To Build or Not to Build.....l

[kevmac]

Hi All -

I am contiplating building my next PC vs. buying one. My last PC purchase was an Alienware about 4 years ago and it's time for me to upgrade.

My knowledge is fairly novice at best. The most I've done is replaced a power supply and installed a graphics card once or twice.

Is it worth the hassle wrestling with a new build?... i.e running into possible BIOS problems, getting the thermal paste wrong on the CPU etc...

Is the money savings worth it? (I usually buy near the best available.)

Not really interested in over-clocking though, nor do I want a water-cooled solution.

I'd also be interested to hear success or failure stores from beginner builders.

thanks for your thoughts!
Kev

 

[akhilles]

I quote Locke of Lost, "There's a first time for everything," which cracked me up when he said that in that particular situation.

 

[skyguy]

Bookmark this:
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/index.htm

Build your own. Even if you break something, even if you have to replace something, even if you screw up and try again, you will STILL do better and cheaper than Alien. My buddy paid $4K for an Alien....6 months later I built a $2K rig for mutual friend that beats the Alien. No joke.

The good thing is that it's kinda hard to break things since they fit together in generally only one way. The ONLY thing that can go wrong really is shorting the motherboard.....so just take your time, install the standoffs properly, read that website, and ask for help here if you need it. We've converted many purchasers to become builders

And you'll do just fine, you're not the first and won't be the last. We'll help get you there, just ask if you need it. Do some reading and research and you'll be fine.

 

[gators1223]

ya don't get a premade pc i got a great pc and built it my self and i went looking at how much it would have cost premade, came up with from $300 to $2000 more premade and alien was one of the most expensive

 

[PotGoblin]

homebuilt > dell,hp,gateway,etc....

costs way less (just for example compare the upgrade options just on ram alone to go from 1gb to 2gb of ddr2-667 it costs nearly $200 from dell, vs 2gb dd2-800 for $90 on the egg)

negative (no all in one warranty but they usually only give you 90 days or 1 yr depending on make/model and charge $200 or more for longer warranties so it not worth it in my opinion unless your computer is attached to a lightening rod)

but who cares thats part of the fun of homebuilt - fixin it your self IF it ever goes down plus you get more freedom in choosing your parts and not limited to a select contingent of parts

 

[kevmac]

Thanks everyone for the good responses, I appreciate it. it sounds like building is the way to go so far...