[SOLVED] High Price of Custom Built Gaming PC

[csmith480]

I've always been told that you can build a PC for cheaper than it costs to buy one but when I look up all the relevant parts it seems like it actually cheaper to just buy a pre-built tower. Am I missing something?

I can get a pre-built with an RTX 2060 S and an i7 10700KF for under $1,500.

An RTX 2060 S is over $800 by itself if I buy it separately. Throw in the CPU, MB, case etc and building that rig myself is much more expensive than buying pre-built.

So how is it cheaper to build than buy?

 

[USAFRet]

I've always been told that you can build a PC for cheaper than it costs to buy one but when I look up all the relevant parts it seems like it actually cheaper to just buy a pre-built tower. Am I missing something?

I can get a pre-built with an RTX 2060 S and an i7 10700KF for under $1,500.

An RTX 2060 S is over $800 by itself if I buy it separately. Throw in the CPU, MB, case etc and building that rig myself is much more expensive than buying pre-built.

So how is it cheaper to build than buy?

1. The pandemic has completely messed up pricing on GPU and recent CPUs.
2. It is not always "cheaper" to build vs buy. But you personally get a much better product if you build. You get 100% choice of the individual parts, guaranteed build quality, and a much deeper understanding of how to "fix" when something happens.

My personal build/buy line is $500-$600. Anything over that needs a BIG justification to buy a prebuilt.

 

[g-unit1111]

Have you been living under a rock, for the past year? Covid has screwed supply, and increased demand.

So has the Bitcoin / Dogecoin craze. That has also caused the demand for GPUs, high end CPUs, and power supplies to go through the roof.

 

[USAFRet]

So has the Bitcoin / Dogecoin craze. That has also caused the demand for GPUs, high end CPUs, and power supplies to go through the roof.

Yep, that as well.

 

[Adam0ne]

If there is such a supply issue for parts then why hasn't the price of pre-builts also gone up?

Usually pre-built units are already assembled or packaged together. This is true especially to large pc builders.

Supply has been very bad for individual components due to the pandemic. the long answer is - More people are now working at home. There is an increased need for computers, rather than just using the computers provided by the offices. So a lot of people have been purchasing. Its an investment for work. Most of them listen to folks like us that know how build PCs. SO we share to them our setup or they search Online and find what is the best and trending now. So supply is definitely low. So low, that even the pre-built pc that are not really good is now worth having a look.

 

[logainofhades]

Many pre-built companies get first dibs, on parts. We get left with whatever scalpers leave us.

 

[Adam0ne]

Many pre-built companies get first dibs, on parts. We get left with whatever scalpers leave us.

Agreed. (Sigh). Ain't that the truth. On a business perspective, it's a sure sell for component manufacturers.