Why does everyone say building your own PC is a better value?

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dhammer911

Commendable
Aug 13, 2016
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1,510
I've been int he market for a new desktop, did some research, and read repeatedly how pre-builts were overpriced compared to a custom build. I decided to try it, and I ended up with: i7-6700k; msi z170A gaming mobo; asus 1070 8gb turbo gpu; 480gb intel 540s sata ssd; 2 3TB seagate 7200 rpm hdds configured into a RAID 1; 2X16GB Crucial BLST 2400 DDR4 RAM; Corsair RMX650 PSU; Coolmaster Hyper 212 Evo fan; Windows 10 Pro; corsair case; and optical drive. I paid $2100 with the build (couldn't do it myself) and 3 yr warranty. Was feeling pretty good about what I got until I went online and looked at some pre-builts in the range. It looks like I could have gotten something comparable without all the time, effort, and extra two day wait. So did I do something wrong, or is everyone just talking about saving the couple hundred bucks for the build? What is this theory that BYOPC is a better value based on?
 


Generally, it is because you get to choose the exact parts, and get to verify the actual build quality.
It's not always 'cheaper', but you know what you're getting. Rather than what happens to be in the warehouse that day.

Better value is not always fewer $$.
 
You have control over the price and quality of the components you choose, and don't have to make compromises. Your build was higher because you paid somebody to do it and for a three year warranty. Many of these prebuilts use cheesy cases and substandard power supplies among other things. You would would have to compare apples to apples. The OEM's buy parts in bulk and get the OS for next to nothing, so this is where their profit comes from.
 
Just a quick price look at my favorite E-tailer shows me a total of $1472.00 worth of parts including the mfgr's warranties. Throw in another $30.00 or so for a few extras like SATA cables and heat sink compound, shipping for total of about $1500.00. Nothing wrong having someone build a computer for you if you can't do it yourself and don't mind paying $600.00 for that service.
 
The best time to buy a pre-built system is a time like now when various new vid cards are hitting market from BOTH Nvidia and AMD while the CPU market has been stagnant and will remain so for gamers for a good while in terms of actual gains. I just picked this up for $900 because I added a keyboard but removed the default mouse, so this system is basically $895 shipped-

Case :: iBUYPOWER Revolt 2 Gaming Case - Prebuild
Case Lighting :: Revolt 2 RGB Case Lighting (Included)
Processor :: Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor (4x 4.00GHz/8MB L3 Cache) - Prebuilt
Processor Cooling :: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid CPU Cooler - Prebuild
Memory :: 16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-2800 Memory Module - refurb
Video Card :: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 - 4GB (VR-Ready) - refurb
Motherboard :: ASRock FATAL1TY Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac -- 802.11ac WiFi + BT v4.0 Module, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C - refurb
Power Supply :: 700 Watt - Standard 80 PLUS Bronze - refurb
Primary Hard Drive :: 120 GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD -- Read: 550MB/s, Write: 470MB/s - refurb

Try to build that yourself with Windows 10, even buying used parts would be more still unless buying from friends/associates. It's cheaper for these E-tailers to sell at a loss than take everything apart and try to repackage or cannibalize. I may have to upgrade the PSU (more than likely not unless unlucky) when I finally decide to get a card that can handle 4K 144Hz which is end game for a bit. Mid range cards in a year or two will drive these 4K high refresh panels and 32'+ will become mainstream and cheaper (AoC IPS panels are about to hit market soon).

A solid hyper-thread capable i7 will keep me going for years through when console gaming will be optimized to handle 8 cores. Asetek and other off-brands also make the coolers (and PSUs) for many other companies and these things should run for a decade+ without issues unlike the older tech though even a (better) cooler would allow reasonably safe OCs past 4.5Ghz, even in models with mini-Frankenstein ITX cases with a 280mm radiator capacity.

In this price range, I'd rather have a i7 I can safely run at 4.5Ghz at close to stock voltage and have an open Ultra M.2 slot and full sized card slot for when both those options become cheap for my future upgrade goals. Besides that, a decent PSU can be had under $50 these days (if even needed) and a bigger SSD or a cheaper M.2 now is no real issue for a gaming setup today, cost wise.

The sad part is people buying systems in the same price range with FX 8300 and even 6XXX and 4XXX series and RX 480s/GX 1060s are going to be doing a much more expensive upgrade, much sooner than just concentrating on the video card, unless you are gaming at 4K or +60Hz 1440P, then you should have an Intel i5 at least. Even a i5 6400/6500 (non-K) will be a limiting factor for 4K and no ultra M.2 on some of these cheaper boards is as bad. Skimping a few dollars on the motherboard and CPU (unless you are BCLK overclocking a non-K) will greatly shorten future cheap upgrade options.

However, if you have or are soon getting a 1440P (144Hz) or 4K screen and need a 1070/new computer now with limited funds, then a 1070 with a borderline core system makes sense as long as a non-enthusiast casual gamers knows they will pay more in the long-run in most cases when upgrading.

Provided you don't get a lemon, and you can, you can save 100s on these refurbed labeled systems, but a problem can and will be a nightmare because these companies will jack you around on shipping and delays.

P.S.-If you hope to find a cheap (under-cost) pre-built 1060 or 1070 system with a good core MB/CPU anytime soon, the only chance is if AMD releases the rumored RX 490 within weeks.
 


This is helpful. I thought I had done my research and found the best price, but the pre-tax parts were $1637. The build was $140; the warranty from the service shop $200. I also bought at a brick and mortar, adding $118 in sales tax. I may have added ~$300 in unnecessary costs by choosing a more expensive supplier, but the crux of the issue is the actual build and whether you want a service warranty if anything goes wrong in the future. The cost of these items makes it so the average consumer who doesn't have the skill to personally build a quality system and then maintain/repair it may very well be able to buy a pre-built for less than it would cost to have the same system built from scratch.
And to that end, my original post may have been misleading. I guess I buying a custom PC rather than building my own, and that seems really to be where the cost difference is. And it is disappointing to know I'm paying $2100 for a $1500 computer. Nonetheless, it was still a good experience, and I'm happy with what I got; as others have pointed out, I got exactly what I wanted.
 


You would seriously recommend buying a system with a refurbished power supply because...?

Try to build that yourself with Windows 10, even buying used parts would be more still unless buying from friends/associates. It's cheaper for these E-tailers to sell at a loss than take everything apart and try to repackage or cannibalize. I may have to upgrade the PSU (more than likely not unless unlucky) when I finally decide to get a card that can handle 4K 144Hz which is end game for a bit. Mid range cards in a year or two will drive these 4K high refresh panels and 32'+ will become mainstream and cheaper (AoC IPS panels are about to hit market soon).
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What are you talking about there? In the retail world if you sell something that is open box / refurbished you have to disclose it. I would not take my chances with most of that stuff. But to say you're not going to need to upgrade or replace a PSU, especially one that is refurbished is flat out false. You will be replacing that at some point or things can and most likely will go wrong.

A solid hyper-thread capable i7 will keep me going for years through when console gaming will be optimized to handle 8 cores. Asetek and other off-brands also make the coolers (and PSUs) for many other companies and these things should run for a decade+ without issues unlike the older tech though even a (better) cooler would allow reasonably safe OCs past 4.5Ghz, even in models with mini-Frankenstein ITX cases with a 280mm radiator capacity.
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Asetek - garbage. And so are most of the component vendors that most of these companies use. Things I and most users here wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole - Asetek, unknown PSUs, Diamond Multimedia, Raidmax, Apevia... That's one of the primary problems that I have with prebuilt vendors is that they use so much junk hardware. You can build it yourself with much better hardware for the same money. And that's not true about console hardware - those 8 cores are actually 8 cores split into two - 4 cores for the CPU and 4 cores for the GPU. The console processors are not true 8 core CPUs.

The sad part is people buying systems in the same price range with FX 8300 and even 6XXX and 4XXX series and RX 480s/GX 1060s are going to be doing a much more expensive upgrade, much sooner than just concentrating on the video card, unless you are gaming at 4K or +60Hz 1440P, then you should have an Intel i5 at least. Even a i5 6400/6500 (non-K) will be a limiting factor for 4K and no ultra M.2 on some of these cheaper boards is as bad. Skimping a few dollars on the motherboard and CPU (unless you are BCLK overclocking a non-K) will greatly shorten future cheap upgrade options.
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There's simply no reason to even remotely consider AMD FX right now. There's times when the most powerful AMD processor is bested by the lowest end Intel CPU. It does not take much to game at 1080P. 1440P and of course 4K will require more horsepower. But also saying that skimping on CPU and motherboard will have fewer upgrade options isn't true. You can have all the way up to an i7-6700 even on a B150 motherboard. Overclocking isn't for everybody.

However, if you have or are soon getting a 1440P (144Hz) or 4K screen and need a 1070/new computer now with limited funds, then a 1070 with a borderline core system makes sense as long as a non-enthusiast casual gamers knows they will pay more in the long-run in most cases when upgrading.

Provided you don't get a lemon, and you can, you can save 100s on these refurbed labeled systems, but a problem can and will be a nightmare because these companies will jack you around on shipping and delays.
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Do not, and I repeat do not buy any system that labels critical components as the PSU as refurbished. You can and most likely will get a lemon on these. Although that is true on prebuilt vendors and shipping back RMAs. They will hose you on that, and that is one of the number one reasons why we don't recommend those systems here. And a refurbished prebuilt - you're just asking for trouble.

P.S.-If you hope to find a cheap (under-cost) pre-built 1060 or 1070 system with a good core MB/CPU anytime soon, the only chance is if AMD releases the rumored RX 490 within weeks.
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Did you not see the complete and utter fail that was the RX-480 launch? I'm not expecting the RX-490 launch to go over that smoothly either. And there's no way you will find a prebuilt under cost with a 1060 or 1070 even with all those coupons Cyberpower and iBUYPOWER give to entice customers. It's not worth it - you will be paying $1500 minimum for a prebuilt with a 1070.
 
Yup I build my own pc's because

1. You dont get the bloatware

2. If it breaks down I maybe able to fix it.

3. I can install what I want, not what some company thinks I want or need

4. If I want to change the case, at least everything will fit in the new case.

If you buy a desktop, some arent standard, some have weird front panel connections, that cases that you buy dont have. Then you'll spend 1/2 a day trying to figure out what goes where.

5. And depending on what you put in it, it may or may not be cheaper than buying a desktop from some shop


 
I decided to build my own after a LOT of research as well. I am not to proud to admit that I begged OriginPC.com to make their prices a bit more reasonable... because I hadn't built a computer in 20 years and I really wanted to go water cooled. But I spent $4k on the computer parts instead of $6k going to OriginPC...a $2k savings that was WELL worth it in the end.

Also, not to bash on OriginPC anymore than I already have, but I built the computer inside a week. The Origin systems (based on reviews) take about 3-6 months and that's optimistic. :)

If you have the time, build it yourself. If not, there are some discount vendors that do it for under a grand or so. If I hadn't opted to build the computer myself, i would have given Xidax.com a shot because they have a VERY nice looking InWin 909 case, a lifetime warranty, and their prices are much more reasonable for what you get.
 


3 - 6 months? Ouch! And then they charge you an extra $1000 on top of what it would cost you to build yourself. I wonder why anyone would do business with them.
 
$1000 over cost on your best day, with coupons, on a Black Friday or cyber Monday special. :).

More like $2000 over. But it's ok, because you get a $25 Amazon gift card and $5 off in game currency purchases for games you've never heard of...so it evens out.

 


Yeah there is an OEM I see pop up here from time to time called Ironside Computing. I actually went through their options line item by line item and priced out a system. Came out to $2,378.91 with an i7-6700K, Asus Maximus VII, 2TB hard drive (no vendor specified), 800W standard PSU (no vendor specified) and a GTX 980TI. And that's before nearly $200 of shipping and additional options was added. I put those exact same specs in PC part picker using equivalent and much better components, and it came out to $1427.42.
 
@g-unit1111, I haven't figured out the quoting mechanism yet, but you wrote, " That's one of the primary problems that I have with prebuilt vendors is that they use so much junk hardware. You can build it yourself with much better hardware for the same money."

Having better parts, or the choice of your specific system components, seems to be the one biggest advantage over pre-built. But even then, there are a lot of pitfalls for noobs like me. For example, I went with the Intel 540s SSD because of the price point and 256-bit encryption. But despite the "Intel" brand name, the drive gets average performance and really pretty much sucks by comparison to the 850 EVO in just about every benchmark, and the blame has gone mostly to the third-party controller and TLC. The average person could be duped by junk parts in name brand components just as easily as they could be duped by junk components in name brand pre-builts.

I am coming more to the conclusion that regular consumers very well may better off with pre-builts in some cases, while if you are really versed in this stuff, you should of course be doing your own. But that goes for just about anything.
 


Lower price, entry level drive, "average performance".
Sounds about right.

Samsung also has an entry level drive, at a similar price point.
 


Yeah that happens. That's why I always say do the research before buying. If you don't know what you are doing you can make costly mistakes like that.

I am coming more to the conclusion that regular consumers very well may better off with pre-builts in some cases, while if you are really versed in this stuff, you should of course be doing your own. But that goes for just about anything.
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The only time I would say prebuilts work is if you do not know what you are doing and are willing to pay the price premiums over building it yourself. But even then you can always buy the parts and have someone build it for you.
 


The other time a prebuilt works is for a sub $400 low end (facebook/email) device, that needs to include the OS.
 
I ended up swapping the Intel 540s for a Samsung Pro 850 512gb and dropping the service warranty, which brought total cost to just under $2k. I picked it up yesterday, and it's pretty righteous. I don't thinks custom PCs are for everyone, but as someone with little technological aptitude, I enjoyed the process and am quite happy. Thanks for the lively discussion.
 
I received my IBUYPOWER refurbed 7 days after my order and that was with having to fax them a bank verification form because they couldn't confirm me for some reason. Again- under $900 for :

Case :: iBUYPOWER Revolt 2 Gaming Case
Case Lighting :: Revolt 2 RGB Case Lighting
Processor :: Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor (4x 4.00GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling :: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory :: 16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-2800
Video Card :: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
Motherboard :: ASRock FATAL1TY Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac -- 802.11ac WiFi + BT v4.0 Module, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C
Power Supply :: 700 Watt - Standard 80 PLUS Bronze
Primary Hard Drive :: 120 GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
Win 10 Home

The only issue I had was one of the RAM chips had come loose (probably during shipping). Once I snapped it in, took the CPU to 4.7Ghz and ran some passmark testing which consistently breaks 6000 and is getting better FPS in the same games than my friend's computer using a i7 Haswell and GTX 980.

PassMark Rating
#1 - DP35DP 1061
#2 - GA-MA770-US3 1592
#3 - P6T DELUXE 2169
#4 - W370ET 2435
#5 - M5A97 EVO 1630
#6 - X99-UD4-CF 4996
This Computer 6234

Temps have been cool, the computer is totally silent even in full gaming mode and PSU readings show it looks to be within what it should be putting out. The only added software was the case lighting control, other than that, these gaming companies are not like HP and Dell that add third party bloatware.

They also give good support and followup so I have 0 complaints basically saving a few hundred dollars over building this system myself even if everything was on a black friday sale.

If... you have an issue, then I am sure RMAs would be a major pain, but barring any issues, you cannot beat these companies when they are needing to clear old stock and I got a really sweet system for 1440P with only a vid card needed when I eventually go 4K.





 


Build your own and you won't have to deal with credit verification.

 


Pre-builts generally use the cheapest junk available. The video, sound, memory, CPU and such are all part of the mother board and can't be changed or upgraded. Example on my BYOPC I needed a graphics solution to support new games that require 60+ FPS (Frames Per Second) to run. Popped out my old pair of now obsolete GTX 250 SLI cards (they worked for 5 years) and installed a pair of GTX 970 SLI at 82 FPS and now I'm good for 2-3 more years. With a pre-built you would likely have to replace the whole PC 4 times in 8 years. I'm able to build a high end machine inexpensively by waiting sometimes months for the component, price and performance to get what I want. By buying over time I was able to do it without financing. It matters the order which you buy components in as well: I got my Elite Cooler Master case on sale at Fry's. Later my Antec TruePower Blue 750 watt power supply online. You then can go Mo-Bo, RAM, CPU and GPU and it's best to save up and get these last parts at same time. Build it and enjoy...
Note: Pre-built are GENERALLY CHEAPER than custom builds. Till you need an upgrade and have to buy a whole new machine compared to just the component you need upgraded!

 
There is a huge difference between a pre-built Dell or even Acer using propritory parts and designed to make upgrading difficult to places that use branded parts you can actually see listed out. Generally, when getting a system from places like Ibuypower, Cyberpower, or Digital Storm, when going with a pre-built where you can't choose each component, you know what you are getting and usually it is the PSU that will be low quality. If the video card or CPU sucks, it is your own fault for buying the system when you can easily see exactly what you are buying. However, in most cases, you will never even see an issue with the generic PSU regardless of what people try to tell you on these forums.
 


Go back earlier in this thread. There's an OEM I see from time to time pop up here called Ironside Computing. I actually went through their build site line item by line item. The system I priced came out to about $2,381.92. I put almost *IDENTICAL* components into PC Part Picker. The exact same system came out to about ~$1651.49. That's almost $750 less than what the OEM wanted. $750 is a lot of money once bottom lines are figured out. I am in the market for a new laptop. The one I priced from Origin came out to almost $3,000. I spec'd out a similar model with near identical components from MSI at Newegg and it was $1650. Almost half of what you'd pay at one of the higher end vendors.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3153790/building.html#18522034
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In one case - building yourself - you can absolutely see what you are getting. The other - buying OEM - you're not always guaranteed what you are getting, or if it will be of any sort of significant quality. If you want quality, you'll be paying double or triple what the item is worth.

However, in most cases, you will never even see an issue with the generic PSU regardless of what people try to tell you on these forums.
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Maybe in the short run. Those PSUs aren't designed to last. In the long run the generic PSUs will most likely have to be replaced due to wear and tear or shorts.
 
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