If you have the money and knowledge, then build it. But otherwise, just buy it. Not sure where you are from, but if you're in America, Newegg.com is a good place to buy computery thingy, If you're in the UK, Overclockers.co.uk is a good place to buy... If you're anywhere else, sorry I don't know other good webbysites Good luck whichever you choose to do! Google is your friend!
I would be interested to see the specs of the Dell PC so I can make my own comparison. For even $1 I would still build my own PC, but that's just me. I don't do it primarily for the money, but mostly as a hobby with the added bonus that I know what's really going into my PC. I'm not sure if things have changed with Dell nowadays, but the last one I had was not future proof at all. I basically had to buy a new system since it used all custom Dell components (motherboard, PSU, etc). The only reason I bought it was because it was tax free. From what I heard recently, don't count too much on their Tech Support though. They will usually refer you to the Recovery CD. We can also not compare the needs of a school/company vs an individual need. Companies buy PCs in bulk and do get a discount for that. I also used to work in an IT department for a large firm and that's how things went. The vendor or reseller (Dell, Compaq, etc.) will provide a discount on the purchase of the PCs, but they will make their money on servers and services. For the OP, Katibear mentioned a very important requirement ... knowledge! If you are an end-user with no troubleshooting skills at all, then please do yourself (and us) a favor and buy a PC with a support contract
The only thing I can say to that is that nobody's computery thingie is bigger than Knoc's computery thingie
Pick a processor and buy the cheapest components you can find. It's not that hard. However, I wouldn't recommend it.
good luck with "their" warranty, everything comes with one year and period. If you build your own, everything including board, cpu, hdd comes with 3 year warranty , and lifetime warranty with RAM and whereas u would have to pay for those years from Dell or other PC companies...the tech support on Dell is the worst as I call them in a corp environment and it was insane, 2 hrs all for nothing because all they do is click around on their PC asking you to do this or that...one time i ordered ram for the laptop, the price for it was 3-4x more than what i can get from other PC shops and it came finally with a sticker on them saying "Refurbished" products...and since the parts are purchased from Dell, even if the ram has lifetime warranty, it won't work because the ram company says ur ram was purchased from OEM and all warranties (= 1 year dead end) should go back to them...whereas you build PCs u can have the ram returned on RMA anytime...i have previous customers with RAM issues and i can still get them RMA'ed without any sort of past purchase receipt or anything. also, building it takes 2 hrs max + 1 hour buying parts + 1 hr windows installation whereas buying from Dell for example takes 5-7 days to get it arrived to your door?
I agree with most of what you said, except the above. I think you are being a bit biased or you are assuming that everybody will buy the components in a real shop I order all my components online from different vendors (for the best deal), so it can also take a couple of days before you have all the components to start building the PC.
lol ok i had shit experience with dell too, hence i build my shit (also cuz i enjoy building), but that wasn't my point not everyone knows how to build a pc. some people don't even know how to change a battery. im not saying that OP is, im just saying that you can't assume a person can do something, just because you and i find it trivial to assemble computers. also, who said we need to order online? go to the nearest store, and pick one up the old school way. that can probably just take a few minutes. user case scenario: customer who has never built a pc before, and from the customer's description, there is a possibility that the customer is not a technical person. customer is told to build a pc. he has never done this before, does not know where to look, or how to do so. he does not know the basic anatomy of a computer. how's he going to know what to buy, why it is good to buy it, what deals are good etc. we're telling him that it's better to build his own pc, because he can swap stuff, upgrade, warranty on the parts. the suggestion that building offers the possibility of upgrades, hardware swap, or whatnot is beyond the point. the customer's current needs are not met. the customer has never done this before. best solution? go to a store, buy a premade computer. computer breaks down. has no idea what to do, or how to diagnose the problem. how is he going to know which hardware is damaged, so that he can call the appropriate maker? what if it's a software problem. no hardware manufacturer will help him, because it has nothing to do with their products (components). with a premade pc, dude only has to go to the store, to ask for help. otherwise, call up the assembler of the pc for help. find the customer's current needs, not potential needs. my basic point is this. just because you and i find it trivial to build computers, and can diagnose problems, does not mean that other people find it trivial. hell, some people don't even know how to screw on a damn light bulb (not saying that OP doesn't know, it's just an example). so you can't expect an individual to be tech savvy enough to do what we would do. although, i think a point which is greather than that must be pointed out. you, me, and everyone else in this thread have all failed to do one thing: ask the OP what his requirements are, what his skill set are, and his experience with tech. the only post we have to base on, is his opening post, which doesn't say much. /end sales man pitch. gfight1
I was referring to Alice in Wonderland. To go down the rabbit hole without much the relevant knowledge. There's no telling how deep it goes and what the hell might bite ya. So it's like if I chose to build my own PC without really knowing what I'm letting myself in for.
i buy my stuff online, get shipped and received the next day, if not the 2nd day, definitely not 5-7 days as Dell stated but usually takes 14+ days to get here depending the time of the year... reply to Dan... if something is wrong, he can bring to the nearest PC shop and get it fixed (way faster service than Dell, when you ship a computer like that, u have the risk of having the stuff broken (if you see how courier handles parcels, their safe drop do kill stuff you know? maybe your right about asking what skills OP has but in any form for OP's requirements, build has < benefits then purchase imo
You're forgetting about warranty. Something happens to a Dell, you send it back, they fix it for free. Lulzwut? Contradicting yourself there, bud.
like, if a person is so worried about waiting 5 days for their machine to come, just go to your local best buy or some shit like that. the time it takes for you to go there, pick up a computer, and plug it in is faster than any self-assembled pc. 1) from the time you decide to buy a computer, to the time you turn it on = fastest. 2) no knowledge of pc anatomy required = easy for everyone, esp a novice. 3) something breaks down, send it and have the fix it for free = no tech diagnostic skills required 4) no need to overclock = prepackaged pc will do just fine 5) fulfills OP's needs = profit tell me if there's anything wrong with said points.. to make a custom pc, just to save 1 or 2 bucks isn't worth it imo, esp with OP's level of expertise.
I would personally think what is your PC used for and what specific you want for you PC... I mean if it's all basic that the pre-made models that has been built would be a bit cheaper unless you don't mind poor quality you might be able to build a new one for pretty cheap or if you want to build a specified for your personal satisfactory regardless the costs i would build your own PC... but it is effort to build one
Dang! You can really write a lot boy! You lost me as soon as I saw your essay. They should put a word limit for you or something to keep you in check j/k noasian already explained about the benefits of warranty, see this post. Nah, he's just stating the obvious. Nothing wrong witht that, except that (as mentioned in his own words) OP has "grown slightly weary of buying Dells". Maybe he should elaborate a bit more why.
OK I feel it's time I cleared up a few things. I have a fair bit of computing knowledge, far from being an expert though. And like I said never built one before and might have trouble when it comes to compatibility and more advanced setting while setting up BIOS and OS. And to elaborate on the comment about being "slightly weary of buying dells", basically I think in the past I've been paying for crap I don't want and don't really know what's inside the case exactly. I don't really use the technical support and when I do they are not much help anyway. And what I would be looking to build would be a general all purpose PC capable of bog standard office apps as well as media and games like Total War and Football Manager. I've thought about building a proper beast of a machine but maybe I'm being a little ambitious for a first attempt. Oh and I really do appreciate all the suggestions, all valid points and something for me to consider. Thanks.
I've read that. However, the difference is, with Dell's warranty, they'll diagnose the problem and replace parts if necessary. An experience builder can easily diagnose a faulty piece of hardware but for the average user, it's probably better for them to let someone with experience handle it. Oh my god! No way! For the most part, you rarely need to go into BIOS unless you're looking to overclock. You'll have to go in and set the date and time when you first boot the new machine up but the process is very simple and you should be able to hit the ground running. As far as installing the OS, it's also fairly painless. Pop the disc in, hit the correct key (designated by your motherboard manufacturer) to prompt the boot selection, select the CD/DVD drive, then follow the on screen instruction. In regards to building a beast on your first attempt, it's not overly ambitious. If you're worried, try taking an old machine apart and putting it back together just to get the feel of things. It's not exactly the same but the idea is the same. Also, newer, "enthusiast" parts now-a-days have features that make diagnostics a breeze.
