Why build when......

A

Arctic388

New Member
i'm so new at the idea of building that i thought for sure i was going to just buy a Dell ( so glad i didnt ) but i found this site and everyone just about said to build one. so in researching i find Monarchcomputer and cyberpowerpc and they have the same stuff i have worked 3 weeks to try to piece together and learn about for just a little more money than if i put all the pieces together. i realize most people are on a budget but for maybe a couple hundred dollars more get it ready to go.
when one is spending so much anyway, why not just buy one from them, with them to stand behind it and warranty ? :confused:
 
Building isnt just cheaper, it gives you alot more satisfaction when you see it boot up for the first time than if you just plug a prebuilt machine in the wall. Its also a great learning experiance. But if you dont want to build than just buy from a company like that.
 
Adding to what 34erd said, it's a wonderful feeling when you finish connecting everything together, flip the switch, and see the screen flicker to life as you proceed to install an OS. The knowledge you gain from building also helps you fix problems that may occur in the future. The feeling pretty much applies to anything you build yourself(that works). I would always choose to build a computer instead of buying one from Dell or HP.
 
34erd said:
Building isnt just cheaper, it gives you alot more satisfaction when you see it boot up for the first time than if you just plug a prebuilt machine in the wall. Its also a great learning experiance. But if you dont want to build than just buy from a company like that.
Click to expand...

that is what i was gonna say
 
When I bought my current pc, I was at a stage of pc knowledge where I knew what I wanted in it, but didn't have the knowledge (or perhaps bravery) to build it myself, so I had a company do it for me. Since then though, I've made so many changes to it it's basically a new pc...:P

You ask about the warranty? I don't know about the US but in the UK all parts come with a 1 year warranty for faults anyway. All the extra you pay for a prebuilt one is for tech support and the like.

But I'm with the consensus, the learning curve is bigger and better than with anything else if you build your own. Going with a company is fine if you don't have the time or energy to read up and build it, or if, like I was, you're not confident about doing so.
 
You won't save a dime by building one yourself. But you WILL have the opportunity to customize it any way you see fit, and have the satisfaction of knowing it was put together properly. To me, that's worth a few extra bucks!
Tom
 
I've heard ibuypower has a bad reputation of sending DOA systems. If you don't want to build yourself, go find a computer technician and tell him the parts you want and have him build it.
 
Yes I agree you dont save money but wouldnt you rather have something you put together to brag about other then "yea I got a dell".. :)
 
I'm in the same boat as you (kinda of). I'm about to build by first machine too. I too have done research non-stop for the past few weeks and went into this thinking I can do it cheaper and soon found out I was wrong. However, I DO believe that it is cheaper in the long run. From what I understand and the experiences I've had in the past, thiers only so much upgrading you can do w/ a pre-built. If you build it, and it's time to upgrade, you can do WHATEVER you want to upgrade it.....$300 and you've got a new machine. Or piece-meal it as you go and always have an up-to-date machine. The monitor is one of the most expensive parts and you shouldn't need to replace it THAT frequently. At least, that's my theory - like I said, I'm new at this too.

Good luck, I know I'll be needing it.


My Build:
ASUS A8N-SLI NVIDIA nForce4 SLI
AMD 64 X2 4400+
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 550W Power Supply
eVGA Geforce 6800GS 256-P2-N386-AX Video Card
 
Well

I have to disagree with ready-to buy builds by companies like Dell when it comes to desktops. It is important to be aware of the fact that Dell does not always use the best components possible. Yes, they may use the newest processor, yet on a board that is not so good or with a PSU that could be argued to be just enough to power the machine. I think the main advantage in building it yourself is the flexibilty and the power to put together something that will perform better than something already built. If not better, then you at least have the powerful option of CHOICE. You can chose what you want your PC to look like and you can customise it to your taste. The price is generally a bit lower when you assemble it yourself. Forget not that you also have warranty for each individual component that you buy. What that means is that the warranty offered by comapnies like Dell is nothing extra actually.

JAN :D
 
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oh i'm definitely not getting a Dell. not even looking at them since i found the real computer makers.

in my area i know of no one who is reputable enough for me to use. i'd rather myself do it.

so far the only options i'm loooking at is Cyberpower and Monarch.

i haven't completed the customizing but so far it looks similar in price maybe 140 difference. not counting less shipping charge.

as far as satisfaction from building, if i did go this route as many times as i've read the instructions and the 101's on here i'll feel like i did it myself and i know the parts inside and what they do(somewhat) and how to "work" on it if need be. i satisfy my caveman mentality by building ATV's and PWC's and small block 350's, Barns, houses, etc. that is why i wanted to build but for now it sure looks good to me that cyber or monarch knows everything is compatible and i feel like they would only use quality parts cause its their reputation on the line. i'd be picking the parts and just having them install them. i know my budget i originally thought is out the window. but i know for a little more i can get a really good system.

although building is still not out of the question once i get done customizing on those two i'm going to shop the identical parts seperately and see just what the difference is.
 
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OvenMaster said:
You won't save a dime by building one yourself. But you WILL have the opportunity to customize it any way you see fit, and have the satisfaction of knowing it was put together properly. To me, that's worth a few extra bucks!
Tom
Click to expand...
I completely agree. Building your own is not cheaper but you sure end up with a better computer for the money and a much better warranty plus all the other benefits previously mentioned.
Bronson7
 
From IBuyPower
• NZXT Trinity ATX Mid-Tower Case w/400W Power Supply Black
• Cold Cathode Neon Light Blue
• Thermaltake Purepower 680 Watt Power Supply [SLI Ready]
• [939-pin] AMD® Athlon-64 3200+ CPU w/ Hyper Transport Technology
• Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe nForce4-SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB
• 1024 MB [512MB X2] DDR-400 PC3200 Memory Module Corsair-Value
• ATI Radeon X1900XT 512MB PCI-Express x16
• 200 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 8M Cache]
•6X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black
No OS
iBuypower price $1,449 (w/o shipping)
everything else is onboard
Now for newegg...
same thing as above except the thermaltake PSU is 600watt at newegg
newegg price is $1,167
save $282
$282 could be used to buy a nice LCD monitor

buying high-end PCs can save you money but if you want a decent cheap comp, Dell and others cant be beat since you can get an entire computer with monitor and OS for really cheap.
 
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dang it gamerman4 that is a great idea. when i do finalize my idea and compare them the money differnce could upgrade or pay for the monitor. now if the difference is enough that would be incentive to build.
 
thanks apj i have looked at them hundreds of times over the past few weeks. it was kind of overwhelming at first but now its all starting to sink in. theres just so many choices once one starts to deviate from those list.
 
Here's what I put together by myself. First build. Didn't know squat about putting a computer together.

680W power supply w/dual fans
P4 3.0ghz CPU Prescott core 800mhz FSB
ThermalTake heat sink and fan
Gigabyte MB w/hyper threading and 800mhz FSB
GForce 4000 8x video card 128mb
10/100/1000 ethernet card
2GB DDR400 ram into 4 slots on the MG (500mb sticks x 4)
CD Burner
CD drive
Floppy drive
40gb ATA HD
Case
2 case fans

$450

All NIB stuff except the MB was used. Works fine.
Not the hottest machine by todays standards, but fast enough to play CS, Half Life, Halo.

Putting a computer together is like changing a tire on a car. Tire goes on spindle. Lug nuts go on studs. Tighten. Drive away.
 
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