I'm looking to buy a new computer. What's the best place to find a bargain?

[JVS]

And before you say "build it yourself", I'm not able to go that route due to lack of skill.

[HopeHoops]

1. First, what are the primary and secondary uses for this computer?

That makes a world of difference in what a "bargain" means.

[Turbineguy]

2. I've always found

TigerDirect has good prices and a great selection. Last week though, I bought an Acer Netbook at Staples for $50 less than Costco.

[Cronkite]

13. I buy a lot from Tiger.

They have great prices and their returns are "pain free".

I am a big "DIY" guy and when I am looking for parts Tiger is always one of the vendors I check.

I was sort of "depressed" when CompUSA closed down. While they didn't have the selection Tiger does it was nice to be able to pick up a replacement part the same day if needed.

[Kali]

3. another vote for Tiger Direct

I got a used corporate laptop last summer for under $300 - seems to be a pretty nice machine. Search the computer forum on DU2 for my posts about it.

[Turbineguy]

4. Forgot to mention that

I've gotten several re-furbs from them. With pretty good results. On a laptop I did have to replace the hard drive after 2 years.

[Initech]

5. I'm personally a fan of the DIY route.

Even if you don't know how to build your own system chances are good that you know someone who does - and they would jump at the chance. It's really not that hard - once you get the motherboard hooked in, everything else hooks into place. Then you boot up, install your operating system of choice and you're good to go. Once you go the DIY route and see how easy it really is - you'll never go back to owning a big box system.

[struggle4progress]

10. +

I had cold sweaty nightmares the first time I built one -- and then I built half a dozen more in the next few months, without blinking

[Initech]

11. Yeah the hardest part for me is hooking the case to the motherboard.

And then you get the occasional heat sink that's a pain in the ass to install but I've never really had any problems after that. But once you get the case hooked up to the motherboard - everything else installs easily. I upgraded my GPU a month ago I'm actually planning on upgrading to Z77 within a month or two (running AM3 now).

[Metatron]

6. I recommend the website SlickDeals

I have found really good deals for a variety of products from this site. Users rate the deals and comment on them so you get some decent research, too. Here is the link for the computer section: http://slickdeals.net/deals/computers/

People are pretty cool there, too, so you can always post questions and get some good feedback.

I have also had decent experiences in the past buying refurbs for work from Tiger Direct. New Egg and Fry's are other options.

[hobbit709]

7. If you were here in Austin, I got several rebuilt ones for sale cheap.

[struggle4progress]

8. Before you rule out building it yourself, do some research:

it's not the gigantic brain-suck it used to be; and if you really know what you want, you can build something that gives you that without a lot of stuff you don't need

What exactly will you use the computer for? THAT is a question you need to ask before shopping, whether you are shopping for parts or shopping for a complete system

[Generic Brad]

9. I know a guy

That's all the detail I'm going to give.

[OriginalGeek]

12. I buy all my parts from Newegg if

I don't need it right now. They also have already built systems - still better than buying an HP or Dell spam support system.