I've been researching and planning on building a new computer, but the more I read into the less confident I am that I can do it myself. I have already ordered some parts and plan on getting the rest soon. My question is if I brought all the parts to a local computer repair shop, what could i expect to pay at a place like that for them to assemble it for me. I know they would be different everywhere I go, but I'm just curious for a ballpark figure to get an idea where I stand. Thanks
Most stores would want to sell you the parts themselves, then they'd put it to gether for a nominal fee - I donno, maybe $30.
If you brought in parts, they are probably going to charge you more than that since they're losing the profit on the sales. Assuming you're going to load the software yourself, they should be able to put the parts together in under an hour so what's an hour worth?
Heh - you could probably get a better deal by finding someone who works at a store but assembles rigs on his own time outside of the shop!
If you brought in parts, they are probably going to charge you more than that since they're losing the profit on the sales. Assuming you're going to load the software yourself, they should be able to put the parts together in under an hour so what's an hour worth?
Heh - you could probably get a better deal by finding someone who works at a store but assembles rigs on his own time outside of the shop!
why dont you tell us everything you have got and we could all help and guide you through the building, there is also a good tutorial on this site http://www.tomshardware.com/2002/09/04/building_your_own_pc/
eviltechie
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- Feb 15, 2006
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I worked at a local PC shop for nearly 5 years, so I can give you a little advice from personal experience here.
A PC shop will most definitely charge you their full hourly rate to build the system. And, you might think that being a PC shop they can do it faster/better than you. However, that is not necessarily the case. Especially if you have parts that they don't normally work with (which is likely the case if you're building a performance PC). When I worked at a PC shop, I held the record time in assembling a standard PC, my time was 21 minutes (from raw parts to booting system). However, if someone ordered a specialty PC with unfamiliar parts it often took much longer (several hours in some cases), in part because more care was taken to prevent damage to the parts as replacements weren't readily available and also because we had to read the manuals or install guides on some parts to ensure they were installed correctly. They will most likely want to run through a Windows install as well, to ensure everything works. Then, there's the fact that although they built your system, they won't warranty it (they MIGHT give you a short warranty on their labor alone).
At the place I worked at, you'd pay $40 per hour. And, for building a PC out of parts brought to us, you'd be looking at between $80 and $160.
If you DO continue considering having a local place build your PC, get a signed agreement on how much it'll cost to build so they can't charge you anything beyond what you expect.
My advice is to use the tutorials others have posted and take your time and build your own system. It's not that hard, it's a fun experience, and it'll make you much more familiar with your PC's insides...all that and the right to brag about it. LOL
A PC shop will most definitely charge you their full hourly rate to build the system. And, you might think that being a PC shop they can do it faster/better than you. However, that is not necessarily the case. Especially if you have parts that they don't normally work with (which is likely the case if you're building a performance PC). When I worked at a PC shop, I held the record time in assembling a standard PC, my time was 21 minutes (from raw parts to booting system). However, if someone ordered a specialty PC with unfamiliar parts it often took much longer (several hours in some cases), in part because more care was taken to prevent damage to the parts as replacements weren't readily available and also because we had to read the manuals or install guides on some parts to ensure they were installed correctly. They will most likely want to run through a Windows install as well, to ensure everything works. Then, there's the fact that although they built your system, they won't warranty it (they MIGHT give you a short warranty on their labor alone).
At the place I worked at, you'd pay $40 per hour. And, for building a PC out of parts brought to us, you'd be looking at between $80 and $160.
If you DO continue considering having a local place build your PC, get a signed agreement on how much it'll cost to build so they can't charge you anything beyond what you expect.
My advice is to use the tutorials others have posted and take your time and build your own system. It's not that hard, it's a fun experience, and it'll make you much more familiar with your PC's insides...all that and the right to brag about it. LOL
Maxiius
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It's really easy man. It's almost like connecting the dots lol. You put the 24pin connector into the 24pin slot, the 4pin connectors into all the 4pin slots... etc... Plus once you build the first one, you'll be glad you did, and thus have gained the knowledge to build many more computers later on 
moparman390
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- Feb 21, 2006
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It's not hard. Can you put the round peg into the round hole? Can you put the square peg into the square hole? If you can do that, you can build a computer. I built my first PC in high school by just buying all the parts and putting them together. I finished putting them together and pushed the power button. After about 15 minutes of trouble shooting the "why won't it turn on" problem (stupid case power button/LED wires and motherboard connectors for those were not labled well in those days), it turned on. I quickly figured out all you need to do is insert a bootable Windows disk and bam, Windows installation starts and it is so easy. My point is I just picked it up and figured it out myself, and it's gotten alot more full proof since then. Today you have keyed cables that can't be put in backwards, better labeling and docmuntation on the motherboards, almost no jumpers to play with and so on. It's not hard, any questions or problems post here. You should follow the Tom's How To Guide (with pictures), and it will be easy. If you can order all the parts your self, you can put it together yourself. Don't chicken out now.
ih8makingupnames
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- Feb 13, 2006
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I agree with these guys, build it yourself. You should also check out parts online, not just at your local shop. Newegg.com is where I buy most of my stuff. I think that you get a better deal online. When you buy out of a shop they often sell you older stuff that they are trying to get rid of. Figure out a budget and start another tread. There are plenty of people in here that will tell you good parts and help you put it together right. DO IT, DON'T WORRY, YOU WILL BE GLAD. :lol:
Avadann_Kedeth
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- Mar 3, 2006
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The only possibly challenging thing is just knowing what is compatible with what. I do it this way:
Choose a processor. (I use AMD)
Choose a motherboard with the right socket for the processor. (I use Asus)
Choose RAM that the motherboard supports. (Anything with a lifetime warranty, but some are better than others)
Choose a video card that matches the slot the motherboard has. (ATI or nVIDIA, depends on who has the more stable drivers and better deals at the time)
Choose hard drive(s) that are compatible with the motherboard (ie go SATA if your motherboard supports it). (I use Western Digital)
Choose a Power Supply that will support all of your hardware. (I use Antec)
Choose a case that all your stuff will fit in (usually just matters for the motherbaord, but if you are like me and run 3 or more hard drives, you might need extra room). (I use Antec)
Choose things like mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers. (For the mouse I use Logitech, Sspeakers I use Altec Lansig, keyboard I just use whatever is comfortable, monitor I prefer NEC)
Hope that helps some. There are lots of ways to do this, and you'll eventually find the way that works for you.
Choose a processor. (I use AMD)
Choose a motherboard with the right socket for the processor. (I use Asus)
Choose RAM that the motherboard supports. (Anything with a lifetime warranty, but some are better than others)
Choose a video card that matches the slot the motherboard has. (ATI or nVIDIA, depends on who has the more stable drivers and better deals at the time)
Choose hard drive(s) that are compatible with the motherboard (ie go SATA if your motherboard supports it). (I use Western Digital)
Choose a Power Supply that will support all of your hardware. (I use Antec)
Choose a case that all your stuff will fit in (usually just matters for the motherbaord, but if you are like me and run 3 or more hard drives, you might need extra room). (I use Antec)
Choose things like mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers. (For the mouse I use Logitech, Sspeakers I use Altec Lansig, keyboard I just use whatever is comfortable, monitor I prefer NEC)
Hope that helps some. There are lots of ways to do this, and you'll eventually find the way that works for you.
It's not excessively hard, but then again, anyone who says its easy is speaking from experience. The first time will be challenging. If you are the type who gets frustrated easily, or can't follow a dozen diagrams or search a forum, don't even try it. Then again, if you don't have a problem with lots of little wires and lots of connections, its a great thing to learn because the end product is yours alone.
well i've stated this once before here the basic steps
1.buy parts
2.open packinging
3.remove motherboard from packaging
4.take cpu out of packaging
5.open the case
6.install cpu in motherboard
7.install heatsink on cpu
8.put motherboard into case
9.screw it in
10. install harddrive and optical drive into case
11.attach ide or sata cables to motherboard and optical and hard drives
12.install ram into motherboard
13.install graphics card into motherboard
14.install power supply into the case
15.hook up power supply to the motherboard,hard drive,optical drive and graphics card if you need too
16.close case
17.boot it up
18.set primary boot device as optical drive in bios
19. input windows cd
20.set up partition
21.install windows
22.reboot
23.install drivers
24.enjoy
its that simple
1.buy parts
2.open packinging
3.remove motherboard from packaging
4.take cpu out of packaging
5.open the case
6.install cpu in motherboard
7.install heatsink on cpu
8.put motherboard into case
9.screw it in
10. install harddrive and optical drive into case
11.attach ide or sata cables to motherboard and optical and hard drives
12.install ram into motherboard
13.install graphics card into motherboard
14.install power supply into the case
15.hook up power supply to the motherboard,hard drive,optical drive and graphics card if you need too
16.close case
17.boot it up
18.set primary boot device as optical drive in bios
19. input windows cd
20.set up partition
21.install windows
22.reboot
23.install drivers
24.enjoy
its that simple
michaelahess
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I owned a shop for 4 years, we charged $45/hr, an entire build with os install and updates was usually billed around 2-3 hours.
Eviltechie is right about not always better, I rebuilt numerous machines from other local companies that couldn't get it right, and I gave discounts to the customers that came in with them, guess where they went after that
A lot of shops don't know dick about higher end stuff either, lack of experience from the high school kids that try to start them up thinking they know everything.
Nothing against high schoolers building computers, hell I built a couple hundred machines in high school, they just don't have the wide exposure to fix all the probs that may come up with more intricate builds.
Eviltechie is right about not always better, I rebuilt numerous machines from other local companies that couldn't get it right, and I gave discounts to the customers that came in with them, guess where they went after that
A lot of shops don't know dick about higher end stuff either, lack of experience from the high school kids that try to start them up thinking they know everything.
Nothing against high schoolers building computers, hell I built a couple hundred machines in high school, they just don't have the wide exposure to fix all the probs that may come up with more intricate builds.
michaelahess
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I owned a shop for 4 years, we charged $45/hr, an entire build with os install and updates was usually billed around 2-3 hours.
Eviltechie is right about not always better, I rebuilt numerous machines from other local companies that couldn't get it right, and I gave discounts to the customers that came in with them, guess where they went after that
A lot of shops don't know dick about higher end stuff either, lack of experience from the high school kids that try to start them up thinking they know everything.
Nothing against high schoolers building computers, hell I built a couple hundred machines in high school, they just don't have the wide exposure to fix all the probs that may come up with more intricate builds.
Eviltechie is right about not always better, I rebuilt numerous machines from other local companies that couldn't get it right, and I gave discounts to the customers that came in with them, guess where they went after that
A lot of shops don't know dick about higher end stuff either, lack of experience from the high school kids that try to start them up thinking they know everything.
Nothing against high schoolers building computers, hell I built a couple hundred machines in high school, they just don't have the wide exposure to fix all the probs that may come up with more intricate builds.
michaelahess
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- Jan 30, 2006
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I owned a shop for 4 years, we charged $45/hr, an entire build with os install and updates was usually billed around 2-3 hours.
Eviltechie is right about not always better, I rebuilt numerous machines from other local companies that couldn't get it right, and I gave discounts to the customers that came in with them, guess where they went after that
A lot of shops don't know dick about higher end stuff either, lack of experience from the high school kids that try to start them up thinking they know everything.
Nothing against high schoolers building computers, hell I built a couple hundred machines in high school, they just don't have the wide exposure to fix all the probs that may come up with more intricate builds.
Eviltechie is right about not always better, I rebuilt numerous machines from other local companies that couldn't get it right, and I gave discounts to the customers that came in with them, guess where they went after that
A lot of shops don't know dick about higher end stuff either, lack of experience from the high school kids that try to start them up thinking they know everything.
Nothing against high schoolers building computers, hell I built a couple hundred machines in high school, they just don't have the wide exposure to fix all the probs that may come up with more intricate builds.
luminaris
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If you take it to a local computer shop, more than likely they will want anywhere from 50-120 an hour with i'm sure a minimum. Especially since those parts are not theirs to begin with.
The would most certainly want to sell you what they use or what they have in stock to make profits.
I would really think twice about taking any machine to a local repair shop for assembly. Putting a machine together takes patience and skill. As long as you have the time, you can put it together. Besides, all of us will certainly be here to answer any questions you may have.
The would most certainly want to sell you what they use or what they have in stock to make profits.
I would really think twice about taking any machine to a local repair shop for assembly. Putting a machine together takes patience and skill. As long as you have the time, you can put it together. Besides, all of us will certainly be here to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks for all the advice and support. You've convinced me to give it a try. I've installed and replaced hardware before so its not like I haven't seen the inside of a computer before, I just never did anything from scratch, so I'm a little cautious of the fear I might ruin something. Plus it seems like theres so many problems you can run into just from reading the boards on here. I really wanted to build one myself though so I'll try it and well see what happens. I'm at work now but when i get a chance later I'll post the parts I bought. Thanks
michaelahess
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Just make sure you keep yourself grounded and don't power it up until you triple check everything!
dw bout building your system dont waste money on stores just look up as much information as you can and take your time building it, and as for local computer stores ive never seen one in my life i live in uk the only comp store (literally) is PC world what a ripp off rofl, so i buy online or from computer fairs
Here's the components:
ASPIRE X-DISCOVERY-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT CO SE 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Hauppauge 980 ( WinTV-PVR-250 ) PCI Interface TV Tuner Card - Retail
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200BVBOX - Retail
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model Twinx2048-3200c2 - Retail
Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3300622AS 300GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner Model SHW-160P6S - OEM
LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SOHD-16P9SV - Retail
Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels Sound Card - Retail
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan with Copper Heatsink - Retail
MASSCOOL FDC08025S1M 80mm Sleeve Cooling Fan - Retail
Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM
Total is 1800
ASPIRE X-DISCOVERY-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT CO SE 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Hauppauge 980 ( WinTV-PVR-250 ) PCI Interface TV Tuner Card - Retail
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200BVBOX - Retail
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model Twinx2048-3200c2 - Retail
Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3300622AS 300GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner Model SHW-160P6S - OEM
LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SOHD-16P9SV - Retail
Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels Sound Card - Retail
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan with Copper Heatsink - Retail
MASSCOOL FDC08025S1M 80mm Sleeve Cooling Fan - Retail
Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM
Total is 1800
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