Is it really worth it to make your own comptuer?

[HotSauce]

I built mine and had it playing games in 45 minutes. It's a simple computer though. Good luck on ur build dude.

 

[--Pete]

Hi,

In general, for your own use, I'd say build.

If you're looking for the best price, copy the specs from the Dell machine you are considering, go to newegg and/or pricewatch and look for the total cost of all the equivalent components. Be sure to compare apples to apples as much as possible (i.e., go for the cheapest no-brand items or at best OEM versions of branded items -- that being basically what Dell uses). I've usually found that, by selecting from multiple vendors and watching the shipping and tax costs, I can beat Dell's price and build just as crappy a machine.

Now, if you actually want a machine for more than e-mail and porn downloading, you'll probably find that the basic Dell will not cut it. To build a machine for gaming, graphics or video processing, or program development, the upgrades to the Dell machine will often cost more than the products that are used for the upgrade. Again, these upgrades will typically be the cheapest available or stripped down OEM versions. That is assuming you can even get the capabilities you want from Dell in the first place. So, you'll either have to pay much more, or settle for something that isn't quite right.

I'd suggest figuring out what you really want to do, then spec'ing a complete list of components that you are considering will do the job to these forums. You'll get some good advice as to whether what you've picked will play well together and do what you want to do. Follow the advice in the links for building your own computer when you do get the parts. And post problems here.

As to how long it takes to assemble a system, that depends on experience and how much hardware/software tweaking you want to do. The twenty minute figures are probably valid for basic assembly. It takes me longer than that to strip the case down, figure out all the cooling and cable pass through holes, other case mods I want to make (such as relocating drive bays for better cooling), mark them, cut them, and clean and reassemble the case. But then, I'm anal

For a first time builder, it'll take a few hours just to read through the online guides, the manuals shipped with the products, and to get all that info correlated in your head. If you skip the reading and screw up and fry a part, those few hours will be cheap relative to the time it takes to get an RMA, ship the 'defective' part, get a replacement, etc.

If you take your time, check on the net and here on things you are unsure about (such as BIOS setting and XP components), then a more realistic first time build time would probably be one long day, or even two, from opening the first box to a complete XP boot, all devices recognized.

Of course, you could just go hell bent for leather, throw the system together in '20 minutes' and then spend weeks working all the glitches out. Just look at all the "I just finished building a new system and xxx doesn't work, HELP" posts 😉

--Pete

 

[MOREPOWERPLEASE123]

I'm not sure if anybody else has said this yet or not, I only read the first 2 pages of responses. The other thing you have to remember is, there is still shipping on top of that price Dell gives. I believe the last batch of computers we got in it was about $80-90 for each computer. So basically, figure in about $100.00 to be safe when comparing there prices. It's great, buy a $499.00 computer and then pay 1/5 of that price just to have it shipped to ya. LOL!!! :lol:

 

[krfan1]

With the exception of my Compaq laptop that I bought a year ago, all my PC's have been custom built.

Why? As has been stated, some prebuilts require vendor specific parts. Like what happened with my cousin:

He bought a Dell in 2000 for college. The power supply crapped out in 2004 due to the fan dying. He came to me for help. "No problem I said, we'll replace the power supply and in five minutes it'll be as good as new." We got a generic ps from CompUSA. Didn't work so we returned it and got an Antec ps. Didn't work. I even tried the generic ps out of my system (which I knew worked...same result) I was starting to think the ps fried the motherboard when it died. But ironically, my old roomate stopped by and needed a new hard drive installed in his Dell (from 2001). I tried the ps from my roomate's PC in my cousin's PC and it worked. Do Dell PC's still suffer from this? I don't know. But it reaffirmed why I build my own system...I don't like the possibility of a part not working in my computer when it should.

For people who just want a PC for simple tasks, a Dell with a LCD for $349 works perfect (like those who want a car for getting from Point A to Point B) But for those who want specifics and to be in control of their PC's, custom built is the way to go.

krfan1

 

[CaptHeinzBeanz]

Yes it is worth building your own computer.

1) You get the exact component you want with no compromise from the limited choice some PC build retailers offer.

2) You have the satisfaction you built it yourself

3) You don't have to deal with some of the naff software they put on the PCs that you may never use again

4) You can save a lot of money.

My Rig (see below sig) cost me £2,500 (english pounds), I priced it up on a few PC building retailer and saved between £750 to £1500 doing it myself.

 

[CaptHeinzBeanz]

Sorry forgot to add sig

AMD X2 4800 AM2, ASUS M2N32-SLI , 2GB OCZ PC2 6400 RAM, ATi X1900XTX, 2 x 80GB WD SATAII HDD in RAID 0 XP PRO SP2 OS, 2 WD 250GB SATAII HDD 1 data 1 media, Creative 7.1 speakers, 2 x Lite-on DVD-+RW Drives, Dell 2407 Monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse.