Threads to be Reposted: Does it make sense to build your own pc anymore?

[Leon]

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.

[Chgoman]

I built my last rig about 2 years ago. You can definately get a comparable system for a bit cheaper at Dell. The savings if you're looking for them come in a few years when you can often just replace the Mobo, processor and memory and have esentially a new system since most of the other components aren't really changing too much.

That said, it definately is easier to just buy it off teh shelf at Dell and you're not giving up too much unless you like to upgrade specific components over time to increase your performance.

[cruelpupet]

The savings if you're looking for them come in a few years when you can often just replace the Mobo, processor and memory and have esentially a new system since most of the other components aren't really changing too much.

If youre talking about saving $ by building a rig and a few years later buying those newer components, its generally hard to sell the old ones, where putting a slightly older dell system for sale usually goes quicker if priced to move.

[Napoleon54]

I don't think Chgoman said anything about selling old components, but I agree that's totally of marginal value. Used parts, especially a few years old, aren't going to fetch much on Ebay. For me, part of the value in DIY is that I can easily upgrade later when parts costs come down. That means I can skimp on some stuff I don't need right away since I'm anticipating the possibility to upgrade later.

For example, I'm constantly putting off the purchase of a "modern" video card. I don't game at all so it really doesn't matter the least to me. Dell, however, HAS to build for the lowest common denominator, so they're routinely putting more into video than I would do personally. I can skimp now on a vid card and upgrade a few years later, after prices have dropped like a rock, and still keep up with my basic needs. On the other hand, Dell is locked into catering to the idea that their customers might want to game, so they don't have that kind of flexability.

[cruelpupet]

I don't think Chgoman said anything about selling old components, but I agree that's totally of marginal value.

Right, Chgoman was talking about saving money by just swapping out the major components and keeping the case, power supply, etc.

Im saying you can get the same or better cost savings by selling an entire few years old dell box, since going Chgomans route you cant sell the old parts easily.

I probably wasnt as clear in my previous post.

[Chgoman]

Yeah, it really is a toss up today. The only way I end up ahead when I build my own is because I'm good at getting deals on components when I want to upgrade and I find that the little premium people will pay when you sell old components in the box makes it so my upgrading costs don't end up costing too much.

Even then, I've bought 3 of my last 4 rigs from dell as the pricing is pretty hard to beat. Last time I just wanted to do it myself since I hadn't in a long time.

[renovation]

the only time i build a new machine today. is if i was a hard core gamer or had some special requirements were a factory build unit wouldn't do everything I need . but i still not buy a bottom line machine like you fine in the dept. stores or office suppys .

[DarkFury]

For a gaming machine... yes, it is better to build it yourself.

For a standard office machine... no, buy one off the shelf.



Off the shelf systems generally SUCK for gaming... plus you generally can't control variables like "type of power supply" or other internals that might be critical to that type of user. Honestly, I get plenty of mileage out of my self built machines. I don't upgrade them quite as frequently anymore, however based on what I use, they are still better "bang for the buck" than anything comparable off the shelf.

[Airencracken]

Yes. Why would I pay the windows tax?

[Kevster]

I still build my own systems and last year built my new main system with a lot of extra bells and whistles like a solid Gigabyte motherboard, Modular Power Supply, quad-core processor, 128GB SSD primary drive, 8GB memory, another 2TB of HD (WD black drives) and a 2GB 6950HD graphics card. That cost me about $900 total, mostly due to the SSD and the graphics card. With this system I can do just about anything I need for work (lots of processor/memory-intensive custom applications) and gaming. Most off-the-shelf systems are just too underpowered and limited in upgradability for me to even consider them, so I'll keep going this route.

[cruelpupet]

Any issues with the SSD? Im looking to upgrade but my coworker always talks about massive failures with them.

[Jeffbx]

I've used SSD's exclusively for the past ~3 years, and they've been great. However, I'm only buying Crucial & Intel - stick with these & you'll be OK.

[Kevster]

Any issues with the SSD? Im looking to upgrade but my coworker always talks about massive failures with them.

I have only used Intel SSDs and I have never had a problem. I've heard good things about the Crucial and Corsair SSDs, but I have not used them personally. In general I would avoid anything OCZ for SSDs.