self built or purchased

[Stalwart]

I have a few friends who are getting new computers this summer and I tried to sway them towards having them built by myself or a friend and not buy them from Dell or HP. I have long been a firm believer that "custom" building them is cheaper and better. What do you guys think? Are there any advantages to buying a computer? is it really cheaper? It never really occured to me until recently that the only reason to build one on your own was because it was more fun, or perhaps a leaning experience, or maybe you just want to mod computers.

[2JSC]

I've only ever bought one PC, my eMachines, and it lasted me a good 4 years with a simple vid card upgrade. But I've always loved getting my hands dirty and building stuff myself weather it be cars, or PC's. But here is what I think.

Buying New PC Pros:
1. Usually contain everything; monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers
2. Warranty from one place
3. They sell tons so the price is usually pretty good for what you get
Cons:
1. Customer support usually isn't the greatest
2. Expensive upgrades
3. Downtime on warranty repairs


Custom Building a PC Pros:
1. You did it yourself
2. Getting what you really want
3. Getting to say that you built it
Cons:
1. Different companies to deal with warranties
2. You modded it and they won't cover it
3. Downtime for RMA's and such

[Charlie]

I had always bought mine before building this one. went together like a dream. Had nothing that didnt work or needed sending back.

When i looked into a new one it was clear that if i was to get somewhere near the spec i wanted at my budget the only option was to build it myself. I searched about for good deals and saved quite a bit by buying from lots of different places.

If you build yourself you get much more for your money and the satisfaction that you did it yourself.

[fivecheebs]

I'm not of the school of thought that says its cheaper to build your own, but for similar cost the hardware would be more reliable. Its like comparing a suit from the local department store to a tailor made suit. They both cover you up, and keep the cold out, but they will never compare in terms of quality.

[Greeny]

Agreed it is not cheaper to build your own, however buidling your own has the advantage that you can more carefully select components and/or get better components for the same price.

[Reitau]

Buying New PC Pros:
1. Usually contain everything; monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers
2. Warranty from one place
3. They sell tons so the price is usually pretty good for what you get
Cons:
1. Customer support usually isn't the greatest
2. Expensive upgrades
3. Downtime on warranty repairs

Pro's Con's
1. Monitor can be specified at time of purchase from both PC World and Dell or other mail order firms.
2. Have to go through companies help lines, sometimes at premium rates
3. Mass produced items tend to have low spec, without AGP / PCIE slots or limited PCI and RAM slots
Con's Pro's
1. Sometimes customer support by phone can talk you through fixes in quicker times than email corespondance
2. PC World will match internet prices, and if you are capable of buying from the web, you could just buy the PC from dell and then buy the bits from PC World or another website.
3. PC World is next working day onsite, Dell is return-to-dell - just select one that can fix it in a time you need - dell can add an onsite warentee for £100 odd - but then you may as well buy it from PC World!

Custom Building a PC Pros:
1. You did it yourself
2. Getting what you really want
3. Getting to say that you built it
Cons:
1. Different companies to deal with warranties
2. You modded it and they won't cover it
3. Downtime for RMA's and such
The pro's con's
1. Can you build it properly? How many LGA 775 boards have I had back with broken pins? How many jumpers have been set wrong?
2. Prices are always higher when buying bespokely
3. Works great as a line at wine parties....

The con's pro's
1. You can select the company to deal with when you buy your part, if they are rubish at RMA's then dont buy their stuff!
2. No real upside, if you mod it its got no warantee - the same with anything in life
3. Again no real upside unless you saved money by buying the items in the first place!

[JamesM]

I looked at a few prebuilt systems, but none really had the same spec hardware I wanted. At least if you self build you get exactly what you want, and if in doubt you can always get advice online ( :-) ), or take it into your local store to see if they can help.

[Stalwart]

My biggest issue with buying something like a Dell or Sony that that you don't always know what some of the hardware is, like PSU or motherboard, but I guess that can be found with a bit of effort.

[Fibbles]

I does depend on where you're buying it from. An Alienware will have a good turnaround for RMA's, so downtime would be minimized. Their customer service is also top notch, so you would be fine. On the other hand, you can build the same system for nearly half what they charge. That goes for all of the "boutique" PC builders (Falcon NW, Alienware, Hypersonic etc).

My first PC was a Compaq Pentium 233mhz with an onboard 4mb ATi Rage 3D Pro. I added a Diamond Monster 2 Voodoo 2 card for my first experience with hardware. After that, I bought a Dell - a P3 450mhz, 512mb RAM, an Nvidia TNT 16mb, a WD Expert 8gb HDD (one of the first consumer 7200 RPM drives), and added a pair of Voodoo 2 cards in SLI. I ended up upgrading the TNT to a GeForce 2 and it rocked! Next, I got a Hypersonic "boutique" PC (with my aunt's money :lol: ) and it was not worth any hype because they used a cheapo case with no airflow and stuck a card cooler on the side panel with no venting. That case got so hot... It was then that I transfered the stuff into another case and went for DIY from that point forward.

Uh, to stop my rambling, if you're looking for a fast and nice gaming rig, do it yourself. You'll get a much better deal as long as you're prepared to tackle all and any problems alone or thru forums (like this, or the hardwares own tech forum). If you want cheap, you can't beat an outfit like Dell. I got my mom a Dell because it came with a free printer and a free 15" LCD for $599 - I could not touch that for less than $800 with XP included.

[Stalwart]

I figure I'll stick to the DIY as long as I'm gaming and all.

[furious trout]

My biggest issue with buying something like a Dell or Sony that that you don't always know what some of the hardware is, like PSU or motherboard, but I guess that can be found with a bit of effort.

Most (if not all) Dell's & HP's (to some extent at least) have proprietory motherboards, so all you'll find out is the chipset used etc. It's also worth bearing in mind that this can make upgrading difficult, I know a lot of the Dell desktops we have at work don't have standard ATX connectors on them so upgrading the mobo or psu is impossible. Building your own does give you that extra flexibilty and control over the original spec and upgradability is much better.

[Squelch]

It really depends on the tech ability of your friends. A custom build with carefully selected components is the ideal if not the cheapest option. But, that depends on how well the person buildng is at it. If you do the builds for them be prepared to provide some long hours problem solving with them if it goes wrong. I rarely build for others becuase they come back to bite me later when the friends have been "playing".

I prefere to find out exactly what they want to do with their machine, and then point them in the direction of a company who have the right spec/price point, and can give them the support and warrantees they need. Granted, the tech support may be premium rate and some compromises may have been made on price grounds with component selection, but the main parts are usualy compatible and can be upgraded with your help and subsequent kudos later.

[CandyKid]

Squelch, that's what I do with my father.

My computers are all custom built because I'll troubleshoot it, but it's really easier to get him a Dell XPS w/ the special tech-support and a nice long-term warranty (that 'no questions asked replacement' thing is great).

PLUR
CK

[Reitau]

Sometimes prebuilt are impressive

http://www.pcservicecall.co.uk/layout.aspx?ID={1c40f017-b3dc-4db1-b976-b70fb495efb9}&CatID={77022f29-fe4a-46aa-bc5d-cb56c72f000f}

Has an ASUS mobo too.

I would specify a better gpu though - I always have liked HP's pc's. Back in 2001, I first laid my hand to 3D Mark while on sales at PCW. I ran it on all our pc's on the hardware mat, and the HP and a Packard Bell, both with GeForceGTS cards topped all of the others by some huge measure. Back then you got a good PC for your £1000, now you can get a freaking awsome one, and its only the extras like watercooling that let the prebuilts down. A system from a specialist like Alienware (only as an example) can afford the luxury of extras like customer service and watercooling and dual graphics because they are 2x as expensive.

[Fibbles]

Good luck with HP's customer service.

My uncle boasted to me that he can get great deals on all hardware. One of his "feats" was getting a $20 Dell branded kb for $2.98 with free shipping and had no idea why I would spend $1500 (the total worth of my computer with all of my parts in Newegg's shopping cart) for anything. He does get these "great" deals because he works in a lab and buys cheaper than OEM parts, but none of these parts will play games anyway.

The only thing I needed to convince him that my computer is made for gaming was Oblivion, but he likened it to "a prettier Diablo". Then he asked me if I had Hexen and/or Heretic... Both don't seem to be XP friendly.

Um, I think I'm OT and rambling now... :mellow: