Last night I sat down to spec out a new computer. Not that I really need one but I wanted to know what I could get for lets say under $400.

I went to HP and Dell and looked at their entry level machines and added at least 1GB of ram with an AMD processor because the Celeron ones are junk.

Then I went to pricewatch and configured a system from various vendors to my liking. Which is how I bought my last system which is great by the way.

The verdict?

The various vendors beat the big guys on every angle. They are using better cases, video cards, motherboards, RAM, etc and they still can beat the prices of the big dogs.

Why?

Cause they only give you what you need. I don’t want Windows installed. I already have a copy or two that I don’t use and I would load Linux, namely Ubuntu, on it anyway. I also don’t want a CRT monitor or some cheap printer. I don’t need a keyboard or mouse or any “productivity suite” that I will format on delivery day anyway.

Why don’t these guys figure this out? I understand that they are appealing to the home users that don’t know shit about a computer but lets offer the ability to buy without an OS and other bundled crap. Even prompt me if I forget and the website mistakes me for Aunt Mable. Just give me a choice.