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View Full Version : How did you get your computer



Gero50
04-20-2010, 09:35 AM
A fairly simple yet fun question. "Where did you get your computer" An example might be.

example 1 I baught it at best buy

Example 2 I built it from parts I baught at a computer store.

Understandably there is a lot more ways to obtain a computer but those examples a quite common so I figured I would use them anyway.

I got my computer by building it. Rather both my computer I am using now and my Server I put together. I find it is a lot funner that way then just buying one.

poshyterra
04-20-2010, 08:14 PM
I bought it at Best Buy like you said in your example. Except I didn't know we were getting a computer. I thought we were getting an HDMI cable. Big surprise to me when I saw my computer waiting for me at the desk :)

Gero50
04-20-2010, 08:20 PM
I bought it at Best Buy like you said in your example. Except I didn't know we were getting a computer. I thought we were getting an HDMI cable. Big surprise to me when I saw my computer waiting for me at the desk :)
That must have been a wonderful surprise indeed. I know my gf's dad did the same thing when he got her a new Dell.

Hideki Motosuwa.
04-20-2010, 08:31 PM
My sister bought my current one for me on ebay as a birthday gift last year. This one is the 5th or 6th one that I haven't broken lol xD My other PC(that I don't use too often) was bought from Best Buy just so I could play one game on it and to store data.

Kaname Shikara
04-20-2010, 08:38 PM
My brother built my computer. ^^ I love my brother <3 well.......sometimes XD

Eris
04-20-2010, 08:44 PM
Home built. So was my previous computer.

Gero50
04-20-2010, 10:02 PM
Home built. So was my previous computer.
That is the easiest and funnest way to do it. I still have both of the systems I built for myself. Though one is becoming a server.

Token Black Guy
04-20-2010, 10:03 PM
I got it at Best Buy since i needed it for school. I got it when the price used to be $349.99.

Diocletian
04-20-2010, 10:17 PM
I owned a "hot" computer at one point. I didn't find out it was stolen until my cousin brought it up two years later. I now use a laptop that has zero to none battery life.

Gero50
04-20-2010, 10:42 PM
I owned a "hot" computer at one point. I didn't find out it was stolen until my cousin brought it up two years later. I now use a laptop that has zero to none battery life.
Wow that seems like a impotent detail to leave out.

Hugo-Kof
04-20-2010, 11:18 PM
1st one; My laptop with Win7: I bought it at Best Buy (No regrets so far)

2nd one; Desktop with Windows 7: Same as Above lol

3rd one; Desktop with WinXP: I built it myself as a project for extra credit in one of my college classes (PC Repair and Maintenance)

BeuWolve
04-20-2010, 11:28 PM
Laptop - got it with my 3g card contract
Home Desktop - bought it from Matrix's
Office Desktop - well my work provided it. hehe

CrystalAce
04-21-2010, 03:07 AM
I had bought this computer some 5-6 years ago from a cousin's shop. At that time this computer felt incredible, now it's like a trash. Still, it's working and I've got no intention of throwing this computer away any time soon.

Lily Rock
04-21-2010, 03:48 AM
Hmm, i've gotten MANY computers...
First one, idk where that one went...
The one i have now, was bought, my dad bought it cause my other computer just stopped working, and hell, i had MUCH good stuff at it!

Also, i got a shitty laptop at my mom's place, it's a old, bad, HP laptop, which can't do a crap about gaming.

Gero50
04-22-2010, 02:48 PM
Hmm, i've gotten MANY computers...
First one, idk where that one went...
The one i have now, was bought, my dad bought it cause my other computer just stopped working, and hell, i had MUCH good stuff at it!

Also, i got a shitty laptop at my mom's place, it's a old, bad, HP laptop, which can't do a crap about gaming.
Interesting, how can you lose something as large as most computers. In any case it is nice you got a new one.

Rageth
04-22-2010, 03:00 PM
There are two computers in my house. One is the 'family computer' which is used by anyone. The other is my laptop which my parents bought me for my 21st birthday.

Gero50
04-22-2010, 09:53 PM
There are two computers in my house. One is the 'family computer' which is used by anyone. The other is my laptop which my parents bought me for my 21st birthday.
Oh not many computers. I guess it is not surprising knowing the economy and I am so use to having a lot of them.

zhengcano
05-19-2010, 08:46 PM
Let's see... I currently have 6 computers at my house. 2 are old laptops that we aren't even using anymore. My sister has a nice new entry level ASUS laptop, which she ordered from Costco for $500 off the normal price. We have an 4-6 yr old dell inspiron 9800 something thats for general use, and then my 4 year old dell inspiron is being used for watching CCTV on a CRT exclusively, lol. The computer I'm using right now is my first build, and I love it.

TheAsterisk!
05-21-2010, 02:11 AM
I currently have five (or six, if you count an IBM desktop from '84 in the basement- it still runs) functional computers. Most of them run some version of Puppy Linux now, but two also run Ubuntu derivatives.

My main computer is an MPC ClientPro 365 tower that I bought from a resale website (discountpc.net) and just incrementally upgrade as the need arises. If memory serves, I think I paid about $200 for it, including a Windows XP Pro license, a mouse and a keyboard.
The second tower, an HP Pavilion a1101n, is the parents' computer. I'm pretty sure they bought it at Best Buy. That one is also upgraded as the need arises.
My brother has some old, beat-up Compaq tower- the case is dented, but it runs fine. I don't know exactly how old it is, but it came with a license for either NT 4 or Windows 2000 (as a one-time choice), so it's fairly old. That one is partially a curb-side-special and partially ordered parts.
There is an even older Compaq I picked up for ten bucks at a yard sale; it had a damaged Windows 98 SE install on the hard drive, but it's functional now, too. The owner had busted the drives by physical abuse, so I replaced them with drives I had from other fallen computers, and I put it in the basement. (PC-DOS on the old IBM doesn't cut it down there anymore.)
Finally, I have a laptop I use, an HP/Compaq nc8430, which I bought from a local resale store. It had been used previously by a business that went broke and sold off its assets.

I tend not to care if I have shiny, new hardware, as I don't really do much high-intensity computing anyway, and it's cheaper to scavenge and to buy computers about when they turn 'obsolete.'

1987
05-21-2010, 08:05 AM
Laptop: Bought it off the Dell website. It's my baby <3
Desktop: Got it for Christmas some years back. Mostly functions as my music storage centre now.

RaNdOmNaMe
05-22-2010, 11:19 PM
my dad cought it XD
BOUGHT IT I MEAN BOUGHT IT

LiLi.
05-23-2010, 06:40 AM
Got it at Currys whilst it was on the sale. YEAH BABY.

LordShinigami
05-24-2010, 12:10 AM
I bought my laptop with the government's money, also known as "financial aid", from my college's bookstore.

CrimsonMoon
05-24-2010, 04:49 AM
I steal.

I lied. Bought it last year and it's broken now. Vandalism is my specialty <3 .

.Sev
05-24-2010, 07:19 AM
I just got mine today for my birthday.

Aizmov
05-25-2010, 10:57 PM
It is a Core i7 MacBook Pro 15". So I didn't build it from parts. For $2200 ($2000 after student discount) Apple should have delivered it to me on a silver plate :mad:

Bradi-Kun
05-27-2010, 02:15 AM
Got it from my dad as an early b'day present.

chaotic.rune
06-11-2010, 03:13 AM
this would be my sister's old laptop... (ugh pathetic... i never get to buy something new T.T)

Elphaba
06-11-2010, 08:37 AM
my dad has many computers so he gave one to me and one to my sister just for us to have one

i have no idea where he got it from

Furore
06-11-2010, 01:03 PM
I buy most of mine though recieved my first couple from people wanting to get rid of them. I also had a phase before getting stable work where I'd collect borked PCs from a reverse cycle dump and mix and match parts to get a few that worked and a ton of leftover crap.

A moment of win for me was winning a Mac (I've never been too fond of Mac OS) and having an Apple fanboy friend go on about me 'seeing the light' when I was using it a ton, only for me to suggest he boot it up. He was welcomed by the magnificant Yellow Dog Linux. Lol.

Skylar1
06-11-2010, 02:52 PM
After I saved up a good enough chunk of money, I wondered into Best Buy, and walked out with a lappy!

(If you've noticed, I've been a lot more active lately. hehe)

Aku no Hikari
06-11-2010, 06:55 PM
Every computer I've ever had (including the current one) is home made.

I usually don't buy a whole new computer when I feel the need to upgrade. Rather, I just replace the parts as necessary... until I feel the need to replace the Mobo. That's when I buy a new Mobo (and a processor), sometimes with other parts if the older ones are not compatible with the new Mobo. If they are, I usually keep the old ones and upgrade each one of them as necessary.

Assuming it's done right, this way is the best way to constantly keep your computer in "best shape". It also distributes the cost of the computer over the year, rather than having to pay everything at once. It can be even more cost-effective on the long run, if managed right.

johnkalli1990
06-12-2010, 01:20 PM
I bought my PC at the best price from a local shopping mall.

TheAsterisk!
06-12-2010, 06:52 PM
I also had a phase before getting stable work where I'd collect borked PCs from a reverse cycle dump and mix and match parts to get a few that worked and a ton of leftover crap.
You mean you don't find a peculiar joy in cannibalizing curb-side specials? You don't bask in the glory of spare parts galore? You only did it out of necessity?
What's wrong with the world?

Time was creating functional machinery and tools for the heck of it from trash was high art.

Furore
06-13-2010, 06:08 AM
You mean you don't find a peculiar joy in cannibalizing curb-side specials? You don't bask in the glory of spare parts galore? You only did it out of necessity?
What's wrong with the world?

Time was creating functional machinery and tools for the heck of it from trash was high art.

It's moreso I lack the time.
I have a ton of random interests and though I usually sleep less than most seem to which adds to my day, working an average six nights a week pretty much kills that extra time especially with occasional double shifts.

That and they pay me enough that I could grab a decent PC every week if I wanted which appeals very much to my lazy side.

1gn1t0r
06-27-2010, 07:15 PM
My parents gave me some junk pc when I was six. It had Windows 3.1 on it

losecontrol
08-21-2010, 12:49 AM
Got it from futureshop : )

Miss Moonlight
08-21-2010, 01:11 AM
Old Dell Desktop (2002, XP home): inherited by family members who were going to "throw it away" because it was running poorly and they were too ignorant of how to fix it instead.

New Gateway Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium): given to me as birthday present by the generous sano.

*Tsuki*
08-21-2010, 02:36 AM
My parents bought it at Sam's Club last summer for my birthday. ;D

Nanobyte
08-21-2010, 03:09 AM
I got it 60 minutes ago from Office Center. xD

It's a HP Compaq Presario CQ62.

SigmaSD
08-21-2010, 02:31 PM
It was given to me as a birthday present 3 years ago around January. It was actually supposed to be only for college use. :p I kept it in my closer for a whole year and decided to finally use it 2 months prior to joining AF.

Yeah.

Finale
08-21-2010, 03:19 PM
I got this one from my bro when he got a better one. I ruined my last one D=

~*Red*~
08-24-2010, 12:38 AM
I brought it from a laptop shop and paid $2,577.00 for it.

Mrmojorisin74
09-17-2010, 12:37 PM
Bought my HP from a friend of mine for $300. I did some mods afterwards, adding more memory and a large hard drive and I put a graphics card in it so I could play some of the newer games on it.

Srk
09-17-2010, 10:37 PM
I get all my computers and parts for free. My laptops, which are currently under reconstruction, I got from my school. My desktop, which is also under reconstruction, is a collection of all the best parts I could rummage out of the old computers people had given me, or I had found on the streets. They worked perfectly, until my IBM laptops' motherboards fried, my desktop got a virus, and my Gateway laptop (the one I always use) crashed for good tonight. But they can be fixed, and are.

Saxima
09-18-2010, 12:17 PM
We bought ours from Wally-world!!! But we kept the monitor from our other one.

Aulos
09-18-2010, 08:18 PM
My parents bought it for me for combined Christmas/Birthday last year.

I got major spoiled, I can't even try to deny it. I wanted a low to mid computer (which would be well over enough for me) and I ended up with a really nice one because my parents just kind of went and bought one without me even knowing it.

For example, I wasn't even asking for a monitor, and I ended up with a 23 inch one!

Ecto11
09-19-2010, 09:19 PM
Mine's a laptop, and if I remember correctly I got it in 2006 for Christmas.

CapnJack
09-19-2010, 10:19 PM
Having a decent tax return, I got a new laptop to replace the slower desktop I was using. I got it through Dell Small Business so I got a real good deal for it.

Bradi-Kun
09-20-2010, 12:26 AM
Birthday present 2 years ago. Man was I happy to get it

TomoyoSakagami
09-26-2010, 05:36 PM
First one I bought, second one was from a friend and the third one...I'm not going to say <:

blueangel06661
09-26-2010, 06:14 PM
I bought my laptop from Walmart like 5 years ago.. Surprisingly it's held up pretty well.

SlickStretch
10-04-2010, 12:53 AM
My primary computer is a HP dv7 Lappy. I got it last year from tigerdirect.com refurbished for $550 (+$50 shipping). I love it, but my charger crapped out yesterday.

My secondary is a desky named Frankie (Short for Frankenputer.) I put together using parts from a bunch of broken computers. The computer I got the RAM sticks from had been used for target practice with a shotgun, and the first hard drive I used was from an X-Box. That hard drive was only 8gb, so I swapped it out with a 50gb drive pulled out of a computer my neighbor was taking to the scrap yard.

Syndicate
08-05-2012, 07:46 PM
Belive it or not i bought mine at a pawn shop.
stripped all the componets and put 600$ into re-building it.

Kaleohano
08-05-2012, 07:48 PM
Bought mine at an Apple store. Not the easiest swipe of the Debit card.

threewolves
08-05-2012, 08:15 PM
I normally built mine, but between my discount from work on Dell, and just wasn't feeling like dealing with it, bought mine from Dell.

jessicalennita
08-29-2012, 02:02 AM
Well interesting. I bought it from the computer store long back and it was working good. But after passing certain time, i feel like to throw it away now. I have got another laptop and it is pretty good compared to the previous PC.

The Ace RailGun
08-29-2012, 08:41 AM
I got my first one at the Apple store, Second one at the apple store and third one from school who bought at the apple store :) as you can probably guess I am a Mac not a PC I despise PC's (PC's Ruined my junior prom plus I just hate them) oh yeah and I Plan to get my fourth one at the apple store in the form of a Mac Mini.

Dorian Gray
08-29-2012, 01:08 PM
I bought my Sony VAIO laptop at Best Buy last year.

Sadrith
08-29-2012, 01:32 PM
I got my computer for Christmas.

Velvet_Nightmare
08-29-2012, 01:58 PM
My university had a contract with Dell. When I entered as a freshman we were required to buy a laptop through them, and the charge would be added to our student account.

This laptop was $1,300 USD or so back in 2008, I'm waiting for it to die any day now.

animeyay
08-29-2012, 11:09 PM
I finally replaced my 7-year-old Toshiba laptop with a new lenovo (purchased online).
This also means I at last made the transition from Windows XP to Windows 7 :)

Princess Cupcake
09-04-2012, 02:03 AM
My boyfriend bought me both my laptop and my netbook. They were inexpensive, yet have served their purpose quite well so far besides a few minor issues which I do not mind too much.

Zainox
09-04-2012, 03:12 AM
I stole it.... :3
Not really, I bought it.. Not much of a story behind it.. :P

FatalEnd21
09-15-2012, 09:17 PM
I got my PC from Walmart..It's alright actually. I plan on building my own desktop PC very soon though. =D

Assiduous✡Aristocrat
09-16-2012, 03:39 AM
Bought it for 110$ off Craigslist.
Slowly upgrading it. Now worth twice as much.

KyouFalls
09-16-2012, 03:57 AM
Built my first one after like 3 days of trying to figure it out. That one died out on me, The second one i bought is a laptop.

ARKphoenix
09-18-2012, 01:06 PM
Custom Built. Not by me I know nothing about the insides of a computer but I went to CyberPower chose what I wanted and they put it together.

Cost £1300 but worth it.

RyuTama
09-18-2012, 01:35 PM
It was the first thing I bought during my first semester of school. It was $700 from HP online (shipped from Shanghai, apparently. o_0). Most expensive thing I've ever bought, and totally worth it. I couldn't stand the school computers. Couldn't even listen to music without dealing with flash blocker, complete waste of time. >_> Even then they'd keep track of your history and kick you out if you had a tab or two open that weren't school related. It was ridiculous. Now the library is being remodeled, so the only computer lab on East campus is a small room, which is even more closely monitored. So I'm glad I got my laptop when I did.

Zuu
10-05-2012, 02:20 PM
I believe, left-over university money. Decided I needed a new laptop, my old one still works perfectly fine. As temperamental as it was when I bought it back in 2007. Though now I wish I bought a Macbook Pro instead of an Air, the Air is nice. First world problems.

Bubblegum Pop
10-06-2012, 01:55 PM
Got my new laptop at Aarons last month. It's a Toshiba Satellite L755, I just can't wait till I fully pay it off because I love this thing... Just needs a little more RAM and i'll be good.

AkanoYoru
10-07-2012, 09:20 PM
I got my computer for about $700 when new, now Dell doesn't even sell it anymore... that was nearly 3 years ago.
For some reason the motherboard won't recognize the cooling fan, so I had to hotwire it to a USB port. Now there's a mysterious cable snaking out from under my keyboard, and the temperature gets up to 58C at most, which is good as without the fan it heated up to 108C and turned itself off.
I need to get a new computer, but my finances are looking grim for that... or anything, in fact.

T-Stew
10-16-2012, 09:51 PM
I just built this one last week from parts from my local Micro Center. They had some great sale prices and my 6yr old laptop was getting nearly unusable. My last desktop build was even older... I had to figure out what all this new stuff was lol. Heck I still was using the very first 17" CRT I bought back in the late 90's. But it actually all went together pretty smooth and I'm really enjoying the new build!

Animedialand
10-17-2012, 02:33 AM
My first computer it was given to me by my father
My second computer (laptop) I bought it with my own money and I got it from a local store

Souhi
10-17-2012, 04:54 PM
Built my baby about 2 years ago and I just continuously upgrade every now and then, passing down parts to friends and family. Right now my specs are:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHz
Mobo: Asus SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0 ATX AM3+
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB
Storage: Hitachi 7200 RPM HD, Samsung 830 Series 256gb SSD
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB x2 SLI
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze
Case: Corsair 600T Black
Cooler: Noctua NH-L12
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DG

And I run 2 23" Acer monitors. May get a third when I upgrade to a 7970 this Christmas and try out Eyefinity (I want to pass my 560s down to some buddies for their builds). I also want to start planning a custom water cooling loop for fun (and the hobbyist in me) but man is it expensive.

I also may switch to an Intel board and CPU when Haswell comes out next year. AMD's offerings have been lukewarm lately.

Shin Natsume
10-17-2012, 06:15 PM
Built mine myself from bottom up.

Xeyuzio
10-17-2012, 07:37 PM
Christmas present.

Jasanime
10-18-2012, 01:45 AM
I bought it from my work - JB HI-FI!

optimusprimergrey
10-18-2012, 08:19 AM
built from scratch from various parts from various websites and stores.

Tsumiru
10-18-2012, 10:16 AM
It was my godmother's

Akiro
10-18-2012, 10:23 AM
Bought it at Best Buy.

threewolves
10-18-2012, 11:22 AM
I used to build my own, but the deals that folks used to get by building their own now adays really just isnt the same. Plus with my discount from work, my current PC is a Dell and works great with all the games I play. Was pretty much cheaper than if I would of tried to build the same thing, and I didnt have to spend a lot of time doing it. :) Plus if things break, as long as under the warranty, they fix it.

optimusprimergrey
10-18-2012, 07:01 PM
I used to build my own, but the deals that folks used to get by building their own now adays really just isnt the same. Plus with my discount from work, my current PC is a Dell and works great with all the games I play. Was pretty much cheaper than if I would of tried to build the same thing, and I didnt have to spend a lot of time doing it. :) Plus if things break, as long as under the warranty, they fix it.

You must be getting a 50% discount or more then. Becuase i can build a pc for around half the price of any dell that is entirely comparable unless its their super low end which include a 17"+ monitor in which case its just about obsolete but is still a decent deal for a monitor case power source and optical drives i mean i have seen 300 dollar systems that i would consider buying just for the nice case power source and monitor only to ditch the mother board ram and cpu. But yeah im getting away from my point buying a dell that is comparable to somethig you can build from parts for a similar price seems like crazy talk to me no offense.

T-Stew
10-18-2012, 09:35 PM
I used to build my own, but the deals that folks used to get by building their own now adays really just isnt the same. Plus with my discount from work, my current PC is a Dell and works great with all the games I play. Was pretty much cheaper than if I would of tried to build the same thing, and I didnt have to spend a lot of time doing it. :) Plus if things break, as long as under the warranty, they fix it.


You must be getting a 50% discount or more then. Becuase i can build a pc for around half the price of any dell that is entirely comparable...

I'd have to go with Optimus on this one. Nothing wrong with buying a Dell, I have once myself and thats all we have at work too (and we get a discount too but ours is worthless, have to sign up for some kind of in home extended warranty bs to get just a slight discount). I purchased a 27" IPS LED and the difference in price with the Dell 27" nearly paid for the rest of my computer. Plus I hate all the crap they come preloaded with, and Windoze. And I just like picking out components that I've researched and read the reviews on reliability and performance. As for the warranty, well that depends on what we are talking about. Most parts have warranties too.

threewolves
10-18-2012, 11:32 PM
If I remember right when I was pricing my stuff off of NewEgg, and compared to a about the same on Dell, the Dell was I think $100 more. So for me, it was less hassle to just order the Dell, and if I remember right, I ordered it that Tuesday and had it on Saturday, and was up and running TOR later that afternoon.

Now will admit, I wasnt looking for the best deals, when I was pricing parts, just was doing a quick comparison, and thats what i came up with, ymmv. :)

T-Stew
10-20-2012, 11:41 AM
If I remember right when I was pricing my stuff off of NewEgg, and compared to a about the same on Dell, the Dell was I think $100 more. So for me, it was less hassle to just order the Dell, and if I remember right, I ordered it that Tuesday and had it on Saturday, and was up and running TOR later that afternoon.

Now will admit, I wasnt looking for the best deals, when I was pricing parts, just was doing a quick comparison, and thats what i came up with, ymmv. :)

Yep it just depends on what your looking for. If your not looking for something specific, and time is money, there are some great deals out there on computers. I will say though that my build from parts from my local micro center beat new eggs prices by a lot. Heck amazon is beating newegg in a lot of things. My build was around $150 cheaper than newegg on the computer parts and $300 cheaper on the monitor. Neweggs cheapest 27" IPS LED with 2560x1440 is like $700. Micro center = $399. Dell ultrasharp 27" IPS = $1,000. And I dont know if its true but I've read the actual panel for the Dell Ultrasharp and my Auria 27" are the same. But like I said before what I saved on the monitor alone compared to Dell pretty much paid the rest of my build (my build was about $700 for the machine). And from when I ordered to when I had the machine up and running was within a day! :D But not everyone has a micro center around them...

Shin Natsume
10-22-2012, 06:06 PM
Was pretty much cheaper than if I would of tried to build the same thing, and I didnt have to spend a lot of time doing it. :) Plus if things break, as long as under the warranty, they fix it.
1) That's hogwash
2) I was hassled when it came time to use a "warranty"...

hanaYome
10-22-2012, 06:51 PM
Present! Lucky me :s,

threewolves
10-23-2012, 12:44 PM
1) That's hogwash
2) I was hassled when it came time to use a "warranty"...

Lol believe it or not, have already explained, that building same system thru NewEgg, would of been $100 cheaper, that was it. Like some others said though, going thru other places would of made it cheaper than NewEgg.

Blackwaltz
11-01-2012, 07:55 PM
Built my baby with my own two hands. Was so coool! Thank you PC Mag! It's great.