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How many people here actually build their computers?

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I usually build mine because I never have the need to buy a full computer. I just replace the parts that break in my current one.
 
I've been building my own computers for the past 8 years or so, but the way Dell has been lately, it may be cheaper to buy from them. The only good thing about building from scratch now is being able to choose which components you want and not have to pay a ridiculous price for them, but I dont' really use my computer for much more than work any more so meh.
 
Build my own. Coming from a bicycle-mechanic background, I prefer to cherry-pick the parts that make the machine in either field, and build it myself. I like the freedom to change/reconfigure/rebuild without a "don't-you-dare-upgrade-this" warranty, crummy case ventilation, wimpy power supply or lack of expansion slots holding up the show.

Also, it's just tough finding what I want on the pre-built market. Athlon64's with 15k Ultra320 SCSI are a scarce breed 😀 $4500 IBM IntelliStation? Naaah. *gets out Wiha #2 Phillips, frozen pizza*

edit: getting towards the end of this thread, I see the Dell cheapies are getting argued about. Upgrade the 90-day warranty to a 3-year warranty so we're talking apples & apples, and see what that does to the price 😉 Yep, the core hardware in my rig carries warranties ranging from 3 years to 5 years to lifetime.

Also, how about a model with a PCI-E or AGP graphics-card slot so we again are comparing apples to apples? Hmmm? Oh, those cost more?

To me "computer" means more than "appliance capable of email, web surfing and Barbie games," I guess that's part of my issue with the Dell cheapies 😉
 
used to build my own, but then I strated finding deals for computers for ultra cheap. E.g, I just bought one at office depot for $130 (celeron 2ghz, 756mn, 40gb, cdrw/dvd) and another one at compusa for $60 after rebates (Sempron 3100, 256mb, 40gb)

It's just not worth my time these days. About the only thing I do now is swap memory, video cards, and maybe hard drives.
 
when I tried to squeeze every last FPS out of games back in the 90's I built my own, and it was acutally cheaper back it the day to build your own.

Now, I've given it up, its cheaper to buy now, and I value stability over raw unstable speed.
 
Like a lot of people here, I build my own boxes but I recommend Dell when others ask me for PC recomendations just so I don't get sucked into fixing other people's PCs.


ditto
 
I've built one and upgraded others. The prebuilts are just to cheap to resist, not alway what I would like, but cheap enough for me to deal.
 
Yes after I learnt how to build a computer after my 1st one.

It ends up costing a bit more but I like to know exactly what I have in my system. I know things will work and the parts are all quality. No issues with anything 🙂

Koing
 
All custom built - can usually get close to insane deals on various components (HDDs, DVD writers, RAM, etc.) which drives the cost down. Although I dumped my desktop a couple of months ago for an eMachines m6805 - really liking it 😉
 
Originally posted by: mechBgon

edit: getting towards the end of this thread, I see the Dell cheapies are getting argued about. Upgrade the 90-day warranty to a 3-year warranty so we're talking apples & apples, and see what that does to the price 😉 Yep, the core hardware in my rig carries warranties ranging from 3 years to 5 years to lifetime.

Also, how about a model with a PCI-E or AGP graphics-card slot so we again are comparing apples to apples? Hmmm? Oh, those cost more?

To me "computer" means more than "appliance capable of email, web surfing and Barbie games," I guess that's part of my issue with the Dell cheapies 😉
Click to expand...
:roll:

These friggin' "appliances" are outdated before you can blink, let alone buy extra warranty for the damn things. Dell's come with PCI-E slots, 19" LCDs, free printer, and free shipping for $500.00 after rebate. Oh, and the damn things are QUIET! Like I said, "I feel like a chump for building my last one."
 
Originally posted by: Ornery
Originally posted by: mechBgon

edit: getting towards the end of this thread, I see the Dell cheapies are getting argued about. Upgrade the 90-day warranty to a 3-year warranty so we're talking apples & apples, and see what that does to the price 😉 Yep, the core hardware in my rig carries warranties ranging from 3 years to 5 years to lifetime.

Also, how about a model with a PCI-E or AGP graphics-card slot so we again are comparing apples to apples? Hmmm? Oh, those cost more?

To me "computer" means more than "appliance capable of email, web surfing and Barbie games," I guess that's part of my issue with the Dell cheapies 😉
Click to expand...
:roll:

These friggin' "appliances" are outdated before you can blink, let alone buy extra warranty for the damn things. Dell's come with PCI-E slots, 19" LCDs, free printer, and free shipping for $500.00 after rebate. Oh, and the damn things are QUIET! Like I said, "I feel like a chump for building my last one."
Click to expand...
How long's your warranty, out of curiosity?

As for quietness, they're quiet... under light load. We have a few Optiplexes at work, and when the CPU actually gets some work to do, they spool up their rear fans to a pretty noticable level. Typically that's during the daily antivirus scan. If it weren't for fear of busting the factory warranty, I'd consider equipping a couple for desktop video editing. But I guess that's what our custom AMD rigs are for 😉

edit: and by "appliance," I'm talking about the typical Dell Dementia 2400 and such.
 
How long's your warranty, out of curiosity?
Click to expand...
*crickets*

Since I have a Dell catalog lying here, I took a look. The base warranty on a D4700 is one year, so I'm guessing that's what you have? The Premium warranty (4 years) is a $297 option.

Another theme you see in this thread is a disdain for Dell's "Intel-or-else" approach. It's pretty firmly established that nearly any A64 will outperform Intel's top-of-the-line $1000+ desktop processor as a gaming rig, (example), to say nothing of the baseline single-core Prescotts. Comrade Dell slaps our hand away from the AMD option. Well, I'm slapping back :evil:
 
How long's your warranty, out of curiosity?

As for quietness, they're quiet... under light load. We have a few Optiplexes at work, and when the CPU actually gets some work to do, they spool up their rear fans to a pretty noticable level. Typically that's during the daily antivirus scan. If it weren't for fear of busting the factory warranty, I'd consider equipping a couple for desktop video editing. But I guess that's what our custom AMD rigs are for

I don't own any Dells. I do have a couple Pavilions, that have AMD CPUs and nForce mobos. Quiet as a tomb, and I have no idea what the warranties are... wait. I did have a "free" DVD burner puke on my son's. Nine months old, and HP sent me a new one in two days, and sent along a shipping label for the old one's return!

I'm talking about the typical Dell Dementia 2400 and such.

We're talking about insane bang-for-the-buck hot deals, that you'd be stupid to try and beat by building your own.
 
Build all my computers:

exceptions:
Laptop (Compaq n600c)
media server (picked up at school surplus sale)
eMachines 333mhz AMD that a co-worker gave to me (seti@home, UD machine)
 
We're talking about insane bang-for-the-buck hot deals, that you'd be stupid to try and beat by building your own.
Click to expand...
What would be "stupid" is to put on the "$$ > *" blinders and buy one of those deals, when its design and features inherently fail to meet my intended current/future usage and expectations. Your 4700 "insane deal" wouldn't hack it on multiple fronts, as either my work system or my home system. Custom A64's for me, thank you 🙂 If they're good enough for you, then you're all set.
 
Let me guess. You pay a few hundred more for a CPU, than we pay for an entire very decently functioning system, including OS, LCD, and everything in between? Hey, I'm impressed... :cookie:
 
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