[SOLVED] Should I build or buy a gaming PC?

[pricelessppp]

I'm planning on getting a gaming PC in late December or in January. And am wanting to play AAA games & genre exclusive titles like flight sims on high settings & smooth frames. And wondering should I build one form PC part picker or have buy the parts & have a local service build me one or buy a store bought PC from a reputable brand? I'm hoping to make a wise choice. I heard store bought brands skimp out on parts so I'm a little hesitant on all ready assembled ones. And heard they where a bit more expensive vs all ready made ones. Also would Black Friday/Cyber Monday Christmas be a good time to go ether direction?

 

[cactusgames14]

I recommend building because it is way cheaper and the experience is unforgettable but remember before building find out how to build it

 

[pricelessppp]

I recommend building because it is way cheaper and the experience is unforgettable but remember before building find out how to build it

Gotcha I've watched a basic tutorial on what goes into a PC. And what tools do I need if I decide to do it? Also how do I convince my family its a better idea to build one or have someone build a PC to spec for me?

 

[cactusgames14]

Gotcha I've watched a basic tutorial on what goes into a PC. And what tools do I need if I decide to do it? Also how do I convince my family its a better idea to build one or have someone build a PC to spec for me?

Tool would be a screwdriver that’s all I used in my first build and I convinced my family buy telling them money can be saved and my uncle is a mechanical engineer and my mom told him to build me one and he said make him do it so over all just point out all advantages of building it and try to buy one to 2 parts for the PC then they won’t be able return it bc it just annoying to do online returns but good luck man!

 

[pricelessppp]

Cool that you just need a screwdriver! Oh forgot to mention the thermal paste & a copy of Windows OS lol. Oh any good short videos on talking about the advantages of building a PC? Also what can go wrong & what mistakes should I avoid & what can go right if I choose this route? Also what’s a good Motherboard & PSU?

 

[cactusgames14]

Cool that you just need a screwdriver! Oh forgot to mention the thermal paste & a copy of Windows OS lol. Oh any good short videos on talking about the advantages of building a PC? Also what can go wrong & what mistakes should I avoid & what can go right if I choose this route? Also what’s a good Motherboard & PSU?

If you use a stock fan aka the one that comes with a processor it had preapplied thermal paste but not all processors come with a cooler so look out for that and a copy of windows just search on YouTube media creation tool windows 10 flash drive and all you need is a 8gb flash drive and has to be empty, I do not know any short videos because I did so much research upon reading articles that I didn’t watch many advantages videos, motherboard and psu just make a thread with your budget and ask people with the best PC with my budget and mostly go with the mod option And even if you go with mods option or not ask again is every thing is compatible or not!

 

[philip_austin]

I always suggest everyone build there own pcs, you can get a warranty for individual parts, and also you can prioritize things according to your requirements.

 

[cactusgames14]

I always suggest everyone build there own pcs, you can get a warranty for individual parts, and also you can prioritize things according to your requirements.

I was just talking to my friend about that today why you should build a PC bc my ram is faulty and I have lifetime warranty while he bought a prebuilt so he doesn’t get ram replacements

 

[Frag Maniac]

Cool that you just need a screwdriver! Oh forgot to mention the thermal paste & a copy of Windows OS lol. Oh any good short videos on talking about the advantages of building a PC? Also what can go wrong & what mistakes should I avoid & what can go right if I choose this route? Also what’s a good Motherboard & PSU?

Actually a 5mm hex driver is also very handy for putting in the standoffs into the MB panel of the case that you screw the MB to.

The thing is though, you don't actually need a dedicated hex driver, or even hex bit to add to a flat/Philips bit screwdriver. Those are the common cheaper ones where the two sided bits are stored on the shaft at either end, both at the tip and inside the handle. And you certainly don't need a whole bit screwdriver set that contains more bits than you'll use.

The way I went since I already had a M5 45mm length cap screw with 5mm Allen wrench socket head , is cut a 1" piece of spare auto fuel hose I also had, and slip that over the threaded end. The beauty of it is, the rubber hose offers just enough grip to put them in snug, without chance of over tightening, which is common with new builders using large handle drivers. We're talking less than $3 vs $10 to $20 or more for a hex driver or bit driver set, and that's for two 75mm cap screws and a foot of fuel hose. Fuel hose comes in handy for lots of things.

BTW, yes, build it, for sure. It's not just to learn how to build and save money either. It also goes a long way to help trouble shoot once you know how everything is put together. At some point, most with a gaming PC have to troubleshoot, and doing it as a build customer vs builder, is quite daunting by comparison.

 

[brokeBuilder2019]

I'm planning on getting a gaming PC in late December or in January. And am wanting to play AAA games & genre exclusive titles like flight sims on high settings & smooth frames. And wondering should I build one form PC part picker or have buy the parts & have a local service build me one or buy a store bought PC from a reputable brand? I'm hoping to make a wise choice. I heard store bought brands skimp out on parts so I'm a little hesitant on all ready assembled ones. And heard they where a bit more expensive vs all ready made ones. Also would Black Friday/Cyber Monday Christmas be a good time to go ether direction?

Like with everything else in life, there are pros and cons to both options

If you get a pre-built PC, yes, they will likely put in cheaper or outdated parts, unless you get to configure it yourself. But then, they will be responsible for any problems that occur down the road (within the warranty/support period). They will likely do a professional job of cable management and cooling, which are important.

If you build it yourself, yes, you can put in exactly the parts you want. But, you will need to do a lot of research (weeks, months) to make sure you get a good configuration that ensures compatibility, performance, adequate cooling, etc. Not to mention, you're responsible for looking out for deals on all the individual parts. And, if after assembly, the PC doesn't boot, you are responsible for figuring out why. If a part fails, you will need to send it back, deal with the manufacturer. A custom-built PC means 10 to 20 to 30 different parts/manufacturers to deal with.

In the first PC I built, I didn't pay attention to temperature monitoring ... my PC kept shutting down ... turned out the stock Intel CPU cooler was not nearly enough for it ! In my second custom build, my GPU accumulated a massive cake of dust internally (had to take it completely apart to see it) ... I didn't figure this out until after subjecting the GPU to lots of heat and it gave out eventually. In other words, I'm still learning from mistakes

Building is LOTS of fun ! And with lots of fun, comes lots of responsibility How much time/patience do you have ? That's really the question.

 

[pricelessppp]

Like with everything else in life, there are pros and cons to both options

If you get a pre-built PC, yes, they will likely put in cheaper or outdated parts, unless you get to configure it yourself. But then, they will be responsible for any problems that occur down the road (within the warranty/support period). They will likely do a professional job of cable management and cooling, which are important.

If you build it yourself, yes, you can put in exactly the parts you want. But, you will need to do a lot of research (weeks, months) to make sure you get a good configuration that ensures compatibility, performance, adequate cooling, etc. Not to mention, you're responsible for looking out for deals on all the individual parts. And, if after assembly, the PC doesn't boot, you are responsible for figuring out why. If a part fails, you will need to send it back, deal with the manufacturer. A custom-built PC means 10 to 20 to 30 different parts/manufacturers to deal with.

In the first PC I built, I didn't pay attention to temperature monitoring ... my PC kept shutting down ... turned out the stock Intel CPU cooler was not nearly enough for it ! In my second custom build, my GPU accumulated a massive cake of dust internally (had to take it completely apart to see it) ... I didn't figure this out until after subjecting the GPU to lots of heat and it gave out eventually. In other words, I'm still learning from mistakes

Building is LOTS of fun ! And with lots of fun, comes lots of responsibility How much time/patience do you have ? That's really the question.

I got a month worth of patience.

 

[pricelessppp]

Actually a 5mm hex driver is also very handy for putting in the standoffs into the MB panel of the case that you screw the MB to.

The thing is though, you don't actually need a dedicated hex driver, or even hex bit to add to a flat/Philips bit screwdriver. Those are the common cheaper ones where the two sided bits are stored on the shaft at either end, both at the tip and inside the handle. And you certainly don't need a whole bit screwdriver set that contains more bits that you'll use.

The way I went since I already had a M5 45mm length cap screw with 5mm Allen wrench socket head , is cut a 1" piece of spare auto fuel hose I also had, and slip that over the threaded end. The beauty of it is, the rubber hose offers just enough grip to put them in snug, without chance of over tightening, which is common with new builders using large handle drivers. We're talking less than $3 vs $10 to $20 or more for a hex driver or bit driver set, and that's for two 75mm cap screws and a foot of fuel hose. Fuel hose comes in handy for lots of things.

BTW, yes, build it, for sure. It's not just to learn how to build and save money either. It also goes a long way to help trouble shoot once you know how everything is put together. At some point, most with a gaming PC have to troubleshoot, and doing it as a build customer vs builder, is quite daunting by comparison.

Thanks.

 

[philip_austin]

I was just talking to my friend about that today why you should build a PC bc my ram is faulty and I have lifetime warranty while he bought a prebuilt so he doesn’t get ram replacements

Yes that's why its better to build own PC