Computers, monitors, media, & other toys.

Where can I buy lots of different kinds of hardware?

• Buy.com ~ Generally, Buy.com has great prices. However, watch the shipping costs - they can be quite high. Also, Buy.com isn't always the most user-friendly place to shop - we like to think of it as the Sam's Club of the Internet. It's there, but you've got to find it on your own.
• Outpost.com ~ We really like Outpost. It's got good prices and until recently, they did not charge for overnight shipping. Now, though, shipping costs are only waived for orders of $100 or more.
• Mwave.com ~ We've only used Mwave a few times, but we've always been impressed with their reasonable prices & prompt service. We plan to use them more in the future.
• NewEgg ~ We've never used NewEgg, but many people have said they have excellent prices and great customer service.

Where can I compare hardware prices?

• CNET Computers.com or CNET Shopper ~ If it's computer-related, then this site covers it. Reviews, specs, & price comparisons against other hardware of the same type as well as against vendors who sell the particular item. Very, very useful, and always worth a look.
• PriceSCAN ~ This site allows you to compare prices on a huge variety of items. Sure, you've got computer hardware, but you've also got books, movies, video games, & more. One of its neatest features is the price trend graph, which shows you the direction over time that prices on the item you're interested in have been moving.
• PriceGrabber ~ Another site that compares prices on a wide variety of items, not just computers. This one has some nice extra features, though - it calculates shipping for you based on your Zip code, it shows whether the item is in stock or not, & it also provides merchant rankings from Gomez Merchant Ratings. Very nice.
• Price Watch ~ This service enables retailers to advertise their prices in real time on the Price Watch site. A lot of the major vendors don't use the service, but you can find some great deals here.
• TechShopper ~ Another price comparison site. This one allows you to check prices at a variety of merchants like the others, but it also allows you to participate in auctions for the products you're looking for using the Fairmarket auction network.

Where can I buy computers?

• ASI Computers ~ We've been buying custom-built computers & other items from this St. Louis-based company for years, and we've been very happy with them. They build the computer to your specifications, and their service after the sale has always been exceptional. If you're in the area, they come highly recommended.
• Dell Refurbished ~ Dell makes great computers. They might cost a little more, but they are of exceptional quality. If you don't want to pay as much, give the Dell refurbished store a look. You never know what you'll find there, but it's just as good as the brand new stuff, and the prices are very, very good.
• eMachines ~ We've helped out people who couldn't really afford very much computer, so we tried out eMachines. So far, we've been pleasantly surprised. These are not, by any means, the most powerful computers out there, but they do the job, and they sure are inexpensive!

What kinds of CD-R discs should I buy?

• Imation discs from Outpost.com ~ Imation CDR 12x 700MB 80 Minute Media 20 pack w/ Slimline Jewel Cases. We like the slimline cases a lot - they're about half the thickness of normal jewel cases. A pack of 20 CD-R discs is $14.95; add $8.95 for 2nd day shipping for a total of $23.90. Of course, we usually buy 2 20-packs, which makes the price more reasonable. It used to be a lot better price before Outpost decided to start charging for shipping ...
• Imation discs from Buy.com ~ CDR Recorder Media 700MB 80min 12x Retail 20pk w/ Slimline Cases. Same as above, but the price is $13.95; plus $6.36 for standard shipping (3-10 business days) and you get a total of $20.31, which beats Outpost.

Where can I buy RAM?

• The Chip Merchant ~ We've been buying RAM from The Chip Merchant for years, and we've always been very happy with them. They always have the lowest prices for their RAM, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. Highly recommended.
• Crucial Technology ~ We've never used them, but we've heard very, very good things about this company. Their Web site in particular is extremely helpful and covers an amazing number of computer vendors.

What kind of external storage should I buy?

• Iomega Zip discs from Buy.com ~ We've been using the Zip drive since it first came out, and we've never had a problem with it. Almost everyone we know has one, so it makes it easy to swap files and other items that are really too big to transfer over the Net. One thing - we have stuck with the 100 MB Zip and avoided the 250 MB. We don't really need the greater size (if we have files greater than 100 MB, we just burn a CD), and while 250 MB drives will read 100 MB discs, we have heard that they are excrutiatingly slow doing so. A 3-pack of "Zip 100MB PC Cartridge 3pk Pre-Formatted For PC" discs at Buy.com is $30.20; add $6.36 for standard shipping for a total of $36.56.
• Iomega Jaz ~ We cannot recommend the Jaz. We had one for 2 years, and it gave us no end of trouble. It locked up at odd times, folders and files would "disappear" until we rebooted, and, in particular, it caused our Windows NT Workstation machine to completely crash and show us the blue screen of death all the time. Avoid the Jaz!
• ovable+Drives&Back=ProdREMOVABLE-CASTLEWOOD.hmx?">Castlewood Orb discs from Mwave.com ~ After our frustrating experiences with the Jaz, we did a lot of research and turned to the Castlewood Orb drive. We've been very, very happy with our Orb. While we got the uncomfortable feeling that Iomega was gouging us for the Jaz discs ($80 for a 1GB-formatted disc at Buy.com? C'mon!), an Orb disc holds far more (2.2 GB instead of the 1GB Jaz) and is far cheaper (only $23.00 at Mwave.com + $6.73 for shipping = $29.73). Plus, we've never had a blue screen of death using our Orb. Finally, the Orb is smoking fast. The only downside is that the Orb is not well-known, so it's not a very good solution for trading software and files with other people. However, since we use our Orb for backup and storage only, this problem doesn't really impact us. The Orb, therefore, comes highly recommended.

Where can I buy computers that run variants of Unix?

• Minicomputer Exchange ~ Good, cheap SUN & SGI machines.
• The Linux Store ~ Servers, workstations, & other equipment.

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