Question Prebuilt PCs vs. Building Your Own: Which Is Better for Beginners ?

[Zimas]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently exploring the world of PCs and was wondering if I could get some advice from the experts here. I’ve been debating whether I should go for a prebuilt PC or take the plunge and build one myself as a beginner.

From what I’ve gathered so far:

• Prebuilt PCs seem convenient because they’re ready to go out of the box. Companies like Dell, HP, and custom builders like NZXT BLD and iBUYPOWER seem to have some solid options.
• Building your own PC is often considered more rewarding (and sometimes more affordable), but it also seems a bit intimidating for someone without much experience.

So, I have a few questions:

1. Are there any reliable websites or brands you’d recommend for prebuilt PCs? I’ve heard about companies like NZXT BLD, CyberPowerPC, and CLX Gaming—are they worth it?
2. As a beginner, is building your own PC too much of a hassle, or is it something manageable with enough research and tutorials?
3. For someone with a limited budget, which route do you think offers the best value for money?

I’d love to hear about your experiences—whether you started with a prebuilt or went straight into building your own rig. Any advice, tips, or resources for a beginner would be greatly appreciated!

Looking forward to your insights. 😊

Cheers,
Zimas

 

[Why_Me]

If on a really tight budget then I would say prebuilt is the way to go. Otherwise building your own usually gets you better components for cheaper. What country are you located and what is your budget?

 

[USAFRet]

Avoid iBuyPower and CyberPowerPC.
Avoid completely.

We've seen FAR too many reports of crappy assembly, and crappy default parts.
On top of crappy warranty rules.

 

[Lafong]

Tutorials:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V38NoO2xiVw&t=29s


This is great, nearly 4 hours long. I discovered it a couple of months ago. VERY well done, good pic quality, good audio, lots of detail up through installing and activating Windows. Filmed in May 2024 and shows an Intel 13700K build.

Microcenter will put together a PC of parts you buy at their store; for a fee. Not sure how good the assemblers are, but at least you get to choose some good parts.

There are a few high end "boutique" builders such as Puget Systems, but they are not cheap. You might have to pay 2000 on up?

The builders tend to charge ridiculous prices for upgrades...such as moving from a 1 tb drive to a 2 tb drive or going from 16 gb RAM to 32 or 64.

If I wanted an "ordinary" pre-built, I might still go with Dell, but I'm not sure what their reputation is nowadays. Lower your expectations on pre-builts generally.

If you get up into say the 700 or 800 dollar budget area, it makes increasingly good sense to build your own. But at 500 or 600 it's pretty tough to compete.