[waveformpc]

Hello,

What does everyone think about starting a computer manufacturing company? The computers will be marketed strongly towards gamers...

I know there are already a few major vendors out there, such as Alienware and Velocity Micro, but they are often much too expensive (their profit per computer is very high) . I also know that there are plenty of smaller companies out there who are into this type of business, but they seem to lack good advertising, which is where I would like to pickup.

I have been chatting with the regional sales managers from PC Gaming magazines, for potential ad placements (full page ads), and they said it sounds like a great idea - Though, their thoughts may be biased, since they would be getting payed if I agreed to place an ad.

So, with that in mind, I have yet another question:

How much would it cost to build a site similar to http://www.alienware.com or http://www.velocitymicro.com, with "system configurators" (to configure the desktop systems)? I am not looking for anything really flashy, but I believe the most expensive/complex part of the site will be the shopping cart system, since it will have to allow users to configure a computer, and then somehow store this configuration into some sort of database...

[gemini_bwoy]

Hey,
I dont know much about Web Designing (Someone here would soon assist you with that).

I am planning on pursuing the same venture (dont worry Im from Jamaica) No competition .
I would love to dicuss some ideas with you, and also what the PC Mag. said.

If interested : Email me at voodoo_gem@yahoo.com

[insomnia]

A fully programmed site could relatively be cheap, depending on the design and how much programming is required. I'd say a max of a few thousand could accomplish the job succesfully.

[teana]

A few thousand sounds about right. Getting the product pics would take a bit of time if you dont already have one.

I think this is a good idea, but with reservations. Granted you can build some really kick ass gaming machines with the latest products and bios configs as well as being liquid cooled and stuff. You should think about making some sort of case that really stands out and is also functional.

That'd really be sweet. You can definitely keep costs down as long as your overhead doesnt sky rocket, like having to keep inventory, getting a warehouse, hiring people, things like that.

Good luck! When yer up, I'd like one, especially laptop form, with an upgradeable vid card from nvidia and upgradeable processor. ooohhh...

[Steve]

I am pricing out a new laptop and looking at an Alienware option. I have one about 6 months old, works pretty good, but the video card I have on it isn't very good only a 32 meg card .

Would tablets allow me to use higher end resolution, better than 1024. I am looking at a Centrino.

[teana]

Steve,

There are plenty of laptops out there that have great video cards. The HP zd7000 is the one i have, it has 128 mb of video from nvidia.

It has a 17" screen, my res is at 1440x990. they now have the new bright view which i think is at 1600x1200.

You can check out this other forum www.zd7000forums.com

Dunno what your budget is, but there are also plenty of great stuff at best buy.

[jemstar555]

Hi,

I'm a web designer/developer and would be happy to offer my services.

Let me know,

Steve.

[mpnetwork]

waveformpc,

While the cost to setup a web site is low. Keep in mind that your advertising costs will be high. There is a lot of competition even in gaming computers. Even competing on price, many people will want to go with a major manufacturer (such as Alienware) because they know there is the necessary infrastructre there to build a quality system and then support it if something goes wrong.

Your costs to get people to your web site will be high (lots of competition will drive up ad costs) and the % who buy may be relatively low (many people shop around a lot before purchasing a computer).

You do need to factor that into your pricing. You may want to build a simple web site and test market your product to see what your customer acquisition costs are.

As a side note, you could develop a web site for a few thousand, but Alienware probably pays $100,000 - $200,000 each year for their web site alone.

[earthwonder83]

The advertising doesn't necessarily have to be sky high in costs. Since you probably should just build a simple website to test the waters, you should just use pay-for-placement listings on Yahoo! or Google to get some attention to your site. It is the magazine ads that are ridiculously high. How much is it for a full page ad in the magazine?..if someone would be kind enough to say.

[mxer210]

Hey,
I have ALOT of experience with computer hardware and have been building computers since I was 10 and am currently working as an intern for IT. My family builds all our own computers and I have a feeling that most big gamers would build their own computers since it's so easy nowadays. I would make sure your computers are different than just build your own ones like having custom stuff, good support, and let your customers you test it all like dell advertises. My point, make sure your computers stand out from the build your owns because that's what alot of people with high end computers do(or that's what I think). Good luck with everything and let me know if you need any advice.

I think a site like your asking for would be around 2-3k.

[waveformpc]

Originally posted by earthwonder83
The advertising doesn't necessarily have to be sky high in costs. Since you probably should just build a simple website to test the waters, you should just use pay-for-placement listings on Yahoo! or Google to get some attention to your site. It is the magazine ads that are ridiculously high. How much is it for a full page ad in the magazine?..if someone would be kind enough to say.

A full page ad (color) in Computer Games Magazine runs roughly $8,000 for one issue

[waveformpc]

Originally posted by earthwonder83
The advertising doesn't necessarily have to be sky high in costs. Since you probably should just build a simple website to test the waters, you should just use pay-for-placement listings on Yahoo! or Google to get some attention to your site. It is the magazine ads that are ridiculously high. How much is it for a full page ad in the magazine?..if someone would be kind enough to say.

A full page ad (color) in Computer Games Magazine runs roughly $8,000 for one issue