In my thus-far fruitless quest to find a good computer deal, I do keep seeing E-machines boxes.
They make me… curious and anxious. I bought an E-Machines box. I actually got three of them before finding one which didn’t fail.
So, basically, can anyone give me advice on what sucks and what doesn’t, brand-wise. I’d prefer hard data over anecote, but whatever you got I’ll take.
Gateway. I had one quite a while ago but it was a piece of crap.
[moderating]
Since this is asking for opinions rather than presenting a question with a factual answer, I moved it from GQ to IMHO.
[/moderating]
Avoid Packard-Bell. Beyond that, we need to know for what purpose you’re purchasing the computer.
Yeah, I’m asking for opions… grudgingly, and only after specifically asking for actual data. Well, hopefully someone will still find it.
Eh? Why? I’m looking at things like failure rate and so forth. That should vary too much from manufacturer to manufacturer (and I do look at the specific items installed in each box in case those are the issue).
Regardless, I’m planning to use this as a kind of all-in-one machine. I have a large (and non-porno) art collection, many documents, I surf the internet, I store various data, and I play games. I don’t need to play Crysis X: Even Crysisier, but I’d like to be able to run most games. I definitely need a PCIx card slot.
All of them if you can. I prefer to make my own computer.
HP laptops are nice but they have a lot of things go wrong with them.
drachillix owns a computer repair business, hopefully he’ll see this and chime in.
I’m looking to build my next system as I’m tired of crapware/bloatware loaded on the retail machines and I want the original OS install disc.
There are online custom builders or you might look for a local shop that will build one to your specs.
I wish. I’ve been trying to find one for over a week now and I can’t locate anything. There might be something in the next city 90 milse away, but that’s it.
That should be fairly easy. I don’t think they’ve made home PCs in several years.
I’d say Apple, but they aren’t really computers anyway. 
Disclosure I build and sell machines and have done so for a couple dopers…
Two words: Quality control. Most brand names have none, you are the QC department. When you open up your box from most big OEMS, the machine has literally never been turned on. This is what once upon a time made Alienware great. A reputable local shop with have had the machine on for at least a few hours to install windows and basic applications/drivers. That alone minimizes 90% of the common hardware failures.
Sorry keep getting interrupted here…
Also of note, no matter what brand you buy, it is usually just a final assembly, dell does not make hard drives, sticks of ram, or power supplies. A local shop does the same thing and usually uses far better quality components and those parts will also still carry their OEM warranties from the manufacturer. This is why I find brand loyalty to something like most PC manufacturers so laughable.
To illustrate:
Dell calls up hard drive manufacturer and says they want 100,000 250GB hard drives, manufacturer says ok 250GB hard drive, 3 year warranty, $28 each. Dell then say ok, how about if I just want 1 year of warranty? Manufacturer says ok $24 each.
The same drive from someone like us retains the 3 year warranty from the manufacturer, more expensive because we don’t get the bulk discounts.
WESTERN DIGITAL 250 GIGABYTE SATA 3G DESKTOP STORAGE 7200 RPM 8MB CACHE
From my normal wholesaler is $46 our cost. Newegg sells it for $46.99 with free shipping. 
A man in a brown outfit comes to us, and drops it off to you…so helpful.
I’ve always been fond of Toshiba, as their computers are very durable IME.
I agree, but I don’t know the stores in any other cities and I can’t easily find them and their reputation.
On the off-chance I went with your store, where exactly would I go online?
Here’s his shop.
http://www.pcsearchandrescue.com/
All I can do is add to your anecdotal data about eMachines. My wife and I each bought one several years back, and both of them died in their second year of use.
OK, so that’s $46 instead of $24/$28 (depending on the nature of the comparison) for the hard drive. But doesn’t the same thing play out over the entire computer - CPU, RAM, motherboard, disc drive, etc.?
I don’t have any brand loyalty (though I do have some brand aversions, e.g. eMachines), and I can see paying $400 for that $300 desktop, only assembled from the right components and checked out briefly by a human being. But if doing that drives the price of the comparable computer up to the $500-600 range, I might as well just say to myself, “I’ll buy the $300 computer, and if it craps out, I’ll just buy another.”
We do not run an online storefront, just let us know what you are looking for and we can cut you an estimate.
Yup
And if you are looking for a machine for $399 I will tell you to call Dell. We don’t even build anything single core anymore.
We don’t bother building bargain basement stuff. Most of our builds are special needs and speed freaks. Once you cross $900-$1000 we can price compete with many of the OEM because they are no longer in volume pricing mode. We do alot of $700-$800 builds.
Our stuff you also never run into proprietary motherboard connectors, power supplies, indian and phillipine call centers who are lucky to follow a script correctly, or people who don’t know their ass from a socket775.