Which brand of pc is best i am thinking of getting a new one

Imho, Dell delivers great Desktop systems. We've been using them on our uni for a couple of years now and the drop-out rate is very, very low. Pricing is very good on Dells, but I would personally always buy a custom home-made pc. Problem is you're not going the get next-business day service with them :)

edit; grmbl typos

I don't like branded PC :not_ok:

The only reason, IMHO, is the tecnical assistance they offer, but if you will use the PC only at home and you don't have to keep important/secret files on it, i think that you have to buy an assembled PC, which will have only what you need at a reasonable price!

It depend on your situation...

All of our laptops are Hewlet Packard. The tower we use is custom made.
I use Dell at school, really like it!!

Home Made ™

Seriously, it's the cheapest, and fastest way to make a pc...
Even if you don't know how to build one companies(at least here) build it for you from parts purchased there...

For branded PC's I'd have to say Dell does a very good job with their systems, the packages they offer are pretty good and if you want you can always build it online if you don't like the stuff they have in their flyers.

I'd never buy a branded desktop PC - too much proprietary crap (sometimes) and getting them to install the exact hardware you want will eventually make it more constly then assembling parts.

When it comes to laptops - I'm with IBM. They are known to be stable, reliable, and their comfort factor is second to none. A bit pricey, though.

I would say Dell, as 99% of computers in at work are dells and they work well, even in bad dusty enviroment.

I put my main computer my self, and will still probably do it my self, when I need upgrade. Or I might get Dell Dimension and then get additional things for it.

HOMEMADE PEECEE!
then you get exactly what you want!
and you have more warranties, too..
also you do save quite a bit, about ?100 for my most recent pc.

eh im sure i posted on this thread

Yeah, shouldn't that be "HP" not "Compaq"??

DIY (i.e. "homemade") PCs will ALWAYS be best for games :)

If I had to pick a brand: ANYTHING but DELL!!
(ok, so I worked for a reseller for years now, Dell was always the competition so I have deep-seated anti-feelings for Dell. *sigh* now I've got that off my chest...)

I'd go for best price-quality of the specific comps, not of the brand in general. When it comes down to specific hardware parts, it's a bit different, as each company has its big advantages and disadvantages that have to be concidered in assembling one, basing the choice on budget and priorities. Best thing I can suggest for getting a new comp, is getting all parts yourself and assemble them (or let somebody you know and that can do a proper job at it assemble it)

definatly home made, its gotta be, is a lot more fun than jus buying one, cheaper, and u dont void the warranty by opining up the case to add a new card :ok: which sux, my wife bought a dell and if she wants to change the graphix she gotta send it in otherwise she loses warranty, definatly a biter that.

Never buy HP PCs, they use only specific components so you can't upgrade them at home.

You're best off building your own if you have some idea about PCs, though buying a copy of windows is expensive (although you could use Linux instead...) but if you want a gaming PC Alienware are pretty good (but not cheap).

That was what I used to think but after looking at the most big sites (Dell, IBM etc) I found out that Alienware has the best prices for the configurations they have. You can't find a 400 GBP laptop from them but for the high range they not only have the best hardware but also the best price. (that is for laptops that I had a look last week).

Homemade is best, you can choose exactly the parts you want. If you've never built one before you there is plenty of information on how to start on the net. For example - http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_To_Build_A_Computer

Parts also come with manuals for parts, so once you know the vocab (or just where plug A goes) you should be fine! Too bad I cant build a PC for my ICT lessons.. we're back in ancient pixelart.