FAQs

Here you will find some of the most frequently asked questions and answers.

  • While it can sometimes be cheaper to buy a name brand PC, not only do they have a huge markup but they also up sell so many products (especially online) you can easily end up spending over $200 in software you can mostly get for free as open source, $150 or more just on their customer service that you may or may not even use especially if you know someone that works on computers and if you order online, add on another $60-70 or more for S&H. (I've built a lot of computers by ordering parts online and I've never spent over $40 for S&H)
  • Some companies use low quality hardware to save money which can cause it to fail long before it should. For example, one of the computer companies I used to work for would, depending on case design, place the hard drive directly underneath the power supply less than 1/4 of an inch away from each other. You should never have your PSU that close to your hard drive!
  • Some PC companies filter out customer reviews on their pages so that most of the bad ratings are deleted and only the good reviews show up but if you go out to a respectable review web site and look at reviews on the same model, most of the time you'll find a completely different rating with a lot more bad reviews.
  • If you really want to purchase a fully built computer, we suggest you order one from one of the trusted online merchants we use.
  • Generally, it's way cheaper to build a computer yourself than buy one in a store. You control every aspect of the building process and get to customize it any way you want, as long as the components are compatible with each other. You decide what it looks like, how fast it is, you know the quality of the hardware being installed and who's installing them.
  • Absolutely none! Our guides walks you through all the necessary steps needed to build your very own PC.
  • This can vary between people, their schedules and computer knowledge. It should only take you a few hours if everything goes well.
  • I've found that purchasing the parts online at one of the trusted online merchants we use can get you the best deal even after S&H, which is often times free. However, sometimes your local electronics store will have amazing deals on computer hardware that's better than what you will find online.
  • We suggest you shop at one of the trusted online merchants we use. You don't have to use the same ones we do, we just know these are completely legit and have great customer service.
  • Barebones kits are basically computer kits that contain most of the basic components usually sold at a bundled discount. Most kits come with a case, power supply, mother board and processor. Sometimes you can get one with a few more goodies. I've seen some where all you need to do is buy a hard drive and you're good to go. There's a wide selection of kits you can chose from and some of these are relatively inexpensive.
  • It's all up to you and your budget. If you can find a barebones kit that you like, go for it. You can save some money doing this. If you prefer to customize everything from the look of the case to how fast the processor is, then buy everything separately.
  • Sometimes you can save quite a bit of money by purchasing one of these kits. It's basically a bundled discount. You may save $25-50 or more with one of these kits than if you purchased the same products separately. You still have to assemble the computer yourself but this way you know all the components in your kit are compatible with each other.
  • The downside to this is, you can't swap out certain parts as you order the kit. Say you don't like the case that comes with the kit, you can't exchange it for another case even if it's the same price unless the distributor exclusively allows it. You can always purchase the part you want and swap it out during the build but not before you purchase the kit.
  • If you know which components you want to upgrade, simply read through the appropriate lessons for each component in our buying and building guides. They will not only help you find compatible hardware but also show you how to install them.
  • You have to RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) the product. There will be a section on the web site of the online distributor where you can contact someone in the return department or find information on how to return/exchange the product. If you purchased it at a local store, just go back and exchange it.
  • We currently do not offer any type of technical support. You can usually find solutions to any computer problem online if you have access to another computer or the internet. You may also know someone that can either fix computers or knows someone else that can.
  • It might not be anything you did. Retrace your steps, go through the guide step by step verifying your entire build. You may have a piece of hardware that came DOA (Dead On Arrival) and needs to be exchanged for one that works. This is rare but does happen.
  • Before you exchange anything, verify everything is plugged in to the right places, verify the front panel power button is plugged in correctly, verify your power supply is plugged into both the motherboard and an outlet and verify the power supply on/off switch (if you have one) is in the ON position. It's simple steps like these that can be easily overlooked.
  • We currently do not offer any type of technical support. You can usually find solutions to any computer problem online if you have access to another computer or the internet. Simply go to your favorite search engine and type in exactly what's happening, or not happening and search. You may also know someone that can either fix computers or knows someone else that can.
  • We currently do not offer this service.

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