Should I buy a name-brand computer or a generic one?
I'm shopping for a computer and the name brands like Dell and HP cost more than the no-name ones at the local computer shop. Is there a real quality difference? Is the brand worth paying extra for? What about the warranty and support? Would a generic computer be a mistake or a smart way to save money?
Sign in to message the asker.
5 Answers
I'd post this on the Tom's Hardware or AnandTech forums with your full system specs — CPU, RAM, motherboard, the works. People can't really help without knowing what you've got. The more detail you give, the better the answers.
I'd recommend trying the free solution first before spending money. Nine times out of ten, the free option works just as well as the paid one. Only upgrade to paid software if the free version doesn't meet your needs.
I always tell people: buy a UPS battery backup. A $40 one will protect your PC from power surges and brownouts that slowly kill your hardware. Lost a motherboard to a thunderstorm once. Never again.
Definitely back up your important files before trying any fixes. I learned this the hard way when I lost 3 years of photos trying to fix a simple problem. Get an external hard drive or burn DVDs of your important stuff first.
Before you do anything drastic, try booting into Safe Mode (tap F8 when the computer starts up). If the problem goes away in Safe Mode it's a software or driver issue, not hardware. That one trick narrows down half of all PC problems.
Sign in to post an answer.