What to look for in a Prebuilt pc

[GoodGuessWork]

For a long time I have wanted to get a pc that is able to let me play games, with the ability to upgrade it later if needed. I wanted to build one myself, but I have found myself unable to get the time to do so. So I am compromising and looking for a Prebuilt pc or a pc that someone else made and is selling. Because of this I was mainly wondering if there are red flags I should look for. I know what parts I want, mainly an i5 minimum and minimum 8 GB of ram. Any input would be great.

 

[jaslion]

For a long time I have wanted to get a pc that is able to let me play games, with the ability to upgrade it later if needed. I wanted to build one myself, but I have found myself unable to get the time to do so. So I am compromising and looking for a Prebuilt pc or a pc that someone else made and is selling. Because of this I was mainly wondering if there are red flags I should look for. I know what parts I want, mainly an i5 minimum and minimum 8 GB of ram. Any input would be great.

You can't put 2 hours of your time away to build a pc?
It's easy and doesn't take that long. Prebuilts always (99% of them) have cheaper motherboards and psu's and those aren't great.

 

[Martell1977]

If you give us a budget and a short list of the programs you intend to run, it will be easier to help you.

The issue with OEM machines is that they always cut corners somewhere. Often this will lead to issues, but almost always limits any possibility of upgrades, especially if they use proprietary parts. To increase profits, OEM's will often limit CPU support and supported RAM speeds and amounts on their motherboards, for example.The worst OEM's will put 350w PSU's from random unknown chinese brands and are just above fire hazards.

 

[USAFRet]

For a long time I have wanted to get a pc that is able to let me play games, with the ability to upgrade it later if needed. I wanted to build one myself, but I have found myself unable to get the time to do so. So I am compromising and looking for a Prebuilt pc or a pc that someone else made and is selling. Because of this I was mainly wondering if there are red flags I should look for. I know what parts I want, mainly an i5 minimum and minimum 8 GB of ram. Any input would be great.

The only thing to look for in a prebuilt is Price < $450.
Above that....build it yourself.

Specific things to look for?
Generic parts:
600 watt PSU! does not mean a good 600 watt PSU.

Useless addons $$$:
"Professional Assembly" (oh really?)
"Custom wiring" (yeah, right)
"Custom Care shipping" (Ok, we won't let the intern drop the box)

 

[Chad_40]

Building a pc yourself takes no time op! It is actually quite fun and rewarding when you get it all put together and run your first game. It is not hard at all either. The worst part of it is waiting for all the parts to come in. The guys on this forum can put together a top notch system for you on almost any budget, its just up to you to follow their advice and order the parts. Then the waiting game begins, then the fun begins!

 

[GoodGuessWork]

Looking at it again, I just don't think I will be happy with a prebuilt PC, especially because it does seem like I am paying more money for a less powerful product. Sadly, I won't be able to afford this for a while. I have had the money to do it 3 times in the past, but other expenses have come up that have taken precedent. I guess it will just be a vicious cycle.

 

[USAFRet]

Looking at it again, I just don't think I will be happy with a prebuilt PC, especially because it does seem like I am paying more money for a less powerful product. Sadly, I won't be able to afford this for a while. I have had the money to do it 3 times in the past, but other expenses have come up that have taken precedent. I guess it will just be a vicious cycle.

A couple of months ago, a member came her with an "awesome" PC. Prebuilt, $2500
Displayed the entire parts list.

Adding up each and every individual part, including the OS and all peripherals....it came up to $1800. With, in a few cases...better parts.
Literally, $700 for them to assemble it.