Why are pre-builts inbalanced?

Teemi

Reputable
Aug 22, 2014
411
0
4,860
I've noticed that many pre-built gaming pcs have a strong cpu and a cheap gpu for the overall price. Why do they do it this way? Wouldn't they be making the same amount of money if they chose a more balanced mix of components for the same price? This is just something I've been wondering about.
 

kanewolf

Titan
Moderator
Usually the delta cost of a GPU upgrade is much greater than the CPU upgrade cost. Intel especially has very granular pricing for CPUs. GPUs tend to be in bunches at specific price points. The performance at $200 price point improves over time but the cards tend to stay grouped at $200 (or $300, etc).
 
As kanewolf pointed out, you can buy a CPU to almost any price-point. There are many steps $10 apart. With GPUs the steps are closer to $50 to get anything better. The builders probable start with the GPU to set the general price and then built to their own price point with the best, or most profitable components that give good specifications.