I respectfully disagree with your comments about Dell. I have had a few Dell computers go bad and had to be returned for one reason or another. They pump out so many that their quality control is pretty poor in my opinion. Also, Michael Dell didn't get rich by sell top of the line computers. He sells junk at high prices. Plus 9 times out of 10 you can't upgrade a Dell because there isn't enough power or there aren't enough pci slots, etc. On the other hand, some of those custom build places are also charging way too much. I do agree that you can use newegg to get some great upgrades at a low cost. To the original poster (or anyone else having issues), I am pretty good at troubleshooting so if you care to PM me, I'd be happy to help.
I respectfully disagree with your comments about Dell. I am typing this on a 7 year old Dell computer. I have 1 laptop that is 5 years old, a 1 year old laptop and a 3 month old desktop. I have had issues with support in regards to the laptop and the English language, but it was resolved. I have dealt with many companies and their offshore tech support. Dell is no different in that respect, except I was able to ge them to transfer me to America and my problem was fixed. Others I haven't gottten anywhere and have had the same problen and was stuck resolving it myself. Dell has overall been good to me. Yes, they have pissed me off when I have an issuse, but they have been one of a few I have been able to contact to get issues resolved.
Dell's cheap-o desktop machines (Vostro, Inspiron.. and even most Optiplex models in my view) are about like everybodys cheap ones.... $20 mobo with onboard video... and technical support from Asia. If you want quality from Dell get one from their Precision Line (from Outlet if you want to save some money)... support is in America and is excellent.
I always build my own, if not you can always ask someone on the forums for a part list than get it built at a local shop. as long as you choose quality parts there's no reason it would be less reliable than a big name brand, typically much higher quality than big brands. Things to consider -always buy a high quality power supply -always buy a good heatsink -never ever overclock a mission critical machine for trading, this is not a gaming machine. Generally just don't cheap out on the rig, 1500-2000 shouldn't even be considered an issue for a full time trader, this is the means for you to make a living and manage tens, if not hundreds of thousands of real capital. newegg/amazon is a good place to buy parts. -corsair/seasonic are very good powersupply brands, both are made by seasonic. -buy a prime oem motherboard asus/gigabyte/intel etc. buy the version without alot of overclocking/gaming gimmicks, you don't need them. -intel i7 2600/2700k quad core processors, not extremely pricey and performs very well -16gb ram is pretty standard, ram is cheap. 100 bucks for 16gb. -get a reliable ssd, not that sandforce crap. crucial M4 128gb costs about 200 bucks. the new samsungs are also good. - get a reliable keyboard, not gimmicky plastic crap that breaks and gets stuck often, a stuck key may translate to a huge unforgiving loss! buy your self a quality mechanical keyboard http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=leopold,fullsize&pid=fc500rtab -get videocards designed for 2d apps if budget allows. AMD FirePro 2460 supports 4 monitors for about 250 bucks. runs silent without fans and generate very little heat. nvidia quadro NVS series cost a bit more but software is better. low end gaming cards are cheaper but drivers are often more unreliable. generate more heat. dust is a major issue in computers, low heat/fanless = more reliable.
I will tell you about the silent computer scam. Once i bought a silent computer for three times price. After a year it started crashing I tested all Turns out harddisk constantly at 55 Celsius Recommended is 45 or lower Celsius And fan was at half speed So i put fan at top speed Temperature is now 40 celcius The computer is no longer silent. What a scam!
Well to each his own, Dell seems like it has some decent support, but for the price you pay to get a Dell with support, it seems like you could build your own or get a good custom computer for much less. The custom built computer stores may not have the best support but the ones with a good reputation will provide a good product. In the end, if you have the know how to build your own, I think that is the way to go. There is a ton of videos and information on the web to be able to do it yourself. I'd be willing to help anyone that is planning on building their own.
For years I have keep my computer in a closet and simply got extension cables for monitors, keyboard, mouse. Silence is golden.
If you want quiet, there are vids of guys who remove all fans from the pc (including the PSU) and submerge the mobo/GPU card/PSU in vegetable oil. Makes for a totally silent pc, but kind of kills the resale/parts value.
I bought an F22 from these guys in 2009. Motherboard crashed in 2011 and I had an absolute nightmare getting it sorted . Won't go into the long boring story but it took about 3 weeks to get the replacement and it cost me about £600. Now it appears my hard drive is on its way out - have contacted them for a replacement asking for prices and availability - and have received no reply to my email. Be very careful of this lot - expensive, unstable machines and worst of all - very bad support service. They are about as bad as they come.