Building PC vs. Buying PC

[d03boy]

How much cheaper is it to build your own PC compared to buying an pre-put-together one? (if it is cheapter)

thanks
...joe

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Alienware [Grey/Custom]
Intel Celeron 900MHz
128MB SDRAM
30GB Seagate HD
56x CD-ROM
8x HP CD-Writer
IntelliMouse [USB]

[bassman]

Hey do3boy,
I think it is still cheaper to buy an HP or Compaq or E-machine off the shelf.
The real benefit of building a custom is being able to pick exactly what parts you want, not having a bunch of junk programs the you have no need for and being able to change hardware as you like without being stuck trying to find a proprietary driver (or worse, finding out the OEM driver won't work).

Plus the wonderful feeling you get firing up that beautiful, handcrafted piece of technology and it comes to life on the first try http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

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Waiting patiently for the future to arrive.

Frank's Place (http://dreamwater.net/tech/frankscomp/)

[kfh]

Hi do3boy,
Have to agree with bassman.
This is my first build and it was a good feeling the first time it booted.
Not cheaper though but all retail parts, and the best I could afford at the time.
And I know exactly whats in here.
http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
kfh.


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Sequitur Patrem Non Passibus Aequis

[Nooyawkah]

I couldn't agree more. It's certainly not cheaper, but building a PC was soooo satisfying. You get to research every part and you learn so much from the experience. To me, the journey is much more important than the destination.

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They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
---Edgar Allan Poe

[saphalline]

Actually, I would go so far as to say that it may be cheaper to build a gaming computer than it is to buy one. I mean, yeah, you can probably install the latest graphics card into your Compaq to replace that aging 16MB TNT2 that came bundled with it, but there's so many other issues with the big name OEM's. Small cramped cases, lack of cooling, tons of integrated parts, cheap monitors and mice, bad repairment plans, etc.

If you go with a gaming PC vendor like Falcon Northwest or Voodoo PC or Alienware, you're really going to be paying a lot for your right to play the latest games with no hitch. I just feel that building is better for me because I like to play PC games, I like to save money, and I'm not afraid to be my own tech support (pretty mandatory for any builder).

However, if I ever needed to set-up a PC for a not so computer literate friend, I'd go with Dell or Gateway http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif. Good PC's, good tech support.

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this space for rent

[hiredgoonz]

That's a good point, if you're just looking for a computer for email and word processing, anything will do and you can get a cheaper system from an OEM. But if you want a full-featured PC, you're better off building it yourself. If you take time to research and bargain hunt, you can probably beat the price you'd have to pay, as saphalline pointed out...

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

Microsoft Knowledge Base (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;rid;kbinfo)

Drivers (http://www.driverguide.com)

Google (http://www.google.com)

[Gallaeglagh]

Another thing to consider is that at least in my experience is that I can't see myself buying a new computer rather it's just one long drawn out upgrade process. So now I've got 2 good cases and power supplies and upgrade components when I want or need to.

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From the hallowed legends of railroad lore comes the Deep Fried Core.

[iisbob]

Have to go along with everyone else here and say that, though the average retial system may be less expensive upfront; down the road i've always found it less expensive to build what you want.

However, if i were going to buy a retail system-or recommend one-i'd have to go with DEll, even if they are stuck on Intel CPU's. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

They still provide IMHO the best warrenty/tech support i've seen from any retail vendor.

If you're not into tweaking/building your own-but still want a decent system with a good warrenty, go Dell.

Dude. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif

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iisbob

Computer-Show me the Enterprise; no bloody A, no bloody B, and no bloody C-just the original...Mr Scott { from a STNG episode }

[Nooyawkah]

Hang on a couple of weeks if you're going to build one. Athlon prices dropping fast, see link...
http://www.vr-zone.com/#2343

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They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
---Edgar Allan Poe

[john5211]

Hey All,

Seems to me that the consensus so far is that ready made PC's are cheaper than their homemade counterparts, at least in the realm of the "budget PC's."

I started wondering whether this was actually true, and decided to see how well I could do building my own vs. buying from Dell. I went to Dell's web site and clicked on a link for a ready made budget oriented PC (the Dimension 4400); for $799 (keeping all the base options), you can get:

1.7 Ghz P4 w/128 MB DDR Ram
20 GB HD (Ata 66, 5400 RPM)
24/10/40 CDRW Drive
16 MB ATI graphics card (Rage Ultra Chipset)
SB Live soundcard
HK Speakers
17 Inch .27 dp Monitor
3.5 floppy/keyboard/wheel mouse
XP Home/MS Works suite/Norton AV (2002)
1 yr tech support

Now, I went to a hardware site ( www.mwave.com (http://www.mwave.com) ) that carries a large inventory at competitive (but not the best) price and chose an identical system except for the following:

My system had a 20GB (7200RPM) ATA-100 HD (couldn't find ATA-66 for less)
My system speakers are not HK (couldn't find the model, but these are similar setup/wattage)
My system has a Samsung monitor (not the cheapest, but Dell usually doesn't skimp on monitors).

The price for all this was $850. So I am already within 10% of the price that Dell charges. I think that if you bargain hunt, you can get all the components for a little less and get to $800.00. I tried again with their absolute cheapest Dimension 2200 ($699) and beat their price by about $30.00.

Again, bear in mind that tech support (and a free 6 mo. of AOL http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif ) is not included in the homemade system, and that I've just done 2 test cases involving Dell (you results may vary elsewhere).

Still, I spent about half an hour on this and managed to get comparable prices for a homemade system. So perhaps it is not that much more expensive to build your own computer.

John

Edited for (lack of) spelling!

[This message has been edited by john5211 (edited 05-12-2002).]

[mjc]

John,

Did your test cases involve an OS?

If so then yep...you are right, it is pretty even, and the build your own gets better when going for performanace options.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[john5211]

MJC,

Yes. In both cases I tried to mimic the software as best I could, so I got Windows XP Home, NAV 2002, and Works Suite 2002 (although that's not exactly what I would put on my machine http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif ).

The potential downside is that it did not include all the Internet Access links that Dell puts on their computers, nor did it include any of the proprietary software (e.g. the "learning your Compaq" or HP interface that often comes bundled with the computer). I always thought of this stuff as clutter that I would rather not have, but others may feel like they are getting something extra if they have it.


John

[RKBA]

John,

I agree. When I got a new Dell computer at work at year or so ago, there was all kinds of "stuff" on it that I was unfamiliar with, including something that appeared to be a major security hole - a "feature" that would allow Dell Engineers to remotely diagnose my computer. Rather than figure out what all the stuff was or take the time to disable/uninstall it, I just FTP'd the compressed disk image file (the one Dell supplies that lets you recreate the original HD image as shipped if you wish) over to another computer, and nuked the Hard Drive by repartitioning and reformatting it, and installing the OS's and apps I wanted.

-- Ron

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Centerfire (http://home.pacbell.net/rsdotson/) "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." -- Thomas Jefferson

[rond36]

If I were to buy a system similar to my P4 system that I built a month and a half ago for $3200. Today at Alienware it costs $4111 that is $911 more than I paid and a lot of the parts prices have dropped since I built mine. The only difference between the two systems is the Intel MB and RDRAM and the ATI 8500 (not DV) AGP card (Alienware even uses the same case as mine with a 320W PSU instead of the 400W that is in mine). If I bought the parts for my system today it would cost $2797 at Newegg.com saving $1314 by building it myself. At Dell it would cost $3124 ($327 more than the parts at Newegg). I don't know how much it would have cost in March. Prices include Win XP Pro W/Plus and Office XP Pro W/Publisher (except Dell has Office XP Pro W/MS Money)

My P4 system:
Antec SX1040B (black)with 400W PSU
Soyo P4S Dragon Ultra (SIS 645 chipset)
Intel Pentium 4 2.0AGHz 512KB L2 cache (Northwood)
768MB PC2700(333MHz) Samsung CL2.5 DDRSDRAM (ME limited to 512MB)
HDD 1 Western digital 100GB Ultra ATA 100
HDD 2 Western digital 100GB Ultra ATA 100
Sony FDD (black)
Plextor 40X12X40 CD-RW (black)
Pioneer 106S slot load 16X40 DVD-ROM (black)
ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500DV 64MB DDR
Sound Blaster Audigy MP3 PCI Sound card
Creative Inspire 5.1 Digital 5700 suround sound system
Onboard SiS PCI 900 10/100 Fast Ethernet Adapter
Onboard Highpoint HPT 372 RAID UDMA 66/100/133 (disabled)
Win XP Professional
MS Office Professional with Publisher
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How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867)
How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gettingstarted/multiboot.asp)
Microsoft Expert Zone Multi-booting made easy (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/september10.asp)
MSKB How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q306559)


[This message has been edited by rond36 (edited 05-13-2002).]

[rond36]

OOPS! I forgot the ViewSonic G90MB .22mm dot pitch short depth (black) 19" monitor.

This is as close as I could get at Micron PC
Millennia TS Xtreme (D100N)

Quantity: 1 Unit Price: $2,742.04 Sub Total: $2,742.04


Item Number Description
CSE001649-00 Minitower w/Front USB
CPU001706-00 Intel Pentium 4 Processor 2.0GHz (400FSB)(512K cache)
MOD001895-00 1024MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM-2 DIMMs
HDI001788-00 160GB ATA-100 (2x80GB) Hard Drives (7200RPM)
CCD002020-00 Integrated ATA-100 Controller
FDD001042-00 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive Integrated
CDI001356-00 24x10x40x CDRW w/1 CD rewritable
DVD001087-00 16x48x Variable Speed DVD-ROM
VCD001583-00 128MB DDR nVidia Geforce4 TI4600 AGP Card w/TV-out and DVI
MNN001169-00 19in NEC AS90 Display (18in viewable, .26mm dp)
KBR001103-00 Microsoft Natural Elite Keyboard
MOU001076-00 Microsoft 5 Button Optical Intellimouse
OSS001369-00 Microsoft Windows XP Professional
SCM001496-00 Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live!
MMP001152-00 Altec Lansing ADA890 5.1 Dolby Digital (Black) Speaker System
NWO001513-00 Intel Integrated 10/100 NIC 82562ET
BIO001079-00 System Bios
SPS002034-00 $50 SPECIAL OFFER SAVINGS
SVC001989-00 DT Next Business Day On-Site 1st Yr
WAR001050-00 Desktop One-Year Limited Parts Warranty and Technical Support Policy

No MS Office +$340
And a generic looking minitower case



------------------
How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867)
How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gettingstarted/multiboot.asp)
Microsoft Expert Zone Multi-booting made easy (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/september10.asp)
MSKB How to multi-boot Windows XP (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q306559)



[This message has been edited by rond36 (edited 05-13-2002).]