Is there a way to buy a computer tower w/o a monitor? (1 Viewer)

[Jacob_St]

I've looked at both Gateway and Dell and they always tack on a monitor to their base computer package. (Maybe I'm not looking right) I already have a good monitor and don't need another one. All I need is a new computer tower. I guess I could just stash the monitor in the attic but that seems like a waste of product.

 

[Darrel McBane]

Your right, you didn't look enough. All computer companies like Dell or Gateway sell without monitors. You do need to check around some though. Check out "configure your own" area on their site. For what either of these companies charge you can save a lot of money by building your own computer or having a local build you one. I haven't bought from a big company for over four years now and if I want one or someone I know needs one I can put one together in about 4 hours and build it for at least 40% less than the big boys. But it's your call. Good luck.
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[Edited last by Darrel McBane on August 19, 2001 at 11:42 AM]

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Darrel is right- most of the basic setups are actually WITHOUT a monitor (that way the price looks a bit more attractive).
Any one of thos would be happy to sell you a system without a monitor. Heck, if you wanted to- you could build your own system and save 50% on top of having your own monitor!
Vince
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http://www.musicianassist.com
AIM: VinceMaskeeper
Interested in moving into FRONT PROJECTION with huge 6-10 foot widescreen? Buy my whole HDTV-ready CRT based front projection system delivered, cheap! Click here

 

[Jacob_St]

Thanks for the advice. Is building your own computer complicated? How would I go about finding all the parts and puting it together? I'd be interested in building my own but I have no idea how to go about it.

 

[SteveBjr]

Need:
Motherboard
CPU
RAM
Video Card
Sound Card (if it's not integrated on mobo)
Hard Drive
CD/DVD Rom
Ethernet Card/Modem
Tower
Power Supply (if it isn't included with Tower)
Operating System
Speakers
You'll save alot of cash if you build it yourself but if you are not very experienced i wouldn't recommend it. It can be a little confusing if you don't know what you're doing.
Most of the stuff listed above can probably be recycled from an older computer and used. You can upgrade those parts as you get more money.
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Steve,
DVD Collection

 

[Jacob_St]

I guess I better not build my own then. It's a catch-22 for me. I'd like to do it myself, but if I screw up I might fry the motherboard or something. Would it be possible to get a computer builder to put in the mother board and then I could put in the fan, CD-rom, floppy drive, etc?
Sorry for all these questions. I hate it when people ask tons of questions.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Jacob,
Not to push you into it or anyhting- but the possibility of frying your board is remote at very best.
This is really not like you have to do any wire connections or soldering ...
It really is like putting together a home theater system- different components go together with cables, or plug into slots. Every single mobo manual I've seen has been written with the first time DIY'er in mind. It is really just as easy as it sounds:
Processors load pretty much like old Atari cartridges.
Any cooling fan for processors come with detail instructions on how to mount to the processor.
All drives connect with cables, and the cables are polarized so you cannot plug them in incorrectly. The drives are very easy to set (they ahve a little tab to tell it if it's the master or slave).
Memory is simple, once again it is gendered so you cannot put it in wrong.
The manuals are usually very well explained- again nothing to really wire or build, just plug things in and you're ready to go.
Loading an OS is actually the hardest part.
-Vince
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http://www.musicianassist.com
AIM: VinceMaskeeper
Interested in moving into FRONT PROJECTION with huge 6-10 foot widescreen? Buy my whole HDTV-ready CRT based front projection system delivered, cheap! Click here

 

[SteveBjr]

Yeah i wouldn't worry about frying anything. I do wanna note one thing, be careful when putting the Heatsink/fan on the processor. Many people have chipped a processor doing this. It's a pretty tight fit so be careful. The hardware isn't the hard part. Like Vince said loading the OS is probably the hardest part.
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Steve,
DVD Collection

 

[SteveMc]

If you want to learn how to put your own system together, go over to www.arstechnica.com and browse their forums for a while. IMO, the best computer forum out there.
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Crash
"I don't even own a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack."
Help us get the Friday the 13th films-UNCUT. Click Here or here

 

[Jacob_St]

Thanks for posting the link SteveMc. I'm surfing over there right after I post this message. Even if I don't build my own PC I've decided to stay away from Dell. Their shipping for just the tower is 99 bucks. When you add sales tax to that there isn't much of a savings advantage buying from them. I guess I'll go over to arstechnica and see what I can find out.