Buy or try to build for the first time

Highmodulus · Oct 6, 2010

Hi all. Been interested in building a gaming rig for a while, but have no building experience but decent computer knowledge. Been getting a Dell XPS every 2-3 years for a while. Did one Newegg build a while back, had an expert build it for me. Frankly the machine was more temperamental than the Dells. Current machine is a Dell XPS 420, with a ATI 5770 installed.

So build or buy. And If I buy, who do you suggest.

PLEASE when you POST threads asking for input on system builds tell us...

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming (shooters, Civ 5) love the eye candy something fierce.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread.

$1500-2000

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA- strongly prefer Newegg and Amazon (get the Prime shipping)

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Intel for processors, single cards for graphics. Big & Fast C drives. Bulletproof reliability.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Keyboard and Mouse. Maybe monitors.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Tons.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Never overclook- stability is king for me.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Next 2 months.

10. Don't ask for a build configuration critique or rating if you are thin skinned.

Go nuts- you guys are the Pros.

Thoughts and suggestions? Just buy another XPS?

Highmodulus · Oct 6, 2010

Oops currently at 1650, would love to jump to 1080p resolutions.

Davidh373 · Oct 6, 2010

As long as you don't get overly careful or panicky I would try to build. You can do a lot more with your money if you build it yourself.

I don't really think you need to spend $2000 for gaming. If you like eye candy then you can spend a bit more on the graphics. Unless you want something like surround or eyefinity, I probably won't go over $1500 with this build.

Davidh373 · Oct 6, 2010

muskie32 · Oct 6, 2010

Here is a gaming build that should be pretty nice:

This Case Ram combo
This CPU (i5)
This Mobo (ASRock P55 EXTREME4)
This Video Card GTX 480 (I would wait for the 5xx to come out

)
This Power Supply (Antec 750W)
This SSD (For the OS & Games)
And This Hard Drive (For data)
This Optical Drive

The cost of all this comes to $1336 (not including shipping or mir's)

You can also add on:
More ram
CPU cooler
More HDD's
bigger SSD's
bigger case
More Video Cards
Wireless adapter
Tool Kit

muskie32 · Oct 6, 2010

haha... guess i took longer to post

Prices are pretty close O_O

Edit: lol it rhymes!

Davidh373 · Oct 6, 2010

Muskie, you have a more advanced build for the same price which I recommend in place of mine with a few exceptions.

If you're going to get ram for a build this beefy, you may as well spend money to go all the way with 8GB (2 x 4GB).

The 760 i5 is only a few bucks more.

Nice build otherwise.

mfenn · Oct 6, 2010

Both David and Muskie's builds are good. You're basically trading 8GB of RAM and a BD Combo drive for a GTX 480.

muskie32 · Oct 6, 2010

It is still in his budget to get the 8GB ram i guess

MJinZ · Oct 6, 2010

Highmodulus said:
Hi all. Been interested in building a gaming rig for a while, but have no building experience but decent computer knowledge. Been getting a Dell XPS every 2-3 years for a while. Did one Newegg build a while back, had an expert build it for me. Frankly the machine was more temperamental than the Dells. Current machine is a Dell XPS 420, with a ATI 5770 installed.

So build or buy. And If I buy, who do you suggest.

PLEASE when you POST threads asking for input on system builds tell us...

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming (shooters, Civ 5) love the eye candy something fierce.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread.

$1500-2000

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA- strongly prefer Newegg and Amazon (get the Prime shipping)

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Intel for processors, single cards for graphics. Big & Fast C drives. Bulletproof reliability.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Keyboard and Mouse. Maybe monitors.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Tons.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Never overclook- stability is king for me.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Next 2 months.

10. Don't ask for a build configuration critique or rating if you are thin skinned.

Go nuts- you guys are the Pros.

Thoughts and suggestions? Just buy another XPS?

Buy.

Building means you are the QC, the technician, and the $/hr.

Davidh373 · Oct 6, 2010

MJinZ said:
Buy.

Building means you are the QC, the technician, and the $/hr.

Did he say he was getting this for grandma...? If he feels like he's capable he should build. We all build, it's fun, and saves a ton of money. I don't think I've regretted building any of my machines. A Dell/ HP/ Alienware like that would cost 33% more, and have lesser quality parts (except maybe Alienware?).

fffblackmage · Oct 6, 2010

As long as you're interested and willing to put in the time and effort, building should be fun.

MJinZ · Oct 7, 2010

Davidh373 said:
Did he say he was getting this for grandma...? If he feels like he's capable he should build. We all build, it's fun, and saves a ton of money. I don't think I've regretted building any of my machines. A Dell/ HP/ Alienware like that would cost 33% more, and have lesser quality parts (except maybe Alienware?).

The only way a prebuilt costs more is if he goes for a high end. All cheap prebuilds are better off bought.

I will say building is not for just anyone. In fact, it's not for just about anyone if we're looking at it on the whole.

Highmodulus · Oct 7, 2010

MJinZ said:
The only way a prebuilt costs more is if he goes for a high end. All cheap prebuilds are better off bought.

I will say building is not for just anyone. In fact, it's not for just about anyone if we're looking at it on the whole.

Let say work stays busy and I don't have the time to build/debug (especially seeing it my first time), stick with the Dell XPS's do you recommend someone other else.

Axon · Oct 7, 2010

You would be paying Dell for the convenience of building the machine for you. You'll get better parts and better performance per dollar if you build yourself, but you will have to put effort in, which can take time. It takes me about 30-45 minutes to build a machine now, and I think it took me over two or three hours the first time I did it.

My self-built machines are all rock solid stable, but I'm an experienced builder like many here. What is a simplistic fix or hiccup to me tends to irritate or entirely stymie less sophisticated users. I let my GF try to assemble an Intel rig and the stock heatsink (notoriously difficult to get on properly) was so frustrating to her she no longer wants anything to do with computer assembly. Hah.

Davidh373 · Oct 7, 2010

It takes 1-2 hours for me to build a setup (shorter if it's a full/mid ATX case), then I let windows install on it's own for about an hour (on modern HDD/ SSD). It shouldn't take you days or anything, in fact setup on my server took 45 min. It's normally around 3 hours from when you start building to installing games/ other wares.

If you are really set on buying though the Dell Studio is best. You just won't see the quality/ reliability from a manufacturer. They do have tech support, but that's normally for a reason...

crucibelle · Oct 7, 2010

Building your own is so much fun and there is definitely a sense of pride and accomplishment that comes along with it. All the machines I have built myself have been better than the pre-builds I used to purchase. I like knowing exactly what is going into my computer, how it was installed, etc. It makes trouble-shooting easier, IMO. Of course, there is money that will be saved by building your own, as well. There are plenty of 'how to' guides to be found on the internet, and I always say that if "I" can build a computer, ANYONE can.. lol! :biggrin:

ps -- the most difficult part of building, for me (to date), has been heat sink installation. It can be a real ah heck.

muskie32 · Oct 7, 2010

Here are some 'basic' guides.

http://static.tigerdirect.com/html/pcbuildingtips.html
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/the-geek-blog/building-a-new-computer-part-1-choosing-hardware/

mfenn · Oct 7, 2010

Highmodulus said:
Let say work stays busy and I don't have the time to build/debug (especially seeing it my first time), stick with the Dell XPS's do you recommend someone other else.

If you want to buy, the Studio XPS line is fairly affordable even with a decent GPU (the historical OEM rape part).

Highmodulus · Oct 8, 2010

Based on the posts here I am leaning toward building myself. As a new builder, any particular cases, MB and power supplies particularly noob friendly?

Davidh373 · Oct 8, 2010

I've heard antec cases are nice, I haven't had one myself. I have a Thermaltake. My model isn't sold anymore but others look pretty roomy. That's really what you are going for, something with lots of fans, is Roomy, and is sturdy. PSUs are pretty standard at your price range. The 650TX I recommended will have all the needed connectors.

MJinZ · Oct 8, 2010

Axon said:
You would be paying Dell for the convenience of building the machine for you. You'll get better parts and better performance per dollar if you build yourself, but you will have to put effort in, which can take time. It takes me about 30-45 minutes to build a machine now, and I think it took me over two or three hours the first time I did it.

My self-built machines are all rock solid stable, but I'm an experienced builder like many here. What is a simplistic fix or hiccup to me tends to irritate or entirely stymie less sophisticated users. I let my GF try to assemble an Intel rig and the stock heatsink (notoriously difficult to get on properly) was so frustrating to her she no longer wants anything to do with computer assembly. Hah.

It takes me an hour just to do proper/perfect cable management.

It can take 45 minutes to toss together a machine that I can sell someone, but more like 10+ hours to build something for myself.

MJinZ · Oct 8, 2010

crucibelle said:
Building your own is so much fun and there is definitely a sense of pride and accomplishment that comes along with it. All the machines I have built myself have been better than the pre-builds I used to purchase. I like knowing exactly what is going into my computer, how it was installed, etc. It makes trouble-shooting easier, IMO. Of course, there is money that will be saved by building your own, as well. There are plenty of 'how to' guides to be found on the internet, and I always say that if "I" can build a computer, ANYONE can.. lol! :biggrin:

ps -- the most difficult part of building, for me (to date), has been heat sink installation. It can be a real ah heck.

Here's the downsides:

1) RMAs.

Consider yourself lucky if you don't have to RMA. You're playing QA with 10+ different components.

Myself: RMAed multiple powersupplies:

1x Corsair HX650 - Fan started ticking after 1 day
1x Seasonic X750 - Loud coil whine on minor graphical usage (like scrolling through a website)
1x Corsair HX850 - Bzzzzzzzz coil whine

Using 1x Corsair HX850 - Perfect unit

X58 issues:

1) Ram detection (4gb instead of 6gb)
2) Cold boot issues
3) Super hot VREGs and IOH (Northbridge)

These require multiple teardowns, rebuilds, more fans etc to diagnose and address

Graphics Issues:

Grey Screens... Oh wait, it's cuz of ATI's shittiness. Nvm.

General issues:

Fan noises, noises, noises noises! Getting rid of noises.

Cooling issues:

Two Corsair watercooling units that performed radically differently. One pump was "weak".

Research!!

1) Find a Heatsink fan to FIT your motherboard EXACTLY, which fan configurations fit, and which way to put in your case.

2) Find a case that will fit large motherboards, watercooling, fan orientations, Heatsink fans, and large graphics card, and oh large PSUs.

3) Research on the Best Fans. Here, I've done it for you. Buy Servo Gentle Typhoons. Everything else is a POS. I've had them all.

Have fun! It's only worth it if you have lots of time, patience, and troubleshooting capability. Also, only worth it if you actually want the additional bit of performance you get, like you're trying to play Crysis at 2560 x1920 at max everything at 60+ FPS. PS, you still can't.

I would never ever ever build something high end for other people to make some money. That's how much it isn't worth it (my time). I might build the most basic crap box for someone as a favor, as long as I don't have to do anything except use stock components. But most likely I'd tell them F off and buy a laptop.

Davidh373 · Oct 8, 2010

Not everyone is OCD about tying cables off. My friends and I put together my first in about 4 hours because they were obsessive about cable management, 6 hourse total if you include OS and software install. I just want it to work, I don't need something I'm not going to see for another 6 months to a year to look pretty. If the OP does it's a different story, but Dell or HP will have worse cable management. I remember when I needed a graphics upgrade for school and my dad and I crammed a 9800GTX+ into my HP media center. We had to dangle the one of the two HDDs to give cables enough length. It was awful.

MJinZ · Oct 8, 2010

Davidh373 said:
Not everyone is OCD about tying cables off. My friends and I put together my first in about 4 hours because they were obsessive about cable management, 6 hourse total if you include OS and software install. I just want it to work, I don't need something I'm not going to see for another 6 months to a year to look pretty. If the OP does it's a different story, but Dell or HP will have worse cable management. I remember when I needed a graphics upgrade for school and my dad and I crammed a 9800GTX+ into my HP media center. We had to dangle the one of the two HDDs to give cables enough length. It was awful.

Yep, if you want something that works, it's cheaper to get something premade. Even Newegg, Ibuypower, whatever they make.

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