how hard is it to build a PC? or just buy a brand desktop?

[Faux]

seriously considering it... or am i better off buying HP/Gateway/etc?

[Speedyshel]

Building your own most often works out to be more pricey. If you want a completely customized computer and the pride of having done it yourself, then that's the way to go, but buying a pre-built computer is more economical (even with some really good hardware in it). I'm sure some would provide exceptions to the rule, but that's my take on it.

[champion]

Building your own most often works out to be more pricey. If you want a completely customized computer and the pride of having done it yourself, then that's the way to go, but buying a pre-built computer is more economical (even with some really good hardware in it). I'm sure some would provide exceptions to the rule, but that's my take on it.

I don't know too much about putting together computers, but I thought pre-built manufactured computers were the overpriced option.

[OldJoe]

Building your own most often works out to be more pricey. If you want a completely customized computer and the pride of having done it yourself, then that's the way to go, but buying a pre-built computer is more economical (even with some really good hardware in it). I'm sure some would provide exceptions to the rule, but that's my take on it.

It's the other way around. I find most prebuilt desktop's to be more expensive than if you build it yourself.

[ClareJonsson]

I'm a technician in a University and we used to build our own PCs, but in the end we found it to be more economical to buy pre-built from a manufacturer. From our point of view this was because the time it took us to reliably source all the parts and build and test every PC. In the end we were spending more time and money sourcing and trying to maintain identical hardware across the board than the extra mark-up a PC manufacturer was charging. And they had to test the machines before they were sent to us so we had very little parts failure. The manufacturer also guaranteed us all the hardware we required was all tested together, you would not believe sometimes how two or more supposedly compatible devices just wouldn't gel with each other.

 

But for a single person I think it may be a little cheaper to source the parts independently and build your own, but you also run the risk of parts failure, especially if you have never done this before. If you decide to go down this route make sure you have adequate static precautions and you at least tidy up the internal cables with cable ties. Also, please think hard on the subject of cooling. Don't just throw it all together, take your time and you might find the whole experience a rewarding one.

 

Good luck in whatever you decide,

Clare.

[Will H]

It's a bit of a challenge, but the price is definitely lower if you do it yourself, and there's the sheer satisfaction of having a PC that you built yourself. Of course, you also get a lot more choice when it comes to specifications. I'd look into it just for the sake of learning and enjoyment, even if you don't build any more PCs later on.

[indy500fan]

Building your own most often works out to be more pricey. If you want a completely customized computer and the pride of having done it yourself, then that's the way to go, but buying a pre-built computer is more economical (even with some really good hardware in it). I'm sure some would provide exceptions to the rule, but that's my take on it.

 

It's actually the exact opposite, you can build one for much cheaper than buying a new one.

 

It's not too hard either. Takes a while, but everything is fairly straight forward. You can also make a topic in this forum (or use this topic) and someone will help you out with that parts you need, then probably help you build it if you need help that way. You can check out my topic a few below about my recent computer build, I think it was OldJoe helped me choose the parts. I've built computers before so I didn't need help with that, I just don't keep up with the new hardware all that much and didn't know what would get the best bang for my buck.

[Faux]

thanks guys.. i don't have to decide right now. not really in a rush since this thing still works fine

 

indy, how much did that build run you?

[indy500fan]

$417. I had the case, OS, and video card already. It powers through Mass Effect 2 at 1920x1080 at max settings. Makes the X-Box 360 version look like a NES game.

 

EDIT: Do you have existing parts that you can use? If you are going completely from scratch (ie even need a new mouse and keyboard) then it gets to the point that buying premade isn't as bad.

 

EDIT2: For example this computer is the cheapest one on newegg that has the same processor as mine, $600 for it vs $417 for my build. It also comes with an OS, case, DVD-burner, cheap video card, mouse and keyboard. Altogether if I added that stuff to my build it would work out to be about the same price. However, I purchased a much better power supply, mother board and RAM than this one so my base price wouldn't be nearly $417.

[Sbrideau]

Less pricey building it yourself, I recently built one, for $600 (already had hard drive and video card(9800gt) and OS), and someone I know bought a prebuilt with almost the same specs as the one I built with Dell and paid $1700.

 

Remeber though, this is canadian dollar.

[Faux]

Less pricey building it yourself, I recently built one, for $600 (already had hard drive and video card(9800gt) and OS), and someone I know bought a prebuilt with almost the same specs as the one I built with Dell and paid $1700.

 

Remeber though, this is canadian dollar.

i live in toronto

 

and indy, no pieces, has to be from scratch because the only thing i have is a laptop. nice res tho, im only planning to get a 20" screen so that's 1600x900 at the most?

[Sbrideau]

My 21 in screen I bought for around $200 has a 1920x1080 resolution, so I think your resolution will be either that (if it's a good screen) or 1680x1050. But most video cards easily do those resolutions.

[indy500fan]

Yeah if you are going 20" you are pretty much stuck with 1600x900, which isn't bad. Mine is actually only 21.5" and it is 1920x1080. It was around $180, I got one with a 2ms seek time for gaming. Also it is supposed to be more power efficient. This is the one. The only thing that sucks about it is the stand, it just kind of leans back at a 10 to 20 degree angle. I don't know how much you want to spend on a monitor, I'll tell you now that a nice monitor is really important if you want to game on it.

 

If you find a prebuilt computer you like tell the price and we'll see if all the individual parts cost less.

[Speedyshel]

Ok, I obviously am way out of touch when it comes to building a personal computer considering about 5 of you quoted me. :D Not sure if it ever used to be the other way around, but I've learned something new from you all today (or technically yesterday). Still don't have the money to build my own even if it's cheaper. Hehe!

[Laura]

Ok, I obviously am way out of touch when it comes to building a personal computer considering about 5 of you quoted me. :D Not sure if it ever used to be the other way around, but I've learned something new from you all today (or technically yesterday). Still don't have the money to build my own even if it's cheaper. Hehe!

:P

 

Many times you are correct. Companies don't make all of their profit from selling hardware. Rather, they get a lot of subsidies from McAfee, Symantec, and especially Intel.

[Faux]

thinking of getting something like this

 

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/gateway-dx-series-desktop-computer-featuring-amd-phenom-ii-x4-quad-core-810-dx4300-05c/10132457.aspx?path=49772ead6926eda361fe352857575042en02

 

how hard is it to replace the power supply (only 300 watts) and the video card?

[indy500fan]

Windows 7 Home Premium: $105

Mouse: $11

Keyboard: $14

Case: $26

DVD burner: $22

Video card: $19

CPU: $134

Motherboard: $48

RAM: $146

Power Supply: $21

HDD: $70

That is the computer that you linked to in part form.

Total: $616. You could probably get cheaper RAM, I just went straight to the 3x2 choice. Also chose a 750gig HDD since it was the same as the cheapest 640gig.

 

I would suggest only 4gigs of RAM though, definitely wouldn't buy that cheap of a power supply or video card either. I just linked to those because that is what the Gateway was.

 

EDIT: The mother board I linked to is DDR3 1333 compatible and the memory was DDR3 1600. I don't actually think they would work together, but there would be something similar within a few dollars of them. Both are DDR3 though, and that is better than DDR2 which might be what is in the Gateway (they don't give hardly any info about what is in it).

[Sbrideau]

Usually gateways are made with very cheap parts and will break very fast, at least that's what happened with the few friends I have that bought a gateway before getting something better after they broke.

[wingwinder]

Building your own most often works out to be more pricey. If you want a completely customized computer and the pride of having done it yourself, then that's the way to go, but buying a pre-built computer is more economical (even with some really good hardware in it). I'm sure some would provide exceptions to the rule, but that's my take on it.

Not at all, building your own works out to be way less, really. Look at barebone kits from tigerdirect or newegg, they aren't that much.

 

I'll give you an example, a sony Vaio L series desktop cost $1999.99 or 2k dollars, now look at these parts you buy for a stronger computer:

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2782533&CatId=1909

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5659779&CatId=2459

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4111742&CatId=2306

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5471997&CatId=89

 

the custom PC costs $504.96, proving you wrong, the only thing it doesn't have that the Vaio does is 2 more GB or RAM and an OS, but OS is around $100 and RAM is around $50, so you see, custom PCs are over 9000 times better than bought ones that are built for you.

 

EDIT: also OP try not to use the suggestion i used above, that was just something i threw together quick, and it might not have enough power to support all this.

[Laura]

Building your own most often works out to be more pricey. If you want a completely customized computer and the pride of having done it yourself, then that's the way to go, but buying a pre-built computer is more economical (even with some really good hardware in it). I'm sure some would provide exceptions to the rule, but that's my take on it.

Not at all, building your own works out to be way less, really. Look at barebone kits from tigerdirect or newegg, they aren't that much.

 

I'll give you an example, a sony Vaio L series desktop cost $1999.99 or 2k dollars, now look at these parts you buy for a stronger computer:

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2782533&CatId=1909

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5659779&CatId=2459

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4111742&CatId=2306

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5471997&CatId=89

 

the custom PC costs $504.96, proving you wrong, the only thing it doesn't have that the Vaio does is 2 more GB or RAM and an OS, but OS is around $100 and RAM is around $50, so you see, custom PCs are over 9000 times better than bought ones that are built for you.

 

EDIT: also OP try not to use the suggestion i used above, that was just something i threw together quick, and it might not have enough power to support all this.

No, you can't even begin to make the comparison.

 

1. The L series is an all-in-one, which you cannot compare to towers+displays accurately.

2. I originally wrote that you were missing the CPU/MoBo, but then I saw it was bundled with the case. In any case, a Pentium 4 (which was ousted from the market years ago) is no comparison to an Intel Core 2 Quad @ 2.66 Ghz.

3. It's "bundled" with a display, which can cost 200+ (more if it's VA/IPS). Even then it's a multitouch screen.

4. You gave it a DVD/CD player when the Vaio has Blu-ray.

5. The GPU you listed is inferior to the Vaio's, depending on which model you look at.

 

Go look at a standard model Dell or HP; you'll see that the difference is much less-sub $100.

Edited February 18, 2010 by laura0077

[wingwinder]

Building your own most often works out to be more pricey. If you want a completely customized computer and the pride of having done it yourself, then that's the way to go, but buying a pre-built computer is more economical (even with some really good hardware in it). I'm sure some would provide exceptions to the rule, but that's my take on it.

Not at all, building your own works out to be way less, really. Look at barebone kits from tigerdirect or newegg, they aren't that much.

 

I'll give you an example, a sony Vaio L series desktop cost $1999.99 or 2k dollars, now look at these parts you buy for a stronger computer:

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2782533&CatId=1909

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5659779&CatId=2459

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4111742&CatId=2306

 

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5471997&CatId=89

 

the custom PC costs $504.96, proving you wrong, the only thing it doesn't have that the Vaio does is 2 more GB or RAM and an OS, but OS is around $100 and RAM is around $50, so you see, custom PCs are over 9000 times better than bought ones that are built for you.

 

EDIT: also OP try not to use the suggestion i used above, that was just something i threw together quick, and it might not have enough power to support all this.

No, you can't even begin to make the comparison.

 

1. The L series is an all-in-one, which you cannot compare to towers+displays accurately.

2. I originally wrote that you were missing the CPU/MoBo, but then I saw it was bundled with the case. In any case, a Pentium 4 (which was ousted from the market years ago) is no comparison to an Intel Core 2 Quad @ 2.66 Ghz.

3. It's "bundled" with a display, which can cost 200+ (more if it's VA/IPS). Even then it's a multitouch screen.

4. You gave it a DVD/CD player when the Vaio has Blu-ray.

5. The GPU you listed is inferior to the Vaio's, depending on which model you look at.

 

Go look at a standard model Dell or HP; you'll see that the difference is much less-sub $100.

Blu-ray? on a computer? what a waste, in less of course it can also read normal CDs as well, but i don't think they can do they yet can they?

[Laura]

Blu-ray? on a computer? what a waste, in less of course it can also read normal CDs as well, but i don't think they can do they yet can they?

It's been possible for at least a year now.

 

BD-R DL Read / Write : 6x max

BD-R Read / Write : 6x max

BD-RE DL Read / Write : 2x max

BD-RE Read / Write : 2x max

Blu-ray Disc Support : Read / Write (BD-R/-RE/-ROM)20

CD Support : Read / Write (CD/-R/-RW)

DVD Support : Read / Write (DVD±R/±RW/±R DL/-RAM)

 

This is what is on the Sony Vaio L.

[indy500fan]

Blu-ray? on a computer? what a waste, in less of course it can also read normal CDs as well, but i don't think they can do they yet can they?

 

Why is it a waste? Even if it couldn't read DVDs and CDs (as far as I know they have always been able to, but not sure) it would not be a waste. There are tons of reasons to have a Blu-ray drive in a computer.

[Vulxai]

Blu-ray? on a computer? what a waste, in less of course it can also read normal CDs as well, but i don't think they can do they yet can they?

 

Why is it a waste? Even if it couldn't read DVDs and CDs (as far as I know they have always been able to, but not sure) it would not be a waste. There are tons of reasons to have a Blu-ray drive in a computer.

 

And you could just buy a CD/DVD drive, which aren't too hefty on price, so then you'd have the blu-ray and cd/dvd drive.

 

I built my PC about five months back, and I don't think I'll ever buy manufactured again. While it is a lot more work, it is cheaper (I built mine for about $900, built the same thing on Dell.com minus a couple features they didn't have, and it was about 2 grand), and I enjoy building a computer and starting it up for the first time. It's a great feeling, to me.