The market for cheap desktop and notebook PCs is crowded with discount offers, but if you know where to look there are some special computer deals that will save you hundreds. The big names in selling computer systems offer pretty good bargains on popular models, and by getting good placement in the major retail stores like Best Buy and Circuit City they move a lot of units. It's a big world though and there are a lot of other options for finding the lowest prices on top computer models. Many of the world's greatest PC manufacturers are in Asia, but they don't get such prominent placement in the big retail chains. It isn't easy getting access to direct sales from overseas producers either. Some of the lowest price manufacturers in China and Taiwan have big factories for producing the inexpensive computers, but they don't have a website or an English language phone center for taking orders.

The best way for getting special deals from them on computers is to seek out smaller vendors who have good connections through their distributors or by by finding great warehouse chains like Fry's Electronics for the obscure name brands that are just as good as the products with glossy packaging. These special deals on desktop PCs and powerful notebooks computers save you a lot of money and give you a much wider range of choices for what you want to buy. It's good to go to a store and talk to someone who is very knowledgeable about computer products. They will be able to point you to some lesser-known manufacturers and they can tell you features to look for. Sometimes it is important to know more about what you're shopping for. With computers it's always important to know the specifications of the system you'll need.

If you already have a computer and you want to upgrade or add peripherals you need to make sure you're looking for the right parts. You may find a system or a set of components that are really an unbelievable bargain, but when you try to put the computer together it may not work as you expect. Interestingly, the most valuable part of a computer product is the software used to run it. If you want to buy a new piece of hardware to give you better graphics and you choose a product made by a real unknown, chances are that the software they wrote for it will fall short of more expensive brands.

Reputable companies like Linksys and Belkin make very solid and stable software to operate the networking peripherals they offer. For many lesser known and cheaper manufacturers it is often a sad consequence that the essential controlling software (the "drivers") will be buggy or entirely non-functional with your computer. It's a tough decision whether you want to take your chances with the cheapest possible computer deals or whether you want some assurance that you're getting a stable system. At least at Fry's Electronics if you end up with a lemon the store is very accommodating with returns.