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Help me convince a buddies wife to build a comp.

S

SirFelixCat

Senior member
Title pretty much sums up what I need.

Help me list the reasons building is better than buying premade computers.

-More bang for the buck
-Customize as YOU want


Other ideas?
 
For a lot of people the Dell or a Sunday paper deal makes more sense than building their own. You can't build a low-end PC with a legal copy of Windows for those prices.

Just because I do build my own doesn't mean I blindly recommend it for everyone else, it's not always the best choice.

So for your buddy, is this a medium to high end gaming rig?
 
Upside :
You save tons of money
You pick the exact components that you want (you can skimp on stuff that doesnt matter to you)
No preinstalled crappy software
You can purchase (or use free) the OS of your choice (you arent forced to buy windows if you are going to use Linux)
Probably a cooler case for the style concious
You have a better understanding of your PC
Some OEMs have very proprietary systems which limits upgrades

Downsides:
Warranty is per part, so your downtime would be more than if you used an OEM
No tech support
If something goes wrong, you have no one to lie to in order to get a new machine 🙂D)


I personally have gone from building them to just buying them because Im a lazy bastage. I dont play games much, and most of the stuff I want to do can be taken care of via laptop. I still put crap together out of old parts all the time, but I dont have time to dink around with it anymore.

As long as you can handle most problems on your own (or want to) then you are pretty much fine to build your own.
 
My friend mentioned wanting me to build him one which I will probably do but in a way I'd hate to. First if something craps out hes gonna come to me then I will have to RMA it for him if its still under warranty. If I was you I wouldn't twist someones arm to let you build them a computer. Because if something dies or goes wrong they will likely get PO'ed at you.

Why bother? Let them buy a Dell or something. I ain't gonna say nothing to my friend but if he comes to me and hands me money to build I will but if not and goes with a Dell,Compaq,ect then thats fine by me.
 
dude are you crazy? if it's you building it this is a bad idea. I know that i'm not alone when i say it's a bad idea if you're building it. Unless your friends knows what he's doing, I'd recommend to them buying a dell. Dell is customer support, and that's why you pay $$ for something not so good. Coz if it messes up then you don't have to solve it. They do
 
Don't push your elitist "Build-Your-Own" agenda on other people. Are you volunteering to be their full time tech support too?
 
1)Why does he need to convince his wife, why can't he just go ahead?

2)What kind of system and budget does he need?

Pros:
Faster components
More customizability and upgradability, and more future due to right combination of components and achievable overclocks
May cost less
Looks better
More exciting
in no way is it inferior or less superior to brands barring a few points

Cons:
The tech support isn't as good, but if you can figure out the problem, then assembled pcs may be the way to go provided you buy from the right company
compatibility etc issues
have to build it and if you don't know how to, then you are in a fix
 
Originally posted by: jpeyton
Don't push your elitist "Build-Your-Own" agenda on other people. Are you volunteering to be their full time tech support too?
Click to expand...

By building it for/with him you are going to be his tech support for the life of the machine, like it or lump it. Believe me after a while you will lump it.

There are many places to get a good mahine built to your specs for what you would buy the parts for plus a charge for assembly $50 at a place I use for just this sort of thing. Then if something fails you can tell them to take it BlahBlah Computers.
So unless you are buying high end components from all over the joint to save dollars, it really is not worth the hassle.
 
Compelling arguments on why NOT to help him build his own rig. I think that I will pose the pro's and cons for him and let him decide. Very good advice, on both sides here. And trust me, I'm not pushing any agenda, I just told him that you could get much more value out of his money by building his own and he spoke with the missus and she just wants to go the Dell route.

I lay it out and let them decide. Thank you all for the input.
 
I cant think of ANY good reason to convince somone to let you build one. Think about it, if they dont know too much comp stuff, and t gets infected with all sorts of spyware theyre gonna come to you... and blame you.... and get you to fix it, which is a PITA after the 6th or 7th time. I built my parents a comp, but only because i had to as i messed up the family laptop.
 
let them buy their stupid system. I tried with many of my buddies but they are not going to take the time you did to study the significance of building a comp, most users just want something they feel comfortable with.

spend your time studying, let them do what they want. they will probably never know how good it feels to have a custom build since they probably will always lack the knowledge of what components make up a fairly nice system for specifics and what not. get my point? time and energy spent on stupid stuff like this makes us look stupid.
 
buy the dell, do not cross go, do not get collect 100 dollars.

Just look for a good deal on a dell, and theres no hope of you betting the price. But the beating you get from your friend when his wife keeps him up all night becuase YOUR pc failed. will be umm. Priceless.

seriously Until you get into HIGH END. i.e. SLI, top of the line CPU, etc system. The mark up on the system is low, esspically when you consider warrenty, shipping, support, o.s. etc. sure they come pre-loaded with junk, but you can uninstall most if not all of it.
 
Late night phone calls to SirFelixCat because some dope loaded the machine with viruses, malware, spyware, etc. If they dont know what they are doing tell them to buy a dell. Those late night calls are much more tolerable when they are to Inida/Singapore rather than Felix's house.
 
Although building is fun, and probably better bang for your buck and you get to choose top flight components, this person from the sound of it will not appreciate the home build and would never be able to tell the diff between a dell and your build. Why risk the headache? Tell them to buy a dell, and let Dell handle the calls for support. Home builds are for people who realize the difference it can make between a Dell and a custom. Gamers and most on these boards appreciate this. It's akin to a wine connoseur telling their friends to drink the best Pinot Noir when they could not tell the diff between that and a bottle of supermarket bought 5 dollar red.
 
It completely depends on what they want/need from the PC. If they are just using it for office work or basic needs, then buying a Dell is the way to go.

If they are going to be gaming and whatnot, then build one, and even then only if they are comfortable with dealing with any hiccups that may come up.
 
Although a little OT I think its funny how Dell has ppl thats clueless about computers hypnotized into thinking there the only way to when in the computer world. Granted I think they are probably the best as for cheap prebuilts but if I didn't build my own I wouldn't stick with just dell I'd go with others aswell. I know someone who doesn't know much about computers and he said he use to have a computer and it was dell to 😀. He said it like it was something special 🙂.
 
Nothing wrong with going with a dell sometimes.

They can have some great prices that can't be matched wtih a build your own. Just depends on what configuration a person needs.
 
The DIY addicts are going to hate this, but my reliability experience with higher end Dell Dimensions and Precisions is orders of magnitude better than homebrew rigs.

The arguement of 'choosing your own components' really doesn't mean squat to the average home computer user. Show me some statistical evidence of Dell PSUs having higher failure rates than high end 'gamer' PSUs for instance. You can't.
 
Originally posted by: Kappo
Upside :
Downsides:
Warranty is per part, so your downtime would be more than if you used an OEM
Click to expand...
are you kidding me? Do you know what kind of hoops dell makes you jump through before you can get warranty service? Of course, if you know nothing about computer repair, you'd be better off with a retail computer but if you do know something about computers, the warranty service with individual parts is much easier.

 
Originally posted by: zephyrprime
Originally posted by: Kappo
Upside :
Downsides:
Warranty is per part, so your downtime would be more than if you used an OEM
Click to expand...
are you kidding me? Do you know what kind of hoops dell makes you jump through before you can get warranty service? Of course, if you know nothing about computer repair, you'd be better off with a retail computer but if you do know something about computers, the warranty service with individual parts is much easier.
Click to expand...

hoops? Just b.s. them, saying I did that, did that did that.

and boom part replaced.

I had a lappy harddrive replaced, and the phone call took less then 30 mins.

and unlike a home brew, it was configured EXCATLY like my lappy was brand new. I dropped it in, and turn the lappy back on. Sure I had to uninstall some crap.

But I did not need to install an o.s. all the office software, drivers, ect. just worked like new.

Top that?!
 
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