HP vs Custom PC Builder

[jimmysmitty]

Lets see......$300 bucks more for a better mobo, much faster RAM, bigger HDD, much better GPU and the CPU comes OCed and is easier to OC.

Simple choice. Custom build all the way.

 

[th_username]

custom

 

[gaiden]

Now Add in the cost of the Operating System....
Oh, and since he will be video editing... a good video capture card would be nice....
Dont see a reason for the extra sound card...

--Shodar

The poster didn't really stated that he needed an OS so i assumed he has a 'working' copy and video editing i assumed Professional Video Editing and not tv-capturing type of video or some homemade 'videos' if you know what i mean . I also assumed most of his videos have sound so sound card for processing sound??? having a sound card takes the load from the cpu also means a bit of performance gain IMHO .

 

[ahslan]

...umm...well lets see...if its an HP and it aint a blackbird, pass...lol...

 

[ram1009]

The reason for building your own computer has little to do with money. The store bought computer will always be cheaper apples to apples because they build in such volume. I build my own because I get to buy exactly what I want, no more or less, of the best quality components I can find and I don't have to put up with the crapware loaded by OEMs. Their goal isn't to sell you one box but rather to keep you coming back to them for repairs, upgrades, etc. There are many traps built into all OEM computers that I've seen.

 

[Wisecracker]

Hands down - HP

HP has a three year warranty - onsite parts and labor. Will your custom builder guarantee that?

He's got that q9450 at 8x450. At what voltage? What are the temps at load? Spending $2200 on a computer with no warranty is a JOKE when you can purchase that HP rig for $1,900.

For the $300 difference in price you can buy 3 Seagate Barracuda 500GB hard drives from The Egg and pocket 60 bucks.

 

[spuddyt]

In fact thats not true ram, because although they get the parts cheaper, they also mark the price of the overall machine so it ends up being very close for the very low end machines, (whcih also have crappy build quality), and they mark it up more and more, mid ranged systems just aren't comparable.

 

[Noya]

@ Hood, niether of your original build are good for video editing- they're gaming rigs. And nearly every moron here is pointing you toward a gaming machine and crap you don't need. I would high suggest googling "entry-level video editing PC" or something similar to get an idea of what you need. The basics are:
A- a fast quad-core CPU (3.0ghz+)
B- lots of ram (4gb+)
C- multiple hard drives (3 is the absolute minimum).
D- video card with 512mb of video ram (and since you game, a 4850 is perfect since it's so cheap).
E- a 64-bit operating system to use the 4gb+ of memory
F- two large monitors (2x24" would be ideal, but 2x22" would be more inline with your budget).

 

[Shodar]

The poster didn't really stated that he needed an OS so i assumed he has a 'working' copy and video editing i assumed Professional Video Editing and not tv-capturing type of video or some homemade 'videos' if you know what i mean . I also assumed most of his videos have sound so sound card for processing sound??? having a sound card takes the load from the cpu also means a bit of performance gain IMHO .

Ahh yes, point well made. I always forget about the sound editing.

As for the OS, both system listed in the OP has an OS listed as part of the config.. only natural for me to include it in my config if I were specing out one of my custom PCs for someone.

--Shodar

 

[hood]

Noya:
the specs above all have what you mentioned. except for the multiple hard drives.


I was not too worried about a sound card...
but i am worried about this wear and tear with overclocking. what do you guys think about the damage that does? does the cooler in the custom build rig do a good enough job on cooling it?

 

[Noya]

Noya:
the specs above all have what you mentioned. except for the multiple hard drives.

Yes, but they're overpriced and have a higher range graphic than you'll use for

Every once in a while i play a game.

This is an enthusiast website where people usually want the best for their money. Not to mention, multiple hard disks is one of thee most important parts of a video-editing setup.

Here is a decent, though way overpriced video editing rig:
http://www.adkvideoediting.com/systems/viewsystem.cfm?recordid=90
Notice the hard disk setup? That's the minimum you want and that's how you use them (OS, "scratch"/work, render/storage)

Do you even have monitors yet?

*edit*

Anyway, here's my list for a similar budget:

$440 shipped - 2 x 22" Acer 1680x1050 monitors:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094

$180+ - Lian Li aluminum full tower case

$329 - Intel Q9450
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042
$36 - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003
Retention Bracket
$7 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019
(overlock the CPU to 3.2gz+, the FSB is the limiter)

$92 w/rebate - 4gb 1066 DDR2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289
$135 - ASUS P5Q
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131295


$165 - Asus 4850 video card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121253
(this will nicely play any game at 1680x1050)


Windows/Programs drive
$54 - 250gb Seagate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262
Capture/Work drive
$90 - WD 640gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
Render to/storage drive
$90 - WD 640gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
Backup drive
$90 - WD 640gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

$84 - 520w modular Corsair
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-520w-sli-certified-modular-atx-power-supply/q/loc/101/203270716.html

$50-60 - 2 x DVD/RW drives

For a total of $1,842 (including all the hard disks and monitors you need). All the parts also come with the manufacturer's warranty and can easily be RMA'd back to Newegg if there's a problem.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Hands down - HP

HP has a three year warranty - onsite parts and labor. Will your custom builder guarantee that?

He's got that q9450 at 8x450. At what voltage? What are the temps at load? Spending $2200 on a computer with no warranty is a JOKE when you can purchase that HP rig for $1,900.

For the $300 difference in price you can buy 3 Seagate Barracuda 500GB hard drives from The Egg and pocket 60 bucks.

Well lets see. 3 year warranty (and most of the time the chances of that PC going bad or parts is very limited mainly to the HDD or PSU in those types) which if used will be rare. When you custom build a PC your RAM normally has a lifetime warranty, CPU is normally 5 years, mobo is 3-5, HDD is 5, GPU is normally dependant on the majer but a good amount of time.

I see your point but still for $2200 you can have a better one, like the fact tat the custom has a much better GPU, made. Mine cost me $1500 for me to build and would have been over $3K through most cheap PC makers and around $6k with Alienware/Falcon/Voodoo (HP). So what would I have paid that extra $1500-$4500 for? the case? the name? the 3 year warranty that I have to spend 3 hours on the phone with some guy in some other country that has no clue what the hell a CPU is let alone how the PC works?

I guess I just like being able do it myself and save a lot of money.

 

[JessMyz]

...umm...well lets see...if its an HP and it aint a blackbird, pass...lol...

Unless it's an Envy... sorry I have a crush on this laptop

http://www.thenextbench.com/hpg/blog?blog.id=hpblog

 

[ahslan]

Unless it's an Envy... sorry I have a crush on this laptop

http://www.thenextbench.com/hpg/blog?blog.id=hpblog

I stand corrected JessMyz...