Building vs buying

[kuqdew]

Is it cheaper to build or buy a computer. I know that computers bought from stores often have low-quality parts however if you build a computer, all the components added together cost more, even with the cheapest parts.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Depends. Low end email machines, cheaper usually to buy a dell. Midrange and high end gaming machines, usually cheaper to build yourself.

Personally I always build even if the dell is cheaper, that way I know exactly what is in my system and I also have the fun of putting it together.

 

[Bobthelost]

Low end, not overclocking: Store built.

Medium end overclocking: Home built

High end: Home built.

 

[jdkick]

I used to build my systems but bought the last one because I just couldn't have been bothered. It's a Compaq SR1710NX. Some pre-built systems use low-quality parts and others use decent stuff. I was sold on this one because it's uses an ASUS S939 board w/ ATI Xpress 200 Chipset, AMD Sempron 3400+, four DIMM slots that will support dual-channel mode, open PCI-Express x16 for video, 100GB SATA, CD-RW/DVD-ROM, free SATA connector, free IDE connector, 1 x FireWire. The cost was $400CDN and it's licenced for XP. I bumped up the memory, added a 485W PSU and Sapphire X1600XT (GDDR3 model). The machine runs quite nicely for my needs and, according to HP's specs on the board, will take an A64 or X2... something for down the road once I get around to building something nice.

 

[dBTelos]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
Low end, not overclocking: Store built.

Medium end overclocking: Home built

High end: Home built.

I agree. If your only going to run a low-end system, store built usually have the better performance for the money.

 

[Slugbait]

Many of the mom-n-pop stores build with decent components. For example, the last shelf machine I bought had a P5/133 on an Asus T2P4 mobo, Matrox 2-meg card, Toshiba 8x (which turned out to be about as fast as a 4x), decent RAM, and a PSU that is still going strong today.

It's the pre-fab machines that usually have junk, or proprietary components that hamper upgrading. The cheaper Dells are an excellent example.

I remember getting a brand-new VAIO at work back in 1998. It had a PII/233, faster/bigger drive and twice as much RAM as the machine described above, but was about half as fast...once I fdisk'd the drive and rebuilt it in my image, it was a screamer. That's another reason to avoid pre-fabs.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: kuqdew
Is it cheaper to build or buy a computer. I know that computers bought from stores often have low-quality parts however if you build a computer, all the components added together cost more, even with the cheapest parts.

in the long run i would say building is cheaper as many times you can let the machine evolve over time. when you build your next rig you can still use the optical drive, hdd, floppy drive, case and psu assumng you buy decent stuff to begin with.

the way i see it is the first machine is a bit more but if you spread the cost over 2-4machines it comes down nicely.

like rig in sig - i have had the 10k scsi hdd and 7.2k pata hdd for the last 4 machines, the psu for the last 3, ram for the last 2, gpu for the last 2, the case for the last 5. in fact the only thing that is really new in this machine is the cpu and 15k scsi hdd.

at this point for me to get a decent c2d setup all i would need would be a m/b, cpu and ram and if you watch the hot deal and fs/ft forum you can pick up quality stuff at a nice discount

if you just plan on building 1 rig and all you do is emal then get a dell.

 

[wanderer27]

Another thing with Store bought, is sometimes they are pretty much impossible to upgrade.

My wife had a Compaq, I couldn't even put Video Card in the thing to upgrade performance.

If you're going to go Store bought, be sure to thoroughly check out what Motherboard the thing is based on so it's possible to do future upgrades.

 

[dBTelos]

Originally posted by: wanderer27
Another thing with Store bought, is sometimes they are pretty much impossible to upgrade.

My wife had a Compaq, I couldn't even put Video Card in the thing to upgrade performance.

If you're going to go Store bought, be sure to thoroughly check out what Motherboard the thing is based on so it's possible to do future upgrades.

Exactly. Usually they have proprietary PSUs, strip the mobo of any special expansion slots, give you one or two 5.25" bays, and a bunch of parts that are made exactly to the size of the case, their own special form factor.

 

[corkyg]

Basically, we build for quality and performance. Cost is important but not paramount. For average use - store bought these days is a bargain. But, as has been pointed out, they are not easy to upgrade. There are very few "built" machines that use full tower cases, and that is what many of us who build prefer. Easier cooling and more room to work in.

 

[lobbyone]

Build vs Buy huh?
Its just like Legos, only with high voltages and amps!

 

[pkme2]

IMO buying a built unit like a Dell makes sense at the beginning.

As one progresses, gaining experience and the smarts, having a custom build make more sense.
One can either have someone build it for them or do it themselves, which becomes economically feasible.
The custom built usually fulfills the needs of the owner and should cover their needs for years, but with the components gleaned online like Newegg or Mwave.

I have used eBay for years to get components for my systems and the savings have been substantial. It's your choice where you buy your parts.
I just got a 4800+, FireGL card and some WDs at excellent prices. You can also, if you're patient.

 

[imported_Imp]

I wanted to go the buy route for months while deciding on my final build. The goal was to keep costs down especially cause many systems (e-machinesisgust had windows pre-installed. However, most 'buy' parts are crap for clueless people that are overpriced. Even mom & pop stores used crap, and you could 'upgrade' this or that by adding more money, but it never gets exactly what you want. Customizability is the best part of building. So I would break down buy and build to:

Buy: Simple, affordable to meet simple needs (i.e. surfing, basic gaming, small media center.

Build: Time consuming, tailored to meet specfic individual needs and demands. More 'value'.

 

[dBTelos]

Also, if you want to learn more about computers, building can really help.