What are the true bennifits in building your own PC?

What are the true bennifits in building your own PC?

Just a serious question.

I was thinking about getting a Gateway GT5032 $869.99
AMD Xe 4200
1 GB DDR
250 GB 7200-rpm ide
ati theater 550 pro
etc etc...

Is it really a bennifit to build your own?
Example

Opty 165

DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D Motherboard

Corsair 1GB PC3200 DDR DIMM Memory

ASPIRE X-Navigator ATXA9N-BK/500 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case ATX 500W dual fan w/ automatic fan speed control. Connector 20 + 4 pin Power Supply

Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB Hard Drive

ATI 550 PRO

Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO2

Windows Media Edition

Two NEC DVD RW drives

Calculated Price $1300

The price difference is HUGE

Add a reply

Register or log in to remove.

You get to skimp where you want and use the extra money for the things you do want – or better yet, skip some things altogether and buy them later when you have more money. I know I can’t drop 3k that my current rig cost in a single month.

Reply to maxxum

The main thing is the knowledge of whats inside your box. The knowledge of how to put the thing together. And the satisfaction of finishing the project.

If you want a PC RIGHT NOW. then mail order is the way to go. If you like to fiddle, then a build it yourself is the way to go.

and also what MaxxuM said

Reply to kittle

edit:
double post - some admin please nuke this msg

Reply to kittle

Typically if you buy a PC, especially from a brand name company, you're going to get a motherboard that has no manufacturer with a chipset that you may not want. And a power supply that might not work with future upgrades.

If you build, you hand pick each and every component. This is important because you care alot about performance and how everything will work together... and you want to max that out as much as possible. You'll pick what you want, what software to install, what RAM to get, etc.

Let's take Dell for example - I have one at work. Motherboard? I have no idea. It has an intel chipset, but other than that, no clue as who made it. Nothing on the board itself to tell me. PSU? I had to put in a graphics card that took 2 molex connectors. I have 2 HDDs and 2 optical drives. I had 1 extra power connector from the PSU. I had to give up an optical drive to power my graphics card.

Dell beats you price-wise in building because they don't have to worry about the extra cost of Windows. But that extra price you pay ensures that you have brand new parts and a system that is completely custom for yourself.

If you have anyone build a computer for you, go to a hole-in-the-wall computer shop in your city. It'll be cheaper for sure than a brand name, and it'll probably be a better machine. They'll also custom build a computer for you if you want. And it'll probably be about the same (give or take 100 bucks) if you did it yourself. Plus they'll probably throw in a warranty. If you want massive customer support, then go for a brand name...

Reply to nobly

If your comparing those to setups you got there, It would be like comparing apples to oranges. If ya think gateway is gonna drop anything close to the quailty of DFI board into their systems... think again. Same thing about the rest of the parts...

But thats just my 2cents :roll:

Reply to Maxiius

For me it's the learning part.

Reply to chuckshissle

Learning is always good 8)
Did chuckshissle send his first computer sizzling to the dump?

Reply to Maxiius

First, I notice on your example setup, you have a gfx card. That is a major price difference right there. The gateway uses integrated nvidia graphics, not a gfx card. Notice how they duped you into thinking it's a gfx card by just saying yeah it's nvidia 6100 with 128MB shared memory (that shared memory is your system RAM, not dedicated gfx RAM). Here is a newegg build with the same specs as that gateway (minus a modem unless you want to send faxes) that comes in almost right on the money:

Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price

Update ASPIRE X-Infinity ATXB6KLW-BK/420 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX 420W power supply for AMD/Intel Power Supply - Retail
Model #: ATXB6KLW-BK/420

In Stock
Remove Remove Add item to Cart Add item to Cart
$56.99 $56.99

Update BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100-M9 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GEFORCE 6100-M9

In Stock
Remove Remove Add item to Cart Add item to Cart
$59.00 $59.00

Update Leadtek TV2000XP RM PCI Interface Tuner Card with Remote Control - Retail
Model #: TV2000XP RM

In Stock
Remove Remove Add item to Cart Add item to Cart
$27.99 $27.99

Update AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200BVBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA4200BVBOX
** This item is warranted through the product manufacturer only. what's this?
In Stock
Remove Remove Add item to Cart Add item to Cart
$360.00 $360.00

Update G.SKILL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model F1-3200PHU2-1GBZX - Retail
Model #: F1-3200PHU2-1GBZX

In Stock
Remove Remove Add item to Cart Add item to Cart
$89.99 $89.99

Update Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 6Y250M0 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: 6Y250M0

In Stock
Remove Remove Add item to Cart Add item to Cart
$89.99 -$4.99 Instant $85.00

Update LITE-ON Beige ATAPI/E-IDE DVD Burner Model SOHW-1693S - OEM
Model #: SOHW-1693S Beige OEM

Out Of Stock
Remove Remove Auto notify Auto-Notify
$36.99 $73.98

Update Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 w/Update Rollup Release 2 OEM 1 Pack - OEM
Model #: M93-00200
** Software delivered damaged and/or defective may be returned for an identical replacement. what's this?
In Stock
Remove Remove Add item to Cart Add item to Cart
$124.95 -$10.00 Instant $114.95
Subtotal: $867.90

Here are a few real benefits to building your own.

1. You get to choose specific brand names and models for every component inside your computer so you will know that it is quality.

2. You can maximize your computer to fit a price or performance or both.

3. You don't get stuff you don't want. Such as a modem. Or a bunch of 30 day trial software preinstalled on your system.

4. You can customize the look of your computer.

5. When you're done you can brag to everyone about your perfect build.

6. You can still get bundled software like games and powerdvd and such with the components you order.

7. You can often get free shipping for your components.

Reply to judey

Building is for someone who wants a hobby. If you browse forums and hardware sites reading about every little nuance of each piece of hardware and want to spend hours browsing pricewatch for all of your components you'll come close to or beat the price of an out of the box PC, and you'll have all the little details that you wanted.

Box suppliers like Dell, Gateway, etc. also do not target the very premium market very well. They typically don't offer the highest tier of video, RAM, HDD setup, etc, unless you get the flagship $6000 PC. Box suppliers do beat everyone on price for midrange systems, because they build millions of them so they can squeeze vendors and logistics costs, and they only need to make x profit per complete system, instead of parts manufacturers and distributers who need to make y profit per part.

As for components, you can guarantee a reference design for almost all components. PC makers don't want headaches or design costs, so they order reference boards from Taiwanese manufacturers.

You will almost definitely get a working, installed PC out of the box from any large vendor, whether Dell over the web or e-Machines at CompUSA. When you buy parts from the cheapest 6 websites you'll probably run into a couple of headaches getting everything installed and working. If an afternoon playing with hardware and installing an OS is fun for you, it sounds like you found a hobby.

Warrantee is also very nice. Lots of lower cost mail order components have 90 day warrantees, and you have to track down the manufacturer. Name brand products like ATI etc will have decent tech support and RMA procedures, but getting that white box DVD-R replaced when it fails in three months will be fun. With any system manufacturer you will get a standard warrantee and only have one number to call to get parts replaced. Don't expect a lot of help from any tech support group though.

I personally don't care that much about upgrade paths or the special little features of my hardware, I buy low-mid range PCs that will support whatever high end video and RAM I will add. I haven't upgraded a processor in a PC for myself since I bought a K6-2. If my PC is two or three years old and I need more horsepower I buy a new box and add the upgrades I need. Last summer I got a $499 PC, I added a $250 video card and $100 RAM, and use my old PC for a spare. I might have been able to get all of those components from pricewatch and come close to that price, but it would have taken me a week or two to get everything and another week or two to get everything working, and I already have too many hobbies.

Reply to mr_fnord

i think it depends what you need. if its a low end anything will do, get a mass produced brand name. if its mid range best to go with a one ordered over the web from a site that does custom's and if you need high end build yourself.

if you try to find a retailer, especially over here in the u.k, who will use high end tech at affordable prices, it nigh on impossible. one of the worst aspects is that they lock you into certain brands(ie.ati or nvidia) or worse still do not go into any details about what is in your machine to be. by that i mean they will say how much ram but finding out its speed or make is not always obvious.

one last point to the original poster is, what was YOUR POINT. you gave us a few vague details of a system and its price, then gave us a completely different one and another. why didnt you give a complete description of what was in the gateway one then the best prices you could find for the same components?

Reply to strangestranger

1. You know what went into putting it together
2. You know all the software installed
3. When something goes wrong, YOU can fix it
4. You have an actual copy of the OS and not some cheesy "rescue" disk
5. You can upgrade without having to possible replace the whole machine
But most importantly!
6. Knowing you built it and having the satisfaction of your accomplishment

Truly, building your own machine is the only way to go. Don't think about doing it, just do it.

Reply to chunkymonster

if you buy a dell, it will have an intel board

Reply to Crazywheels

if you buy a dell, it will have a crappy intel board

Reply to Crazywheels

When it's up and running you can have any where from a couple beers to a case depending on how many problems you ran into. I'm usually at a 6 pack when I'm done, which means it went well.

Reply to g-paw

The configurations are what I want

The only thing I can think about with the gateway is adding a gig of memory and a decent videocard. Still cheaper.

However IDE hard drive is slower than SATA even at the same RPM's from what I understand

They 550 ATI card (cheapest you can find with that chipset is $100) - I don't know why that guy compared that crappy card.

Strange I'm having such a delima.

I guess I don't see the upgrade path other than the free PCI slots the system has. Since I want the remote and ATI card that comes with the system.

Oh well, it sounds like both are worth it. :-)

Do you guys think those specs I listed for the customer would make a good computer. If I did it I would plan on overclocking it to 2.4 on stock.

Reply to zodiacboyscorp

dont forget you dont have to deal with crappy tech support!

Reply to dvdpiddy

Its fun to do your own build, and if you are savvy and a little patient you can build a computer that is cheaper than a comparable brand name

My custom build PC I want to build costs $1,621 at this moment
Athlonx x2 3800
Abit AN8 SLI Motherboard
Western Digital or Seagate 250 GB harddrive >$100
Nec 3550A DVD RW >$50
Some secondary drive >$40
Raidmax 450 Watt PSU and case $70 (I may or may not switch with a different PSU)
Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse: 45
Logitech 5.1 speaker system: 45
Hauppage TV tuner with Win-tv software: 145
17 inch Dell ultrasharp: 260

Comparable Dell: 1850
Comparable IBM: 1,698

True IBM is not much more exspensive, but I get exactly what I want out of a PC. And while I did make some sacrifices, I choose Corsair value RAM because I do not plan to overclock, and I am not getting the latest motherboard, I am getting what I want, and I know what is in it.

Reply to k2000k

Quote :

Building is for someone who wants a hobby. Naw, building is for anyone that doesn't want a crappy computer. Shopping for components doesn't take any longer than shopping for a dell or gateway. You still have to figure what components you want in those and if they are any good or not.

Box suppliers like Dell, Gateway, etc. also do not target the very premium market very well. They typically don't offer the highest tier of video, RAM, HDD setup, etc, unless you get the flagship $6000 PC. Can you say ALIENWARE?

Box suppliers do beat everyone on price for midrange systems, Only if you include all the extra useless software you don't want. As you can see above I matched Gateway's price no problem. I have also beaten Dell's prices when building for a friend.

As for components, you can guarantee a reference design for almost all components. PC makers don't want headaches or design costs, so they order reference boards from Taiwanese manufacturers. reference design doesn't mean quality

You will almost definitely get a working, installed PC out of the box from any large vendor, whether Dell over the web or e-Machines at CompUSA. When you buy parts from the cheapest 6 websites you'll probably run into a couple of headaches getting everything installed and working. If an afternoon playing with hardware and installing an OS is fun for you, it sounds like you found a hobby. yup, this is where the big guys have us beat hands down. they build it and it shows up working. We have to take a couple hours to put ours together.

Warrantee is also very nice. Lots of lower cost mail order components have 90 day warrantees, and you have to track down the manufacturer. It's easy to find brand name components at a similar price point (or the same price point) with one year, or longer warranties (5 year, 10 year and even lifetime). And yes, you do have to deal with the manufacturer, but they have phones and websites and email just like dell.

I personally don't care that much about upgrade paths or the special little features of my hardware, I buy low-mid range PCs that will support whatever high end video and RAM I will add. I haven't upgraded a processor in a PC for myself since I bought a K6-2. If my PC is two or three years old and I need more horsepower I buy a new box and add the upgrades I need. Last summer I got a $499 PC, I added a $250 video card and $100 RAM, and use my old PC for a spare. I might have been able to get all of those components from pricewatch and come close to that price, but it would have taken me a week or two to get everything and another week or two to get everything working, and I already have too many hobbies.Much to your satisfaction, you just caused my head to explode from imaging e-machine with a 7800GT and crucial CAS 2.0 RAM and the absolute abomination that it is.

Reply to judey

Quote :

Raidmax 450 Watt PSU and case $70 (I may or may not switch with a different PSU)

I'd check on that 12v rail, i've seen some raidmax with surprisingly weak amps on the 12v rail.

Reply to judey

Anyone asking this questions should:

A. Buy a dell, gateway, whatever and be happy knowing you have a fast, cool computer that can do anything...(hehe)

B. Build one and tell all your friends never to buy a pre-built again.

Please just choose B and be done with it.

Reply to michaelahess

I can't believe no one has mentioned the big one yet:
Windoze Install:
Dell comps always come with a useless version of windows. It's chalk full of crappy software and registry entries that will never be removed. I make plenty of money just reinstalling windows on computers that people bought from (insert Pc giant here). It is absolutely amazing what a fresh install of windows can do for a machine. You will never get that from dell, or you will end up buying windows anyways. The company I work for always buy dells for the offices. I am amazed how badly they run. One of them has a P4 2.8 with 512 ram (I upgraded it from 256, which is a joke on XP). It constantly locks up. It won't shut down. It takes 30 seconds to open a large excel spreadsheet. I have uninstalled 20 programs that no one ever would have used, and turned off numerous startup entries. It still runs like shit.
I bet you my current rig that a fresh copy of windows would fix all of its problems.
Let's put it this way: If you build your own, you will never buy a prebuilt one again. Guaranteed.

Reply to Cunninglinguist

I kinda implied that I thought My second employer also insists on dells for workstations, they let me build their servers though. Whenever a new dell comes in I immediately wipe it and get a clean image setup for their domain. They run very well for what they are used for, these are high end machines too, P4 3ghz, 1gig ram, etc. And they run word and excel awsomely!!!

Reply to michaelahess

As others have mentioned above, Dell, Gateway, HP, E-Machines, etc put the cheapest components they can get away with in their machines.

I have seen PCs with 150W PSUs which is criminal.

Most are difficult or impossible to upgrade, modify or tweak without major headaches.

When you build something yourself you get to pick the components you want and you generally end up with much better price/performance.

I configured a machine virtually identical to the Gateway GT5032 on newegg for $956.40 before shipping.

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio [...] ID=1905827

and this is with an Antec case and a Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s with 16MB CACHE!!!!! - OEM and I included XP Media Center at full price - I believe Gateway gets it for about $30.

You could use Linux and MythTV on yours instead and save $115 and a lot of headaches.

http://mythtv.org/modules.php?name=MythFeatures

The Gateway default HDD is a pathetic 250GB 7200 with 2MB Cache!

As good as nVidia products are I would never go for an nForce 6100 based system the nForce 4 is much better but that's another issue.

Reply to linux_0

I think the majotrity of the ponts have all been covered at some point or other in this thread.

Buy a boxed PC if you dont want to take responsibility for the contents. ie just want to plug in and surf.

buy components and build it if you are interested in building.

COST shouldn't be the driver, but building your own does allow you to buy what you can afford, and continually improve.

I've seen Dell PC's with no slot for a graphics card (AGP boards). I'm not saying that these are sh1t systems, because in all fairness they turn up and work. If they don't then you send it back till they do send you one that works.

The comment that one of my learnéd colleaged has made about windows is also true.

PCs are like cars. You can buy and drive the family station wagon or you can buy something you can tweak..... and just get a little bit more by being able to tweak.

And then there's the bragging rights.... I think it's a male thing :twisted:

Why do we do it.... because we can.

Reply to Tattysnuc

I built my first computer b/c all the major mfgs were weighing down the system which c*appy software add-ons. I don't want/need their adware.

Reply to Jagger

Basicly its simple.

1. you know exactly whats in your pc
2. it's built exactly how you want it, i.e none of that stuff you dont want that you get in pre-built pcs
3. Job satisfaction, butting together a pc is very satisfying
4. using the same components its cheaper, most companies like dell and hp for example dont use performance parts that you would if you were building it yourself, consider building your own custom pc compared to having alienware or vodoo pc build it for example, huge price difference.

Reply to ReCoN

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - What are the true bennifits in building your own PC?

Please mind