Your PC: Building vs Buying

[Gr3aves]

Your PC: Building vs Buying

Personally, i like going on the internet once every 3 or so years, choosing PC components and a case, and getting the PC delivered - prebuilt, and Windows installed.

I could watch some youtube video's on how to assemble my own PC, but i still wouldn't know which parts would be better than others, and i simply like getting my PC prebuilt, with a 2 year warranty.

What do you like? Building it yourself? Or buying the whole thing prebuilt?

 

[octavian123]

Prebuilt PCs are a complete ripoff. They cost more for absolutely no reason. Finding out what components are good is not hard at all. Besides, most companies offer to assemble your PC for a fee. Do it yourself. Also, if you are building it for the Witcher 3, I would strongly recommend waiting until the game is closer to release. The components might get cheaper or better components for the same price might come out.

 

[dragonbird]

Custom-built. I've never bought a branded PC, and I wouldn't ever consider it.

There's a specific buying technique in Singapore, I don't know how much it happens in other countries. There's one mall that specialises in this, with about a dozen "full system" computer shops. Outside each shop is one board with the prices for specific builds - starter, multimedia, gamer, whatever. Each build spells out exactly what's going inside and gives the total price. On the store counter are flyers with price lists for components, tiny print, updated weekly. You work out what you want (preferably with alternatives) before going, then find the build that's nearest, then start customising. Shop around for the best price, but no haggling. Once you've picked, you go back about three days later and get a box with your built-up computer in it, and a couple of big plastic bags with the empty boxes, leftover cables, warranties, everything else that was leftover from building your computer. Seven day shop warranty for if they didn't put it together right, then manufacturer warranty on everything. It works as long as you know what you want (or take a savvy friend).

The same concept applies here, but without the nice convenient one-stop mall (and it's entirely store warranty, as it's grey market).

 

[gregski]

My friend runs a computer shop, so I use his advice to build the specification. Then I shop around the internet for parts. After that my friend assembles everything, as he has more expertise in it than I do. And after that I buy him a bottle of scotch as a "Thank you"...and we get wasted He also takes my old parts and helps me sell them, so I get some money back from what I spent on new ones immediately.

 

[CostinRaz]

I build my own, personally go through the retailers and select the one with the lowest price, get the parts I want and then put it all together.

My only annoyance is switching out CPU coolers and unplugging the PSU from the Mobo. Boy do I hate how the bloody clamp system works!

 

[CostinRaz]

Double Post.

 

[EliHarel]

I myself am planning later in the year to buy a new customized PC, and I'm wondering - how difficult is it to actually piece the computer together once I have all the parts? Or should I instead just design the system myself ("myself" actually being what-internet-people-tell-me), but pay a store to physically construct it?

 

[Gr3aves]

I myself am planning later in the year to buy a new customized PC, and I'm wondering - how difficult is it to actually piece the computer together once I have all the parts? Or should I instead just design the system myself ("myself" actually being what-internet-people-tell-me), but pay a store to physically construct it?

I don't think it's hard to assemble it once you have all the parts, with all the youtube video's around. Never done it myself though.

So pretty much all of you build it yourself so far. Can you give me a rough price difference between a branded prebuilt and self built?

 

[GuyNwah]

I myself am planning later in the year to buy a new customized PC, and I'm wondering - how difficult is it to actually piece the computer together once I have all the parts? Or should I instead just design the system myself ("myself" actually being what-internet-people-tell-me), but pay a store to physically construct it?

You need enough skill to wield a screwdriver without hurting yourself Seriously, assembling IKEA furniture is at least as challenging.

Making sure you have a matching set of components (CPU and RAM compatible with motherboard, GPU that's good enough for the games you want to play, power supply that won't be a fire hazard at the needed power, case it all fits into) is what takes most of the time.

Your cost will be maybe $50 to $100 less than a build-to-order shop (it's a very competitive trade; margins are very slim), but you will probably end up with better components and a job done just as well.

 

[dragonbird]

It's the CPU and the gunk and the pins that's always put me off. I'm comfortable with swapping out cards and drives, but won't go near the CPU. I'm just naturally clumsy.

 

[Tutux]

wow you guys are good at these things :3 > I know nothing of gaming PCs, I only ask and buy! but...............but I've a question here : Are PCs better than laptops? if I want to upgrade mine. I've a very very old pc as the office one :3 it could be from early high school and now I'm in college -maybe 9 years ago?- ..does that have a chance to survive the "mutations"? :'3

 

[Luxorek]

@tutux If your PC is this old then I suggest getting a new one - at this point even the case is probably too old to fit all the new hardware [graphic cards are bigger now for example]. Laptops are not bad, hell I'm using one, but if you want to be serious about gaming then PCs are the way to go. They are cheaper, easier to upgrade and much more reliable [with proper cooling system].

The thing that makes notebooks and such great, which is size and mobility is also their greatest flaw. Everything is so cramped in the little frame of a laptop that overheating might be an issue. Not to mention that the laptop monitor quality is generally speaking laughable when compared to proper PC monitors.

 

[Tutux]

@tutux If your PC is this old then I suggest getting a new one - at this point even the case is probably too old to fit all the new hardware [graphic cards are bigger now for example]. Laptops are not bad, hell I'm using one, but if you want to be serious about gaming then PCs are the way to go. They are cheaper, easier to upgrade and much more reliable [with proper cooling system].

The thing that makes notebooks and such great, which is size and mobility is also their greatest flaw. Everything is so cramped in the little frame of a laptop that overheating might be an issue. Not to mention that the laptop monitor quality is generally speaking laughable when compared to proper PC monitors.

Thank you so much. I'm going tomorrow to a computer shop I think I'll sell that old one. :/ I can't really buy a pc now-I've a new laptop- but I think I've got it laptops can't be that good as pcs? I've witcher 1 and 2 on my laptop, I run 1 as really good but 2 not that good but on medium it works fine.

so there is no chance that I can upgrade my laptop to at least a decent level as a pc? :3 it's a new one but not really a "performer" ~ :[

 

[Gr3aves]

Thank you so much. I'm going tomorrow to a computer shop I think I'll sell that old one. :/ I can't really buy a pc now-I've a new laptop- but I think I've got it laptops can't be that good as pcs? I've witcher 1 and 2 on my laptop, I run 1 as really good but 2 not that good but on medium it works fine.

so there is no chance that I can upgrade my laptop to at least a decent level as a pc? :3 it's a new one but not really a "performer" ~ :[

I avoid laptops for the same reasons Luxorek mentioned: they're more expensive than PC's with the same specs, heat up much faster, and you can't upgrade them. If you want a serious gaming laptop, it'll cost you a lot.

It depends on what you want, but i advice saving up money for a gaming PC. It'll last quite long, and you can bring it back for upgrades if need be.

 

[daddy300]

Gaming laptops are great if you actually use them outside your house. I take mine to the office everyday for 2 years now.. still runs everything on high settings. depending on which motherboard you have it allows you to upgrade GPU and CPU to some extend. Recent desktop CPU started to work inside the laptops. Things like 4770k or even 4960X (not mobile) If not for the fact I dont play games much these days I would never buy laptop. Those things cost 2-3x the price of normal bulk gaming pc.

Desktop PC are easy to build. Amazon and other website sell verified used graphic cards.. no reason on spensing 500$ for just one new card.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

I like custom built ones. But there are stores which offer the service of assembling it for you from the parts you chose, in case you don't want to do it yourself. I prefer to do it on my own though. It's not hard but you need to research various things first in order not to end up with incompatible parts or bad configurations (underpowered PSU, bad ventilation or the like).

I recently found an interesting company which produces dust filters: http://www.demcifilter.com they are very useful to prevent dust accumulation inside the case. Dust is damaging for fans, which are common moving parts in the computer. Also dust hinders air circulation which makes cooling less effective. They advise to set up your fans in such way that they would produce positive pressure inside the case and to put filters on the openings for intake fans. That would prevent dust from coming in through ports and other small openings. If the pressure is negative, filters don't really help.

Positive pressure:

Negative pressure:

Changing direction of various additional fans in the case changes the pressure balance.

About desktops vs laptops - desktops are generally more flexible than laptops (allowing having more custom cards, more ports, better ventilation and noise management and more powerful components). Laptops are limited by their form factor with all the above and as others pointed out above, laptops are more expensive for comparable specs - you pay for the mobility factor. So use them when you need them - i.e. if you need to carry your computer around and so on. They are also good if your workspace is very limited. If you don't need anything of that and just want a stationary computer - get a desktop.

 

[SkycladGuardian]

I also use a custom biult PC, which I've assembled myself. It is not that difficult, if you are careful and follow the installation instructions for each component. I learned that the hard way: Nine years ago, I bought a new case, put in my old hardware, but forgot to put in these distance pieces, on which you put the mainboard. I hadn't needed them in my old case, since the screwholes for the mainboard were already isolated. Anyways, I fried two motherboards that way, before someone told me what was wrong (which was embarrasing, I can tell you). I had luck that my other components survived! But since then, I don't make these kinds of mistakes anymore ;D.

 

[dragonbird]

@Gilrond, thanks for that - I have really big problems with dust (windows open all day, city environment). I didn't know products like that existed.

 

[GuyNwah]

@Gilrond Since you bring up pressure (yes, positive pressure keeps dust out in dusty environments such as homes, but otherwise it is much less effective), it's also important to account for the performance of the fans with forward and back pressure. Fan performance against back pressure will be much reduced, depending strongly on details of the fan construction, and counting CFM doesn't tell the right story. Especially with intake filters, your intake fans may need to be much stronger than your exhaust fans. They have to be specified to work against static pressure.

For non-critical applications such as ordinary home-built computers, you can do almost whatever you want and get away with it, even using positive pressure because dust is more damaging than poor airflow.

With an aftermarket cooler on an overclocked CPU, multiple graphics cards, or high-performance disks, I have to differ.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

@Guy N'wah: Sure, in the end you care not only about dust, but about venting out hot air and cooling your components properly. So it requires proper balance. You need to make the pressure just slightly positive. Directing all fans to blow inside the case is definitely a bad idea.

@dragonbird: I got Cooler Master HAF XM case for my recent build (it was cheap on sale), but it's apparently designed for high ventilation - it has many openings for fans and even stub brackets for PCI card slots have holes in them for more ventilation. I guess it's useful for some heavy multi GPU installations which heat up like ovens. Naturally it'd be a disaster dust wise, and since I don't have such a heavy setup and don't use overclocking, I got new stubs without holes and started looking for any dust filters and found Demciflex. There are even vendors which sell sets of their filters matching specific cases like said HAF XM. They work nicely, you just need to clean the filters once in a while when dust accumulates on them.