Just wanted to put this question out there, how many of you use custom built PC's for gaming?

 

I will be in the process of building my own PC in the next couple of months. I like the idea of specifying my own components and being able to run a high performance machine. I'm prepared for this to cost me a fair bit, however I see more benefits of building my own PC than using a factory made one.

 

So my general questions are, who here uses custom built PC's, how much did you spend on building it and do you think it has benefitted you enough to qauntify the costs?

I have built my computer 5 years ago for $600 and it has served me well. I did upgrade the graphics card a few years later for $120 (Nvidia GTX 550Ti). I have already made a list of parts to build another computer in the next couple of months as my motherboard is about to die, and it would be a mid-high end gaming machine for $1600. My $600 computer was able to play most games until I started having issues with the motherboard.

I have built my computer 5 years ago for $600 and it has served me well. I did upgrade the graphics card a few years later for $120 (Nvidia GTX 550Ti). I have already made a list of parts to build another computer in the next couple of months as my motherboard is about to die, and it would be a mid-high end gaming machine for $1600. My $600 computer was able to play most games until I started having issues with the motherboard.

 

I work for an IT support company and we advise our clients that PC's should be replaced after 5 years of use so you've got good use out of it. What issues were you having with the motherboard? I think you need to spend a fair bit of money anyways to make sure that the hardware you are using does not become outdated within a couple of years. Was that the first computer you ever built?

I have built my computer 5 years ago for $600 and it has served me well. I did upgrade the graphics card a few years later for $120 (Nvidia GTX 550Ti). I have already made a list of parts to build another computer in the next couple of months as my motherboard is about to die, and it would be a mid-high end gaming machine for $1600. My $600 computer was able to play most games until I started having issues with the motherboard.

 

I work for an IT support company and we advise our clients that PC's should be replaced after 5 years of use so you've got good use out of it. What issues were you having with the motherboard? I think you need to spend a fair bit of money anyways to make sure that the hardware you are using does not become outdated within a couple of years. Was that the first computer you ever built?

 

I also work as an IT technician and I found out it was the motherboard after diagnosing a bit. At first I thought it was the power supply. 5 years is pretty good for a computer that I built with the cheapest parts I could find, and that stays powered on pretty much 24/24. And yes it was my first build. I've built many computers since then, and always used precautions such as the anti-static wristband and stuff.

Custom built is the way to go. You have so much more control over your specs and the prices are pretty much always cheaper than a similar factory model (anywhere from 10-30%).

 

This is a good site to give you a rough idea of what you can get with your money.