High end PCs usually cost MUCH more than what it would cost to assemble the system yourself. If you are looking for a low-end, basic system, it's hard to beat branded systems for price, but you will likely lose a lot of upgradeability. It also depends on the type of user you are. If you typically buy a system, leave it unchanged for a few years, and then buy a new system, you'd be fine with an OEM system. If you plan to upgrade something every six months or so...build your own.
I have a nice case, so a couple months ago I decided to buy all the parts to go inside and upgrade the whole thing. I didn't get a bundled set but found this site that you pick out the Motherboard and they tell you every CPU that fits it, like wise with RAM and everything else needed. This way you get a perfect match and also you have a choice. What I got could have been a couple hundred dollars cheaper if I bought the OEM PC, but the case would have been a plain black one and I just wanted the custom feel of my part choices.
Well my specs show I think building your own was the way for me. Most of the time spent was research. Picking the parts and studying a lot of reviews from sites I consider reliable. Many hours and days doing that. Making a log and then analyzing the whole picture to make sure when the money is spent, everything will work together. Assembling the computer really taking your time to make sure every thing is neat and not hinder air flow. Every thing went smooth except for the damn wiring on the front control panel wiring. Nothing is labeled in my case. Other than that front panel wiring the 6ooT is a dream to work with.
To the point. If someone wants to do all that you will come up with a computer you will enjoy that may cost more than most but you got more than most. Every part is of know quality and reliability. Plus you did it yourself. You will have no problem going inside your computer and doing things because you know what you got.
Please note: Your the boss, if you screw up it's your fault.
I agree with Greg on this one.
I bought both of my current computers from a local thrift store for about $100 each.
One is a Dell Precision 370 and the other a HP xw400 Workstation (my web server). I added a couple hundred bucks in ram and hard drives and installed my own copies of Windows 7 Pro X64. Total around $500.
I have never built my own computer nor do I have any desire to do so and yet I'm very hardware and software savy. What I've purchased over the years has worked well for me, Dell, HP and Toshiba. You don't need to build one to understand how they work or how to fix them.
Building a system is easy.
Choosing the parts is the hard bit.
IMO, if you choose a good box, power supply and monitor, you can upgrade to a better system for less money, than a cheap brand name PC.
It's a long term proposition though.
My current box and power supply are ~8 years old.
I'm on my 4th motherboard (2 died and the other is ancient, but still working) and 2nd (main) OS.
OTOH, if you don't already have a PC and you don't require anything special (e.g. a gaming system) it would be difficult to build a system cheaper, than a cheap brand name PC (~$300).
Note:
I mean new or upgraded PC, not 2nd hand.
I'm not sure how many of you actually build machines, but I usually build a dozen a year.
I am actually building 2 right now for clients, ordered the parts for one and am waiting on confirmation on the second before I order.
The hard drive and an oem os alone are over $200 and thats a lot of money and you still need 6 other pieces to complete the machine.
You can't build a cheap machine with the same specs as a prebuilt for less money.
$700 and up is about where it equals out.
For the typical "consumer" PC, a pre-built is probably the way to go. For the rest, a do it yourself is much better.
I just built a new PC, primarily for my recording studio. I looked at the new Dell XPS 8500 and several others and they did not offer what I needed. I would have had to go to either a custom built or a high end such as an Alienware to get what I wanted. I built my own for around $1100 (including Windows 7). A custom built "recording studio" PC would have been $1800 to $3000 for a comparable hardware setup. An Alienware "gaming" PC would have been in the $2500 (and up) range.
I went through some building pains with some defective hardware problems, but they were worth the $1000 or more I saved.
I've never built my own ....... but then, all I use are laptops anymore. I must say that as far as "tech support" goes, Toshiba wins hands down in my book. The only time I've ever had to use it..... well, they stayed on the line to me for almost 2 hours until my machine was working perfectly. Asus , on the other hand...... well, if you can't say something good :). Dell customer support was atrocious also imho.
Do want to build my own rig one day, but job movement keeps me from doing so for the forseeable future. For now I'll just stick to the upgrade route. (ssd and memory upgrades on horizon)
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