what i do is just buy a pc and upgrade parts of it myself.. i find that fairly cost effective too.. plus there're plenty of online guides that could help.. try looking something up
My brother bought his name brand computer 15 years ago, and he was totally disgusted with customized parts that made it difficult to upgrade. Since then, all our computers are home built.
Of course you don't built your own computer nowadays. Just order online at Dell or buy at any electronic stores available. New computer just don't die on you. They built to last for years.
The new computer may not die on you but by building it yourself, at least you have a choice of what you want to put into it for the same price.
I would try build my own computer for the fun of it. And like others have said its nice to pick what you put into your own computer and not have all the junk that retail store bought computers come with. Newegg ftw
i think you should built one from scatch dont use the left over parts from your old dell cos i think will be more hassle cos you need to know that part well what does it support etc.. easier to buy everthing new from scatch and most website now like overclockers do buddle deals it comes with mobo ram and cpu which will defo support always better with a mate to help you that knows alot of pc or you could go on this site which is very good, bought 2 pc from there http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/ they very good built ur pc on request, does everything for you even install windows 7 or xp watever you want without the extra crap plus they give all ur boxes and cd driver for you great customer service as well
It is definitely better to buy a pre-built system since computer systems are so cheap now unless you want some very specific configurations. Since you have never built a computer before, all the more reason to buy instead of build unless you really want to learn how to build a computer.
The most expensive part for a budget build is the OS :laugh2: My Build costed me about $100.. using old parts... the new parts are the processor+mobo+cooler+case+PSU, but only costed $100.. the OS.. is the major cost for most of my builds
Id say building your own computer is the best option if you want to have much more customizing options. But that required you to have some skills in assempling all parts togheter
Its all depends whether you would wanna learn how to build one yourself. If your answer is no, then buy direct. If your answer is yes, you can built one up exactly to your liking in a cheaper price.
sounds like you really want to try a hand at building a PC but unsure if youre in over your head. id say if youre familiar with upgrading parts on your comp (hard drives, video cards and such) building a PC isnt that much more difficult. i think the most trouble some part about building a PC is installing the drivers(which usually requires a reboot each time) and making sure each component works properly. if youre still worried, have a friend whose familiar with trouble shooting PC help you. i say take the plunge, its much more gratifying. you also become much better at trouble shooting when you know every single component that goes into your PC.
OK. Thank you all for your opinions, I've made up my mind. I'm gonna do it. Gonna buy a case and MoBo tonight.
One advice ... when the time comes ... make sure you discharge yourself from any static electricity before assembling your PC by touching a (grounded) metal surface!!! You wouldn't want to fry your new motherboard or any other part ... unless you have loads of money And maybe I am stating the obvious here, but try to handle the parts by only holding the edges and not holding it by pressing on any of the chips. Nowadays PC components can withstand quite a lot, but you know what they say ... prevention is better than cure. If you want to be very anal about this, then get a grounding bracelet ... j/k P.S.: Welcome to the jungle of PC building!!!
don't do that. you see, latex gloves work just like a balloon.. you know how you rub a balloon and it creates static discharge? all that discharge needs a place to go (i.e: grounding). By grounding, all that discharge will lead elsewhere, and not towards your components. the easiest way to build your PC without risking static discharge is as follows: 1. I usually wash my hands first, and then grab the sink hose to discharge myself (this is a personal preference, but the sink hose itself is grounded as it is metal, and the water tubes are all copper, and leads to the ground. Like i said, personal preference. 2. You could go out and spend a few bucks on a static wristband, but as I am super lazy, there's an alternative. grab any piece of wire, strip one end to wrap it to the case, and strip about say 20 cm (or 6 inches w/e), and wrap that around your wrist. make sure the metal of the wire is always in contact with your skin. Connect the PSU to the case, and connect the power cable from an outlet to the PSU. DON'T turn on the PSU. once done, you are essentially grounded, as the static will travel to the case, through the psu, and through to the cable to the ground in the outlet. Other people might not like this method, but it works for me. Also, I know that some countries don't have ground in the power outlet.. all i gotta say is lol good luck and have fun man
YES I did it. All put together and up & running. Although it wasn't without its scary moments. at one point my CPU fan wasn't working and CPU temp was 82 degrees C! and trying to get Windows to find the HDD was a pain. But all in all was a good experience. I love it when a plan comes together. oh and thanks again to all you guys.