Why build your own desktop?

So remove some RAM? Never heard that too you can have too much PSU Wattage only not enough? If you don't care about having fun building one or want to bother with it and don't care too much about upgrading because after 3 years you may just buy a whole new rig anyway is it hard to argue that I have a valid point? I mean look at what you get for $1100 out of the box.

Why ask the question when you have already decided about the purchase...Sure, Dell will sell you an inexpensive computer with the cheapest and least expensive components to put that computer on your desk. My computer is in a standard ATX case, my RAID hard drives are connected to a dedicated RAID controller, the power supply is 1000 watts+. If I decide to upgrade in three years, I buy a new CPU, motherboard, and memory...that's IT! Putting it together yourself means you need to know about the hardware and what you want it to do... So just buy the Dell because you don't know JACK!

Hey Crazy V,
"And about having to much power. PSU runs best at its rated wattage so to many watts and it would make it run less efficient."

NOT... It's called headroom, the max the PSU can handle while being pushed, (or pulled)... The better PSU's have an efficiency rate over 80%, don't spout facts without knowing them...

If you have to ask "Why build your own desktop?", then you aren't ready to build your own desktop IMO. The more you learn about computers and the components in a computer you'll never want to buy a pre-built again. I know I never will.

WHY....better hardware....more options.....better warranty.....best of all you decide the system that you put together, granted it may take some time in researching what to get....when you are done with your build it's a good feeling.......just my opinion that's all

it's a hobby, one that happens to also save you money!

"Why build your own desktop?"
Many reasons, but if you need to ask, you are not ready to.

The only thing you gain with a prebuilt PC is a warranty.

And power supplies? The efficiency generally peaks at around 50% - 70% of rated output. And then you have Corsairs that are generally so conservatively designed that they will happily put out 120% of their rated output (a shameless plug for Corsair ).

Actually the 80plus specification checks only at 3 load points, 20%, 50%, 100%. If there are any dips in between it would still pass the 80plus certification. Check on some of the graphs of reviews of 80plus (bronze or silver) psu's, you'd see that the graph doesn't really floor at 80%.
http://www.80plus.org/80what.htm

With an 80plus psu you are just guaranteed that your psu at any load the efficiency would be pretty good and because of that the parts would usaully be higher quality thus last longer.



Also @OP, if you don't know much about computers you buy prebuilt period. If you have the time and patience you'd build them yourself because:
1. You'll know on what parts you skimped on and know that you were only fooling yourself.
2. You'll know the parts that are of good quality and you know what to expect in terms of reliability and overclocking.
3. Usually you'd save a few hundred or thousand dollars as you don't need to pay the salary of the ones who build the pc.

For me I like to estimate my cpu load to around 70% of the psu, as a 700W~1000W psu is too expensive for me. Since I usually buy 80plus, I have some confidence that I am running more efficiently than generic psus.

My first computer was a NEC prebuilt, my 2nd a "custom order from ABS," and my 3rd a Compaq prebuilt. The NEC was my first learning computer. By the time the 2nd came around, I had learned enough to order what I needed... but not put it together myself.

A Christmas price discount put the Compaq prebuilt (with a 3 year complete warranty) at the same price point as another custom order.

2 years ago, I decided to start building them myself due to the ability to get better quality and faster components, including warranties with each component. Since then, I've built an "enthusiast" gaming pc for myself, an "enthusiast" gaming pc for a friend, and 2 "mainstream" gaming pcs for other friends.

I am currently finishing an "enthusiast" gaming pc for another friend (an i7 920 build), and I am about to order the components for 2 other systems. (An office/net use pc for my mother and a home theatre pc for myself.)
--------
For all of these, the OPs method of comparing what you get from a mainstream maker (Dell, HP, etc), to a "custom order" maker (ABS), to building from components has been done. Since that Christmas special so long ago, several hundred dollars has been saved on every gaming pc build. (And, for the builds for friends, I tell them upfront that I pocket any/all mail-in rebates from the components as "payment" for my time.)

For the "about to be ordered" components, the price difference is much lower. However, the difference with these systems is their quality, overall loudness, and "future-proofing."

With a computer from a mainstream maker, you cannot... in the future... typically upgrade:

1. The case (Motherboard mounting holes are drilled incorrectly.)
2. The Motherboard (See above)
3. Easily upgrade video cards (Due to the lower powered Power Supply)
....

In short, a mainstream computer is built to never be touched except for the potenial adding of a 2 sticks of ram, an extra hard drive or two, and maybe an extra DVD drive.

From a custom maker, you fix the above issue.

Thus, if the OP wants the comfort of a complete unified warranty from a company he can trust, I say go for it. (I did with ABS in the past, and I don't regret the decision.)

However, if you are ready to "take the dive" and build... including possibly repairing and diagnosing issues mostly on your own with limited/possibly unreliable Internet forum help... then take the plunge as well.

There are benefits to the 2nd and 3rd approaches. I, however, will never buy another "mainstream" maker desktop again. (Maybe one day we'll be able to build our own laptops too.)

Why build your own desktop? IT'S FUN!! *_* Besides, its a good learning experience and a hobby. (b^_^)b

^+1

I'll admit, I was very intimidated the first time I built a PC, but as Hunter says, if you read the manual (I did 5 or 6 times before I started) and understand what the pictures mean (compare the motherboard diagram in the manual to the actual board), it's really not that hard.

-Wolf sends

I did my first build as a college freshman 3 years ago. I knew nothing about computer hardware, I had only owned a hand-me-down laptop. I researched for about month. Now three years later, that same computer is still running fine. (besides the motherboard failure last summer). I was on a budget but needed more power than a laptop could provide for the same price. I spent $900 three years ago and it is still as good as $1200 laptops now. Right now I am tryinng to hold it together until I graduate so I can build a new one. Like I said I was on a budget, so I bought some mediocre parts, which are starting to fail.

I would say the only drawback to doing my own build is that now I am known as the computer expert among my friends and family. They all come to me for help. It gets annoying, but I am usually happy to help.

Just remember not to use a magnetic screwdriver...