Question Is it cheaper to build or buy a gaming PC ?

[chandan47]

Hello Everyone,
I was looking to purchase a powerful gaming PC, but Google started suggesting a prebuilt gaming PC. Now I am curious about its pricing and its detailed configuration. Many questions are popping out in my mind, and I need help from experts. For example, what should I look for when building a gaming PC for the first time?

Also I want to use it for video editing, & just simple office work.

Thanks in advance

 

[USAFRet]

google doesn't "suggest" anything.
It links you to articles saying so.


Building your own is not necessarily cheaper than buying one.
But you DO get much greater control over the parts included, and you'll have a much better understanding how things go together.

The hardest part?
Picking all the parts.

So, start here:

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

Post in the Systems Forum.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Building your own is often not cheaper than buying a pre-built, however you will get a much better PC when you build it yourself and don't have the same limitations on future upgrades.

 

[chandan47]

google doesn't "suggest" anything.
It links you to articles saying so.


Building your own is not necessarily cheaper than buying one.
But you DO get much greater control over the parts included, and you'll have a much better understanding how things go together.

The hardest part?
Picking all the parts.

So, start here:

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

Post in the Systems Forum.

Thanks for both suggestions.

 

[falcon291]

The problem with prebuilds is that they are not cheap when they are good.

And sometimes to decrease the price, some components they choose would not be par with the other components.

And when you build your own computer, you have the chance to upgrade the computer gradually. I never upgraded mainboard+CPU+memory at the same time as GPU. And one of the harddisk in my computer has nearly 90000 hours on it.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

I have built three computers myself. There isn't an omg saving of money when building your own. But there is great satisfaction in (I found) researching your parts, picking them out one by one and then putting it all together. The best feeling is when you press the power button, and it comes to life and works properly. The worst feeling is when you press the power button, and it just sits there. And then there are the cables, oh my, the cables are everywhere in the pc case! It can also be frustrating and very time-consuming building your own pc. You have to weigh your options. Do you have the knowledge and skill to build your own pc? Are you willing to put in the time? Do you have the skills to troubleshoot it when it all goes wrong? And don't forget to buy the little pc tools, thermal paste and anti-static mat etc. As you can see building your own pc vs walking into Best Buy and carrying one out is a decision you'll have to think about.

 

[Math Geek]

i bought one prebuilt in the mid 90's. this was back when cpu power was doubling every couple weeks. a new pc was $2000 or so if it was current.

after 6 months or so i wanted to get a faster cpu since they were almost triple what i already had!!! i found i could buy a new mobo and cpu for about $500 vs another $2000 for a total new system. did some research and ended up here and a couple other places. i found how easy it was to put it together myself and i have never looked back.

as others have noted, the best thing is the ability to make every part exactly what i want vs taking whatever a pre-built comes with.

the worst thing is the fact you get to pick every single part. lol

it can be overwhelming picking the parts for sure since there is so much to know. but that's what we are here for. after 30+ years doing this (others here have even more experience than i do), i pretty much have it figure out. we can help you to pick the best for your money that will fit your needs.

the only thing you have to do is to put it all together. it's really not that hard since everything only goes in one place and only fits one way. but of course you do have to pay attention and take your time.

early on i found the motherboard manual to be an awesome guide. start at page 1 and go to the end. it walks you through every slot/connection the mobo has. if you have that piece, hook it up. if you don't, then move to the next item. repeat until you are out of pages and parts.

 

[Fix_that_Glitch]

It can be cheaper to build a gaming PC rather than buying a pre-built one, but it really depends on your budget and the specific components you want to include in your build. When you build your own PC, you have the opportunity to choose the specific components that you want, which can help you save money by avoiding any unnecessary features.

However, building a PC does require some technical knowledge and can be time-consuming. If you don't feel comfortable building your own PC or don't have the time to do it, buying a pre-built one can be a good option. Keep in mind that pre-built PCs may have a higher markup, so you may end up paying more for a pre-built PC than if you were to build one yourself.

Ultimately, the decision to build or buy a gaming PC will depend on your specific needs and budget. If you have the time and technical know-how, building a PC can be a fun and cost-effective option. If not, buying a pre-built one can be a good choice, as long as you are willing to pay a little extra for the convenience.

I have built three computers myself. There isn't an omg saving of money when building your own. The best feeling is when you press the power button, and it comes to life and works properly. The worst feeling is when you press the power button, and it just sits there. And then there are the cables, oh my, the cables are everywhere in the pc case! Do you have the skills to troubleshoot it when it all goes wrong? And don't forget to buy the thermal paste and anti-static mat etc. As you can see building your own pc vs walking into Best Buy and carrying one out is a decision you'll have to think about.
Feel better ? lol.

 

[hotaru.hino]

At a certain price point, I want to say it's around less than $800USD, it's cheaper to build a pre-built. The biggest factor in this comes from needing to purchase a Windows license (and no, I don't condone buying from grey market sites). On the flip side, at another price point, like around $2500+, it's cheaper to build it yourself. Though this is just for parts and the things you need to get it running.

Keep in mind that when you buy a pre-built, you get support for the entire system from the company. Of course, their support could be as good as a sack of rocks, but at the very least, you're guaranteed a working system out of the box (barring any shipping gremlins damaging it) and at least enough support that if it lasts that long, should last for a while.

When you build your own computer, you're completely on your own and you have to contact the respective manufacturer of that part for support if the return window for the shop runs out.

 

[Math Geek]

"cheaper" with a pre-built also brings with it the issues of upgrading the system.

especially on the cheaper end, the parts used are not off the shelf standard parts and often severely limits if you can upgrade down the line. that to me is a big plus with a custom pc. with a prebuilt, the psu is often junk and proprietary so it will do the job but nothing else, storage will also be the most cost effective part rather than performance oriented. and so on and so on....

so yah possibly save a few bucks, but get inferior parts, upgrade issues and more, but you do get a single warranty so there's that

 

[falcon291]

Prebuilts other problem is you are buying a whole system. If you have an older computer, you cannot use these components.

I have a 9700K, I don't have any plans to upgrade it yet. But if I do, I would need to buy a whole prebuilt system and buy with the system again a better or same level GPU as my new RTX 3070. But I can just buy a mainboard and CPU and just with them I would have the fastest 13th generation i9. I already have 2 M2 drives, 3 hard disks, 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, I don't need any other component to upgrade.

 

[hotaru.hino]

I would argue that if you're a tinkerer or DIYer, then a pre-built computer isn't for you anyway. The business model for those is to build to a market that sees computers in its entirety as a tool. Once the tool no longer serves their needs, they just buy a completely new one.

Also these people tend to run the computers into the ground. So they get give or take 4-5 years at the minimum out of them assuming the computer wasn't in some adverse condition.

 

[USAFRet]

I would argue that if you're a tinkerer or DIYer, then a pre-built computer isn't for you anyway. The business model for those is to build to a market that sees computers in its entirety as a tool. Once the tool no longer serves their needs, they just buy a completely new one.

Also these people tend to run the computers into the ground. So they get give or take 4-5 years at the minimum out of them assuming the computer wasn't in some adverse condition.

If it weren't for me, my spouse would absolutely buy a prebuilt something or laptop, and not think twice.

Same with my grandkids, etc, etc.