I know there are multiple variables here e.g Where one would order their pre-built computer/ parts. Ive been thinking about constructing my own PC but it does seem very unnerving especially when you spend $1,000 on machinery thats dependent on you to function correctly no warranties attached.

Alternatively, I was thinking of Ibuypower.com, but I would like to investigate this matter further to see how much one could generally save building it themselves versus ordering it.

It varies. However, warranties aren't a problem as you get a manufacturer direct warranty from wherever you buy it from for the individual part in most cases.

you save about 50% if your buying from a company that sells in stores, the ones you can customize online varies a lot

Also, ibuypower is garbage.

A best buy gaming crap gaming machine (what they consider high end gaming machine) will cost $2,000 with crappy memory, low end video card, and a no overclocker motherboard. You will save lots of money building it yourself. Building $2,000 your self, you will be building a monster pc, with quad core cpu, faster memory sticks, 2 ati 3870x2 in cross fire, and a good overclocker motherboard.

Best Buy $2,000 plux tax even more (best buy high end gaming pc, what a joke)
q6600
500gb hd
8800 gts 320mb
2gb 5300 Lat:7
DVD ROM
WIndows vista ultimate

Building it yourself
GigaByte GA-P35-DS3L Motherboard$97.33
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor $278.00
WD Caviar SE16 500GB Hard Drive$99.00
eVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 320 Video Card$234.48 (with 6 dollars more can get 8800gt wish outperforms this card)
Corsair 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 DIMM Memory Kit$52.61
Corsair VX 550W Power Supply$93.17
Samsung SH-S203B/BEBN Black Dual Layer DVD±RW Writer$36.30
Cooler Master Elite 330 Mid Tower$50.56
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium$94.93

tax/shipping Total: $1036.38 you save about $1,200

Sometimes you don't actually pay less (or significantly more), you just have superior hand selected parts.

Available at your local Best Buy. http://www.gateway.com/systems/series/529598057.php

And loaded with crapware, a crap mobo, and not to mention almost 0 upgrade capability to speak of.

The advantage wwarriorww is that you get to hand select what goes into your comp, you arent getting stuck with what the manufacturer put in the comp. Also you can build specifically for your needs i.e. multimedia, gaming, video editing etc. If you do your homework, and check out some forums that give you some direction on how to build your pc, its pretty easy. Another idea is get a friend who knows what they are doing, preferably having built there own, and have them give you a hand. And yes, you will save a butt load of money.

This is very true when building a cheap computer, $600 ish. When you start to pay upwards of $1000 dollars on the parts yourself, the saving go up geometricly with the more money you spend.

So if you are spending a $1000 dollars definitely do it yourself. And dont be scared! Its easier than it looks to put together a pc. Just be well read before you start and of course you have the forums for troubleshooting just in case

Totally agree, last march I didn't know anything about building computers. Now I'm very good at building computers as well as trouble shooting them, see when you start building you gain knowlodge of how each part works in the system. I read everything I could before attemping it though, I researched for three months on my free time.

At the bottom or middle, you just cannot compete with the bulk purchasing power of the commercial manufacturers. At the upper end, you have more wiggle room.

Manufacturers will put in X or QX processors instead of doing what we do - using a midlevel or low end known good OC'ing CPU with an upper end HSF. You can save $500 to $800 dollars right there.

And we tend to do neater work, even in a windowless case because time ISN"T money.

Agree with systemlord, when i was getting ready to build this comp all i did was read articles on performance, issues, etc for 3 or 4 months before making my final decision. You can save yourself a lot of trouble and possible compatability issues if you do this. Also you can pick up some hints and tricks to set up your board, since its your first build, i say dont rush into anything before you have thoroughly investigated it. Read up on reviews, problems people are having, how they solved them, and what components caused issues before you buy something.

Trust me build it yourself, research the best components for your money and how they will interact with eachother in a system configuration

and BTW those best buy computers... if 6 months from now you wanna upgrade the video card, yuo cant. cause if you open the case you void your stupid one year warranty cause they put a sticker on your case. so you are forced to pay them to upgrade it for you...and btw i have a 5 year warranty on my HDD, 3 years on CPU, and i dont remember the rest but i think its 1 or 2 years on mobo and ram and psu

its ridiculous....i paid just over $600 canadian for this:
e8400
ga-p35-ds3l rev 2.0
2x1 GB corsair xms2 4-4-4-12
ocz stealth extreeme 600w psu
seagate barracuda 7200.11 500gb

and reused my dvd, floppy, case and videocard

PS: that comment about neater work is bang on....i neatly zip tied cables around the case for better airflow, made things perfectly neat just how i like them, put the hard drive and dvd in the slot that I preferred, not some best buy geek tech
all i need now is a 9800gtx/gt

I think its fair to say most enthusiasts would rather do there own cable routing even if it is a prebuilt comp, i know i did at one time, before i wised up and started building my own.

First, that's not an equivalent machine, not even close. Second, it's a Gateway.

Correct. With the exception of the overclockable DS3L MB, and the Corsair PSU, the Gateway is actually superior to the one posted above.

Gateway: Intel DG33 MB, PNY 8800GT, Hitachi HDD.... http://www.gateway.com/systems/pro [...] 9.php#dis2

A friend has the Phenom version, and it is not too bad for a storebought machine.

I never save any money on the computers that I build, but I get all the computer that I pay for. Not having to pay someones rent and utilities to build me a computer.
Some of the fancy paces like Falcon, would be a good place to have the machine of your dreams built.
But I like to build my own machines because I know whet it's built from and how to configure it.




Rattus Viola: Sino non they quisnam operor non have scientia futurus vestri rector.

Sometimes buying a Retail System is Less Expensive.
Sometimes it's more Expensive.

It's best to try and let us know what you want to do with your system, toss out some ideas, and then see what it would cost you to buy that and what the options are.

IBUYPOWER is not something I would recommend.
They have lots of bad reviews of not standing behind their work or honoring warranties.

If you need a really powerful computer with heavy duty graphics and lots of processing power requiring overclocking, then building your own is almost always the right decision.

If you are just more into normal every day computing, many retail systems would likely suit you better.

Another major factor is what parts you may need.
Do you need an OS? This is almost free to the Big Boys so on less expensive systems this can really cut into a home build budget.

Do you need Monitor/Printer? Often combo deals make them a good deal.

If you just need the base computer parts and no OS or Monitor, its even more likely a home build will do you best.