Electrical Super stores
These are the really Huge shops which see to have everything under one roof. The do not specialize in any one type of item but stock everything from tots to Automobile items. It depends on what type of Mega store it is.
Most of the time the computers that these shops sell are pre built and sent in. So make sure you know what is in these computer before you decide to buy. The only other note is that these systems tend to be a tad over priced. Be careful.

Dedicated Computer shops
These type of shops vary is what they have to offer and their price. Some are mainly composed of Salespeople trying to convince you something is better than it is. Sometimes you come across a few good shops that do not try and "persuade" you to buy this. The prices are also vary between shops. Some may overcharge while others will give a good price. Just have a good look around before you buy.
These types of computer shops sell pre-built systems and computer parts. Mostly their pre-built systems are done by them self. If that is the case then you should investigate what parts are in the as some may be very low quality. Again what these shops have on sale will be different between shops, sometimes certain shops will on stock one kind of brand. There are good shops out these, you just need to find one.

Direct from the Company
Usually bought over the Internet. Most of the time you really can only but components not actually computers. I've not had any experience using this system so my word my not mean anything. I would usually not touch this way of ordering because the price is fixed, unlike other shops which may lower prices to compete, and most companies who make hardware are not in my country of residence.

On-Line buying
On-Line shopping is becoming very popular. When looking for a On-line computer shop make sure you use one that is in your country because if the part is faulty then you do not have to send it back over seas and wait for another replacement.
I can really talk about the two On-Line shops in Australia. Firstly they both stock many products and many brands. This is good because you have pick they better brand over the lesser. Next the prices are extremely good. The reason that these two sites only seem to take a small profit. Finally the reliability is reasonable. I have talk to many people and they say that their hardware order got through and they received their items with no hassles.
These On-Line sites only offer components, not pre-made systems. So you would need to know how you build your own system before you would buy from these sites. (Actually that is what this site is for)

One final word. Make sure you shop around. If the price seems to high then check with a few other stores and on-line sites to actually see what the general price is. And never be pressured by salespeople

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