Edit for clarity:

Looking for a good reseller that gets good reviews and doesn’t add bloatware on like Best Buy.


Found a machine at NewEgg but then saw it was upgraded by Craving Savings with mixed reviews.

Looking for a 512gb SSD, Win 11 Pro, 32gb RAM, i5 or better processor and support for two monitors.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Riley, November 11, 2022 08:33 PM

Apple

I don't know your budget but Velocity Micro makes a great computer. I've owned several and highly recommend.

I have purchased all of my PC laptops directly from Lenovo.

I purchased my Dell desktop directly from Dell. Couldn't have been easier.

3 Black Friday's ago I purchased a gaming computer on amazon to use for photo editing. It is a MSI GF75 Thin 95C, it was upgraded by "Computer Upgrade King". Best computer I've ever had.

Apple, Dell, HP, or Microsoft.

And they should not be calling home to China.

All have black Friday and outlet deals t meet most budgets

I agree Apple. If you need windows, I’d go with Dell commercial line like latitude - a model that offers vPro but don’t get vPro processor. Costco is the only non direct place I would buy pc.

If I'm going cheap it's acer recertified.com otherwise Costco for customer service and double warranty.

Dell direct, still will have some bloatware, but not terrible.

For a laptop, the Latitude 3xxx series with at least an i5 processor is what we order 5-6 at a time at work.

Build it yourself. Pick your desired case size and Intel/AMD based processor and motherboard to fit. Then pick power supply, SSD, memory and video card to support 2 monitors. Buy Win11 Pro. You will get a much better PC for the same cost or less.

PC Part Picker

Edit to add - Putting it together is a piece of cake and there are plenty of youtube videos.

Btw, you might plan on buying a usbc or thunderbolt docking station. Doubtful the pc will have enough ports.

Thanks! It’s looking like Dell OptiPlex or a Lenovo Thinkstation direct may be the way.

quote:

Originally posted by cwelch:
Build it yourself. Pick your desired case size and Intel/AMD based processor and motherboard to fit. Then pick power supply, SSD, memory and video card to support 2 monitors. Buy Win11 Pro. You will get a much better PC for the same cost or less.

PC Part Picker

Edit to add - Putting it together is a piece of cake and there are plenty of youtube videos.

What he said...
Some good prices on AMD outgoing AM4 parts right now, good bang for buck.

Direct from HP or Dell is the best way IMO

My last computer I bought through Lenovo. Before that through Apple and before that through Dell. I would look to the manufacturer. They often have deals as good as the bog box stores.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Direct from HP or Dell is the best way IMO

Dell Outlet can be cost effective as well.

Alternatively, computers at Costco can carry a decent price tag, and then you have brick and mortar to return it to in the event it dies. They carry major brands like Apple and HP, as well as some smaller name brands. The Apple savings are minimal.

I've had great luck buying used higher end Dell Precision's. There are several sellers on eBay that I've bought from.

The computers are usually off lease returns. The sellers usually put in new drives with a fresh, clean Windows install. I've bought a couple of 7820's in the last couple of months.

The last few PC's I've purchased have been from https://www.dellrefurbished.com/ . If you sign up for their emails they regularly send coupons for 30-35% of the website prices and a couple times a year will send 50% off coupons.

I try and stick with the "workstation" class, whether desktop or mobile. Haven't seen any bloatware at all.

Microcenter’s PowerSpec PCs are generally built with less cost-cutting measures that make upgrading difficult or impossible, and they tend to be fairly low on bloatware. However, they tend to be a bit more gamer-focused so you may have trouble finding one with ‘normal PC’ specs. If you don’t care about upgrading or games, might not be the best choice, but they are worth a look.

Also, a note about bloatware: it is part of what makes Dell, HP, and Lenovo PCs so cheap. Some of that 3rd party junk is there because someone paid the PC maker to put it there, and that made the price you pay lower. I know it is a pain to remove it, but you literally pay more to get a PC without that crap, and the o Lu makers that offer that are much smaller than the big three.

- Bret