraded 400GB Memory $39.99 |
|
|
Maxtor Peripherals PTE OneTouch III 300GB 7.2K USB FireWire External Hard Drive $39.95 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini 250 GB,External,5400 RPM (STM902503OTB3E1-RK)… $40.00 |
|
|
MAXTOR Onetouch 4 mini seagate MAC or PC hard drive STM901603OTA3E1-RK NEW $50.00 |
|
|
12V Maxtor OneTouch II replacement power supply $14.13 |
|
|
12V Maxtor OneTouch III replacement power supply $14.13 |
|
|
Maxtor Peripherals PTE Model Maxtor OneTouch II 200GB Capacity Hard Drive $39.99 |
|
|
Lot of 2 Maxtor One Touch III Metal Case and interface Boards $35.00 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch 4, 750 GB, Firewire 400, USB, External Hard Drive, 7200 RPM $35.99 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch III 300 GB 300GB External Hard Drive USB, Firewire $20.00 |
|
|
5V Maxtor OneTouch III Mini replacement power supply $10.99 |
|
|
Maxtor One Touch II 200gb $40.00 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch III Mini 60GB Portable External Hard Drive $43.99 |
|
|
SEAGATE MAXTOR 500 GB ONE TOUCH 4 PLUS EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE NICE PRE-OWNED $34.99 |
|
|
2 Maxtor – One Touch & One Touch II – each 200GB – external hard drive 400GB ttl $25.00 |
|
|
Segate Maxtor OneTouch III Turbo Edition 1TB External Hard Drive $31.00 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch 4,500 GB,Firewire 400,USB,External Hard Drive,No Power Cable $25.00 |
|
|
Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 500 GB,External,7200 RPM (STM305004OTA3E1-RK) Hard… $20.00 |
|
|
maxtor one touch lll external hard drive 160GB $25.00 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch 160 GB,External,7200 RPM Hard Drive + USB and FW 400 cables $22.00 |
|
|
HARD DRIVE Seagate Maxtor OneTouch USB 120 GB,External,7200 RPM (A01B120) $18.00 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch USB 80 GB,ExternalHard Drive $21.99 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch II 300 GB,External,7200 RPM (E04G300) Hard Drive $20.00 |
|
|
Genuine Maxtor One touch III 3 POWER SUPPLY AC ADAPTER $19.90 |
|
|
EU Maxtor OneTouch One Touch 4 500GB Power Adaptor Supply $20.43 |
|
|
EU Maxtor OneTouch One Touch 200GB AC Adaptor Power Supply $20.43 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch II One Touch 2 AC Adaptor Power Supply EU EUROPEAN PLUG $20.35 |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch One Touch 200GB AC Adaptor Power Supply $18.78 |
|
|
12V AC Adapter For Seagate 640GB Maxtor One Touch 4 HD $15.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter Power Supply Maxtor OneTouch III T01E200 HDD $14.99 |
|
|
POWER SUPPLY ADAPTER AC Maxtor OneTouch One Touch IV 4 $20.54 |
|
|
MAXTOR Seagate OneTouch III 200 GB,External,7200 RPM (T01E200) Hard Drive NEW $10.00 |
|
|
Leather Case for Maxtor Onetouch 4 mini USB Portable HD $19.99 |
|
|
NEW AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM305004OTA3E1-RK $13.99 |
|
|
12V AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 750GB HDD Power Supply Cord Charger NEW PSU $14.99 |
|
|
NEW AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM310004OTA3E1-RK $13.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter Power Supply Maxtor OneTouch One Touch IV 4 $14.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM310004OTB3E5-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM307504OTB3E5-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM305004OTB3E5-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM302503OTB3E5-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM310004OTA3E5-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM307504OTA3E5-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM305004OTA3E5-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM302504OTA3E5-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM310004OTB3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM307504OTB3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM305004OTB3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM303204OTB3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM302503OTB3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM310004OTA3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM307504OTA3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM305004OTA3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM303204OTA3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM302503OTA3E1-RK $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 SYS1308-2412-2W WA24C12U $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 WA-24C12U SYS1308-2412 $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4,OneTouch 4 Plus WA24C12U $15.95 |
|
|
AC Adapter Charger Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM302503OTB3E1-RK $14.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter Charger Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM310004OTB3E1-RK $14.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch SYS1308-2412-2W WA24C12U $14.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter Fr Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM302503OTB3E5-RK $14.99 |
|
|
AC Power Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch STM302503OTA3E1-RK $14.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM305004OTA3E5-RK STM305004OTB3E5-RK New $14.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM310004OTB3E5-RK STM310004OTA3E5-RK New $14.99 |
|
|
12V AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch One Touch IV 4 HDD Charger Power Supply New $11.99 |
|
|
AC adapter power supply Maxtor OneTouch HDD DSA-36W1230 $13.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM307504OTA3E1-RK Power Supply Cord Charger PS $14.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch STM307504OTB3E1-RK Power Supply Cord Charger PSU $14.99 |
|
|
AC Adapter 4 Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus STM302504OTA3E5-RK $13.95 |
|
|
NEW AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch 4 STM305004OTA3E1-RK $13.95 |
|
|
PWR+® CHARGER CORD FOR MAXTOR ONETOUCH II III IV 2 3 4 HDD 3100 3200 DRIVE PLUG $18.90 |
|
|
PWR+® AC ADAPTER CHARGER FOR MAXTOR ONETOUCH II III IV 2 3 4 HDD 3100 3200 DRIVE $12.90 |
|
|
AC Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch One Touch II HDD Charger Power Cord Supply PSU $18.51 |
|
|
Maxtor 5000DV External 7200 RPM 160 GB Hard Drive $265.99 … |
|
|
Kingwin 2.5-Inch and 3.5-Inch SATA Hard Drive Docking Station with USB 2.0 and eSATA External Hard Drive Enclosure, EZD-2535 (Black) $15.26 Kingwin EZ-Dock Hard Drive Dock The Kingwin EZ-Dock Hard Drive Dock is a complete and easy way to add or swap hard drives to your computer. It gives you the flexibility of connecting any SATA I/II hard drive to your computer via USB 2.0 or eSATA connection without opening up your computer case or installing into an enclosure. Simply just insert any 2.5″ or 3.5″ SATA I/II hard drive into the EZ-Do… |
|
|
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive STM902503OTA3E1-RK $119.99 250GB 2.5″ External One Touch 4 Mini- USB 2.0- Ideal backup and storage for carrying your digital portfolio with you Maxtor SafetyDrill prepares boots recovers your PC’s entire internal drive contents in case of system failure or virus/spyware infection…. |
|
|
12V AC adapter power supply for Maxtor DVE DSA-0421S-122 DSA-36W1230 K01PWR3100 OneTouch DSA-36W1230 MSS-II K01ONEPWR ONE TOUCH 7000 HDD $2.99 It works with a wide range of LCD monitors: ACER LCD MONITOR AC501, AC711, AC915, AF705, AL506, AL511, AL512, AL532, AL712, AL713, AL715, AL716, AL722, AL732, AL922, ADI LCD MONITOR A2304, A500, A5000, A501, A502, A505, A700, A701, A704, A707, A904, I600, I610, MJ15, MJ175, MX15, S500, AG Neovo LCD MONITOR F-417, F-419, M-15, S15T, S15V, AOC LCD MONITOR LM520, LM720, LM729, LM800, LM914 BENQ LCD M… |
|
|
Ac adapter for Maxtor OneTouch II III IV 4 HDD,3100 3200 Personal Storage,Shared Storage II 1TB NAS Drive $0.27 It works with a wide range of LCD monitors: ACER LCD MONITOR AC501, AC711, AC915, AF705, AL506, AL511, AL512, AL532, AL712, AL713, AL715, AL716, AL722, AL732, AL922, ADI LCD MONITOR A2304, A500, A5000, A501, A502, A505, A700, A701, A704, A707, A904, I600, I610, MJ15, MJ175, MX15, S500, AG Neovo LCD MONITOR F-417, F-419, M-15, S15T, S15V, AOC LCD MONITOR LM520, LM720, LM729, LM800, LM914 BENQ LCD M… |
|
|
New 12V AC Power Adapter For Maxtor OneTouch II III HDD,3100 Personal Storage $2.15 Input: AC100-240V (worldwide use) Output: DC12V 3A Power: 36W DC Size: Items Included: AC Adapter and Power Cord (US Version)…. |
|
|
New 12V AC Power Adapter For Seagate HDD, 9NK2AL-510, 9NK2AE-500 Free Agent, Pushbutton, ST3200823A-RK, ST3200823A-RK, 9NK2AG-500, 9W2681540,ST380801U2RK $0.93 Input: AC100-240V (worldwide use) Output: DC12V 3A Power: 36W DC Size: |
|
|
Durable Neoprene Sleeve Carrying Case for 2.5 Maxtor One Touch 4 Mini 160gb 250gb 320gb $39.95 1 Year Warranty… |
|
|
CaseCrown Faux Suede Sleeve Case (Red) for Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini 120 GB 2.5-Inch USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive $4.62 Protect your device with this soft CaseCrown Faux Suede Sleeve. This case is padded to protect and secure your device from scratches, dust and fingerprints. There is an additional exterior pocket to store additional accessories. The non-scratch exterior is soft, lightweight and resistant. Make this case the perfect carrying solution for your device!… |
|
|
MAXTOR INTRODUCES ONETOUCH II DRIVE EXTERNAL BACKUP.: An article from: PC Business Products $5.95 This digital document is an article from PC Business Products, published by Worldwide Videotex on November 1, 2004. The length of the article is 924 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.Citation DetailsTitle: … |
