gwilks98 03-25-2012 06:06 PM
Does it make sense to build your own pc anymore?

I used to be able to build a nice quality machine for around $1000 that would blow the pants off comparably priced Dell deal.

If you look at the dell deal on the main page, the proc and the windows license alone could be bought for 300-400, which is the majority of the price listed.

Ignoring the bloatware found on the machine, what's the point of building your own anymore?

cruelpupet 03-25-2012 06:39 PM
In my opinion there hasnt been a reason for a few years now. Buy a cheap dell box and replace it in 2 years with another cheap dell box, and youll probably have a better experience than holding onto a moderately priced pc for 4 years.

Some will argue for ability to overclock/quality parts/ability to game, but for 98% of the population the hardware is far ahead of the software.

Prngr44 03-26-2012 08:22 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by cruelpupet
In my opinion there hasnt been a reason for a few years now. Buy a cheap dell box and replace it in 2 years with another cheap dell box, and youll probably have a better experience than holding onto a moderately priced pc for 4 years.

Some will argue for ability to overclock/quality parts/ability to game, but for 98% of the population the hardware is far ahead of the software.

That's kind of what I was thinking too. Slap a video card upgrade in and you're pretty much good to go.

cruelpupet 03-26-2012 11:02 AM
My most recent Dell box even has on board RAID, and the default video card (nvidia 512mb) ended up being better on the Win7 Experience score than my ATI 5450 1GB.

I still kept the ATI in there as I like them better.

gwilks98 03-26-2012 12:06 PM
I really don't OC my PCs, so maybe this is the right way to go...ugh.

Napoleon54 03-26-2012 12:21 PM
I had the same questions last summer when I was in the market for a new box. I understand the points about just buying OTS (off the shelf) and it's a good argument, probably the best option for most people. However, I LIKE building my own stuff so that's a big reason I stuck with a DIY box. I like knowing what's in it, knowing that I have control over upgrades, having a reason to keep an eye on what's going on in the hardware world in terms of new technology etc. I spent a bit more than I would've for a comparable Dell box but I think it was worth it.