Question Prebuilt for less than a diy???

May 11, 2019
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I've been looking around for good deals on pc parts and I happened upon this barebones pc from Portech.com that was $339 which I thought was underpriced especially if it was prebuilt. So I went over to PcPartPicker and found the exact same components as on the website for the Ryzen 5 2600 one and it turns out that the price on there is $341... what the heck, that means that they either found insanely good deals on parts/bought in bulk or they are losing money on these builds. Now I don't know how credible this site is but what's stopping me from buying this build right now? (I'm not actually going to buy it). Someone plz explain
https://www.portatech.com/products/...xefwwHPQMRNt_cz_cCA_N1t3MqzSAQKhoCkN0QAvD_BwE

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dJwKmq
 
May 11, 2019
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Ik its trash... I was just trying to compare it exactly to that site, I guess I could have picked a better PSU on there but whatever, still doesn't make sense.
 
May 11, 2019
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on their site, you can pick an actual PSU if you want to but it would still be cheaper than doing it yourself, even if it's only a $2 difference you get it mostly prebuilt and you get a warranty on it too so why wouldn't that be a good deal?
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
on their site, you can pick an actual PSU if you want to but it would still be cheaper than doing it yourself, even if it's only a $2 difference you get it mostly prebuilt and you get a warranty on it too so why wouldn't that be a good deal?

Because the warranty is far worse. Unless a particular brand makes an exception, if you bought the parts on a built rig, your builder supplies the warranty, not them.
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
I suppose... but I still wonder how they are making enough money off of this.

Some of the reasons were outlined above. Bulk purchases reduce the costs; they didn't buy 100 of those motherboards or 100 of those cases from Newegg at retail prices. And there's no retail business out there that make a profit on every product. Things that don't sell or that need to be cleared out for new stock can frequently be sold at near cost, at cost, or even below.
 

retroforlife

Reputable
Apr 19, 2017
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don't forget if you need advice on a build or budget or any thing this site is great at doing it 😁

think best pc builders i ever found use to add like 10 % to every part so retail price + that = profit to be fair they did build systems you would want to have not the crappy stuff any who much more fun to build one your self if you don't mind the adult lego building parts and that whole life flashing before your eyes while you wait for it to boot up for the first time :D
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
For the warranty issue with those prebuilts, it is not just the "1 year".
It is also that you must pay to ship the whole PC back to them for fix or replace.

https://www.portatech.com/showpage.asp?id=5
General Warranty Conditions

"Most Items (unless otherwise specified) have a minimum 1 year warranty. Refunds are accepted within 30 days. After 30 days defective products will only be exchanged for like items. Non defective items will only be exchanged for a different item within 30 days from the date of original shipment to Buyer. After 30 days from date of purchase, product warranty entails repair or replacement of any defective item. Return shipping costs are solely the responsibility of the Buyer unless otherwise specified. Physical damage to an item voids any and all warranties on that item. Any claims for items damaged in shipping must be made to Seller within 3 business days of receiving the product."

So not only do they screw you on the length of the warranty, they make you pay for it.