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why are retail comps so expensive?

T

thelastmccabe

Member
Since I've looked into all this building your own computer stuff, I've been pretty shocked by how much money I'm going to be saving building my own, especially considering I get all the stuff I actually want. It's hard to find a good comparison from a place like dell or something like that, but its going to be hundreds, probably at least 1000 less, as I'm sure most people on these boards are well aware. I didn't even realize I'd save all that money when I started, I just thought it would be cool to make my own. But I don't understand why places like dell or gateway or whatever all those crappy pc makers charge so much, not from a price gouging or whatever standpoint but just economics. I mean, I assume they get all their parts in bulk from some wholesaler or even make them in house, so they must be paying way less for each part than me. Then the case and psu are generally pretty junky, so you save money there. The whole thing is probably assembled on a conveyor belt or something along those lines, so labor can't be too much. Dell doesn't pay doodly poo for support or stuff like that, so all in all, it seems like materials are going to be way less per unit for dell and labor won't add much. It seems like if you're dell or one of these places, you could drop your prices down quite a bit in an attempt to beat out the competition. Now, I realize part of what people pay for is not having to come on here and do all the work of making their own. I know people are going to come on and say its all price gouging or whatever, but my impression is that competition in this industry is pretty fierce so you woudln't think that companies would have the leeway to price gouge too much. If anyone can shed some light on this or the comp business I'd appreciate it.

Of course, now I'm wondering about my car quite a bit.
 
Because retail companies actually have to pay for the software they install on the PC, not just download it off kazaa.

Paragraphs are you friend.
 
emachines are super cheap compared to everyone else.

ive had 2 emachines systems myself, bother were my fiance's. she had a laptop and she gave her desktop to her mother, which is still alive and kicking.

i had my parents get one as well, and its working great.

they got an entire system for $500 almost 1 1/2 years ago, 17" monitor, 60 gig drive, 512mb ram, celeron 2.4ghz, cd-r/cd-rw burner, etc. was a great deal.
 
Because they have to pay off the Indian and Latin CSR we all love so much when we call tech support. Overhead's a killer.
 
Dell is a actually not that expensive unless your buying an xps, which is way overpriced. For a basic computer, 300 dollars is pretty good.
 
If you're building a high end computer, you can save money by building your own. Try building a comparable system, w/ software for the same price as one of those cheapo Dells. Bet ya can't do it.
 
Anytime you sell a pc with a 17" LCD monitor for $400, it's going to be hella hard for the DIYer to beat that.
 
Originally posted by: batmang
emachines are super cheap compared to everyone else.

ive had 2 emachines systems myself, bother were my fiance's. she had a laptop and she gave her desktop to her mother, which is still alive and kicking.

i had my parents get one as well, and its working great.

they got an entire system for $500 almost 1 1/2 years ago, 17" monitor, 60 gig drive, 512mb ram, celeron 2.4ghz, cd-r/cd-rw burner, etc. was a great deal.
Click to expand...

All the major PC makers pretty much have the same deal. They're the same PC parts essentially, in $400-$600 packages. I agree, EMachines have some great deals. Not gamer PC's by any means, but for any other use, I would rather buy one of those instead of building again. I bought an EMachines gaming laptop and it's the best laptop I've ever owned 😀
 
Originally posted by: notfred
You can buy a brand new PC from Dell for like $400. That's expensive?
Click to expand...
email/web prebuilts are generally very competitively priced, since so many are sold. Gaming PCs are where the discrepancies are found, and judging by the OP's enthusiasm and comment on saving hundreds or even thousands I'm guessing he's looking at a mid-high end one.
Originally posted by: novon
Dell + Discounts > Custom Built

(in terms of reliability and cost)
Click to expand...
Actually DIY PCs were rated by owners to be the most reliable in a recent poll by.. I think PC Magazine. I mean really, you're talking about the same ~6 parts, just with "Dell" stamped on them in one scenario and not in the other. How will one be more reliable than the other? DIY is a learning experience and even the least tech-savvy people, if they put in the time, will glean at least a few things from the build and be that much more self-sufficient with PCs. Taking the initiative to build a PC, especially if you don't know how & haven't yet done it, implies that you also might take the initiative to learn about them and seek answers on a site like this or via google should something go wrong.
 
Originally posted by: Gurck
You can buy a brand new PC from Dell for like $400. That's expensive?
Click to expand...
email/web prebuilts are generally very competitively priced, since so many are sold. Gaming PCs are where the discrepancies are found, and judging by the OP's enthusiasm and comment on saving hundreds or even thousands I'm guessing he's looking at a mid-high end one.[/quote]

what he said. oh wow, i just agreed w/ gurck... i think it's the 2nd or 3rd time now 😛

 
I would like to formally introduce Thelastmccabe to Dell hot deals. Sit back, watch that site for a few weeks and wait until the deal is cheaper than anything you could build yourself.
 
eh i dunno if ill read anymore replies, but thanks to those who did...just to clarify i was talking about mid to high range systems for games or more intense/high end apps, not pos 400 dollar computer for your mom. Not sure why i didn't specify that......and cpa your comment was especially helpful. And your american flag is really cool.
 
Even for relatively high end systems it's usually better to just buy a pre-built these days.

Unless you demand absolute control over every component that goes into your PC Dell can do it cheaper & better.

I outgrew the self built stage, & have been very happy with my 8400.

The extreme high end and custom built is the only area that has even moderately high profit rates, at those levels you may save some building yourself (especially vs Alienware, Falcon NW & the likes).

Viper GTS
 
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
Even for relatively high end systems it's usually better to just buy a pre-built these days.

Unless you demand absolute control over every component that goes into your PC Dell can do it cheaper & better.

I outgrew the self built stage, & have been very happy with my 8400.

The extreme high end and custom built is the only area that has even moderately high profit rates, at those levels you may save some building yourself (especially vs Alienware, Falcon NW & the likes).

Viper GTS
Click to expand...

Disagree 100%. If you only want an Intel setup, that comes pre-loaded with tons of crap like real player, and uses propietary cases, etc...then sure. If you want to use something other than a P4, you can do much better on a mid to high end system than a Dell.
 
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