Hi,
i am trying to decide between an Anet A8 and a Hictop Prusa i3 ATL 3DP and have some questions.

The Hictop is an aluminium extruded frame and Auto levelling but I have seen a reviewing saying that the Hot End / Extruder is not good, Blocks.

Is the Hot End the same part as the Extruder.

-yes

Whats the frame like like on the Anet for rigidity?

-It's not terrible and there's plenty of printable upgrades available online for frame stiffeners.

Whats the Hot End and Extruder like on the Anet.

-I haven't had issues yet.. Been printing with inland brand pla that likes it a little hotter than other pla--210c vs 190c

I have seen some upgrades on auto levelling for the Anet what would be a good sensor.

-that depends on if you upgrade to a glass bed or stay with aluminum--certain auto level devices won't work through glass. Honestly, though, I've had no real issue with manually leveling the bed

What is a Bowden mod and should a printer have this upgrade.

-Bowden is a system that remotely locates the feed motor for the filament and feeds it through a sleeve to the hot end. Think of a bicycle brake cable and that is basically what it is. The benefit is a lower mass on the x axis carriage and therefore less potential for shaking and over shooting.

i have been told the support for the Anet would be much better than a Hictop.

-can't comment on hictop support but there is tons of support for the A8

i am a complete nube.

:-)

Welcome! Replies inline

Welcome!

The hot end and the extruder are two separate things, its just in the case of a direct drive system like the a8 and hictop the extruder is mounted right above the hot end, unlike the bowden system.

I don't have an A8 but aluminium extrusion is going to be more rigid than the plastic frame of the a8, but as W0J0 said above there are many mods to improve the stiffness, as well as many other mods to improve print quality and performance. The best thing about the A8 is so many people have bought one and are continuing to improve upon it.

I can't comment on the hot ends I haven't used either printer, it'll be a clone of some sort, maybe an e3d hot end. But if its really giving you problems it can be changed relatively cheaply.
I personally have never used an auto level system, with a decent understanding of how the printer works you can get a good level manually, but its something that can always be added later.

good luck! i've heard good things about the a8, it will need some upgrades but you should get decent enough prints to get you started.