To buy or build - That is the question.

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Which is the better road to travel? :confused:

 

Comments on a postcard please.

[Dalo Harkin]

For the 'competent' builder BUILD

I have more reasons for than against so bring it ON :mad:

[Guest Wolfeymole]

I'd say Buy (but preferably not from PC World) as quite a lot of people just do not have the knowledge or time to build one themselves.

[Dalo Harkin]

  Wolfeymole said:

I'd say Buy (but preferably not from PC World) as quite a lot of people just do not have the knowledge or time to build one themselves.

 

 

Knowledge is gained by research and practical implementation!

as for time - you can build a pc in 2 hours (I do not know of a company that can deliver that fast, and everyone can find 2 spare hours :D)

 

Keep em coming!

[Tootech]

I would say that both are viable depending on what you want, and how you see PC's.

 

Building a PC - you can class it as a project, a learning exercise, fun, and you get what you want - well mostly anyway.

It is likely to cost you more in parts and postage, your warranty is limited, and if you get in to trouble it can cost you more money to get it sorted.

 

Buying a prebuilt PC - mostly, they just work, the price is competitive, and they do everything 80% consumers want them to do. For those people, they are a tool, not a toy.

 

I've built them commercially for about 4 years and have this year scaled it down - the margins are now very low, and in reality there are very few systems that are rubbish - ever had a look inside a Medion or an Iqon - all branded parts, just like you and I buy. Dealing with the odd warranty soon depletes the profit margin. Now, if customers require new systems, I'll buy in Fujitsu's, Dell's or Acer's and sell them on. They are quiet, reliable and look ok, especially Dell's - they are great in a small office.

 

One off build's, media systems, and gaming systems are a different beast entirely. The big boys dont' cater so well for gaming and media, so I think building is a very viable option. Also, I guess a large number of gamers and media enthusiasts are into the technology and are wanting dabble in building, or even go into business! Investing time and money is part of it.

 

Is a built up PC better quality than a shop bought unit - No, not neccessarily.

 

Most systems I come across are well built for their purpose, and most customer failures are hard drives, with the odd board or PSU fault. Granted, their PSU's are right on the mark with their capacity, some are down on memory (especially early Vista units), but apart from that they need a clean out now and then. The exceptions - dont' know why but Packard Bell and eMachines seem to break more reguarly. Expected PC life I think is about 3 years - most get there easily. Then there''s the software - most bought units now have a comprehensive software package which includes burning software, recovery software and some with BIOS diagnostics.

It is easy to poke fun at the likes of Dell or HP, for some of their marketing practices - eg Dell PSU wiring tricks, but in reality most of their systems just do not fail and perform very well during their life - go on....go and buy one ;)

 

Self built systems can be specced to be future proof, you can choose that passive cooling graphics card you need, more efficient cooler for overclocking etc - you can customise and build just what you want. I have to say it does take more than a couple of hours start to finish for a casual builder.

 

Consumer/business - better off with branded built systems.

 

Enthusiast - most definitely....build it.

 

Phew, that's me done :)

[Guest Wolfeymole]

A very good slant Scott, good post mate. :)

[Dalo Harkin]

  Tootech said:

I would say that both are viable depending on what you want, and how you see PC's.

 

Building a PC - you can class it as a project, a learning exercise, fun, and you get what you want - well mostly anyway.

It is likely to cost you more in parts and postage, your warranty is limited, and if you get in to trouble it can cost you more money to get it sorted.

 

Buying a prebuilt PC - mostly, they just work, the price is competitive, and they do everything 80% consumers want them to do. For those people, they are a tool, not a toy.

 

I've built them commercially for about 4 years and have this year scaled it down - the margins are now very low, and in reality there are very few systems that are rubbish - ever had a look inside a Medion or an Iqon - all branded parts, just like you and I buy. Dealing with the odd warranty soon depletes the profit margin. Now, if customers require new systems, I'll buy in Fujitsu's, Dell's or Acer's and sell them on. They are quiet, reliable and look ok, especially Dell's - they are great in a small office.

 

One off build's, media systems, and gaming systems are a different beast entirely. The big boys dont' cater so well for gaming and media, so I think building is a very viable option. Also, I guess a large number of gamers and media enthusiasts are into the technology and are wanting dabble in building, or even go into business! Investing time and money is part of it.

 

Is a built up PC better quality than a shop bought unit - No, not neccessarily.

 

Most systems I come across are well built for their purpose, and most customer failures are hard drives, with the odd board or PSU fault. Granted, their PSU's are right on the mark with their capacity, some are down on memory (especially early Vista units), but apart from that they need a clean out now and then. The exceptions - dont' know why but Packard Bell and eMachines seem to break more reguarly. Expected PC life I think is about 3 years - most get there easily. Then there''s the software - most bought units now have a comprehensive software package which includes burning software, recovery software and some with BIOS diagnostics.

It is easy to poke fun at the likes of Dell or HP, for some of their marketing practices - eg Dell PSU wiring tricks, but in reality most of their systems just do not fail and perform very well during their life - go on....go and buy one ;)

 

Self built systems can be specced to be future proof, you can choose that passive cooling graphics card you need, more efficient cooler for overclocking etc - you can customise and build just what you want. I have to say it does take more than a couple of hours start to finish for a casual builder.

 

Consumer/business - better off with branded built systems.

 

Enthusiast - most definitely....build it.

 

Phew, that's me done :)

 

I had to quote this to remember it all - :D

 

I do agree that prebuilt pc's are fine for the 'general' user - they do not have the experience to order parts that are compatible or know a CPU from a PSU, for those people it is fine -

 

BUT, people are getting more knowledgeable and are willing to have a go at building a PC - as for it taking more than a few hours, I DO NOT AGREE the one in my PC Build took 2 hours and that includes installing the OS - they are easy to put together.

 

People like DELL do offer good systems, and yes you can get them 'customised' but the parts are still limited -

 

If you build a PC you get SPECIFIC parts from major manufacturers:-

LIAN LI CASE

INTEL CPU

ASUS MOBO

OCZ RAM

NVIDIA GPU's

SAMSUNG HDD

you add a decent CREATIVE sound card, you get an OCZ or CORSAIR PSU - an OEM version of an OS and away you go - put it all together, any problems along the way then WE are here as a PC HELP SITE, and we have helped many people along the way -

you compare a system like that compared to DELLs offerings.

 

As for Dells and HP etc not breaking - have you never worked in an office - I see about 2 a day being carted out on a trolley (and these are 1 year old Vista jobbies) - they DO NOT last any longer than a pre built PC - as for warranty you get a year with most manufacturers and some even have lifetime warranties on components - My BFG GPU is covered for 10 years!

[RandyL]

Except for a couple brand names I agree with Tootech. Don't forget the level of support on some brands Tootech. HP free support is good no matter how old the system. You have very little support on a self built.

[Dalo Harkin]

  RandyL said:

You have very little support on a self built.

 

We/I am here :D

[Tootech]

Yeah, I've worked in an office.

 

I worked in an large organisation for 19 years, where PC's controlled data logging hardware and hydraulic control systems, and did masses of data analysis. Units ranged from old PDP11 RSX units (anyone remember them?), to a microVax, to Compaq and Dell units. Most of dekstops in the organisation were HP/Compaq slimline units - probably between 2000 and 3000 onsite.

 

I didn't work in IT support by the way (thank gaaawd).

 

Sure, there were failures, again, mostly after times of shutdown - but hey, that's electrical gear for you.

 

I agree with the knowledge bit - people are more knowledgeable, thanks to the net, and that's great. Help is available when things go wrong, giving confidence in selecting components and ironing out faults.

 

 

It's the enthusiats isn't it - they are more likely to build, and take pride in component choice, the rest don't care whats in the box.....as long as it does it's job, and they are assured they are getting value for money.

 

Even for power users (not gamers), people like Dell will supply at good prices - there is no need to consider building.

 

I'm sure you can do a build in 2 hours - I reckon about that for myself too, but, for the casual builder, say once a year or less, na, no way. Then there's the time it takes to spec it, read up on the parts, check how technology has changed since their last build, find a supplier or two. No doubt you can do all of that in your head straight away, others can't.

 

I agree - most systems will last the same length of time (excepting a couple) if looked after and maintained.

 

Perhaps a downside to building that I've not addressed is budget building - say using a £15 PSU, unbranded RAM, cheapest hard drives (small cache & failure rate of certain models is scary), cheap tinny cases. They invariably work straight away - the cases start to rattle, PSU is noisey, RAM fails (unsure of the stats, but branded is superior), PC won't start due to failing PSU. It is very common on budget builds. For a seasoned builder it is a no go area, but for newbies, yeah it can cost time and money learning - specially if they don't listen to FreePChelp!

 

 

Anyone out there got a PC build story to tell?

Why not drop us a post

.

 

 

 

BTW - those Dell's on a trolley you refer to - it's probably the same two backwards and forwards - just gives IT something to do :)

[Dalo Harkin]

  Tootech said:

BTW - those Dell's on a trolley you refer to - it's probably the same two backwards and forwards - just gives IT something to do :)

 

He he - they weren't they just failed - we have no system builders at this place, they just ship them back to DELL - they probably have some seedy agreement lol

 

Other than that I agree with all you said in your post :)

Edited November 5, 2008 by Dalo Harkin

[got2nesa]

I would like to have a PC with all of the best parts, and not spend extra money that PC stores charge... but I would be afraid of making a dire mistake in building myself.

 

So, here's the problem with self-built:

 

If you don't have thousands of pounds to waste, then don't spend so much on top-quality parts only to find out in the end that you put something together wrong and BOOM!

 

- You just blew your computer, wasted a lot of money potentially

- Finance options are not available with prebuilt, you need to have cold hard cash, or a good credit card...

- Good Wiring may be difficult to achieve, resulting in over-heating, or lower life-spans.

- Accidents happen...

 

I think if you don't know what you're doing, but want to learn, that's fine, practice on cheap throw-away parts that you can buy a whole pc for under £100... But if you try to make a beast of a PC for £1000 you might be wasting your money in the end if it fails you due to your inexperience, even with people's help.

 

So I think there's a lot of factors... If I knew how to build properly, I would love to... but for me personally there's a few reasons I won't build my own PC, at least not for now.

[Dalo Harkin]

If you have never built a PC before then yes - it is daunting - but EVERYONE has to start somewhere.

[TheSlee]

In my opinion, build is better as generally you can get a better PC for your money.

 

On the other hand, you do need to learn how to put it together in the first place if you haven't already but I am still more on the side of building

[DirtyPolo]

It's not too hard to build a pc, it is basically just carefully plugging in parts, kinda of like expensive lego :P

 

Everything comes with an instruction manual and they only tend to fit in one place anyway :D

 

My PC was the first one I've built for myself, xD It wasn't that scary or worrying, and I had it up and running about 2 hours after getting all the pieces, then come onto this lovely site for any help I needed that would normally cost a lot if a company does it for you :D

 

I agree that building is better, more for your money plus you know whats in it, how it goes in and so for upgrades its easier and cheaper too :D

[JaZz]

build for me all the way! lol,I built mine and I can honestly admin im not the most experienced person with pcs,it was hard and it took a while but it was fun and well worth the time and I managed to save my self some extra £.yeah takes time to look for parts (well it was for me lol),but at the end its was great :).and yeah i had some major problems with mine,but with the help of every1 in Free Pc Help it was sorted :),It just depends in what situation ppl are in really with time and cash and experience.

 

JaZz

[trevorsmith]

If you have the experience go ahead and build if not buy!

 

If you feel comfortable enuff to do it yourself then go ahead but if not i'd say buy!

As long as you choose the right company with brilliant aftersales you cant go wrong, especially when choosing warranties be careful. Remember if you build yourself and something happens to be faulty it can be a long winded process, and who's to blame!! you or the brand?

 

Trevor

[zzang]

I would say......

If you know how to fix your computer, go for build.

If you have no idea about fixing or anything besides just use computer, go for manufacturer.

If you want to have the computer the way you want, go for build.

If you just want cheap PC, go for manufacturer (Usually manufacturer PCs are cheaper then when you build, if they have same spec as built ones, I think)

[Oldnoob]

Having just built a pc. The main things I noted; If you build your own you do not have the support/guarrantee of the store bought pc, Don't bother to build your own if you are just going for a lower end/everyday use type machine because you can pick up some fairly good deals that will last a few years without you having to do anything to them. If you are building a higher end machine for something like gaming or video editing you can save a lot of money by building yourself. And finally, the buzz you get when it comes to life. After building my first, I would never go back to store bought (even though I was absolutely terrified when it came time to push the 'on' button) :D