Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (
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Mac Cool wrote:
>
> ToolPackinMama:
>
> > Mac Cool wrote:
> >> Price is the wrong reason to build your own.
>
> > No, it's not. Price (savings) is what attracted me in the first
> > place.
>
> Price is the reason I learned to build my own systems, but it isn't a
> good reason anymore. Time and again, I have priced a home built system
> against Dell and Dell wins on price everytime. Some people like to
> claim that Dell uses substandard components but that just isn't true.
> They are not top of the line, but they are average.
>
> > You can build very nice bargain PCs for less than what an
> > off-the-rack BIG NAME MANUFACTURER would charge, and you get better
> > quality components for the the same or less money than what they
> > offer.
>
> I have challenged a number of people to back up the same statement, two
> tried, two failed. Would you like to try?
>
> No cheap components, no refurbs, no academic software, everything must
> be mid-line quality or better, must be a complete system including
> things like fans, heat sinks, operating system, monitor and software.
First of all what do you mean "no cheap components"? Name me a Dell PC
that uses NFORCE2 motherboards and AMD CPUs, to start with, because
that's what I would be using. Are rebates and things-on-sale allowed?
If I have a choice between a 8.00 FDD and a 10.00 one must I choose the
10.00 one to avoid the cheaper one? BTW, who says that Dell doesn't use
cheap components? Don't try to pull anything, because I have seen
what's inside of Dells, and it's nothing special. It ain't silver and
gold in there, buddy. Dell uses cheap components. I know, because I
have seen it. They put it in an uncessarily heavy case to make it seem
more substantial, but horsemeat is horsemeat under the hide.
Define mid-line quality? By what measure is something "mid-line
quality"? Why pay mid-line prices when the primary objective is to save
money? If I have a choice between a 8.00 FDD, a 10.00 one, and a 12.00
one, must I choose the 10.00 one because it's "mid-line quality"?
BTW, the Dell must be purchased online and shipping/taxes etc. must
count toward the total price. That's fair, because I'm buying all my
parts online and paying shipping for them.
Is it OK to already own the OS, or do I have to buy another one? You
see, in real life, I already own a CRT, a keyboard, a mouse, a printer,
and all the software I would need. Why pay for all that stuff twice,
just because I want to upgrade my motherboard? BTW, Dells don't come
with a proper OS disk, they come with a crummy "recovery disk", right?
You can't use that "recovery disk" like you can use a full OS disk.
Since I'm using a full OS disk, I insist to be fair that the Dell owner
must also pay for one.
If you want to upgrade the motherboard in a Dell, you have to buy a
whole new Dell. Homebuilders don't have to do that. How cheaply can
you put an optional new motherboard in your Dell without voiding your
warranty? Oops, I mean how long will it take for the approved Dell
techies to do it for you, and how much will they charge - a) for their
time, and b) for the motherboard? BTW, I would have a virtually
unlimited set of choices for my new motherboard, but the Dell owner?
Probably not.
No refurbs. That seems unnecessarily restrictive. I'm not currently
using any refurbs, but I reserve the right to do so, because in this
exercise the object is to save money.
It's very difficult to match a system part for part and point for
point. I'm not going to use a Western Digital HD just because Dell uses
them. I prefer Seagate drives.
Here's how it works: You already have a computer, but you want a fast
one, so you buy a cheap new case that comes with a perfectly decent
power supply. You buy a perfectly decent motherboard, retail CPU, and
compatible RAM. You put your drives from your old computer into your
"new" one, and for under 300 dollars you have given yourself a new
computer. Next payday, you indulge yourself in another new component,
and bit by bit, you upgrade the whole thing.
You never pay interest rates on the credit card, because you pay cash
for all of this. You don't buy the OS twice because you already own it.
In real life, I rarely start cold with nothing, no OS, no keyboard,
NOTHING - but for the purposes of the exercise, sure.
First name me a reference Dell PC with a NFORCE2 mobo and an AMD CPU,
because that's what I will be using. And provide a detailed list of all
the junk bloatware that the the Dell comes with, so I can completely
ignore most of it, because I won't be paying one dime for any of it.
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