Buy a premade computer or build one myself?

Question

I'm in the market for a new computer and I want to get a beast of a computer. I'm looking to spend somewhere in the $700-900 range but I'm flexible (cheaper is always better of course). I've been thinking maybe I should just build my own. The only problem is I'm afraid I'll screw up and all that money will go down the drain. Is it hard to build one? Is it cheaper to build one? I'd say I'm above average with computers but I have never built one myself. Give me your thoughts on what I should do.
THANKS!

Answer 1

dude, I would really recommend building it yourself. I have never even seen a computer until five years ago when I came to the US. and this September I built my own computer. It is not as hard as it seems. You just buy all the parts (make sure they are compatible; give me an e-mail at [e-mail] if you have a list of parts and need to know if they are compatible) and then just follow the instructions and assemble the parts. make sure you touch the case before you touch anything else to discharge any static electricity. also, you are going to have to screw in a lot of screws so have a phillips screw driver ready.

typically, you would first unpack the motherboard, secure in the processor, secure in the motherboard, secure the processor fan, put in the RAM sticks, plug in all the power cables, secure and plug in all the drives (hard drive, floppy drive, DVD drive etc), then at last put in any expansion cards you might have, such as video cards and sound cards. that pretty much sums it up. oh, and be sure to buy at least two or three other fans (besides the processor fan) or a liquid cooling system because if you use your computer a lot it gets hot.

Answer 2

Hey There, For About $900 You Can Build A Top Of The Line Computer! Dont Go To The Store And Buy Computers, They Rip You Off Like Crazy. Just Build One By Yourself, Plus Buy All The Parts On Ebay, That Will Be 75% Cheaper Than Buying In Stores.

Answer 3

You should build one, I have before with little experience in computers. It's cheaper and upgrading is much easier than a store bought because every part has been assembled by you, not like how some companies have motherboards they made so that new upgrades is much harder and more expensive.

our best bet for building your own is:

www.newegg.com

They are the best quality, customer satisfaction, support and price. I would use them if you were to order parts. Also, when building it, be careful of static cause that can fry the entire computer.

Also, make sure everything is compatible (like your motherboard has PCI-Express if you purchase an PCI-Express Video Card, etc). If anymore questions just ask and best of luck.

Also, on NewEgg, they have customer reviews so you can read what others have said about the product.

Answer 4

The first one is never easy! For 700 to 900 bucks tho, you can build a system that will rival a 2500 dollar Alienware! If you are careful and start with a good mobo mfg like ASUS, they give you step by step details in putting your system together. Read them and read them close! Its a big step building your own but the rewards are well worth it when you succeed! You will never be afraid to attempt it again! You might read up on the net on the process before you make a decision! If you decide to, Good Luck!

Answer 5

The two extremes, namely buying a Dell as prebuilt or buying mobo, CPU, RAM... etc as DIY are both less desirable in your level, permanent damage is unlikely but not working together is a very good possibility.

The middle-of-road alternative is to buy a barebone; and pepper it with your choice of peripherals, a barebone kit that has all core component (mobo, CPU, RAM) is desirable since that is the very part needing careful matchmaking to get working together. Although such full kit is rare to begin with because the money to be had is gamers in the market and those types are willing to get educated to DIY for the best personalized system.

Answer 6

by buying a premade computer, you can't choose the parts and you won't even know if the price is just too high for the parts inside...

by building your own, you can choose the different parts and can also choose among different brands so you can have more savings. upon choosing the different parts, you can always ask advice from the dealer if its a good one. you can also choose to buy the important parts right now and buy the less important parts later.... its all up to you buddy... good luck!

Answer 7

you will probably end up frying whatever you stick in there, or the stuff just wont work properly. You need at least intermediate, if not advanced knowledge of computer hardware to build your own.

Its much easier to purchase one already premade, and preloaded with the OS, AND, under warranty :D

Answer 8

when building computers you can destroy stuff by touching the wrong stuff, or by not using a big enough power supply. I have blasted thousands of dollars worth of parts and I work on computers all the time.

If you have not done it before get a pro to show you how or have Dell do it for you. you can find all kinds of Dell coupons for cheap stuff by searching randomly online. I found one for $700 off of my computer which turned out to be 2200 i got it pretty cheap. I also suggest a laptop instead of a desktop. Especialy if you have a wireless netowrk in your house. laptops are normally just as good as desktops, but just a little more expensive.

Also, with Dell you can put all the upgrades you want on it and they do not charge you very much to build it for you.

Answer 9

I built one and didnt even know how just by asking questions its definitely cheaper to buy one but building it is alot funner and you get exactly what you want.

Answer 10

It is much, much cheaper to build one. I suggest you buy parts from Newegg: http://www.newegg.com

You can learn how to do it here: http://www.daileyint.com/build/

Or search google for "build your own computer" or "build pc"