December 25th, 2010 | 
Author: Hey everyone… I’d reeeeally like some advice. I’m looking to buy a new computer capable of gaming & running Windows Vista… so I need it to be pretty high performance. Of course, I’d like to stay on a budget as much as possible… so searching around I found a computer with the option to make payments in installments. It seems to have pretty much everything I need, all I’ll need to add are video and sound cards.
My main question is just what the subject line says… how important is the manufacturer of the computer? This one is made by a company called Mirus who I can’t seem to find much information on. A few sites have suggested that users “stay away” from Mirus, but I’m not sure if that’s only because of customer support issues, or if it has something to do with the computer actually breaking down or something drastic like that.
So, if the computer has all the right hardware in it, does it really matter who put it together?
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The question isn’t “who puts it together” but “what parts go into it”? And the bottom line here is it depends on you. You might lean more towards a cheap unsupported computer if: You’re good with computers and don’t need much customer support; you don’t mind troubleshooting hardware and software problems on your own (another computer in the house can be extremely helpful here); and if you don’t plan on doing anything unusual with your software and hardware (installing old programs, hacking your hardware…). Or you have tech-savvy friends who, unlike me, will smile and freely offer to help you solve your problems for the next 7 hours.
With computer hardware as well as in life in general, you often get what you pay for. This isn’t to say that you’ll certainly have a problem with cheap laptops; but if you do you may end up pulling out your hair attempting to fix it. Of course many people with top of the line stuff also go bald attempting to repair computer probelsm too.
Part of the issue here is that cheap computers with all the “right” hardware are able to offer you good prices because of cheaply made hardware. You might be attracted to that 12x dual-layer DVD burner 48xwhatever, but there’s a difference among hardware pieces. Sometimes one manufacturer will make quality name brand gear in one factory and junk in another, and one way to tell them apart is often price. Another way is when the piece of junk falls apart after 6 months, or doesn’t seem to work with software or hardware that no one else has problems with.
If you’re not a computer guru then customer support is very important. Even I have to resort to it occasionally and I’ve built and troubleshooted (shot?) computers. Recently I had to call Netgear and I had trouble understanding the reps accent and all he did was ask me to repeat my story a few times (I’m sure he was a very nice and hardworking person however).
Again the question isn’t who put it together but what parts (and I mean nitty-gritty parts, the motherboard (maker and model!), the memory, the DVD drive etc) are in it.
You’re absolutely right to be checking on line reviews. As with all info online (self-referencing here), take it with a grain of salt. However, consistently junky references about a manufacturer or computer can save your from a lot of future frustration.
yes it does, because they could have used defective products so save money on purpose and then the bad customer support will get you nowhere -
i suggest build it yourself – just buy the pieces and an Anti Static wrist strap (or an entire kit) – you attach the alligator clip to the case frame to ground yourself because ESD (static discharge) can destroy the pieces you handle and are not eligible for RMAing if they are ruined
cheers
Hi,
that is a very hard question to answer, because whether you buy a computer from a top name company or a no name company there is no guarentee that you won’t have problems with it.
First you have to understand how computer parts are created, for the most pieces in a computer there are only one or two companies that manufacture the individual parts. think of it like fruits or vegitables, a load is harvested and then controlled for quality. the highest quality parts are sold for a higher price which are usually bought from top level companies that have a reputation to loose, but even these parts can fail. the parts that didn’t quite make it in the quality check are sold for less and are bought by companies that are just trying to create a product for the least possible price, thus lowering the end price that the consumer must pay for it.
Now just because those parts didnt meet the quality check doesn’t mean that they are doomed to fail after 10 hours of operation, to fail a quality check it is enough if something has a soder point that just isn’t as clean as should be… which has very little effect on the work load. On the other hand there can also be parts that failed the quality check and the type of quality failure can very well cause it to malfunction or function at a lesser degree in a short period of time.
So like I said, it is a risk either way. one other thing to thing about is the support, usually if you buy from a top level company you also have a good support. And if you have the option I would recommend buying an extended support. Normally support is for 2 years (1 year max. for Laptop batteries) and the chances of something happening in the first 2 years is very small, however after that 2 year time that is when most of the problems can start. Normally you can add a year or two support for very little extra money.
In the end all I can tell you is to research it as good as you can. if you feel adventurous, go for it… if you want to play on the safe side and are willing to pay more for it then the answer is clear.
as uninformitive as that all was, i hope i could help you.
the manufacter (really the assembler) is important, if something happens to the system, you need them to fix it. With Mirus there is no support, it’s probably ONE guy pretending to be a company. no phone, no address. Usually a local computer store is the best. And MS Vista is WORSE for games than Win XP. Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s better. Goto http://www.tomshardware.com for reviews on Vista, parts, benchmarks, and even guides of building/getting a computer. And remember, even if a company (like dell, compaq, hp, etc) support it at your house, it’s really the local computer store coming to the house to fix it, NOT dell, compaq, hp, etc) – The repair is contracted to local computer stores, Dell and others do not actually do repairs. At the worse, you have to ship the computer to them, at your cost, and wait…and wait…and wait. With a local computer store, it is fully custom, serviced there, and no shipping required.