The chipset – this is important!
What to buy
Good brands of components, accessories, etc.
Brands to avoid
Please do not buy Sony products
Do NOT buy a desktop computer without a PCI-Express Slot
The purpose of this page is to explain what brands of computer components I like and dislike. It combines discussion of desktops and notebooks, Macs and PCs. You may prefer to read my buying guide for new computers instead.
This discussion presumes a higher-than-average level of familiarity with computers. For many people, it may be a little too technical to understand or enjoy. You can jump to my discussion of the big brand names or my sales pitch for custom computers. There are good and bad brands of computers and their components. A computer with all good components will last longer and be more useful, at the very least. If you compare a Dell (on the “avoid” list) with another brand of computer having the exact same listed specifications, you will find that the Dell underperforms. Is it the missing chips (literally) on the motherboard? Is it the second-rate software they pre-install on your computer? Whatever it is, most technicians will tell you that there's no such thing as a great Dell.
If you want your computer to run its best, be careful about your choices of hardware and software. If you already own something on my “avoid” list, don’t panic. We can still make your computer run its best and upgrade components if necessary. I work on more Dells than any other brand, because there are more Dells out there – but I wouldn’t recommend buying one. I say this because I want you to have the best computer you can have, not because I desperately want to sell you something.
The chipset
The “chipset” describes the most fundamental component of the computer, and the most important choice you have to make. The chipset basically consists of the memory controller (north bridge) and the input/output controller (south bridge). These chips control the flow of information between the various components of the computer. Many major brands won’t even tell you what chipset is in the computer, unless you look very closely and/or read the documentation before you buy. My computer has an Intel 965 chipset, and I really like it for all my office work. Gamers would probably prefer an NVIDIA or ATI chipset. Intel and Via chipsets are very reliable. SiS chipsets suck – they are slow and unstable.
What to buy
Here is my sales pitch: You will get a better computer if you buy it new from a reputable local system builder like me than you will from Dell, HP, or any of the other big brand names. By the way, there are several other small computer shops in Corvallis – and they want your business as much as I do. We all build better computers than the big names do. I encourage you to buy from one of us – and of course I encourage you to buy from me. The desktops I build generally consist of the components listed below. I sell Asus notebooks.
Good brands of desktop components:
Motherboards: Intel or Asus.
Chipsets: Intel, NVIDIA, Via or ATI.
CPUs: Intel and AMD both make great dual core processors.
Video Cards: Asus with NVIDIA chipset or Sapphire with ATI chipset. Avoid cards with fans.
Power Supplies: Antec (high end, but well worth it)
Cases: InWin or Antec.
Hard Drives: Western Digital or Hitachi.
Memory: Crucial or Kingston. Compatibility is more likely to be a problem with DDR2 than DDR.
DVD Drives: Plextor (high-end)
Good brands of accessories, software, notebooks, etc.:
Networking/Wireless Cards and Devices: Linksys
Printers: HP for most people; Epson for continuous-feed ink
Digital Cameras: Canon.
Security Software: F-Secure.
Operating System: I’m still using Windows XP, but maybe in 2008 Vista will get better. We’ll see.
Notebook Computers: Asus, Lenovo.
Desktop Computers: Gateway, or Custom Built by Rick with the components listed here.
Flat Panel Monitors: Asus, Viewsonic?
Mid-range products
Motherboards: Gigabyte, Biostar, and eVGA all have an ok reputation but I’ve never used them.
Video Cards: eVGA, XFX, PNY. Avoid cards with fans! Look closely to make sure there’s no fan!
Power Supplies: Sparkle, or any power supply that costs at least $30 from a computer shop.
DVD Drives: Sony, Samsung, Asus, NEC, LG. Don’t expect more than a year of everyday use before the drive dies.
Notebook Computers HP, Acer, Compal.
Desktop Computers: HP.
Flat Panel Monitors: KDS, HP, Acer, Samsung, NEC. These monitors seem just fine to me.
Avoid these brands:
Intel Graphics on a laptop. Fine on a desktop if you have a PCI-Express x16 slot.
Norton security products
Sony – any products except DVD and floppy drives.
Dell
MSI Abit, or ECS motherboards - I moved ECS to this list after trying out one of their motherboards recently (August 2007).
SiS chipsets
Intel Celeron CPU
Off-brand DDR2 memory
Cheap power supplies
Video cards with fans – because I have a pile of video cards with broken fans. There are replacement fans and cooling schemes available, but it’s really tricky to order one that fits. Better to avoid the whole thing.
Sony sucks. Please do not buy anything from Sony. Their computers overheat, just to name one common problem. They are a serious pain in the butt to work on. Just because they invented the CD player 25 years ago doesn’t mean you should buy their computers today. Sometimes I use their CD, DVD, and floppy drives.
Choosing a new computer
Brand-name desktops and notebooks
The PCI Express Slot:
The longer green slot is a PCI-Express x16 slot; this is where you install a video card. It can be any color but it is always on top. If you have Intel integrated graphics, your computer will definitely run faster if you install a real video card. Some advanced boards have more than one, and some cheap (e.g., Dell) boards don’t have one at all. If it is missing, you may see solder points where it should be, like the box with circles in it below the white slots. The smaller green slot is a PCI-Express x1 slot, and the white slots are PCI. If you need to install a modem, TV Tuner, or any other card in your computer, you would put it in these slots. PCI-Express x1 is a new technology that replaces PCI, and many cards are now available in both PCI and PCI-Express versions. Desktops will probably come with both kinds of slots for a few years and then only with PCI-Express.