whats cheaper? build your own pc from nothing or buy a built one?

Question

I'm needing a new computer and my actual computer's parts are too old to be recylced, so i was wondering what's cheaper to buy parts and build them myself o buy a branded computer from hp, dell or some dealer?

i would want something like this:
250 GB HD
2 GB RAM ( 4GB would be best)
17'' monitor
DVD burner
nice graphic card (don't know much about these so i don't put numbers or models)
and a core 2 duo processor (not as fast as to rip a big hole in my wallet, but fast enough to work with video editing in Standard Definition)

anyway, thnx for the help

Answer 1

For gaming, it's cheaper to build your own. If its a web browser PC, then building your own is cheaper but not by much.

500GB is $100 so get 500GB
2GB RAM Corsair has a special for $58 for their XMS series - so get 4GB if you can afford it (or if your motherboard and 64-bit OS support it. If you have 32-bit OS and CPU then stick with 2GB).
Video: Nvidia 8800GT ($220) and is the best in its class for 3D performance.
A quad Core Q6600 2.4GHz is cheap. An E67xx Intel dual core is also good. Stay away from AMD for now (their Black edidtion CPU may be good but is expensive)
Get at least 550W PSU!!!! Important

Answer 2

Okay, cheaper is definetly buying the parts and it is more convenient because you know your computer inside and out and you wont get all the useless software trials that the retailers pack your computer with. However its not amazingly cheaper its a little less expensive.

However one major disadvantage is if your computer is not working or has a problem you cant just call the retailer and be like so and so is happening. You will have to figure it out urself and fix it yourself(you can use online help too).

So its really up to you oh and sometimes prebuilt ones are cheaper because they have sales like christmas or thanksgiving.


Hope this helps :)

Answer 3

Cheaper wouldn't necessary be the key to a good pc. 1) Buying an out of the box pc does bring about value for money and ease of after sales service which refers to warranty and customer service helpline. However such pc's hardware components are stocked, which means they are mass produces (when i mean mass, it really massive) and serves their basic functionality, therefore to hit that low price for sales the components like capacitors and transistors are of an average quality. In terms of customization there would be much options other than capacity, for instance i would like better rams, not just in capacity but the ability to run at different ram timings. For sure dell wouldn't even give you that option, to us normal users, the higher the ram capacity the better your pc will perform in general. That is however not the case here. 2) Building a custom pc or some would call it a gaming rig. Pretty much requires you to be farmiliar with the field, acronyms such as mobo, ram, psu, hdd, gpu, chassis and etc... Like wise it requires the user to be hardware savvy. Have to do alittle readup and homework before purchasing and assembling, its a chore, but it does pay off. When i got my current system custom build, yeah i didn't actually build it from scratch, got the guy at the shop to do it for me. However every individual major hardware components was selected by me. These hardware components offered by market are way superior in terms of quality, functionality and variety, unlike a dell which supplies you 1 year of warranty that covers product and labour. Each individual hardware warranty holds at least 3 years. Especially you can always get the top of the line hardware for instance the GTX295, which is offered by most out of the box pc. Lastly, there are companies that does custom pc that offers some serious customization. They work like a middle man that does everything for you at a price, something alike an out of the box and pc customization, i would say the best out of both worlds. eg. maingear

Answer 4

Here's an alternative.

My last 5 computers (for me and family members) were bought at local computer shows and saved a lot of money. They will assemble the computers there on the spot from components you select. They also have base systems set up - show specials - that will save quite a bit of money.

I don't know where you are located, but here on the east coast there are two rotating shows that are very good:

marketpro.com
marketproshows,com

Check it out. The vendors are reputable and they can always be contacted if you have a problem and they do come with warrantees.

Answer 5

It all depends. You should shop around online for the parts and see what you can get them for. Also think of the time you will spend putting it together. I would suggest you wait a couple of weeks and check on Dell website, for example. The holidays are around the corner and you will most likely get a good deal buying directly from them that building it yourself. Shop around either way, whether it is for parts or a built pc. www.cyberguys.com is a pretty good site to buy cheap parts.

Answer 6

Well what you could do is first price up all of your parts that you will need, add them all together. Then have a look at some computers and see if they are more cheaper or more expensive than the parts.
Then you should have your answer.

Good luck on building your PC!

Answer 7

Your cheapest solution is to get a custom built PC. Have a look online, there are hundreds of companies that provide this service. With a little shopping around you could find the best deal for you. Building your own PC isnt as straightforward as it seems unless you *really* know what your doing, and you have no guarantee if anything goes **** up at the end.

Answer 8

It would probably be cheaper to build your computer from scratch because then you can have whatever you want on it rather than have some company decide what it'll put on it. Plus computer places put their own mark up on the price of the computer. If you buy one and then upgrade it, you're paying for parts that you won't be using.

Answer 9

I didnt have the money to buy a new system straight-up, so I've been buying parts to a computer. For one, I save on labor costs.

You also get *exactly* what you want, but you have to do your research, and make sure everything is compatible.

My end system I paid about $1500 for, and you would easily pay 2400+ for this system.

22" widescreen HD monitor with HDMI
500 Gig HD
Intel Quadcore Q6600
Nvidia 8800 GT
etc.

Answer 10

Buy one from Dell Outlet. They have good prices, a warranty, and I've never had any problems with them. It's really hard to make your own PC as quiet as a Dell, plus most cases are junky, even the expensive ones.