Is it time to start buying prebuilt desktops instead of building it yourself?

[JEDI]

The 1st and only complete system I had was when my parents bought a new computer back in the early 90's. I think it was a 386-sx.

(i upgraded it to a 386-dx, then 486, pentium, and pentium pro. All using the same AT case!)

i upgraded because it was much cheaper than buying a new computer. (Brand new Pentium system was like $2500 at the time).


My last computer build was last year (AMD X2 6000). I never even looked at how much a Delll system costs.

but Recently i noticed that dual core LAPTOPS have dropped to $329 (after rebates/coupon), and 10" ATOM laptops are $229.

if laptops are that cheap, are prebuilt dual-core desktops now not that much more expensive than building it yourself?

(assume you have all the software already: WinXP, Office, etc)

 

[Maverick2002]

Correct. Lower end systems from Dell are actually cheaper than similar components from Newegg pieced together yourself. The difference is most people who build their own systems want performance components at every turn, something Dell doesn't offer. The lack of customization of their "high end" XPS line makes me sick.

Once you get into $1000+ systems the 'egg becomes on par and eventually cheaper.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Some of the prebuilt Dell desktops are impossible to beat for the price of DIY. If it's an internet cruiser/email machine I'd go with the Dells.

I still build my own but I tend to do some gaming so I'm looking for particulars (PSU, video card, etc.).

 

[lxskllr]

Lower-mid end is almost always cheaper to buy prebuilt. I'll probably always build my own though. I enjoy the process, and I'm willing to pay a premium to do it myself, and pick exactly which components are going into my system.

 

[Ionizer86]

Ya, generally it's cheaper to buy a prebuilt in, say the $300ish range. But you gotta take into account all the features you want that you could have if you built it yourself.
We picked up a 5200+ and board combo for $75 from fry's after rebate, then did the DVD+/-RW 22x and 1tb Hitachi for $57 after rebate, got an Antec Sonata Designer, etc.

Well, in the end we put together quite a rig for just over 300, and we got a lot more hard drive and ram than you'd find in a cheap prebuilt Dell, not to mention the ability to overclock. 3.4GHz at stock voltage - similar to an e8600 at stock! Those are things you generally won't find when you buy a cheap prebuilt. If you find the right deals you can still build a cheap rig these days with plenty of power and at least mid-range parts.

 

[Maverick2002]

^ there's that. Short of finding deals though you won't beat Dell on the low end.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Maverick2002
The lack of customization of their "high end" XPS line makes me sick.

Are you frail or something? It usually takes a lot of alcohol or pizza left out overnight to make me sick.



J/K

JEDI, just look at any of the "budget build" threads around here and you'll see people recommending a cheap pre-built.

 

[ecom]

Yeah, I've recently started looking at prebuilt systems myself, and finding them more attractive for lower and mid range systems. This is especially true when looking at the systems in Dell Outlet. While a Dell Optiplex doesn't exactly suit home use requirements, some of them are more than sufficient for many people. For example, Optiplex systems are oriented more towards enterprise so they have smaller HDDs because most users will have network storage (the local HDD is for apps and OS mainly) and also they have the AMT stuff that home users will never use. But for Open Office and Mozilla the system works fine. Another plus is that these things are nearly silent because the only fan is a 120mm that functions as the case and CPU fan. The 3year on-site warranty is nice to have too. That way I only need to have one contact for any warranty related issues.

 

[0roo0roo]

only gaming machines are self built these days. as said you can't beat the dell price/performance ratio. includes os, and support, and no doa components. a low end pc isn't worth the sh*t of slapping the sh*t together and having it not turn on when you click the switch.

 

[trexpesto]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
only gaming machines are self built these days. as said you can't beat the dell price/performance ratio. includes os, and support, and no doa components. a low end pc isn't worth the sh*t of slapping the sh*t together and having it not turn on when you click the switch.

So that's why you get a 1000W PSU!

 

[Eureka]

It's also nice to build it yourself if you're into overclocking (as a hobby). Beyond that, just pick up a machine from the outlet (those things are packing i7s now).

 

[bruceb]

The big advantage to DIY is you get to pick all the parts and vendors for them. So you can put in say 4 hard drives, 2 or 3 CD/DVD burners, floppy, front panel USB / Firewire / ESata, card reader, top quality power supply, good video card. Nowadays, most mobos have great on board audio and built in LAN ports. Good cases, leave plenty of room and have great airflow / cooling. Downside, is you must initially get it all working together and the OS (unless you already own a copy) can be a touch expensive ($100 & up depending on which you want) .. And your only warranty is on the parts from the vendors. Currently my pc is an old Dell 8200 ... I might build it myself when the time comes.

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: JEDI
if laptops are that cheap, are prebuilt dual-core desktops now not that much more expensive than building it yourself?

(assume you have all the software already)

The bolded part is important. If you already have the software, it's still cheaper to build it yourself. See this thread I just posted in. I priced out an entire computer with 2gb of memory, 2.7ghz Sempron processor, and 1TB hard drive all for $243 on newegg. No mail in scams, no trickery; that's the normal non-sale price.

In that system I built, it uses AM2+ or AM3 processors. Technically I can build a quad core Phenom for about $300 or I could upgrade that to a Phenom II for $350. Let's see Dell beat that.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

If you're only looking at the "Intel Core i7", "1TB HDD", "24" LCD" and "6GB DDR3", then prebuilt have always been cheaper. And cheap is the key word here. The quality of the parts in pre built systems are what is lacking. DELL doesn't make a computer with an equivalent to a Cooler Master ATCS 840 case and Seasonic M12D or WD Black HDD and Intel SSD, do they? Haven't looked because I doubt it.

 

[AlgaeEater]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
only gaming machines are self built these days. as said you can't beat the dell price/performance ratio. includes os, and support, and no doa components. a low end pc isn't worth the sh*t of slapping the sh*t together and having it not turn on when you click the switch.

Exactly what he said word for word.

 

[philosofool]

The biggest source of savings for DIY computers is in recycling older components, until you get in the upper-mid range of price ($800 or so.) This includes, however, finding a reasonable upgrade path. If you buy a reputable manufacture's p55 today, that board will support pretty much every LGA1156 processor that intel ever makes, or at least all of them for about 3 years. Dell will make no such promises: there's no guarantee that Dell is going to upgrade a BIOS to support any processor besides the one that's on the board if they introduce a new board for the next tock or tick in intel's line. Indeed, it's not really in Dell's interest to provide such support, given the very low demand for it, the high cost of providing it, and the fact that it undercuts their sales.

Similarly, when upgrading a computer, one needn't always replace everything. If you upgrade your computer every two years, your PSU is likely good through two cycles (assuming you bought a good one in the first place.) Likewise, many of us won't need more than a 500GB HDD for a few years, and unless you're already filling a drive, there's no reason to buy a new one just because you're getting a new platform. A case can basically last forever; optical drives should only be replaced when broken; keyboards, mice, speakers, and monitors: you get the point. I just got a whole new computer for all intents and purposes: Core i5, Gigabyte mATX p55, Crucial DDR3, a new PSU and an ATI 5840 for $520; I promise you can't do that unless you build your own and recycle parts that have a longer life than a processor.

Also: unless you can find some forums to verify it for you, don't even count on being about to adjust the clock speed of your processor in a prebuilt machine, much less getting a stable overclock thereby.

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: ChaiBabbaChai
If you're only looking at the "Intel Core i7", "1TB HDD", "24" LCD" and "6GB DDR3", then prebuilt have always been cheaper.

It sure seems like it, but I've never checked if it's true. I think I'll compare the Dell Studio XPS Desktop to what I can find on Newegg. Dell's price is $749

$25 case
$50 500gb hard drive
$32 Radeon 4350 video card
$38 300W PSU
$57 3gb DDR3
$280 Core i7 920 CPU
$100 Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
$170 socket 1366 motherboard
Shawn's price: $753 plus shipping

Hats off to Dell. I'm really amazed how cheap they can sell that computer.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: ShawnD1


$25 case

Keep in mind too that Dell has some sweet cases. They're built like tanks, and very quiet. They aren't the coolest things going, but they're adequate for running the stock configurations.

That may or may not be a selling point, but $ for $ Dell cases are hard to beat.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Originally posted by: ShawnD1

Originally posted by: ChaiBabbaChai
If you're only looking at the "Intel Core i7", "1TB HDD", "24" LCD" and "6GB DDR3", then prebuilt have always been cheaper.

It sure seems like it, but I've never checked if it's true. I think I'll compare the Dell Studio XPS Desktop to what I can find on Newegg. Dell's price is $749

$25 case
$50 500gb hard drive
$32 Radeon 4350 video card
$38 300W PSU
$57 3gb DDR3
$280 Core i7 920 CPU
$100 Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
$170 socket 1366 motherboard
Shawn's price: $753 plus shipping

Hats off to Dell. I'm really amazed how cheap they can sell that computer.

Yeah it makes sense. They buy 1,000s of the same part at a time, so they get everything at a bulk discount, to say the least. Every part from newegg is marked up for profit. Sure DELL has to pay for advertising, land, building costs, employees, etc. But, their cost for the PARTS is far less per PC than anyone pays at newegg.

 

[philosofool]

Originally posted by: ShawnD1

Originally posted by: ChaiBabbaChai
If you're only looking at the "Intel Core i7", "1TB HDD", "24" LCD" and "6GB DDR3", then prebuilt have always been cheaper.

It sure seems like it, but I've never checked if it's true. I think I'll compare the Dell Studio XPS Desktop to what I can find on Newegg. Dell's price is $749

<snip>

Shawn's price: $753 plus shipping

Hats off to Dell. I'm really amazed how cheap they can sell that computer.

Hats off... sort of. Notice how not upgradable that rig is. To add a real graphics card (~$100) you need also to add a PSU that can supply 400 or more watts, which means you need to throw down another $50. Dell doesn't offer a gaming worthy card in that machine (probably precisely because of the limits of the PSU.) Also, the RAM is DDR3 1066, which is basically the same price as 1333.

Furthermore, while it's all well and good to notice what price you can get on a i7 920 from Dell, it's important to remember that if you DIY, you can get better performance for less money going with P55/i7 860. You might not be able to beat Dell with their particular set of parts, but the DIY user is allowed to beat them any way they want: if you can DIY the same performance or more for less money, you win. And you can do that. The savings is not huge, but it's twice as much fun to build your own.

 

[bamacre]

My personal preference is buying a (refurb'd) Dell from their Outlet, and upgrading it to fit my needs.

My current system is about 21 months old, an XPS 410. I replaced everything but the case, motherboard, and PSU. It's running a Q6600, 6GB DDR2, and a 512MB 8800GTS.

I plan on doing the same thing maybe 3-6 months from now.

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: ShawnD1

Originally posted by: ChaiBabbaChai
If you're only looking at the "Intel Core i7", "1TB HDD", "24" LCD" and "6GB DDR3", then prebuilt have always been cheaper.

It sure seems like it, but I've never checked if it's true. I think I'll compare the Dell Studio XPS Desktop to what I can find on Newegg. Dell's price is $749

$25 case
$50 500gb hard drive
$32 Radeon 4350 video card
$38 300W PSU
$57 3gb DDR3
$280 Core i7 920 CPU
$100 Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
$170 socket 1366 motherboard
Shawn's price: $753 plus shipping

Hats off to Dell. I'm really amazed how cheap they can sell that computer.

Not only that, but Dell is using a better case and a better PSU. And the motherboard has 6 dimm slots for memory compared to 3 on the one you linked to.

Originally posted by: philosofool
Notice how not upgradable that rig is. To add a real graphics card (~$100) you need also to add a PSU that can supply 400 or more watts, which means you need to throw down another $50. Dell doesn't offer a gaming worthy card in that machine (probably precisely because of the limits of the PSU.) Also, the RAM is DDR3 1066, which is basically the same price as 1333.

Furthermore, while it's all well and good to notice what price you can get on a i7 920 from Dell, it's important to remember that if you DIY, you can get better performance for less money going with P55/i7 860. You might not be able to beat Dell with their particular set of parts, but the DIY user is allowed to beat them any way they want: if you can DIY the same performance or more for less money, you win. And you can do that. The savings is not huge, but it's twice as much fun to build your own.

Actually, no, the Studio XPS 435MT's PSU has dual 12V rails (18A) and a 6pin power connector. Perfect for an HD4850 or GTS 250. Dell used to offer an HD4850 with this machine. Also, they just released an XPS 8000 which supports i5/i7 1156 processors.

 

[ecom]

Dell's are very competitive - I think we can all agree. However, we buy pre-made systems and build system for completely different reasons. Yes, we want a computer, we want different things. If we build it, we get self-satisfaction that we built the sucker - even if it costs more. Some of us will still do it even if it costs a bit more because they are highly customizable and they they can be overclocked which is not possible on a pre-fab system. But no one buys a Dell to overclock. The whole point is to have a stable working system with minimal effort.

For someone who is not computer savvy and asks us to help them buy or a build a computer, Dell may be the way to go. I can try to figure out what their needs are and then find something that matches their requirements. Many of these folks are going to be using office apps, web browser, email, IM, and watching videos (whether streamed or downloaded). In these situations, a Core2Duo and better is going to be more than sufficient for what they need. An upgraded Crossfire in one graphics card that requires a 1kW PSU is not something that will be advantageous and will be wasted. Throw a Radeon 4550 or Geforce 9400 or 9500 and they'll probalby be happy for a few years. Many will be fine with the integrated graphics too. The advantage is that when I buy a computer from Dell, I'm fairly certain I'm getting something that will be working out of the box and then I have a 3 year warranty on the entire system should something fail. Dell has sent someone out to replace two DIMMs before. Upgrades...what for? Maybe put something in it other than integrated and perhaps a Wifi card and it's done.

Keep in mind that Dell makes these computers by the hundreds or thousands, you you generally have a design that is proven before production. You won't come across any weird quirks or hardware incompatibilities because they have to test the designs first.

As far as build quality goes, maybe you've only seen the lower end models. I work with Dell Optiplex systems day in day out and bought one for home use and I gotta say that construction is decent. Sure the BTX form factor is weird, but I need zero tools to service them. I can seriously install a graphics card in less than one minute.

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: philosofool
Furthermore, while it's all well and good to notice what price you can get on a i7 920 from Dell, it's important to remember that if you DIY, you can get better performance for less money going with P55/i7 860.

Not from Newegg you can't.
i7 920: $280
i7 860: $290

Searching for i7 860 on Froogle doesn't seem to do any better. $290 at Fry's, $470 in Australia (lol), $300 at MWave, $310 at Gigapart. Don't expect to find a good deal on any i7 processors since they're still the best.

 

[philosofool]

Originally posted by: ShawnD1

Originally posted by: philosofool
Furthermore, while it's all well and good to notice what price you can get on a i7 920 from Dell, it's important to remember that if you DIY, you can get better performance for less money going with P55/i7 860.

Not from Newegg you can't.
i7 920: $280
i7 860: $290

Searching for i7 860 on Froogle doesn't seem to do any better. $290 at Fry's, $470 in Australia (lol), $300 at MWave, $310 at Gigapart. Don't expect to find a good deal on any i7 processors since they're still the best.

That's right: but a P55 is a lot cheaper than an X58. You save on the motherboard, not the processor. (I hear you can dual channel on X58s, but I'm not clear on that subject.)