Why is my setup so expensive?

[DrumlineCapt]

Ok well I thought it would be a good pc if I made it by myself so i went out and got the xplorer case from apevia go myself a 160gb 3.0 sata harddrive and some fans along with a 600w power supply. So Im saving up to buy everything together but now that i think about it this is going to cost me alot of money. Is this what itll cost me or am I putting in too much candy or what? I like playing games like counterstrike and new games and I want to be able to play most of the new games that come out with no problems im not asking for best stuff i want something that will let me play comfortably.Let me know about my system and Plus I still need to get the OS for about 230 which im going with vista home premium is this a good choice? Let me know what you would change.Please, need help and thanks in advance.

 

[Winly]

i think is expensive because you are buying that in Tigerdirect, try newegg or Clubit.

 

[turboflame]

you're buying expensive components

X1650 512MB hypermemory? $104? when you could get a 256MB X1650XT from newegg for $75 after rebate?

mistakes like that could also inflate prices.

 

[avarice]

The question is - expensive compared to what? If you are comparing this against the Dells and Gateways of the world - sure. In fact all but a select few high end manufacturers cut corners somewhere. Generally in their case designs, power supplys, video and memory brand.

When you purchase your own stuff - you can choose which components you want to cut corners on and to which degree you want to do this. I build my machine about a year ago - then the C2Ds had just come out. I opted for the E6600 - as it was a good CPU - but not top of the line. I also chose the 7600GT video card as a compromise in order to save up for the 8800 series cards which had not been released yet.

I think you get the jist.

Some things are important now. CPU, Heatsink/Fan, Motherboard, Power supply and Case. These are things you will likely not replace.

Items such as memory and video can be significant investments and should be chosen wisely - though they can be replaced or augmented (In the case of memory) easily.

Items such as hard drives, DVD Drives, media readers and other bells and whistles can easily be added later, and are good candidates (in general) to compromise.

Shop on newegg - they have better prices. I would also suggest you go to Ibuypower.com and just play with the different configs - buy from there if you like - but the idea is to get an idea of where compromise can help the bottom line.

Last but not least - be very clear on your next posting with regards to the items you are considering. Add product links as opposed to a screenshot. Better yet add details such as the cost to the product description and link - so we do not need to keep on clicking to get everywhere to see what you are considering. We all want to be helpful - just try to make it easier for us to give you our 2-cents.

Cheers.

 

[Hatman]

Not as expensive as the system of 90% of the guys on this forum

 

[HPCE_Larry]

Yea buy from newegg, tiger direct is very expensive. Also, its less expensive than the equivilent dell. Seriously, go to dell and build the system that matches what you have, and if you're getting your parts from newegg, your build will be cheaper, and higher quality.

And, that build isn't that expensive. 2k is sort of expensive. What kind of pc are you going for? Gaming? Office?

 

[fferree]

When I started building computers I went to TigerDirect. No more. I shop around. Newegg isn't the only price saver in town. Many sites offer free shipping in addition to good prices. Prices also change from time to time. Newegg is one site I still shop at.

 

[randomizer]

Be glad you don't live in other countries, where the prices are high and the hardware is rubbish. Aus has high prices, but a reasonable range of hardware. Plus we can probably order it from the US if necessary.

 

[Rabidpeanut]

Yeah!
I paid R10000 = $1400 (USD)for a:
6000+
550 W coolermaster
Raidmax Smilodon
Asus M2N-Sli deluxe nforce 570
2 gig kingston value ram
74gb WD raptor
and An EAH2900XT

 

[ausch30]

Another vote for Newegg, I too bought from Tiger Direct the first time I built my own system and have found since that there are many cheaper options out there. Zipzoomfly is also a popular site and their prices are very good but I've never bought from them so I can't say how I like them. Newegg is usually among the least expensive but I've found that even if it's a few dollars more there I still buy it there just because of their service and support.

Just an example but I just looked and the CPU your looking at is $162.99+ship while at Newegg it's $149.50 w/ free shipping.

Another thing to look at is the return policy because things happen and sometimes components don't work like they should. Here's the one for your CPU from Tiger Direct

"This product is exclusively supported by the manufacturer's warranty. For support on this product, please contact AMD" Basically we have your money and once we ship it out it's not our problem anymore. not the kind of attitude you want to do business with.

and the one from Newegg

Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
Return for refund within: 7 days
Return for replacement within: 30 days

 

[FITCamaro]

Don't get a SATA DVD burner. Your motherboard likely won't see it as a bootable drive and you won't be able to install windows. I made the mistake of accidentally ordering a SATA DVD burner for a build using an Asus A8V Deluxe and had to hook up an older drive just to get it to install Windows.

Also, $230 is way too much for Vista Home Premium. You must be getting a Retail copy. Get an OEM copy. It's much cheaper.

Newegg typically is cheaper than most places on the web but with smart shopping sometimes you can find it cheaper. ZipZoomFly is good as well. Sometimes they're a dollar or two more than Newegg but you can still end up with stuff cheaper because they have free FedEx shipping. The only thing I don't like about Newegg is that they charge 3x as much for FedEx shipping as UPS. And I hate UPS.

Price your system out at both sites and go with whoever's cheapest. Order it all from the same site because otherwise you'll pay more in total shipping costs. Unless the difference makes up for it.

 

[dj_taboo]

$230 for Vista Premium?
$70 for a mouse?
Uhh...and why is this build expensive?
Just try New Egg like the others said and save a couple hundred $$.